Firefighters

[doublepar93]

After a looong hiring process, I just got hired by a large, paid Fire Department. Wanted to do it since I was a kid, since my grandpa retired from the same department,and finally start the 6 month academy this coming Monday. Absolutely can't wait! Any other firefighters here on WRX? Chime in tips, advice, job stories, whatever about the world of firefighting.

[McCann1]

Not a firefighter here and I don't have any tips but thank you for helping protect whichever city it is that you're in and stay safe

[doublepar93]

Not a firefighter here and I don't have any tips but thank you for helping protect whichever city it is that you're in and stay safe

Thanks man!

[dan360]

Volunteer here. District 7 "basement savers".

 

Don't lose faith when 104lb soaking wet Tina qualifies with half your gear and gets equal pay to go in behind you in the structure. She's your way out. Good thing she can't carry you, much less your gear.

 

Don't say anything about it. You'll hurt feelings and that's a quicker way to getting canned than driving past the actual fire and parking the engine at the tavern.

 

All the politics aside, it's a great career. Thanks for stepping up. Get used to a screwy sleep schedule. :)

 

 

 

[doublepar93]

Volunteer here. District 7 "basement savers".

 

Don't lose faith when 104lb soaking wet Tina qualifies with half your gear and gets equal pay to go in behind you in the structure. She's your way out. Good thing she can't carry you, much less your gear.

 

Don't say anything about it. You'll hurt feelings and that's a quicker way to getting canned than driving past the actual fire and parking the engine at the tavern.

 

All the politics aside, it's a great career. Thanks for stepping up. Get used to a screwy sleep schedule. :)

I've heard it can get a bit political at times,and the best thing to do is head down mouth shut. Be safe man!

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Golf with a couple Captains and Chiefs and cops from time to time. First off thanks for your service to the community. Only real advice I can give you is somehow learn not to take the job home with you. Over time you will most likely see some bad and/or heartbreaking stuff. Letting it stay with you and impacting your personal life is tough not to do but gotta find a way not to let it carry over into your personal life.

[bigmoneyp]

play a lot of golf bc you get a lot of days off.

[dan360]

Volunteer here. District 7 "basement savers".

 

Don't lose faith when 104lb soaking wet Tina qualifies with half your gear and gets equal pay to go in behind you in the structure. She's your way out. Good thing she can't carry you, much less your gear.

 

Don't say anything about it. You'll hurt feelings and that's a quicker way to getting canned than driving past the actual fire and parking the engine at the tavern.

 

All the politics aside, it's a great career. Thanks for stepping up. Get used to a screwy sleep schedule. :)

I've heard it can get a bit political at times,and the best thing to do is head down mouth shut. Be safe man!

 

My first post sounds a bit mysoginistic but deep within the analogy is a ring of truth to many public sector service careers.

 

There comes a point when dirty, nasty, dangerous jobs should have a real physical screenout built into them, disregarding political correctness and "feelings" for the great good of knowing the person responding to the chaos is mentally and physically able to do what it takes when the proverbial poo hits the air moving device.

 

That is secondary now. It's all about (un)equal opportunity and PC affirmative actions.

 

If a lady is qualified, then bring her on board. Welcomed with open arms. No wait. Can't say that. It is perceived as sexual harassment. Welcomed with a vanilla non emotional hello. Or is it Shalom? Heck I can't ever remember what is proper.

 

In today's world guys like your grandpa would be in HR sensitivity and diversity training more than they'd be on the hose. Not because they are horrible people, racist, sexist, or anything resembling such. It's just the old school fireMEN and women who COULD do the work are having to deal with snowflakes and petite little millennials who want the job for the first responder discounts and the license plate more than actually getting dirty and risking their life to save others. So many people think it's cool to be a firefighter/EMT/paramedic until the first time they actually feel the heat of a REAL multi alarm barbecue and walk into a wall of blinding smoke with the sudden realization that the SCBA on their back is their entire life and it can't be tapped out of like you can in training, or turn a corner and see a human being on fire and you can't do anything about it.

 

I hope you do well because it's a very rewarding career.

 

The human element is real, like was said don't take the job home it will eat at you. You gotta be a bit of a sociopath to do it well. In the moment, that little kid upstairs stuck is as much of a piece of important inventory as he/she is a child of someone outside. If it's your life vs their life, sometimes it's a horrible thing to make that choice but it has to be made.

 

And you need to move on from it enough to cook dinner and wash the truck later that evening. Or, as a volunteer, go home and try to get up for work the next day forgetting what happened.

 

It's ain't all about being a hero sometimes. It's about sacrifice to make our world a little bit better for all. For better, or worse.

[dan360]

There are people in that pickup...

[tuckman]

I assume you get a pension?

 

Open a Roth IRA in addition to it.

[nichho]

Yes, all be it British and retired. The best 30 years of my life doing a reward job with like minded people.

 

The shifts were long and tiring but on the plus side, and as stated above, they left plenty of time for golf, more time than I have now to be truthful.

[onlyomar]

dan, you've got a tough job. I don't think I could do it.

[dan360]

dan, you've got a tough job. I don't think I could do it.

 

I'm just a union hand who volunteers. I can take sabbaticals whenever I feel like it. The full time paid people, they're in it for the long haul.

 

 

[Arizonalefty59]

You're going to see a lot of bad $hit that no one should ever have to see. Don't let it effect you and don't start any unhealthy vices to help cope with the $hit you're going to see.

[Texas1]

A sobering read, phenomenal men and women

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/grenfell-tower-fire-fighter-what-it-was-like-a7798766.html

[doublepar93]

A sobering read, phenomenal men and women

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/grenfell-tower-fire-fighter-what-it-was-like-a7798766.html

Incredible story. Thanks for the link!

[Texas1]

A sobering read, phenomenal men and women

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/grenfell-tower-fire-fighter-what-it-was-like-a7798766.html

Incredible story. Thanks for the link!

 

Sorry this is the proper link

 

http://metro.co.uk/2017/06/19/firefighter-gives-harrowing-account-of-grenfell-tower-rescue-mission-6718449/

 

Men and women that people should look up to and pray to god that there are those amongst us

[scruffynick]

Total respect for you firefighters! Boy you do some unbelievable work, and after watching that horror in London I've got even more respect! Hats off to you all

[Nikwho]

Congratulations! I am a fire fighter/paramedic with a full time career dept. in AZ. Have been doing this job since 2005 & been a paramedic since 2010, I believe.

 

Many guys have been superstitious about working with me because of the frequency that I have run on dead children; which are the most feared/dreadful calls in the fire service. My thought was that if im going to run on a bunch of pediatric codes, I will just get really good at them so I can do everything I can to help their survivability, with good conscience. The last thing that you want is the guilt or feeling of responsibility for a child's life weighing on you. Believe me, it can make it hard to sleep. It can also make you break into tears at really weird times, making you feel like a total bafoon! I can say that I respectfully disagree with some of what was posted above. You absolutely do NOT need to be a sociopath to have a long fulfilling career in the fire service.

 

You also do not need to bury stuff deep inside of you, in fear that it will make you look weak. You will likely run calls that bring you to tears. You need to keep your composure for the family and friends of your patients. They deserve more than you making their emergencies about you. If you are married, for the sake of your relationship, tell your wife if something is bothering you. If she knows why you're acting weird or snapping at her, it goes a long way if you tell her why. My wife is my best supporter!

 

Lastly, don't let this job define you. It is a job. It provides you with means to provide for your family. You don't need to run out and get a maltese cross tattooed on you and have a different FD/union shirt for every day of the week!

 

If you want to watch a really funny video, here ya go! You'll laugh ten times harder after living in a fire house for a few years.

 

Enjoy the job! For every bad day, there are 10-20 or more good ones. Lots of great ones and sometimes amazing ones! I still can't believe that I get paid to work out! Work hard, ask questions when it's appropriate and keep your mouth shut and do what you're told when it's appropriate! And, don't sit in those recliners for the first year. I PROMISE, there's something to clean! Your crew will love you if they get to brag to other crews about how hard their booter works and how clean he keeps everything. Plan on buying ice cream for all of your "firsts", or the first time you do something.

 

Welcome to the best job on earth!

 

Nik

[Nikwho]

You're going to see a lot of bad $hit that no one should ever have to see. Don't let it effect you and don't start any unhealthy vices to help cope with the $hit you're going to see.

 

And this.

[dan360]

For the record, I said a *bit* of a sociopath, not *a* sociopath.

There's a reason the psych tests they give are the way they are. Putting your life above another is a sociopathic trait; a trait you need to have if you're going to make life or death decisions in seconds.

 

That's all I was gettting at. Don't overthink it. Respect.

 

 

[Spicoli]

Volunteer here. District 7 "basement savers".

 

Don't lose faith when 104lb soaking wet Tina qualifies with half your gear and gets equal pay to go in behind you in the structure. She's your way out. Good thing she can't carry you, much less your gear.

 

Don't say anything about it. You'll hurt feelings and that's a quicker way to getting canned than driving past the actual fire and parking the engine at the tavern.

 

All the politics aside, it's a great career. Thanks for stepping up. Get used to a screwy sleep schedule. :)

 

My Dad is retired Oakland Fire and you sound just like him.

[Nikwho]

For the record, I said a *bit* of a sociopath, not *a* sociopath.

There's a reason the psych tests they give are the way they are. Putting your life above another is a sociopathic trait; a trait you need to have if you're going to make life or death decisions in seconds.

 

That's all I was gettting at. Don't overthink it. Respect.

 

Copy that. Appologies, I meant no direspect. I have never looked at it as me putting my life over another's, rather, if I am no longer able to help out on scene, I am now a liability as opposed to an asset. I totally understand where you were coming from, though! Risk a lot to save a lot, risk little to save a little, right? Understanding the potential viability of a situation goes a long way, as well. It's cool to know that there are other fire guys kicking around on here. To the OP, good luck on your new career!

[BamaPenny]

After a looong hiring process, I just got hired by a large, paid Fire Department. Wanted to do it since I was a kid, since my grandpa retired from the same department,and finally start the 6 month academy this coming Monday. Absolutely can't wait! Any other firefighters here on WRX? Chime in tips, advice, job stories, whatever about the world of firefighting.

 

My grandfather retired after 38 years on the job, the last 28 of which he was chief of the department. He started at the age of 32, after spending some time in the Air Force during Korea and then serving as a civilian airplane mechanic for several years afterwards. He took a leap of faith when he took the fire fighting job, as he was the first paid regular firefighter in his whole department. But, he worked hard and just a decade later was promoted to Chief. He went from being a 3 man department to an 82 man department at the time of his retirement.

 

So, while I'm telling you all of this to brag on my late grandfather for a little bit, I'm also letting you know that if you work hard and stick with the job, it can provide a lifetime of rewards and benefits.

 

Good luck.