That's fucked up. In my region, EMS always had to do at minimum two-person lifts. Doesn't matter if it's getting them on a stretcher, lifting the gurney to the back of the squad, stair chair, etc. Always two people, minimum. Then with the fucking barrys, it's wait around for a lift-assist. So now at least two squads or a squad and someone from the fire dept. is having their time wasted because some fat shit is too much of a waste of life to keep themselves human sized. I know too many people who've had their careers ended because of fat patients. It's fucking sad. The cool thing, though, is if you make it 5 years through a metro area EMS provider or get military experience to count, you can start looking at a job as a flight medic. Then, when you land and see the pt is 735 lbs, you and the flight nurse can talk about your favorite coffee, sexual position, what's streaming on netflix, etc., while you shrug at the squad that's actually going to carry the hippo, because there's no fucking way your helo's going anywhere with something that exceeds its lift capacity by such a huge ma  2431  rgin. Just at least be courteous enough to give them an assist getting the manatee on the cot. Or hell, continue schooling and move up in the medical world. With few notable exceptions, nurses in my region have less decision making power than a medic but make on average twice as much, although it is a noticeable jump in pharmaceutical knowledge. Or, go CRNA and be a fucking baller. Being a medic is a good place to start, but unless you've got some really good additional certs involving cold water or high angle rescue, are a diver or climber (and live in a place where that even matters), in addition to your ACLS/PALS & FEMA certs, you're limiting yourself and where you can go when you get tired of where you're at. The guys who have been in EMS for decades have grown up with standards always in a state of flux. Keep in mind it's a very young profession, and there's guys in the field still from when it was in its infancy and being run out of funeral homes. Learn what you can, don't get yourself fucked, and move upward and onward when the opportunity presents itself. Just be prepared for when that hits, because EMS pays shit and you don't want to get stuck there. And with people becoming fucking hamplanets at the rate they are, it's only going to get worse. Go work the hospital ER. Get more schooling and become a lab tech. Hell, go to fucking medical school and get to cut on people. Seriously, it's the shit. But don't get stuck making bitch pay, being some old guy's bitch, and dealing with the filth that comes with the frequent fliers of EMS. And as always. Hate fatties.