Hi, Guest
07-08-2006, 01:04 AM
Yeah there is, do a GOOGLE FOR MESC in Brandon, Manitoba or Fire Etc in Vermillion, Alberta. There is a VERY VERY LONG waiting list, I've been on MESC's for almost a year and a half now.
Tuition and living expenses are around $25,000 for 8-9 months, there are two courses a year, around 20-30 people in each course. There is a physical and mental testing as well as a rank interview from what I've heard prior to even getting into the college.
Major competition to get in as there's probably a couple hundred applicants.
You have to have a bunch of things done before hand, all your CPR, first aid certification, driver's license with air brake endorsement and some other things, certain courses (biology) highly recommended.
The course in MESC, which I am going for, will certify you as a first response EMT and Fire Fighter with all the credentials to work basically anywhere in the world. International certification and MESC's program is the most advanced, complete course out there.
Depending on where you work, starting wages around 55-60k a year, some jobs in Alberta for example are called 'FireMedics' where you are both an EMT and a fire fighter and those can start upwards of 80k a year.
Regardless of pay, this is totally what I want to do. It's 'perfect' for me as I can utilize my size (6'4" or so and 260 pounds, not fat, muscle) and it's right in line with my goals in life. I've been 'somewhat' preparing myself for this for years. I tried with the police for 4 years, passing all their physical testing, mental testing each and every time (I think 8 times total) now and still didn't get in, stupid 'issues' I'm not getting into that had nothing to do with me.
Anyway yeah, amazing career. There are 'shorter' courses out there that a person can take but your salary and where you want to work is very limited by this. The 'shorter' more basic courses are over in Alberta.
I'm hoping to get hired on in Saskatoon actually, the housing costs and overall cost of living here is 'perfect' plus Saskatoon and MESC are hand in hand as Saskatoon only hired MESC grads and heavily pushes for 'local' people, people born and raised in the city.
They hire about 15 people a year but tons of retires coming up in the next 5 years. I have an 'in' into the MD Ambulance here in the city so I can, after graduation, hopefully get hired on with them until a position opens with SFD.....
Tuition and living expenses are around $25,000 for 8-9 months, there are two courses a year, around 20-30 people in each course. There is a physical and mental testing as well as a rank interview from what I've heard prior to even getting into the college.
Major competition to get in as there's probably a couple hundred applicants.
You have to have a bunch of things done before hand, all your CPR, first aid certification, driver's license with air brake endorsement and some other things, certain courses (biology) highly recommended.
The course in MESC, which I am going for, will certify you as a first response EMT and Fire Fighter with all the credentials to work basically anywhere in the world. International certification and MESC's program is the most advanced, complete course out there.
Depending on where you work, starting wages around 55-60k a year, some jobs in Alberta for example are called 'FireMedics' where you are both an EMT and a fire fighter and those can start upwards of 80k a year.
Regardless of pay, this is totally what I want to do. It's 'perfect' for me as I can utilize my size (6'4" or so and 260 pounds, not fat, muscle) and it's right in line with my goals in life. I've been 'somewhat' preparing myself for this for years. I tried with the police for 4 years, passing all their physical testing, mental testing each and every time (I think 8 times total) now and still didn't get in, stupid 'issues' I'm not getting into that had nothing to do with me.
Anyway yeah, amazing career. There are 'shorter' courses out there that a person can take but your salary and where you want to work is very limited by this. The 'shorter' more basic courses are over in Alberta.
I'm hoping to get hired on in Saskatoon actually, the housing costs and overall cost of living here is 'perfect' plus Saskatoon and MESC are hand in hand as Saskatoon only hired MESC grads and heavily pushes for 'local' people, people born and raised in the city.
They hire about 15 people a year but tons of retires coming up in the next 5 years. I have an 'in' into the MD Ambulance here in the city so I can, after graduation, hopefully get hired on with them until a position opens with SFD.....