Work Vs. Fire Service

Do any of ya'll volunteer's have trouble with your day jobs letting you go to calls? If so how do you handle it? I recently got a part time job, and I made a condition for hire that they let me go on fire calls (well, the ones besides medicals cuz it's the next town over), and they agreed. Now one of the bosses was trying to get me fired over the fact that I have to leave sometimes. The other boss wouldn't let this boss fire me cuz this establishment agreed to my condition at hire. We're under new managment now so corporate is involved and labour costs have become an issue so everyone's hours are being cut, but I feel like the scheduling manager (the who wanted me fired) is really hacking mine to pieces to try and drive me to quit. So what do you ya'll do in those type situations?

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin Teel on July 17, 2008 at 3:42am

At my job, I'm not allowed to respond to any calls, unless a tone goes in requesting manpower to the scene of a working fire. If there is a major incident in which my CERT team gets activated, I will recieve a phone call from my coordinator in which I will respond. Those are the only two conditions where I'm allowed to leave for emergencies.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by mike wright on July 18, 2008 at 11:31pm

I work for a major company here in Michigan and when I first got on a department I talked it over with them. The said the only thing I had to do was punch out and notify the supervisor. This works very well for me I dont get paid from work but there is only two of us on during the day here so its all hands on deck. They dont count the hours against me when I leave either. The hours that I miss dont go on my work file. They have been very good with me and the fire department.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on July 19, 2008 at 1:03am

The problem isn't the ones who are like mike wright. The problem is with the ones who like to miss work for a multitude of reasons and have the side gig of being a volunteer firefighter and when their attendance becomes an issue because it was sunny and 85 and they blew off work too many times, THEN they want to pull the " I am a volunteer firefighter who is getting the raw end because I leave work to respond to a call" deal.
If going on calls pay the bills, then giddy up go. But if you have a family to feed, then you had better fit the side gig into your schedule and live by it.
Otherwise, you will lose your paying job and your app for unemployment will be denied.
Then, what will your firefighter stipend, if any, get you when the bills are coming due?
Think about it.
TCSS.
Art

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bull on July 19, 2008 at 11:29pm

I live and am surrounded by very small communities. We function on volly's. All the buisnesses around here have volly's working for them. If we couldnt leave, we wouldnt have a Fire Dept or Ambulance service from 7:00am to 5:00pm. The whole community knows the importance of its volly's, and would actually shun a company that wouldnt let volly's off. Most of the buisnesses even pay there employees while there gone on call. We are very fortunate and very supported.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by T.J. on August 26, 2008 at 5:35pm

I do EMS fulltime, and if my fire department has something huge, then I can uasually find someone to cover for me, other than that, I just sit and listen to the traffic:)