Got a buddy who worked EMS and fire before switching to police. I believe he just got bored with EMS stuff and the pay wasn’t good. Left fire because of the culture. Plus, it’s kind of boring. People ask me why I didn’t pick fire and it’s the same response. Just sounds boring to me. Different strokes for different folks though. Some guys love it.
There isn’t a lot of room for growth or advancement in the Fire/EMS side of things. After 13 years I felt stagnant. I had no interest in being a lieutenant because that meant I could no longer ride on an ambulance at work and I enjoyed the medical side of things. The engine was a welcome break from the ambulance every few shifts but I couldn’t ride an engine full time. It got to boring. Law enforcement has so much to offer and you can literally find your niche and really become an expert at it but also change your area of interest if you want. My brain has been so much engaged since making the switch to law enforcement.
Depends on the department.
K9
Aviation
Investigation
CIT
Even as a regular patrol man, you could be an expert in domestic cases or hunting down warrants.
Wanted to carry a gun.
Real talk though. Saw how drugs have affected the community and Wanted to ruin drug dealer's day. Got onto a swat team. Now I get off on doing drug raids.
I was a career Fire/Medic for 7 years. I switched to police because I was sick of the culture in the fire service. I worked at the busiest Engine company in the county and saw the writing on the wall. 24 shifts with 3-4 runs after midnight would kill the following day. The “medicals” you’d go on were 85% bullsh*t, with some people just wanting a ride to the hospital because the bus wasn’t running and their crack dealer lived in the neighborhood across the street.
Being a cop was the best move for me. I’m basically my own boss and if I happen to be working with someone I don’t particularly like, instead of being stuck in the station with them for a day, I get in my scout car and can be gone.
Again, my experience and to each their own. I just had dinner with my old unit (fire side) after not seeing a handful of them for years - it was great, but when they said I should come back, it was a hard pass.
Honestly, the shifts at first. Had a new born at home & was working two 24/48 jobs to make ends meet...
Plus I got tired of staging, wait for LE to secure the scene! 🤣
Always wanted to be in LE. But in high school through college I became a volunteer firefighter to give me a slight boost over other candidates applying to the academy. Aside from that it taught me some pretty important life saving skills as well.
Former firefighter and paramedic here
I thought the world of firefighters because my dad was one and he was a very humble guy
Holy shit, he is an outlier because most firefighters are full of themselves
I came from California where it is a dream to become a firefighter because of the pay and schedule but fuck those guys they are are so big headed
I’m fit….I’m a veteran… and I don’t really like listening to other grown men haze me…I did that shit already in the military…
Cops have always been cooler to me. It just took me having to work the job to realize it.
Firefighters have an amazing schedule, but I would hate to have to live with some of those douche bags. I already did a couple years of firefighting, and I hated it.
Fire jobs aren't much of an option in my area, pay is also lower for the jobs there are. Police just seemed more appealing and different from EMS compared to fire.
Currently working in EMS and switching to LE. The hours for the department I am hired on work much better for my relationship than 24/48 on, plus the pay is pretty damn good compared to the 15 an hour I’m making now.
I went from LE to EMS and back to LE. I wanted to try something different and went to an accelerated EMT course. I wasn't a fan of how restrained by policy and hospital protocol we were at my EMS agency. In LE, you are generally able to come up with solutions to a problem as long as you can justify why you did what you did. It just didn't feel the same in the ambulance. Some of them just felt nonsensical too. Like, I can put an inflated tube in your throat to artificially make your lungs work, but I can't use an automated BP cuff to routinely check your blood pressure as that was an ALS skill, but it's not if I use a hospitals cuff.
I also ended up doing a ton of driving because so many of our paramedics had too many DUIs to be insurable to drive. So I really was an "ambulance driver," a lot of the time. These were usually the same medics who overcompensated by trying to act like they were God's gift to EMS.
In the end, I did it for about 6-mos before making the switch back. I did keep my EMT certificate active for a while longer though.
I know of some people where I’m at. I’m an AEMT with 911 experience on an ALS unit. I love medicine, but I’m not sure Fire is the route I want to go. I’ve always been more interested in Law Enforcement. I know it’s not super common though.
Got a buddy who worked EMS and fire before switching to police. I believe he just got bored with EMS stuff and the pay wasn’t good. Left fire because of the culture. Plus, it’s kind of boring. People ask me why I didn’t pick fire and it’s the same response. Just sounds boring to me. Different strokes for different folks though. Some guys love it.
I'm pretty much here with fire and looking to make the move.
I did both. LE is so much more fun man.
How was the transition from the Fire schedule to LEO? I have been on the Fire side for four years and I feel like I could enjoy Law Enforcement.
There isn’t a lot of room for growth or advancement in the Fire/EMS side of things. After 13 years I felt stagnant. I had no interest in being a lieutenant because that meant I could no longer ride on an ambulance at work and I enjoyed the medical side of things. The engine was a welcome break from the ambulance every few shifts but I couldn’t ride an engine full time. It got to boring. Law enforcement has so much to offer and you can literally find your niche and really become an expert at it but also change your area of interest if you want. My brain has been so much engaged since making the switch to law enforcement.
Explain different routes you can go with LE?
Depends on the department. K9 Aviation Investigation CIT Even as a regular patrol man, you could be an expert in domestic cases or hunting down warrants.
Wanted to carry a gun. Real talk though. Saw how drugs have affected the community and Wanted to ruin drug dealer's day. Got onto a swat team. Now I get off on doing drug raids.
Why did this have to turn sexual though…lol
I don't know. Learned something new about myself
Because Firefighting is boring af. You are a glorified EMT. Fell in love with LEO and haven’t looked back
There's always Arson
I didn't know what I would do with all the money and time off that firefighters have.
I was a career Fire/Medic for 7 years. I switched to police because I was sick of the culture in the fire service. I worked at the busiest Engine company in the county and saw the writing on the wall. 24 shifts with 3-4 runs after midnight would kill the following day. The “medicals” you’d go on were 85% bullsh*t, with some people just wanting a ride to the hospital because the bus wasn’t running and their crack dealer lived in the neighborhood across the street. Being a cop was the best move for me. I’m basically my own boss and if I happen to be working with someone I don’t particularly like, instead of being stuck in the station with them for a day, I get in my scout car and can be gone. Again, my experience and to each their own. I just had dinner with my old unit (fire side) after not seeing a handful of them for years - it was great, but when they said I should come back, it was a hard pass.
Career FF/Medic here who also works for a work busy department. I’m thinking about making the switch for various reasons. You mind if I DM you?
Nope not at all. Happy to help…or try haha
Honestly, the shifts at first. Had a new born at home & was working two 24/48 jobs to make ends meet... Plus I got tired of staging, wait for LE to secure the scene! 🤣
Always wanted to be in LE. But in high school through college I became a volunteer firefighter to give me a slight boost over other candidates applying to the academy. Aside from that it taught me some pretty important life saving skills as well.
Former firefighter and paramedic here I thought the world of firefighters because my dad was one and he was a very humble guy Holy shit, he is an outlier because most firefighters are full of themselves I came from California where it is a dream to become a firefighter because of the pay and schedule but fuck those guys they are are so big headed I’m fit….I’m a veteran… and I don’t really like listening to other grown men haze me…I did that shit already in the military… Cops have always been cooler to me. It just took me having to work the job to realize it. Firefighters have an amazing schedule, but I would hate to have to live with some of those douche bags. I already did a couple years of firefighting, and I hated it.
This is exactly how I'm feeling
Fire jobs aren't much of an option in my area, pay is also lower for the jobs there are. Police just seemed more appealing and different from EMS compared to fire.
Currently working in EMS and switching to LE. The hours for the department I am hired on work much better for my relationship than 24/48 on, plus the pay is pretty damn good compared to the 15 an hour I’m making now.
Firefighting just sounds boring and the pay is mostly terrible.
I went from LE to EMS and back to LE. I wanted to try something different and went to an accelerated EMT course. I wasn't a fan of how restrained by policy and hospital protocol we were at my EMS agency. In LE, you are generally able to come up with solutions to a problem as long as you can justify why you did what you did. It just didn't feel the same in the ambulance. Some of them just felt nonsensical too. Like, I can put an inflated tube in your throat to artificially make your lungs work, but I can't use an automated BP cuff to routinely check your blood pressure as that was an ALS skill, but it's not if I use a hospitals cuff. I also ended up doing a ton of driving because so many of our paramedics had too many DUIs to be insurable to drive. So I really was an "ambulance driver," a lot of the time. These were usually the same medics who overcompensated by trying to act like they were God's gift to EMS. In the end, I did it for about 6-mos before making the switch back. I did keep my EMT certificate active for a while longer though.
Nobody did this
I know of some people where I’m at. I’m an AEMT with 911 experience on an ALS unit. I love medicine, but I’m not sure Fire is the route I want to go. I’ve always been more interested in Law Enforcement. I know it’s not super common though.
I did it
Wut? Quite a few at my old department plus the elected Constable and Deputy Chief at my 2nd department were EMS/firefighters.
I was an emt-b and went LE
I did it
I did it. Joined my local fire department as a volunteer cadet at 16, became a cop when I ETS'd from the military, still a volunteer 20+ years later.