I've been in Diesel school for a few months now. Today, chief of the Fire Service Training Department at my school talked to us about the life of an emergency vehicle technician. He made it sound like a challenging job but also rewarding. Anyone out there do this for a living and care to share your experience?
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Emergency Vehicle Techs???
- Thread starter Sri Ram
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Be very sceptical of trade school teachers. They paint some very rosy pictures. When I hear the stories of promised incomes and easy jobs in the automotive fields I see most graduates dissapointed and surprised by the real world.
Bob
Are you inquiring about the people that "build" these vehicles up to be emergency equipment. . or talking about becoming a Emergency Medical Technician. I "built" cop cars for 5 years "part time". might go back if I can get back in "full time"... you know county employee, etc. ! :-laf Oh, and ditto on what Bob said above !!
Thanks for the advice, Bob! Of course I'll make up my own mind in the end. No doubt working as a tech will be very differecnt from being a student. I was asking for experience from people who have worked on the rigs, not built them. But, any comments are welcome.
As I understand it, working on these rigs can be challenging as there are vast differences from year to year and from rig to rig thanks to all of the custom accessories. How do such differences present themselves to a technician trying to troubleshoot a malfunction?
As I understand it, working on these rigs can be challenging as there are vast differences from year to year and from rig to rig thanks to all of the custom accessories. How do such differences present themselves to a technician trying to troubleshoot a malfunction?
The aftermarket products can be a bit challenging,but usually it is more of the why did the installer take that short cut 
Make sure you stay awake during the electrical and electronic phases of your instruction. That is the future,and the future is here. In the Dodge world electronics are used in every skill category. A level 2 certification in electrical is required to work in any of the skill categories. I see techs struggling in the electonics more than any other area. Some guys get it and some never will. Good luck to you it is a tough industry to make a good living in and getting tougher.
Bob
Make sure you stay awake during the electrical and electronic phases of your instruction. That is the future,and the future is here. In the Dodge world electronics are used in every skill category. A level 2 certification in electrical is required to work in any of the skill categories. I see techs struggling in the electonics more than any other area. Some guys get it and some never will. Good luck to you it is a tough industry to make a good living in and getting tougher.
Bob
I spent ~5 years working as a diesel tech for a small ambulance/medical transportation outfit - at the time they had ~8 ambulances and 6 or 7 other vehicles for us two mechanics to enjoy.
Personally, I think it was a great job... BUT - it was a small privately owned outfit AND my Dad/I were good friends for many years with the owner.
I had very flexible hours (work as much or as little as I wanted, come/go as I please - perfect for a college guy!) and the pay was good for a spry young buck. Working for a smaller place, you can get to be a "Jack of all Trades" - one week I'd be setting up a computer network, the next week I'd be changing oil in the boss' backhoe... I liked that - a LOT.
About the only thing I had trouble with was arguing with said owner over how some stuff should be fixed... and/or the scheduled maintenance intervals. In the end, I basically shrugged it off and did what I thought was right (better maintenance... ). It also helped that I had one of the best coworkers a guy could ask for - he's still a very good friend of mine.
You'll have a LOT of crisis issues to deal with that must be taken care of ASAP - and you'll also find that when a rig comes in just for an oil change - you'll spend all day working on it... doing brakes... changing light bulbs... nit picky BS. Some rigs are out so much that if you don't do all this stuff when you can, you won't see them again for 10,000mi.
The electronics in these things are really, REALLY simple... there's just a LOT of it and the aftermarket companies taking Ford chassis and slapping ambulance bodies on them are not employing the world's best engineers.
I was also required by this outfit to be first aid and CPR (health care provider leve... ) certified... as well as receiving a full physical and round of preventative shots... all paid for by the employer, of course. They did this in case I was needed to do a medical transport run (which I did on occasion... )... or if there were ever a big disaster and an MCI (Multiple Casualty Incident) was declared - I could drive the ambulances and let the EMT's/Medics work on the patients. This only happened once or twice, though.
One big bit of advice I'd offer is that if you do decide to work for anyone servicing emergency vehicles - make sure it's very close to a decent hardware store with lots of stainless fasteners... you'll be visiting OFTEN.
Beers,
Matt
Personally, I think it was a great job... BUT - it was a small privately owned outfit AND my Dad/I were good friends for many years with the owner.
I had very flexible hours (work as much or as little as I wanted, come/go as I please - perfect for a college guy!) and the pay was good for a spry young buck. Working for a smaller place, you can get to be a "Jack of all Trades" - one week I'd be setting up a computer network, the next week I'd be changing oil in the boss' backhoe... I liked that - a LOT.
About the only thing I had trouble with was arguing with said owner over how some stuff should be fixed... and/or the scheduled maintenance intervals. In the end, I basically shrugged it off and did what I thought was right (better maintenance... ). It also helped that I had one of the best coworkers a guy could ask for - he's still a very good friend of mine.
You'll have a LOT of crisis issues to deal with that must be taken care of ASAP - and you'll also find that when a rig comes in just for an oil change - you'll spend all day working on it... doing brakes... changing light bulbs... nit picky BS. Some rigs are out so much that if you don't do all this stuff when you can, you won't see them again for 10,000mi.
The electronics in these things are really, REALLY simple... there's just a LOT of it and the aftermarket companies taking Ford chassis and slapping ambulance bodies on them are not employing the world's best engineers.
I was also required by this outfit to be first aid and CPR (health care provider leve... ) certified... as well as receiving a full physical and round of preventative shots... all paid for by the employer, of course. They did this in case I was needed to do a medical transport run (which I did on occasion... )... or if there were ever a big disaster and an MCI (Multiple Casualty Incident) was declared - I could drive the ambulances and let the EMT's/Medics work on the patients. This only happened once or twice, though.
One big bit of advice I'd offer is that if you do decide to work for anyone servicing emergency vehicles - make sure it's very close to a decent hardware store with lots of stainless fasteners... you'll be visiting OFTEN.
Beers,
Matt
Thanks for the replies:
I am now in my last week of fourteen weeks of electrical. It's been challenging but VERY interesting. Since I'm new to it though, I will need a lot more practice. Fortunately, I will have the next 18 months or so of school to hone my skills before entering the workforce.
Matt, was there a lead tech and an assistant or what? I'm curious if a tech straight out of a two year vocational college could get this kind of job.
Sick as it may sound, I like the nit-pickey/detail-oriented stuff. Did you guys set the PM schedules or did they bring you the rigs only when something when wrong?
I've never had any formal automotive education, but I did have a great instructor - my Dad. Ever since I was old enough to hold a wrench, Dad had me out in the yard and in the garage fixing stuff. With that in mind, I was still able to get more than one diesel mechanic position without any sort of certification/education. Both of these positions I held were made possible after positive word of mouth spread and/or the employers making the decisions physically saw me work on stuff.
It might be harder to get into a larger organization since they use certifications, credentials and things like that to filter out potential applicants. I wouldn't let that deter me, though. It doesn't take long to figure out if someone knows what they're talking about... if they do, then all you need to determine is if they're a good fit for the company and if they have a good work ethic, etc.
I'd think that a 2-year voc-tech degree would carry some sort of ASE certification, right? If so, that should at the very least help get your foot in the door. Once your foot is in the door, you have to sell yourself and really try to drive it home that you're an honest, hard worker. It's hard just starting out like that - without having much of a past work history and a lack of references.
The guy I worked with at the ambulance shop had formal education/certification - but I never really found many instances where he knew any more than I did. I certainly had an advantage with the electronics and diesel stuff... he had the advantage with alignments and stuff like that I never did at home.
We set the PM intervals and were usually pretty good at getting stuff in and crews swapped out of their rigs and into something else.
You'll quickly find that the crews have their favorite rigs and if that rig isn't available because it's due for service, they can be downright irate about it. I just took the "Tough ----, too bad... so sad. " approach and they left me alone after a while.
Cheers,
Matt
It might be harder to get into a larger organization since they use certifications, credentials and things like that to filter out potential applicants. I wouldn't let that deter me, though. It doesn't take long to figure out if someone knows what they're talking about... if they do, then all you need to determine is if they're a good fit for the company and if they have a good work ethic, etc.
I'd think that a 2-year voc-tech degree would carry some sort of ASE certification, right? If so, that should at the very least help get your foot in the door. Once your foot is in the door, you have to sell yourself and really try to drive it home that you're an honest, hard worker. It's hard just starting out like that - without having much of a past work history and a lack of references.
The guy I worked with at the ambulance shop had formal education/certification - but I never really found many instances where he knew any more than I did. I certainly had an advantage with the electronics and diesel stuff... he had the advantage with alignments and stuff like that I never did at home.
We set the PM intervals and were usually pretty good at getting stuff in and crews swapped out of their rigs and into something else.
You'll quickly find that the crews have their favorite rigs and if that rig isn't available because it's due for service, they can be downright irate about it. I just took the "Tough ----, too bad... so sad. " approach and they left me alone after a while.
Cheers,
Matt
Please realize that there are more than just ambulances to work on in the emergency equipment field. With dozens of companys building fire trucks with different variations it can get quite hectic. Custom cabs versus an International or Frightliner chassis, different foam systems, brands of pumps, special order options. I have personally done a small amount of work on these apparatus, as our fire department hires a certified technician to preform most work. Interestingly enough, a fire dept in our county has a main line engine ( pumper) with a 5. 9 cummins. Runs great. If i didn't make a living fighting fires, I would be working on the trucks.
You must have actual work experience in the real world to get the cert after taking the test. Read more here
ASE | Home
Bob
From the ASE website
Technical college training qualifies for the above.
Technical college training qualifies for the above.
mrtwister, is the variety frustrating or just challenging?
Frustrating on some days, but always a good challenge to keep things interesting... I was NEVER bored... something I can't say for the software industry I'm in now after finishing my 4-year degree.
That's good to know about the ASE cert - the test is probably pretty hard, but I'd like to give it a whirl someday.
Beers,
Matt
mrtwister, is the variety frustrating or just challenging?[/QUOTE]
The work can be challenging, the frustrating part comes when parts are not avaliable or the perticular model has been discontinued. The rewarding part is when we are at the scene of a house fire and the equipment is running smoothly.
Firetrucks are mostly one of a kind. With custom chassis and cab configurations, a fire department can customize almost any part or location of inlets, outlets, pump panel locations, etc.
Get to know your electrical and wiring schemetics well. I see more technicians service fire departments that aren't up to date on the electrical side of things and get into trouble.
I forgot to mention in my last post both of our pumpers are powered by cummins, an L10, and a ISM, our two water tenders are also powered by ISM's. The rescue truck has a 7. 3 powerstroke . Oh well, can't win em all.
The work can be challenging, the frustrating part comes when parts are not avaliable or the perticular model has been discontinued. The rewarding part is when we are at the scene of a house fire and the equipment is running smoothly.
Firetrucks are mostly one of a kind. With custom chassis and cab configurations, a fire department can customize almost any part or location of inlets, outlets, pump panel locations, etc.
Get to know your electrical and wiring schemetics well. I see more technicians service fire departments that aren't up to date on the electrical side of things and get into trouble.
I forgot to mention in my last post both of our pumpers are powered by cummins, an L10, and a ISM, our two water tenders are also powered by ISM's. The rescue truck has a 7. 3 powerstroke
. Oh well, can't win em all.Been a Volunteer Fire Fighter for about 2 years now. With my mechanical background I have found that working with the officers can be very challenging when it comes to handling the maint of our rigs. They are very slow to gain trust in me.
With our low budget the maint. gets accomplished,sometimes later than it should.
We need a Maint. plan for each truck. Any ideas on where to look.
Have allready had a 6v92 run hot while inbetween 2 calls. When a Detroit is running right they make good power. But, that is rare.
With our low budget the maint. gets accomplished,sometimes later than it should.
We need a Maint. plan for each truck. Any ideas on where to look.
Have allready had a 6v92 run hot while inbetween 2 calls. When a Detroit is running right they make good power. But, that is rare.
The problem with an officer on a fire department ( I shouldn't talk I'm the Asst. Chief ) is that a lot of them do not like change. They have been a firefighter for years and are set in their ways. You will find that on most Depts. I have a bi-weekley maintenance chart for inspections that is quite lengthly. All 6 of our trucks get checked so we don't have a problem when the time comes for a call. I am actually quite picky about the conditions of the apparatus. The was I look at it the taxpayers have spent quite a bit of money on us and they deserve the best we can give them. The old tale of " If it ain't broke don't fix it " doesent work with me.
I didn't go look at the ASE site, but I belive there is an emergency vehicle certification also. Does not mean everybody in the shop has to have it, but at least on ethere does. Where I was living the police would take the cars to the local garage for maintenance and repairs, while I have seen guys who work on the fire trucks at the fire house to do repairs.
Another place to look if you want traveling and excitement is Sweepster. My cousin is their only field tech and many times has been offered a job in Anchrage sp? at the airport. He has been to Japan to set up new units a couple times even. Usually he is doing on site overhauls and they are having troubles getting people to do it. He left and they hired him back when airports were telling them not to send his replacement anymore. When he goes to rebuild a unit he is doing everything from the hydraulic pump to ethe hyd motors, engine to axles and everything in between. No formal education, just school of hard knocks and has a good personality and the security clearence:-laf
Another place to look if you want traveling and excitement is Sweepster. My cousin is their only field tech and many times has been offered a job in Anchrage sp? at the airport. He has been to Japan to set up new units a couple times even. Usually he is doing on site overhauls and they are having troubles getting people to do it. He left and they hired him back when airports were telling them not to send his replacement anymore. When he goes to rebuild a unit he is doing everything from the hydraulic pump to ethe hyd motors, engine to axles and everything in between. No formal education, just school of hard knocks and has a good personality and the security clearence:-laf
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