Texan Paramedic thinking of moving to New Hampshire / New England

Submitted by Next-Permit-8829 t3_11g7vuz in newhampshire

Hello, I’m a Texan paramedic looking at moving to NH / New England and was wondering how 911 EMS is there, particularly wrt cost of living and scheduling. I’ve seen quite a few ads for Frisbie Hospital EMS and AMR in the south part of the state but know nothing about NH or the area other than it’s beautiful. I’m also considering the greater New England area but I do want to have some of the cultural freedoms (CCW, etc) New Hampshire offers as opposed to Massachusetts or NY.

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MartoufCarter t1_jan7jvk wrote

Careful there lumping NY in with New England. Any of the better paying jobs will likely be in the southern part of the state. You have to tell more about your interests and what kinds of towns you want to live in.

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DeerFlyHater t1_jan7dtx wrote

I'm not in emergency services, so can't speak towards scheduling. Look north as well. Lakes region, Plymouth area, Littleton area, etc. I would assume the pay would be less than southern NH, but who knows.

Everybody is hiring paramedics. Heck, the town of Franconia had to shut their life squad down due to shortages.

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nowhereman1223 t1_janqzjm wrote

Part of that is due to the pay not being high enough for people to live on.

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DeerFlyHater t1_jaoxydr wrote

Indeed it is. Also combined with the housing cost.

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nowhereman1223 t1_jar36yt wrote

Thats the same thing.

Not being enough to live on covers all of it. Food, Housing, Transport, etc etc

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phoebe7439 t1_jao2kbs wrote

Is that super recent? Last time I heard them dispatched was back in December and they couldn't even make it to the call

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DeerFlyHater t1_jaoyk38 wrote

They've been using Littleton for awhile. Looking at news articles in the Caledonian Record(what I can read since it's paywalled) and Franconia BoS minutes it was a last month thing.

The contract with Littleton ends at the end of this month. Littleton doesn't want to renew it as they rightfully feel that Littleton should come first and the calls in Franconia-especially Cannon Mountain stuff pulls them out of town too often.

*I'm kind of a nerd and read local papers, then dig up board minutes to research. I also like listening to broadcastify feeds. It's about the only way I can stay informed, lol.

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phoebe7439 t1_jaozfee wrote

I wonder if they're going to have to pay up to LinWood or something like that in the future then, I always wanted to get videos of FLS responding but I guess I never will now lol

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DeerFlyHater t1_jap4nfp wrote

Right now it sounds like LinWood is saying they're short on people. I wouldn't be surprised if Franconia and Littleton work out a contract extension, but eventually Franconia is going to have to look at a long term solution.

If I were a resident, I would be pestering the BoS about it. Tough decision about budgets.

Of course, this is also not a cheap place to live on EMT salaries unless they already live here.

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pardough t1_janggdl wrote

Texan transplant here. Not sure about the EMS stuff but NH will cover the other cultural freedoms you are looking for. Just be prepared for everything else to be different. People are nice here but not "Friendly State" nice. Winter is cold AF but they take care of the roads vs Texas so its not bad. Summertime is bliss and they make some amazing beer here if you're into that. The population is very small in NH vs Texas which is great but there is also almost no where to live so don't move without housing figured out. Also be prepared to go without BBQ and Mexican food although there are plenty of good places to eat if you look, also Boston is right there if you are in the south of NH.

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ThePrizeKeeper t1_jantxqi wrote

There are some good restaurants but if you want the more real stuff you will have to go into Mass.

Burrito Loco in Hampton is pretty solid. It’s a bit of a drive for me, but so delicious. Native Spanish speakers work there so you can tell it is legit! The place can be a little busy too on the weekends, but worth it.

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AllstarGaming617 t1_janyitd wrote

I work in Texas a lot and have hit all the “famous spots” (Stubbs, Sonny’s, Franklin, etc…) I won’t say it’s AS good as a legit spot like Franklins, but KCs rib shack in Manchester is about as legit as it comes to BBQ north of the mason dixon line. They might not be better than those old school Texas joints but they’re in the same class.

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GraniteGeekNH t1_janj3it wrote

The state is in dire need of paramedics especially outside of Hillsborough and Rockingham counties (the ones nearest Boston). You will have no shortage of job options, that's for sure.

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CrotchetAndVomit t1_janx55r wrote

Job options for sure but none of them will pay what you need to live in those counties lol

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golemsheppard2 t1_jandlag wrote

Northern New England is similar in some ways and very different in other ways than southern New England. We all love dunkins and agree Tom Brady was the second coming of Christ. Once you get north of Massachusetts though, it's also very different. VT, NH, and Maine are all constitutional carry states. As long as you aren't a convicted felon, habitual substance abuser, domestic abuser, mentally defective, you don't need any special paperwork to lawfully carry a firearm in Northern nw England, NH included. NH has no knife laws, no bans on NFA items. I own two suppressed SBRs myself. Theres no bans on standard capacity magazines like 30 rounders for ARs or 17 rounders for pistols. Firearm ownership here is pretty prolific. I know several docs, nurses, paras, and EMTs who carry. State law preempts any local ordinance or municipal regulations regarding firearms ownership or carrying. State law also prohibits any state, municipal, town, or country official or law enforcement officer from reporting or enforcing federal firearms laws so even an AWB is enacted on federal level, as long as no ATF agents see it, you are good.

Im willing to forgive your ignorance, but please don't ever compare us to NY again. Thems fighting words here.

Other things of note:

Hiking is great. Look up the "52 with a view" and 48 over 4,000.

Medium cost of living. Especially as you get more rural. You can afford a house in commuting distance anywhere in the state. It's not like eastern MA where 3 bdrms start at 800k. My wife and I paid 349k for 3 bed 2.5 bath on 2.5 acres.

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Ken_Bones_Throwaway t1_janserv wrote

Not OP but super helpful

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Neat-Ad11 t1_jao24lj wrote

I agree, that was a good reply, especially the friendly warning about lumping NY in with the rest of us. 😆👍🏻

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newenglandpolarbear t1_janhxz7 wrote

Hey, you know what, Florida might have better options for you. Especially since it's warm and culturally closer to texas. Also NY is NOT New England. New England is NH, VT, ME, CT, RI, and MA. never more, never less.

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I know you texans are not big fans of snow, which you will have to work in. sub freezing temperatures most of winter. That aside, if you really do want to move here: Action Ambulance in the Ossipee Valley is decent, Frisbie EMS and Stewarts are also decent. AMR in Manchester is good too.

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comefromawayfan2022 t1_jao000h wrote

If you work for Action ambulance you will have longer transport times from the ossipee valley based on the call. There's some calls where the patient can't go to memorial or Huggins because it's not appropriate so you'll end up going to the seacoast and taking people to Dover,Frisbie occasionally or Portsmouth. Outside of Huggins in wolfeboro or memorial in Conway there aren't a lot of hospital choices up here. You'll also have to do both 911 transports and facility to facility transports..Action has their employees switch things up so they aren't always stuck on one truck day after day. So if OP doesn't like interfacility transports and is mainly interested in a 911 service Action may not be a good fit

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comefromawayfan2022 t1_janloux wrote

Avoid Frisbie Hospital EMS like the plague. Frisbie Hospital is owned by HCA now and you'll have to deal with all the corporate bullshit, also Frisbie is not a trauma center so all the more serious trauma cases will get shipped to Portsmouth (I live in the lakes region and yes they do trauma transfers from my town to Portsmouth)

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thishasntbeeneasy t1_jant12a wrote

Portsmouth is HCA too. I had to use an ambulance for an urgent situation and had to argue with the driver that we'd refuse transport to Portsmouth ER (offsite in Dover) because they didn't have the services we needed.

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dzastrus t1_janqvln wrote

DHMC is the best workplace in NH. The have a great program for learning and becoming qualified for other healthcare positions, too. They are currently in a hiring freeze but your work is vital enough they might still be taking applicants? Talk to them sometime. The Upper Valley is nice.

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clarenceisacat t1_janx3sg wrote

DHMC is still filling positions they deem to be vital.

I worked as an analyst there for several years. Raises and promotions were hard to come by.

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dzastrus t1_janygud wrote

Everyone will have a different tale. Still, better than Catholic Worst Surgeon Anywhere Hospital or the regionals. My wife has been there 13 years and loves it and her department.

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clarenceisacat t1_jao7gs3 wrote

That's fair, and I'm sure my experience as a non-clinical person might vary significantly from someone working directly with patients.

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Emsflyer1984 t1_jansdlw wrote

You can find a good job as a medic here in NH. There is a mix of town/city run fire and ems services, private ambulance companies and hospital based paramedic services. The MediVac services are also always looking for good flight medics, etc. DHMC has a few helicopters with bases in two locations in the state. Life Flight of Maine from what I understand is a great agency to work for and with a base in Sanford, Maine you could live in NH and easily commute. Same with Boston MedFlight. Cost of living in NH has gone up in the past few years but it's still like 30% less overall then MA. I'd imagine any emergency service scheduling is about the same here as it is anywhere. I'd recommend looking for a municipal town or city job with a Fire Dept as they tend to have pretty good benefits, pension, etc. Just my 2 cents.

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mrosasgarcia t1_janvh5d wrote

Property Manager here. Look for spaces to live that include heating. If buying a home, make sure you have at least 2 heat sources and that 1 of them doesn't rely on power... or get a generator. Rents are all over the place but there is plenty of housing. Up here, nobody cares if you have a CCW unless entering a federal building.

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AllstarGaming617 t1_janzv7y wrote

He’s from Texas where their power grid cant handle a simple snow storm. Pretty sure he’s learned the hard way to have a second source of heat by now lol (unless he’s all the way down on a border/gulf town, but they also have massive hurricanes instead of crippling ice)

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mrosasgarcia t1_jao1h3k wrote

Shoot the hurricane away!

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AllstarGaming617 t1_jao3i8n wrote

Have we tried Nuking the hurricane? They come off the coast of Africa, can’t we just drop a nuclear weapon in there and destroy it?….I still can’t believe a god damn president of the United States actually suggested this lmfao.

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Bomdiggitydoo t1_jana462 wrote

Texans don’t move to MA, NH is a good fit for you.

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Gendoyle t1_janeb9h wrote

Honestly MA is better to its citizens but more expensive to live. NH isn't bad but we def have white supremacists, poorer education and no to lil support for the citizens. However, outdoor fun is pretty epic.

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[deleted] t1_janf1mx wrote

[removed]

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FlyingLemurs76 t1_janiqwi wrote

Our state is in favor of rape? And I'm pretty sure DHMC is good medical care?

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Gendoyle t1_janr59j wrote

The rolling back of Roe v Wade... With promises of more to come.

https://www.newburyportnews.com/news/regional_news/nh-bills-would-criminalize-abortion-prohibit-late-term-procedure/article_92869184-cb98-5c0c-91b5-e1bf70551128.html

https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/planned-parenthood-new-hampshire-action-fund/press-releases/abortion-rights-advocates-announce-post-roe-roadmap-for-new-hampshire#:~:text=June%203%2C%201997%3A%20Then%2D,abortion%20laws%20in%20New%20Hampshire.

Ahhh mass health is waaaaaay better than anything in NH. If you're transgender, a female, elderly or disabled etc you will not receive proper care in this state. https://www.mychamplainvalley.com/news/local-news/new-hampshire/nh-legislation-targets-transgender-health-care/

https://indepthnh.org/2022/09/27/panelists-mass-and-n-y-dont-criminalize-doctors-with-their-24-week-abortion-bans/

If you deny life saving care or criminalize it because you don't like the cut of someone's jib ... There is no care. MA does not discriminate care the same way NH chooses too.

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FlyingLemurs76 t1_jantezw wrote

I mean I am pro choice but I think labeling the mishandled abortion issue as pro rape is inflammatory and not conducive for effective change.

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comefromawayfan2022 t1_janm041 wrote

DHMC is good medical care for some things but not for others. I had a very frustrating experience with their GI dept..switched my GI care to Boston and have had none of the frustrations I had at dhmc

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FlyingLemurs76 t1_jansu8d wrote

Interesting, thank you for sharing your experience. First time I've heard something against it, but it isn't my industry and I don't use doctors as much as I should

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capistor t1_japaxdr wrote

Freedom is not about getting things for free because you raped your neighbor. Grow up.

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Numerous_Trust_5971 t1_jaov6pg wrote

Girl, you need to stand down. If you have an issue with race, that's YOUR problem. Don't paint the entire state with your point of view. I'm not sure where you're from, but this is NOT the case in my neck of the woods. Keep your racism to yourself!

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Emsflyer1984 t1_janvxaa wrote

Here is a posting from a local EMS provider that covers my town. And this is a small town in the middle of the state. They are desperate for help so pay scales are changing it looks like....

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https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Paramedic&l=New+Hampshire&=&aceid=&gclid=CjwKCAiAr4GgBhBFEiwAgwORrQoPa7p0y4gd-Ta2Dt2L4oQT6gMzI51pduoBpaoy-TufNql5ODJi4xoCetQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&from=mobRdr&utm_source=%2Fm%2F&utm_medium=redir&utm_campaign=dt&vjk=693f337ca599cd72&advn=8204122135820305

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-cochise t1_jandlwc wrote

AMR up here is better than it is nationally but at present seems like a bit of a circus, scheduling is mostly 12s but with plenty of variability, pay is not bad. Frisbie I don’t know about their pay or hours but it’s got a decent reputation among the people I know who work/worked there, it’s one of the only hospital-based systems around. You could probably also get on board at many fire departments and have them pay for your fire certs.

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comefromawayfan2022 t1_janm5y3 wrote

I would personally avoid working for Frisbie just because I'd rather not have to deal with HCA and their corporate bullshit oversight

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timecrash2001 t1_janwcxl wrote

DM me and I can introduce you to a good friend who was a paramedic for many years in VT/NH and is back in school as a nurse. He’d be able to help you out on any question.

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girthemoose t1_jao49l7 wrote

Its not worth it. FMH is HCA. They no longer have pulm, rheum, ID, oncology among others. They are moving more to acute neuro and ortho rehab. Also there have been runors the FMH medic service is being brought by rochester

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upallnitro t1_jaqwxnj wrote

You are in luck...

EMS work is one of the fields that you can make a decent living in and will allow you to live in the lakes region. Lakes region is a fantastic part of the state that a lot of people want to live in but there is not a lot of industry so typically it presents an opportunity for service workers and trades workers. Yes you will not be able to afford a house on a lake but you will be able to afford one down the street. The lakes region also has the least tax burden in the state on residents because those giant multi-million dollars houses that get used for 6 months out of the year take most of the tax burden for the town. Lakes region tax rates are often 50% lower or more than the rest of the state.

The lakes region is ideal for EMS because there are a lot of elderly people living up there. It is a highly desirable place to retire. Check out Stewart's Ambulance Services. They are a good company that operates in that area and are typically looking for EMS people.

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Nesurfr t1_janhp4l wrote

Hope you like chipping ice off your windows and hoping your car door isn’t frozen shut just to go into work

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thishasntbeeneasy t1_jant6by wrote

Might be different in the north, but it's hardly been cold in southern NH this year.

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Emsflyer1984 t1_jantuyq wrote

Side note... I was in Boston for work all last week and one of our Uber drivers was from Lebanon (the country). He hates Boston and told us the BEST people he deals with are from TX and NH, they're his favorite. :)

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SuperShelter3112 t1_jaojvs6 wrote

My brother was an EMT in Lowell and Lawrence, MA; in both cases he worked for private ambulance companies that were somehow contracted out and would bring people to hospitals. I think the pay is much better in MA than in NH. He moved on and now he’s almost a nurse practitioner, but those Lawrence days were pretty crazzzyyy. He made lots of good friends though!

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pepper-cat22 t1_japkcws wrote

New Hampshire and Massachusetts are both awesome places to live!

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I don't have much input besides good luck with your move :)

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NckMcC t1_jan77t7 wrote

NH is the Texas of New England they say, except way better than Texas 💪🏻

EDIT: and of course better than MA

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No_Suggestion_8234 t1_jan8s3c wrote

No one says this

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UncleRicosWig t1_jand09z wrote

Never compare TX to NH. For one, Texas sucks, NH does not

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NckMcC t1_jangevk wrote

I haven’t seen any comparisons thrown around here. As I noted, we agree that NH does not suck.

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grizzly0403 t1_jangxtr wrote

NH is in a league if it's own as best state. No comparisons needed

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jacknolax t1_janc0wv wrote

Stay where you are we have plenty of transplants

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YBMExile t1_jatejbg wrote

If and when you need EMS, do you have them show you their birth certificate first?

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