Originally Posted By: paramedicpete


Unfortunately you will need to look for another provider cry, as is highly likely I will be relinquishing my Paramedic license (EMT-P) next year and downgrade to an EMT-B. The increasing recertification requirements in not only EMS, but on the Fire/Rescue side is forcing me to make some hard choices, but feel the time has come to relinquish my license. Since our team in involved in several technical rescue disciplines, maintaining proficiency in each while balancing work and family has become too much of challenge to do it all. Our Technical Rescue Team membership is 100% volunteer and since our community has gone from 100% volunteer ALS providers to 99% career ALS providers, the need to maintain my Paramedic license is not critical.



And we move another step closer to the end of volunteer emergency services in the USA. Pete, you're out for the same reasons I'm out. One of the long list of things that pushed me out the door was a class that I had to take - again - for "Rural Water Supply Operations". In 50 years, rural water supply has been the same. Bring Water to the Fire in Tankers. There's about 5 valid ways to pull from a water supply (pond, river, lake, etc.) and move that water to another place and unload it and spray it on a fire. Really, there's almost nothing new in the basic operational principals, and even so-called Big Innovation (like Vacuum tankers) are still loading water at point A and moving it and dumping it at point B. So why do I need another 40 hour class in this when I've taken Rural Water Supply 3 times before?

Then there's all the medical training, the auto extrication updates, the NIMS 64,354 level of training. The fire service is a dumping ground of regulations to prevent All Bad Things That We Wish Would Not Happen.

I miss helping people. I don't miss 400 hours a year spent in training.