Planning on skiing Big White this season?

[janalta]

u said 2 dollars an hr was plenty enuff said

Do you get paid to sit around on your days off and do nothing ?
Me either.
Enough said.

[theyeti]

days off the guy has to sit there waiting for a call out its hardly a day off .. do security guards get paid for watching there monitors yep they do and its a one day course not several years.. i hope u realize how insulting it must be to read your posts . anyone who went thru all that training for 2 bucks an hr is obviously gonna be choked about it

[Kodidad]

Do you get paid to sit around on your days off and do nothing ?
Me either.
Enough said.

Let me add some perspective to that statement. Would you mind;
-being interrupted in the middle of the Stanley cup finals, with your buddys, to leave for a few hours
-not having a glass of wine at your New Years eve party
-leaving your family in the middle of Christmas dinner
-getting up from a dead sleep in the middle of the night to the cold snowy weather
-driving perhaps hundreds of kilometers, away for days having to pay for your gas, maybe lodging, and meals for $48/day
-not knowing if your home for lunch, dinner, or not until the next day
I wouldn't do that but thank god there is dedicated people that do. Up until a decade ago, this was done for free.
EMS has the highest divorce, and suicide rate of any emergency service. Wonder why?
Now back to your regularly scheduled topic.

[StraitTalk]

I am seriously starting to question most of your guy's knowledge on this subject if you seriously think paramedics sit around for 2$/h on their days off and that you feel that is a fair and accurate description of what they do. They are paid $2/h on standby which compared to Alberta for example is extremely low. See above poster.

[theyeti]

thank god there r a few ppl here with backbone enuff to see that this is wrong . ppl deserve alot more than 2 bucks an hr if they r to be relied upon . however if u insist we go down that path i say lets make it the same for cops . why should a cop riding around in patrol car get more than two bucks i mean hes just rolling around on call its like a day off pretty well .

[Amarow121]

u said 2 dollars an hr was plenty enuff said

Do you get paid to sit around on your days off and do nothing ?
Me either.
Enough said.

I do not get paid pager pay if I am having a day off.
If my pager is turned on and I am being paid pager pay, it means that I have driven from my home to my ambulance station (located ~70 kms away from my home) and am ready to respond to 9-1-1 calls.

I considered transferring to the Big White station. I choose not to, because I didn't think I could break even working there. If I drive up to Big White it costs gas money. If the ambulance is not needed during the time I'm up there, I will not break even. I work to get paid. If my job doesn't allow me to pay my bills, then I'm doing something wrong.

I hope that clears up your misunderstanding regarding paramedic pay.

[Jonrox]

If you're against this decision, it's a good idea to let them know. Here's their contact page:

http://www.bcas.ca/EN/quicklinks/contact.asp

[janalta]

So, according to the posters here, the BCAS is actually lying to perspective EMRs?

Directly from their web site:

Working as an EMR is an entry-level, community focused position that is ideal for people who live and work in a rural or remote area and have a desire to make a difference. BCAS employs EMRs on an on-call, part-time basis. During their shift, EMRs carry a pager at an hourly rate of $2.00, at which time they have the freedom to pursue other work and activities. When called out, pay increases to the full paramedic hourly rate.

Also, Yeti....you stated your friend was an EMT...which is now EMR...which is approx 40 hours of training.
It is the first step, entry level of the paramedic field...and it is made perfectly clear what hours and pay are to be expected before you enter into it.
I have the upmost respect for all Emergency responders and the job they do and haven't once said anything to the contrary....but the expected wages are laid out before you enter into the occupation. Anyone who is considering it as a career is obligated to know all of this ahead of time.

[janalta]

Let me add some perspective to that statement. Would you mind;
-being interrupted in the middle of the Stanley cup finals, with your buddys, to leave for a few hours
-not having a glass of wine at your New Years eve party
-leaving your family in the middle of Christmas dinner
-getting up from a dead sleep in the middle of the night to the cold snowy weather
-driving perhaps hundreds of kilometers, away for days having to pay for your gas, maybe lodging, and meals for $48/day
-not knowing if your home for lunch, dinner, or not until the next day
I wouldn't do that but thank god there is dedicated people that do. Up until a decade ago, this was done for free.
EMS has the highest divorce, and suicide rate of any emergency service. Wonder why?
Now back to your regularly scheduled topic.

Sure would...in fact...after raising four kids and running a farm, equine rescue and beef operation for 20 years...did it all on a daily basis. For free.

[LoneWolf_53]

You tend to come off as more than a tad bitter janalta, if not a bit jealous of those looking to do better than you, not to mention fixated on data that you've been clearly proven to be wrong about, both helicopter home base, as well as compensation.

Equine rescue would most certainly be a choice, and hardly comparable to a profession as a paramedic to my thinking.

As far as raising kids goes so what? You aren't the first person to go down that road, and I raised twice as many as you, big deal, it's also a personal choice, and not one that warrants sympathy.

[janalta]

You tend to come off as more than a tad bitter janalta, if not a bit jealous of those looking to do better than you, not to mention fixated on data that you've been clearly proven to be wrong about, both helicopter home base, as well as compensation.

Equine rescue would most certainly be a choice, and hardly comparable to a profession as a paramedic to my thinking.

As far as raising kids goes so what? You aren't the first person to go down that road, and I raised twice as many as you, big deal, it's also a personal choice, and not one that warrants sympathy.

Bitter and jealous? Of whom exactly?
The info I posted on compensation came from directly the BCAS web site.
The heli home base...if you check again, I actually posed it as a question...not a fact.

The rescue, and the farm were jobs. Choices? Yes. As becoming an EMR is also a choice.

Raising kids, running a farm...definitely not worthy of sympathy at all...quite the opposite...loved every minute of both.
The point is...we all make choices and sacrifice personal time for whatever reasons.
The poster asked if I would choose to have certain inconveniences in my life and personal time for a job...and the answer was yes, I would and I have.
Being a farmer and being on call...a life choice.
Being an EMR and being on call....also a life choice.
No different.

No one is forcing people to enter into the field...it is their choice. An honorable choice, as I have already stated...but their choice none the less....and they knew going into it what the job entailed and what the compensation would be.

I'm not exactly sure why people keep making this an issue about how much or little EMRs and paramedics are paid...that's not even the point of the original topic.

[theyeti]

i guess i am to blame for the topic shift i said the issue was finding ppl because they dont pay . thats why the ambulance is being moved . not due to costs . due to cheap government ripping off good ppl for a hard days work .

now i respect a farmer .

i expect a farmer to understand that fuel and time r worth money .

if u r on call to the ambulance at big white where do u suppose that person hang out while on call . obviously they r gonna have to be there waiting for a seconds notice to go do what needs to be done . surely a farmer and animal rescue woman such as yourself can appreciate that

[LoneWolf_53]

I'm not exactly sure why people keep making this an issue about how much or little EMRs and paramedics are paid...that's not even the point of the original topic.

LOL Perhaps you need to go back and reread your posts, as it's you that made remarks regarding pay for simply having a pager on.

You're right it isn't the topic or issue so stop going there.

[Chmmr]

if u r on call to the ambulance at big white where do u suppose that person hang out while on call . obviously they r gonna have to be there waiting for a seconds notice to go do what needs to be done . surely a farmer and animal rescue woman such as yourself can appreciate that

Ambulance attendants on duty at Big White stayed in the patrol hut where their Ambulance is parked. They have full use of the upstairs facilities (showers, kitchen, living room etc) plus they have their own fridge, as well as their own private room for watching tv, reading or whatever they want. Oh and internet access.

[Amarow121]

So, according to the posters here, the BCAS is actually lying to perspective EMRs?

Directly from their web site:

Working as an EMR is an entry-level, community focused position that is ideal for people who live and work in a rural or remote area and have a desire to make a difference. BCAS employs EMRs on an on-call, part-time basis. During their shift, EMRs carry a pager at an hourly rate of $2.00, at which time they have the freedom to pursue other work and activities. When called out, pay increases to the full paramedic hourly rate.

Anyone who is considering it as a career is obligated to know all of this ahead of time.

No, I would not say BCAS lies to perspective employees. Most people know exactly want sort of employment situation they will be getting into if they choose to work for BCAS, and I've yet to meet anyone who felt they were misled during the hiring process.

From listening to my scanner, the Big White ambulance (that is now located in Lake Country) has been out each shift doing street calls and inter-hospital transfers. So it would appear it is being well utilized in Lake Country.

If you're against this decision, it's a good idea to let them know. Here's their contact page:

http://www.bcas.ca/EN/quicklinks/contact.asp

Absolutely! Equally contact if you are for this decision, or if you have other concerns/complaints/compliments for BCAS.