I'm so excited!! Nate just got a call from the owner of an ambulance service here that he interviewed at. He's been waiting for them to get their new ambulance ready for the road so he can start. The owner said he starts Friday!!! This service is a stepping stone for a lot of EMTs to get a city job, and keep Capital as a second job. They run transport for the hospitals, and 911 service for some rural areas. It's something we really needed, since I lost my job. Not to mention how hard Nate has worked to get his certifications, and how he has always wanted to be a firefighter/EMT. There is nothing better than loving your work, so he's stoked!! Plus, he's testing for Temple Fire and Rescue, a well paying, prominent fire position, in a couple of weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for us PLEASE!!!

By Trisa on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 03:58 pm:

Fingers are crossed!!!
This is great news!

By Amecmom on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 03:58 pm:

Fingers and toes crossed for Nate! Congrats on his new job. It's great to hear some good news.
Ame

By Amy~moderator on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 03:59 pm:

Great news! Fingers crossed!

By Trina~moderator on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 04:25 pm:

I hope everything works out for Nate! Hey, is he interested in Child Passenger Safety? Lots of Fire And Rescue people get certified as CPS Techs.

By Happynerdmom on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 04:33 pm:

That's great!! Fingers crossed...

By Boxzgrl on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 04:37 pm:

Good Luck!!! That is awesome news, especially now. See, God never gives you more than you can handle!

By Tink on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 04:38 pm:

My fingers are in knots for you and Nate!

By Vbw1978 on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 04:39 pm:

fingers & everything that i can cross are crossed for ya !

By Palmbchprincess on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 04:52 pm:

Thanks all... Trina, the fire department in the city where we live does CPS checks. This is where he did his academy, and I remember him telling me about that. They are an all paramedic dept, so he can't work for them yet. He will probably get certified at some point for CPS, only because it's hard to find techs here, and there are SOOOO many young kids. He'll have to get some more info about it from you, I'm clueless!!

By Emily7 on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 05:08 pm:

I am glad things are looking up!

By Palmbchprincess on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 10:46 pm:

Trina, I didn't know this but Nate just told me he already is. He had to do either 40 or 80 hours out of his 600 hours in Fire Academy to be CPS. Apparently all the cadets in this city do it...

By Trina~moderator on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 06:48 am:

I wasn't aware the Fire Academy taught CPS. From my understanding the only way to become a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician is through a course now run by Safe Kids. It used to be under AAA but Safe Kids took it over. Since Jan. '04, all techs need to recertify through Safe Kids. More info at SafeKids.org.

By Karen~moderator on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 07:22 am:

That's great news, Crystal.

By Debbie on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 09:34 am:

I am so happy for you and Nate. It seems like when things are at their worst, something great happens.

By Eve on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 09:47 am:

It sounds like a great opportunity, Crystal! Keep us posted.

By Palmbchprincess on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 12:00 pm:

Thanks everyone.... Trina, I didn't know about Safe Kids, I guess he'll need to be recertified by them since he finished academy in 2003, I'll have him check it out. They had instructors come in during the training to teach it, so I don't know who they were certified by, but it is really important considering. I just searched the site you posted, and Texas had no course found... any idea why??

By Trina~moderator on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 01:48 pm:

If he's already certified I don't believe he'll have to take the course over. I *think* I read something about an on-line test to get recertified. Not sure of all the specifics because I'm not at that point yet. LOL! The Safe Kids web site should explain everything. He will need to get a user name and password to enter the CPS certification section. I'll do some surfing at Safe Kids to see what I can find.

By Trina~moderator on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 02:05 pm:

Crystal, here's what I found. Contact info:
877-366-8154 or cps.certification@safekids.org

Re-certification

Re-certification is required every two years for both technicians and instructors. Please note that before you can proceed to apply for re-certification, you must have completed your seat check requirements, and your seat checks must have been verified by an instructor.

Technician Re-certification

Technicians whose certifications expired between June 1, 2003, and January 1, 2004, may now register to re-certify using the online system. Technicians with expiration dates between June 1, 2003, and November 30, 2003, must complete the process by May 31, 2004, or they will no longer qualify for re-certification. Technicians with expiration dates between December 1, 2003, and January 1, 2004, must complete the process within six months of their expiration dates, or they will no longer qualify for re-certification.

Technicians whose certifications expired before June 1, 2003, are no longer eligible for re-certification. If you wish to become certified again, you may repeat the NSCPSTP 32-hour course or take advantage of the one-day NSCPSTP Renewal course, expected to be available from NHTSA during summer 2004. Please note that the certification renewal option will only be available to formerly certified individuals. Individuals who were never certified, even if they took the class, must repeat the 32-hour NSCPSTP course.

Re-certification for a technician includes successful completion of required seat check activity, verified by an instructor; registration with payment; and a passing score on the online re-certification exam.

Once you have changed to two-year certification (your certification expires January 1, 2005, or later), there is no grace period for re-certification. You must complete your seat check activity and the online re-certification exam prior to the date of expiration.