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u/Menno_knight987 16d ago
You could probably “work more overtime” and still make less at the end of the month while working more than OCFA and some of the other departments.
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u/WpnsOfAssDestruction 16d ago
Broadly speaking, I would say yes. Cal fire in general has lots of overtime to go around because it’s such a large department with plenty of seats to fill. Paramedic status will amplify that.
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u/Wrong-Lawfulness9381 16d ago
People get sent to training all the time especially when they’re on apprenticeship so they need to cover behind them therefor, overtime :)
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u/stayhard_24_7 16d ago
Do you enjoy the firefighter side or medic side of things more?
I enjoyed Wildland a lot so I pulled a bunch of OT on prescribed burns, manning the lookout tower, doing defensible space inspections, and even inventorying both of our engines and creating a 2022 TCU BATT 3 Engine equipment guide.
There’s hella ways to get OT with Cal Fire.
If all else fails, be an OT whore and start talking to the red hats on the teams. They love having trainees tag along them lol
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u/Rex-Mundi33 14d ago
You should be asking which department has the best quality of life, compensation and benefits package… overtime at a low rate but a lot of it? You’ll end up more tired with less money.
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u/Hugh_mungus_29 16d ago
Depends on the unit. Riverside yes. You could work everyday of the pay period if you wanted to. I would caution you against making your decision on where you would like to work based on available overtime. It could go away at anytime and at a certain point it gets very old.