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Our dept. is made up of 4 companies, 1 relief assoc. 1 rescue co. and a firepolice assoc. I am an acctive member of one of the fire companies and the fire police assoc.
The reason for this discussion is the fact that I am being "black balled" within the fire police assoc. because I answer most calls as a firefighter, most recently last night we got hit for a wire down and arcing, the comment I overheard was the they should pull my badge and vest because I almost never respond to calls as "fire police"
Now just in case there are some of you that don't know what fire police do I'll tell you basicly they are usually older members of the department that feel they are too old to fight fires anymore, for health or other reasons. Thier only job at a scene is crowd and traffic control. I'd be the first to admit this is a crucial part of securing the scene!
Also, 2 meetings ago I asked for a radio since the fire police opperate on a frequency than the fire companies. of course, right away I was asked: if we give you a radio will you show up for our duties for example if the police request us for things like football games? My answer was yes, if I'm not at work. Then of course from the other side of the room came: well, the only radio we could get is from one of the older guys that don't come around anymore..... the president responded with no we can't pull anyones radio because we'll lose them as a member. Needless to say I still don't have a fire police radio, that meeting was 3 months ago.
The reason for this discussion is the fact that I am being "black balled" within the fire police assoc. because I answer most calls as a firefighter, most recently last night we got hit for a wire down and arcing, the comment I overheard was the they should pull my badge and vest because I almost never respond to calls as "fire police"
Now just in case there are some of you that don't know what fire police do I'll tell you basicly they are usually older members of the department that feel they are too old to fight fires anymore, for health or other reasons. Thier only job at a scene is crowd and traffic control. I'd be the first to admit this is a crucial part of securing the scene!
Also, 2 meetings ago I asked for a radio since the fire police opperate on a frequency than the fire companies. of course, right away I was asked: if we give you a radio will you show up for our duties for example if the police request us for things like football games? My answer was yes, if I'm not at work. Then of course from the other side of the room came: well, the only radio we could get is from one of the older guys that don't come around anymore..... the president responded with no we can't pull anyones radio because we'll lose them as a member. Needless to say I still don't have a fire police radio, that meeting was 3 months ago.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Firegal77 on
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Ok, here's my take. First, did you volunteer for this position? And if so what were the reasons behind it? If you came onto the department as a fire police, then naturally that is what they expect from you. If being on the department has caused you to change your mind, then perhaps it is time to have a meeting and put it on the table. When you are responding to a scene, i think it's a no-brainer that you are gonna go where you are most needed(or where the IC puts you), and i think most people will respect that. It seems to me that these issues can be resolved fairly quick in a table discussion of what is expected of you and what it is you see as your role in the department. Often times it's as simple as guiding those that have formed opinions into a space of seeing the importance of the whole picture. In my opinion it would be in everyones best interest to nip this in the bud before it turns into deeper feelings and grudges. Unfortunately by not communicating you may be giving them the impression that they are correct in their behavior. I've seen this sort of thing happen before, and all it took was for the parties to exchange viewpoints and see each others perspectives, and all was resolved. Good luck, hope this helps a bit!
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Permalink Reply by ee779 on
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Actually, I have been a member of this dept. as a fire fighter since '85 a line officer since '00 but joined the fire police assoc. in '01 because I have been certified for fire police since '99 with the other company I run with. It was made clear (so I thought) that my primary response will be as a firefighter for any call involving fire because of being a line officer. But, figured there is no reason to just stand around doing nothing at calls like minor MVA's or wires down.
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Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on
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I guess I just don't understand the situation clearly enough. Are you a firefighter or are you a firepolice(fighter? Officer?). And if you are "at work" where would you be working? are both of these positions volunteer or is one fulltime and one volunteer? If they are both volunteer and you cannot respond as firepolice as often as they would like you to, or are unwilling because you are just not ready to give up the other aspects of the job, then maybe you should bow out and cut your losses. Apologize for not being able to commit and keep a bit of their respect for realizing you may just have too much on your plate. There's nothing wrong with that. It's like being part of a sports team that you can never play with or practice with because you have too many other things going on... they count on you as part of the team and you are not fufilling that position.
I may be way off base here, and I mean no disrespect what so ever, I just think maybe you need to decide where your loyalties lie and what you have the time for. Best of luck.
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I hear ya there, i'd probably do the same thing, i tend to be an overachiever myself! lol Just sounds like you may need to clarify your role to the other guys so you're on the same page.. Good luck
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Permalink Reply by Kevin King on
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It sounds to me like you need to make a decision do you want to be a firefighter or firepolice, if you are still able bodied and in good health it seems the choice is pretty simple. You said you are an officer,this tells me you have people that are counting on you for guidence and saftey. If you are trained as officer material and enjoy the job why leave the crew hanging to direct traffic or work crowd control. On the other hand if you have doubts about your ability as a officer or firefighter by all means stand down and pursue the firepolice position. I have a feeling that there is more to this issue than you have explained but i hope for your sake and the saftey of the department you make the correct choice. This may seem a blunt reply but this is a serious job we do and there is no room for second guessing your position.
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It's kinda like this: with the numbers being down everywhere in the volunteer fire industry I try to help where I'm needed, when I can. I am a line officer in both companies I run with, and I'm state certified in fire police. One of the companies I run with is in a town and the other is pretty much, mostly farm area just south of the town I live in. Along with running with both I work a full time driving tractor trailer locally.
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I understand where you're comming from and I would never let any one hanging at a scene! What I'm saying is if there is a higher ranking officer on scene and there is no fire involved for example... we get hit for a mva no injuries, no fluids down but the vehicle is partially on the roadway and county says the towing company got delayed it may take a while there are maybe 5 of us there myself (Engineer) a capt. and 3 firefighters
why wouldnt I (being certified) go do fire police work while the capt takes care of IC
the only reason I joined the FP assoc. is they are the only recognised members of the dept. allowed in the street for traffic I'm sorry if i was a little vague about positions and everything but it was kinda late and I couldn't sleep when I typed it.
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It sounds like you are spread too thin. We can only do so much and work so much before it starts to hinder our abilities and performance. It sounds like, as you said, there may be enough firepolice at the moment, especially if they are unwilling to give you a radio. Maybe you should talk to one of them, sit down and really see how they feel about you doing all of this. Can you not keep up the certification and go back to it when you have more time and are feeling less able to fight fires? I would be more concerned about letting someone down by attempting to be there and not being able to, then bowing out and letting them find someone who can perform the duties. Know what I mean? There is nothing wrong with that, I'm sure many of us have taken on too much from time to time. Departments do function without us. :)
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