Okay...the time has come for us to stop sitting on our ASSES and bitching about having to do things like reading to preschoolers, doing inspections, and extra training. We seem to wonder why the public opinion has waned over the past several years, and seem to complain that "they just don't appreciate us." We cry about riding three on a rig and needing new fire stations and the like; we seem to have our 24-hour shifts scheduled endlessly to the point where it seems like we're out of service more than we're in service.
Well let me tell you something...we did it to ourselves. And all it would've taken was a little initiative.
First of all...we exist for the public...not the other way around. Do I think we should be paid well? Yes. Do I think that our families deserve us to be able to send them to the "good schools" and have nice things? Of course. But we still have to remember that our positions exist for the sole purpose of helping others. If you want to sit in your house off duty and not help anyone, that is your prerogative. But when you go on shift, that dynamic changes...and anytime your are called to help, you need to do so. Anytime you PERCEIVE someone needs help, you should initiate that help.
Secondly, I was appalled the other day when I heard through the grapevine that some firefighters were complaining about having to read stories to some preschoolers. Put yourself in those kids' shoes. Don't you think that if we showed up every once in a while to talk to the kids that they would say something positive to their parents (you know, the ones that pay for us to have our jobs?) I can tell you with 100% certainty that if a firefighter gave me the time of day when I was in preschool that I would've been in seventh heaven for about six weeks.
Your shift is not your vacation from everyday life...it is your job to have an impact on someone else's everyday life. Let's put the honor and duty back into this job.
JUST SHOWING UP DOESN'T PUT OUT THE FIRE
To add to this little rant of mine, I'd like to talk about "showing up." And I'm not just talking about it on the career side. I've been seeing a lot of folks getting into the fire service over the past few years who feel that just "showing up" means that they've contributed to the overall success of an incident. When a fire truck arrives, things must be okay, right?
Well, I'll tell you that isn't the case. You have to know what you are doing. The fire doesn't go out by you standing there all glossy eyed...it requires rapid, decisive, efficient action in a compressed time frame. It requires coordination. And you aren't gonna learn anything by standing there and watching (a common position of rookies on my volunteer fire department)....get your ass in there and get to work! The only way to do this job well is to become a student of the job. People seriously do have the expectation that we will know what we're doing when they ask us for help. Doing all of your teaching by screaming orders at the scene of an incident isn't going to get you the best outcome.
I guess to put it all into perspective: would you go to a doctor that just stood there and stared blankly at you when you told him you had chest pains? It's "good enough" for him to stare at you and let you die?
Can you look your fellow firefighters and the citizens in the eye and tell them that you did everything you could?
Don't think that I know some things are out of our control...but we MUST be prepared for the things that we CAN control.
Check out this video...do you think these guys weren't ready?
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=24227261
Tying knots in a firehouse is easy...but when you leave the fire service after a full career, if that is your legacy ("Man, that guy sure could tie a clove hitch"), then you haven't gained a whole lot, nor has the public gained a lot from you. Get off your ass and do something that firefighters do on an everyday basis (or should, anyway)--raise some ladders and pull some hose.
Here is a video of some guys that actually get off their asses to learn how to be firefighters...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kBIt9npPB7o&feature=related
They put on some realistic training, and they truly want to MASTER their craft.
It's not too late. Hit the reset button on your career (whether paid or volunteer) and learn to do this job for someone other than yourself.
Or were you just bullshitting the Chief when you told him that you wanted to help people during your final interview...were you just lying to get the job?
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