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Explorers/Jr’s Calling them selves Fire Fighters?
Maybe I am the only one who sees it this way but am I the only one who gets rubbed the wrong way when these young kids who are on an explorer post. walk around claiming to be fire fighters. I mean don’t get me wrong I think explorer posts are a great program. I used to belong to one, and it helped me a lot. But you but your butt, if any of the members of the department heard an explorer refer to them selves as a fire fighter and not an explorer that your butt would be walking out of the station looking like an idiot in front of the entire department.
When I was an explorer, we didn’t get pagers or billboard T shirts with the department name. We were there to be seen and not heard. We were there to clean trucks, hand jack hose, clean the bay, incident reports ETC…. and if you proved that you were willing to shut up and learn maybe get to do some structural drills, auto extrication training, and class room training.
Yet when did the title of fire fighter just start getting passed around. I work for a paid department. I spent 14 weeks in the academy, I’ve spent the past 5 ½ years working 24on 24off training my butt off, running master alarms, EMS calls, auto accidents, and working fires. I did my one year probationary period cleaning toilets, mopping floors, stand-bys in the alarm room, stuck on OT during the holidays when every one else was at home with there family’s. I have earned my right along with many other great men and women to be called fire fighter, and half the time when people ask me what I do, I just tell them I work on the base, and leave it at that. I don’t want my back patted and told how good of a job I do. I don’t want people coming up to me and thanking me every Sept. 11th. I just want to go do my job, help people and come home to my family the next day. I don’t know maybe it’s just me.
I know this is probably going to make a lot of the posters mad cause from the grammer and spelling errors I see in most of these posts I would be willing to say about half the people who post on here are kids. So how do you feel about it?
When I was an explorer, we didn’t get pagers or billboard T shirts with the department name. We were there to be seen and not heard. We were there to clean trucks, hand jack hose, clean the bay, incident reports ETC…. and if you proved that you were willing to shut up and learn maybe get to do some structural drills, auto extrication training, and class room training.
Yet when did the title of fire fighter just start getting passed around. I work for a paid department. I spent 14 weeks in the academy, I’ve spent the past 5 ½ years working 24on 24off training my butt off, running master alarms, EMS calls, auto accidents, and working fires. I did my one year probationary period cleaning toilets, mopping floors, stand-bys in the alarm room, stuck on OT during the holidays when every one else was at home with there family’s. I have earned my right along with many other great men and women to be called fire fighter, and half the time when people ask me what I do, I just tell them I work on the base, and leave it at that. I don’t want my back patted and told how good of a job I do. I don’t want people coming up to me and thanking me every Sept. 11th. I just want to go do my job, help people and come home to my family the next day. I don’t know maybe it’s just me.
I know this is probably going to make a lot of the posters mad cause from the grammer and spelling errors I see in most of these posts I would be willing to say about half the people who post on here are kids. So how do you feel about it?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by bobbyg on
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CHRIS THE OTHER DAY WHEN KYOU SAID THAT YOUR KID COMES TO THE FIREHOUSE THAT YOU LIKE THAT RIGHT? WELL I GUESS YOU DONT LET HIM SIT IN THE FRONT SEAT AND MAKE BELIVETHAT HE IS DRIVING BECAUSE THAN HE WOULD BE CALLING HIMSLEF A FIREFIGHTER AND YOU DONT LIKE LIKE RIGHT? YOU SAID THAT YOU DO SHIFT WORK ARE YOU A PAID BANDAID HEAD OR PAID FIREFIGHTER?
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Permalink Reply by Christopher on
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Im a paid Fire Fighter, and there was some sarcasim in that post but your to ignorant to notice. My son is 11 months old he dosn't call him self a fire fighter. I was useing it as an example.
By the way your so intimidating WHEN YOU TYPE WITH LARGE LETTERS. It makes you look like your so cool.
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So are you a training officer, or are you a Jr. Training officer?
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Challenging some ones intelligence by commenting on their lack of typing Skills? No I can understand a typo here and there but some of this has nothing to do with typing. It has to do with lack of education, and common sence.
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Permalink Reply by Tony Leonard,Jr. on
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Technically under the deffinition of "Firefighter" they are.-TECHNICALLY-.But as I've recently been told that Explorers are No Longer allowed to respond to calls of any type,thanks to some saftey nazi saying it's to "Dangerous" for them.But those kids Knew that all along.But here's the rub,Jr.Firefighters are just that Jr.Firefighters allowed to go to all types of calls,covered under the Fire Dept. or Jr.F.D.'s insurance,or as defined by the rules and reg.s set forth by the governing body.Also when I was an Explorer those of us in our post,where also Members of the E.M.S. Squad,in N.Y.State you can be a C.F.R. @ 16 y.o. thus allowing us to go on all types of calls with exceptions set foth by the fire company as to dangerous or "disturbing" i.e. auto accidents,mental health issues,etc.SO technically they are right but they need to realize their place and add they "Jr." in front of "Firefighter".An if they have a problem,remind them that calling themselves "Firefighter" with out adding the "Jr." is IMPERSONATION! Carrying the same legal charges as impersonating a police officer!They should be treated as equals but not as lower forms of life,after all they look up to all of us,espeacially those of us who where once in their position.Think of them as our "Little Brothers and Sisters",just as the name Jr. Firefighter implyes.I've got more but i'm getting long winded as is.
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Permalink Reply by Troy Hieb on
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Why does this have to be made into such a big deal, they aid in the supression of fires. Therefore, they are considered firefighters. Maybe they aren't as badass as some people like yourself (wink wink), but what a waste let's stop worring about this small BS and worry more about the firemen that still don't know their $hit.
By the way, I don't mean to pat you on the back or anything, but I just wanted to say that I am truely and deeply sorry that you have had such a rough time in the fire service. You deserve a cup-cake.
If this stuff puts you out that bad, maybe you should consider a career swap.
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Permalink Reply by William McKinnon on
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I am a fire explorer (post 209!!) and I am proud of it as my post adviser told me "I have fire in my blood!" Within my post the explorers are required to have the basic firefighting knowledge. Because of the type of drills we do with live fire and things of that nature so with that said we are all very dedicated to what we do and since my department is a combination it has a Paid staff and Volunteer so 99.9% of us become volunteer firefighters times firefighters around the station have a strong respect for us and what we on calls we are all CPR Certified and most of us are Certified First Responders so we have important roles on scene and people do call us firefighters but we are quick to point out that we are EXPLORERS not trained and certified firefighter so i think that just amongst the staff and the explorer members if we refer to ourselves as firefighters that fine just make sure the general public knows your role and your limitations
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Permalink Reply by Aaron Smith on
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Well at my primary department we are called junior firefighters or juniors. When a random person not affiliated with emergency services asks if Im a firefighter, I simply answer "Yes". Im sure they don't want me spending 20min explaining the technical words and stuff.
My secondary department calls us explorers but considers us firefighters. By all means we don't do what they do, but we play just as critical a role to free up a higher trained firefighter from filling tanks, or working hydrants. To me it's not just a title, but what your brother/sister's in the services consider you.
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no, your good
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Permalink Reply by Loyd Dittfurth on
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yall talk of stories you hear from these kids. well i am 25 years old and until yesterday i was on a paid dept. I startedout my career as a volunteer my dad was asst chief so i was at the station from birth. When i was 8 i went on my first fire stayed in the truck of course. When i was 12 i got to fight my first grass fire. At the age of 14 i went on a big grassfire that i road on the truck with the current chief at that time i was asked to be on the department after that.
My point of all this is if an explorer squirts water on a fire or helps in a wreck to keep other firefighters safe then he has earned the right in my eyes
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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
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Speaking from experience now, one has to be careful if chastising an explorer / Jr. FF here on the FFN for lying or being deceptive. This was not hazing or harassment, but instead calling a young child on their behavior.
Amazing as it was, and considering that this was obviously a child we were dealing with who at the age of 14 was giving people here on the FFN the impression that they were 18 and ready to start working as a volunteer firefighter in Florida. Many adult firefighters jumped on the bandwagon to crucify me for doing the things that an adult parent would do... which would be to help the child understand what is considered appropriate behavior. Plus in my opinion, it doesn't make any difference if you are a child or an adult, lying is not cool.
The good news is that we do have some stellar Jr/Exp kids out there that are the future of the fire service. The only problem that still keeps presenting itself is if we have adult supervision.
TCSS,
CBz
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Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on
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Really Capt. its about leadership anyhow. Wether Jrs or adults. And who is over-seeing the leadership?
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