Interesting how each province, and each service, operates differently. In Ontario alone, we have about 60 services.
I was reading that BCAS operates "Metropolitan, Urban, Rural and Remote" stations across the province. ( The only quiet station we had was on the Islands via ferry. )
Would senior BCAS Paramedics be likely to bid for Remote stations for the lower Call Volumes? I would think that a change of scenery and pace would be a welcome relief for many. Personally, I found the job more
fun when we were busy ( which was almost always
).
I wonder if morale is highest in the urban stations? ( I say that because a number of guys who had previously worked for out-of-town services before joining Metro mentioned it. )
Can Paramedics be involuntarily redeployed around British Columbia?
I see BCAS has part-timers. We never had them. We all worked 20 twelve-hour shifts every six weeks.
BCAS has non-emergency transfer ambulances. Non-emergency transfers in Toronto are done by private companies.
You also mentioned SAR Techs. The only time I ever saw CF SAR was at the CNE Air Show.
Interesting that you prefer night shifts. I preferred straight days. With seniority, we can bid for an 0700-1900 weekday only shift. ( It's a 5-3-2 pattern Monday - Friday. ) This would be ideal for Reservists. ( Although with mandated overtime, you never really know what time your shift will end. )
The good thing for Paramedic - Reservists is the Military Leave Policy. We didn't have such a Policy until the late 1990's. Fortunately, I took my CAF trade training during high school. Otherwise, being a Paramedic and a
Reservist would have been difficult. ( Due to the shift work. )
Unlike now, back then the Department gave us Reservists very little support. "This is your career, that is your hobby," was the attitude if you asked for a shift change.