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Why ask paid or unpaid??
I don't understand why we ask things like that or should women be on the fire ground. If we ask these questions then we must be going into it with a predetermined idea. I have been both a unpaid and paid professional fire fighter and I just want to say all my fellow fire fighters I don't care why you do what we do I am just saying thank you for doing it.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by turk182 on
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I think a lot of times when people ask and you say you are a volunteer they get this idea that you are not as highly trained as paid fire fighters they think we are a bunch of beer drinking nuts and do it for the kicks. I once had a person say your a volunteer well how much do you make an hour.Here's you sign right but back to the topic i think a fire fighter is a fire fighter should not even be asked if paid or not. You get vol's and paid FF that find a way to skip out on training so as to the training issue alot of times it equals out in the end.
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Permalink Reply by Troy Wolf on
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why do they ask paid or unpaid are the fires hotter more dangerous for the paid are the Mva worse No there not they just have more of them. Iam assit. chief on a vol. dept. And it hurts as when we pickup a small child after he fell out of the farm tractor while his dad was driving and went under the tire, does the family stop and ask are you guys paid or vol. I feel that must of us vol. come from smaller towns less populated areas, when we roll 95% of the time we know how were running on that makes it so much harder. God bless all you firefighters and ems pesonal for all you do its the toughest job you will ever due. and love it so much
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Permalink Reply by Rich on
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I just wish a majority of the FDNY guys would feel the same. I do find it amuzing when they make the sarcastic comments of "O your a Voli" or "What do you know, your a Voli". Last I checked when someone is trapped in a car or a fire I dont think they care whether or not the people comming to help them get a paycheck. We accually have guys in my FD whom join the FDNY after 5 or 6 years in our FD yet they forget where their roots came from. Its kind of sad really. There was accually a pretty bad verbal fight between one of our 20 year active Vets and one of the younger FDNY guys in a fire building. Then the same younger guy almost fell through the stairs cause his ego didnt check them.
O well I have respect for all Fire and EMS personal and consider us all brothers and sisters no matter what department, what country or what your qualifications are.
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Permalink Reply by nita on
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I guess the admirable and politically correct response would be to agree with all the other posts here and I do to a certain extent. Of course people that volunteer for anything for the right reasons are exceptional human beings. I come from a city of about 25,000 and work for the municipal fire dept. of approx. 50 paid/professional/carreer firefighters. The Parish/County that my city is in has a partially paid dept. We haven't had good experiences with the volunteers and all I can speak about are "MY" experiences. They do seem to train alot but then you will only get a couple to show up for a real incident. They also seem to be glory seekers...driving crazy with a look-at-me attitude.
I've been a ff for 14 years, my current rank is driver/operator, and at the end of this month I will move up to Captain. We are a civil service dept. and I sit on the civil service board as the fire dept. representative. We are also IAFF affiliated and I am the secretary for our local. I will not lie about where I stand on this issue just to gain brownie points. I believe there are centain small towns that can't afford a paid dept. and they have to rely on volunteers. I also believe thier fire protection suffers as a result. I know you can't say that just because you're paid.....you're a better ff, but I do believe that the majority of paid ff's do a better job than volunteers...at least where I come from they do.
I wonder what some of these volunteers do for a living and if they would mind if people attempted to do thier job for free? That's what it all boils down to really. Everybody wants job security and if there are people who will do my job for free...even if they don't do it as well...then my jobs not so secure. You don't see whole police depts. that are volunteer. You don't see volunteer post offices or volunteer schools. It's kind of like this.... you're driving through a town and you're having chest pain. You decide you should seek medical attention. You see two doctor's offices..one says professional/paid/career doctor and one says volunteer doctor. Well....you could save money(if you're thinking of that at the time) and go to the vol. doctor but how would you know what you're getting? Is he as well trained as the other doctor and who makes sure of that. Does he have a criminal history? Do think he went to school for some time or do you think he participated in OJT...or maybe he's self taught. How much experience does he have? You get my point...I could go on and on. I'm not saying volunteering is a bad thing...I'm saying it should be like volunteering in any other profession....A volunteer should be helping the paid person. Like when you go volunteer at your childs school. You may be just as compitent as any teacher...but they're still the professionals. Or I may want to volunteer at the hospital ....but the professionals are there doing thier job.
Oh and...if you are a member of IAFF...you should read the by laws on volunteering
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Permalink Reply by Tommy Moto on
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I don't have much to say here except that Voll or paid, we are all in the same building. I don't know any voll who woudln't help another firefighter (paid or voll) out. On the other side of that coin. I do know some paid guys and galls who were once voll who woudln't lift a hand if to help his or her own mother unless he or she was getting a paycheck. Bottom line, I think it's all about the persons character and how they are in life that defines who they are.
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Permalink Reply by Jesse Young on
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Thats the way I wish most people would think. Unfortunatlly, there will always be at least one person that disagree's.
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Permalink Reply by John A. Lawlor on
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I have ben a "Volly" for 15 yrs. so far... I am just as or even more trained than some "Career" FF I know...
I think the status of Paid or Unpaid shouldn't matter when it comes down to it...
We are their to do a job...
I Love my "Volly" Job.... I wouldn't trade it for the world...
If it wasn't for "Volly's" this Nation would be in serious trouble...
That's Just my opinion.
I am a Professional Firefighter.......
Thanks and Stay Safe..
John
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Permalink Reply by Kevin King on
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When asked my response is what difference does it make I'm a Trained and certified professional FIREFIGHTER if you need me I'll be there. This may sound kinda callous but I AM TRAINED TO SAVE YOUR ASS NOT KISS IT!
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Permalink Reply by Dan Hoey on
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I have been a paid professional firefighter for 16 yr I have been an unpaid professional firefighter for 21 yrs and the difference between the two is simple one after a job I have to shower at work and the other I can go home after the same job I can go have a beer with the boys.
Now since I have become a semi retired bum its simple for me to throw my two cents around but I can tell everyone this No matter why I was there I was and as a 17 yr Paramedic I know one thing for sure I would never be a volunteer medic..lol..Because you need to pay me for that job!!!!!! Boots first scope second...
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Permalink Reply by Joe Sheldon on
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That question always gets people going. I guess I ask simply to learn about each and to hear everyone's opinion. But no, there really aren't any definitive differences between the two. It's all in how the firefighters behave, not how they're paid.
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