Posted to 2 FD -Maintenance?

[Cdnrednk]

Hey guys. I got my first posting message, to 2 FD Amb. But in the information it says Maintenance, someone else has Driver and someone else has Med A... So what does this Maintenance thing mean? All I can figure is I'll be helping to look after the vehicles since in my previous life I was a mechanic apprentice and the military knows about this.
Thanks for any help!

 

[PMedMoe]

You might want to check that.  It should have your service number, name, rank, trade and then a position number.  Most Med Techs get posted into a Sig/Driver position as they are "secondary" duties to your trade, but Maintenance?  For years, while I was at 2 Fd Amb, my position number was actually a Vehicle Tech position.  I just laughed and said, "Medic, Mechanic, what's the difference?" 

 

[DiverMedic]

When you get there you will find that it doesn't really matter what your actual positing message says.  Everyone is a jack o' all trades at the FD units.  One day you are doing vehicle maintenance, the next you are sweeping the floor and then you might do range coverage or something else the day after that.

DM

 

[garb811]

The CM just drops you into a slot at the appropriate rank and trade as it is actually up to the Unit how/where you will be employed and it is too much of an admin burden to expect the CM to send out a new posting message on you every six months as you get moved around to gain experience.  Your actual "positions" will be tracked in your UER as you move around the unit.

 

[Armymedic]

As stated it is just a position name and number for use in the big careers/RMS computer. It has no real bearing on your employment in the unit.

Personally I was a Dvr/comms for my first 2 yrs at Fd Amb....and did neither.

 

[PMedMoe]

Yep, me too, directly from my MPRR:

2 FD AMB PETAWAWA, ON                       DVR/SIG
TF BH - Arty Bty BANYA LUKA, BOSNIA &   COMM/DVR
2 FD AMB PETAWAWA, ON                       DVR/SIG

I'd just never heard of maintenance, but as long as the message has you down as Med Tech, no problem.

 

[Future Prodigy]

All these posts make the profession seem rather unrelated to the actual medical trade. Do you ever do medic work?

 

[DiverMedic]

All depends on what is happening.  Don't expect to be doing medical work all the time, but there are taskings that come up where you will be able to practice your skills.  But, the majority of the work is equipment maintenance and brooms.

 

[Future Prodigy]

All depends on what is happening.  Don't expect to be doing medical work all the time, but there are taskings that come up where you will be able to practice your skills.  But, the majority of the work is equipment maintenance and brooms.

Is this the same in the civie world? Do paramedics spend the majority of their day doing unrelated medical work as well?

 

[DiverMedic]

Can't comment on that.  Except for my on car time through JIBC, I haven't done any civie side stuff.  But from that, I know it depends on where the station is and the time of year.  Sometimes we went from call to call, other times we sat in the station watching movies and sleeping all shift.

 

[transvap0r]

Yes you're right... it depends how remote the base/ area you are working in as a civvy paramedic, and whether you are an ACP or PCP unit for that shift. I have worked as a civvy medic in both rural and urban areas and also in the military as a medic and being a medic in the military is 90% filler.. cleaning, preparing, training, parading, PT, etc and very little true medical experience, except of course if you are working in a base hospital. I would chose working as an ACP anyday, doing real calls with reall sick patients and making my own working diagnosis and clinical decisions and treatments without having a doctor tell me what to do and how to treat a patient. Of course there are advantages to the military medic side also.

 

[Future Prodigy]

Yes you're right... it depends how remote the base/ area you are working in as a civvy paramedic, and whether you are an ACP or PCP unit for that shift. I have worked as a civvy medic in both rural and urban areas and also in the military as a medic and being a medic in the military is 90% filler.. cleaning, preparing, training, parading, PT, etc and very little true medical experience, except of course if you are working in a base hospital. I would chose working as an ACP anyday, doing real calls with reall sick patients and making my own working diagnosis and clinical decisions and treatments without having a doctor tell me what to do and how to treat a patient. Of course there are advantages to the military medic side also.

transvap0r, thanks for the input.

 

[transvap0r]

No problem. I rambled of topic and forgot to say what I mean to say!... as a civvy medic in a larger city or urban setting, you barely have enough time to eat your lunch most of the time or clean your unit because there are calls and transfers all the time, depending on the service you are working for. Rural civvy side is much different, spending "filler" time much like the military... cleaning the base, driving around, eating, sleeping, tv, etc... but you can still get very sick patients and MVC's and you have a much longer transport time and limited resources compared to city paramedics. But as a civy medic, we don't clean over and over and over like the military, once the job is done, it's finished for the shift or rotation. My point is you can't judge civilian paramedics using military medical roles, the are just completely different careers/ roles.