Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by jay1tb23 on August 21, 2007 at 7:01pm

i am a paid firefighter and i dont think its relli fair for you to be saying that all paid firefighters egos are big as hell and that they are the only ones that bash now i think we all need to look beyond this career volly shit needs to stop and we have to work on putting the fire out and not on whos the better firefighter like a wise old man once told your only as good as your worst guy. if i am in a fire i wouldnt be looking to see if the guy next to me is paid or a volly i would see a brother and im proud to work with any volly.

Permalink Reply by Kevin King on August 21, 2007 at 7:26pm

I knew I liked you yank. It is high time that this crap stopped,all it does is spread discontent and ill feelings towards the folks that after all are our Brothers/Sisters

Permalink Reply by Brian on August 21, 2007 at 9:23pm

we don't really have any career departments in our area. We are a mixture of Public Safety and volunteer departments. We have Mutual Aide Agreements between all the fire departments in our area so we get called to help surrounding departments on major incidents. Over the years, the departments have really meshed and have created a excellent working relationship with each other. The more we find ourselfs working with each other the closer we seem to get. There use to be some bashing between the mixture but that has pretty much gone away. I don't know if you get much of an opportunity to work with these guys on their incidents like we do but if you do, just really work on having your guys be very professional and make sure you show the career departments some respect and maybe they will do the same. We have even invited our surrounding departments, including the Public Safety/Career departments to some of our training sessions so we could work with them more and get to know their guys on a more personal level. All the surrounding departments in our area have gotten really comfortable working with each other and in our profession, whether it be volunteers or full time paid career firefighters, we have to be able to trust and rely on our partners, no matter what level of firefighter they are.

Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on August 21, 2007 at 10:42pm

Again as usual I see a lot of insite into this issue. ( I post so much I dont even know if I posted on this one or not) The answer isn't in the bashing between volly and paid. Whether you get paid or not is NOT the issue. It is being properly trained to become a PROFESSIONAL firefighter. Being a professional firefighter does not depend on your pay scale if any. We should be more worried about how to ensure we all come home at the end of the day rather than a pissing contest about whose cooler because of being paid or not.

Permalink Reply by Lt2406 on August 22, 2007 at 12:00am

I have 18 years in as a volunteer but I also have the last 10 years as a paid firefighter, there is a difference if I am off duty and my volly pager goes off and maybee I am tired or have to work the next day or just don't feel like going I can hit the reset and go on with what ever I was doing,Somebody else will go, On the other hand when I am, at work and the bell goes off for that second or third fire or that drunk down on the corner that we have been to 10 times this week I still have to go, like it or not no reset option. When I am off training is on Tuesday evening for maybee 2-3 hours when I am at work , training everyday 3-4 hours. Iam required to have FF1,FF2, HAZMAT TECH,MEDICAL AND CPR TRAINING, PUMPS CLASSES, VARIOUS RESCUE CLASSES, PLUS WHAT EVER ELSE THE CITY SAYS I MUST HAVE, my volunteer station, basic OSHA level firefighter and you are free to fight fire as you want to. Don't get me wrong Professional does not mean a paycheck, and there are a few volunteer guys and gals that I would not think twice about going in with and there have been paid guys at work that I have told to stay outside as the 2 out because I did not want them inside with me! Just see the point that it is different, somethings are similar but still different. When I am at work we run more calls in a month than most of the vol stations in our county run in 5 years, it's just DIFFERENT.

Permalink Reply by SMOKEnPipesJim on August 22, 2007 at 3:31am

I've been a volunteer firefighter since 1976 , 1977, and 1990 (Lifemember x2, movedaway from the district3rd) as well, I am a career firefighter for 18 years now..., there was a time, in the vollies when I an some of my bro's were ostrosized becausewedidn't feel it was right or nessisary to get drunk at any function we attended, either fire incident, drill, orsocial event held after them atthe firehouse. I've been accussed of acting too Professionally..if you can imagine that... and I might add Ilike a beer like anyone, I just have seen tomany close calls of guys who thinktheyareOK to drive a rig after a social event (back in those days obviously_ ) Likewise, I've experianced guys on the job who scoff at the "vollies" that are outlieing to our city, being less then knowledgeable knowing darn well, they(the paid engineer) couldn't draft to save his life, and I would hate to tryto tell him to reverse lay and actually accomplish it in a pinch... Talk is cheep... Moat guys worth they're salt wont talk out they're rears, unless they have something to hide..a "Big" man will realize crap happens , everyone can have a bad day, my best advice to younger guys coming up is to thive to learn, don'tget stuck in a rut,if your chief makes life hard thrive to shine over the oppresion dontbestupid politically of course, but on can build a rep for himself either in a good or bad way... not only in his department but in his county too... thive to get your education even if your area is slow being active and a go getter is better then being a wallflower take your courses thrive to learn as much as you can and dont concern yourself with guys who act like a bunch of gossipy old biddies.. since yousaid it was the career guys doing all the talking it seems like they dont have enough to keep them from gossiping, and if thats the case ,obviously they get paid for dpoing little or nothing when the company is quiet the guys get ansy and start talking crap, if they were busy, they wouldnt be talking much

Permalink Reply by MICHAEL on August 24, 2007 at 10:11am

Well in my county we have 11 volunteer departments and 3 paid departments but they also recuit volunteers. I myself am a volunteer now for 13 years. I am considering becoming a career firefighter. As far as the bashing goes yeah we have the same problem. My take on it is that we are all here to do the same job, why not get along. Whether it be responding to a structure fire or a automoblile accident we still funtion as one. The brotherhood does not discriminate between vollys or career firefighters we all put our lives on the line for the same reason

Permalink Reply by Jay on August 24, 2007 at 10:57am

oh yea...i think this happens no matter where you are. My biggest issue with it is that most of the career guys started out as vollies, then as soon as they get that first fulltime paycheck, they forget where they came from and get this mentality that the career guys are so much better than vollies. Personally, I feel that vollies are more dedicated to the job mainly because they are doing it because they love the job and want the training/experience, whereas alot of career guys i know are doing it for the money...

Permalink Reply by turk182 on August 24, 2007 at 11:05am

Can't we all just get along. The more neighboring department that respond to calls together train together the easier they can work as one paid or volunteer. Then they should know how to work with each other and not be affraid to go in with any one from another station. Training together is the key and always willbe.

Permalink Reply by Randy Macey on August 24, 2007 at 2:36pm

On a side note to Paid vs Vol. how many Vol. Stations have Paid Firefighters from another station. Here they are called Double Hatters and the Union does not like this.
But the funny thing is when you apply for a full time job as a firefigher, they are looking for those who have experience. But once you join they state you should give up your Vol. job. We are lucky with some great people and experience for training.
We all do the same job, it seems it's more of an issue on Training then anything else.
You talk to a Full Time Station and some will talk bad about other shifts...

Mace

Permalink Reply by john preston on August 24, 2007 at 2:51pm

Should be no diffrence....we both put it all on the line and in some cases back each other up. I know some vol. that are better then the paid personal. Thats one reason i joined the FOOLS. (Fraternal Order Of Leatherheads Society) check it out i think it will bring back some fire in why we do this line of work. check this link out
http://www.pugetsoundfools.com/
tell me what ya think
JP

Permalink Reply by Jason Stevens on August 24, 2007 at 3:04pm

It is the same way where I live. In Oswego County, New York there is 30 volunter fire depts. and 2 paid. There is always fighting between the two. The funny thing is that one of the paid depts is always bashing vol. but they call on them often.

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