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Think before dissing firefighters!!
Think before dissing firefighters!!1
When the fire trucks are delayed 40 seconds in traffic, People say:
“It took them 20 minutes to get here.”
When the truck races at 40 m.p.h., it’s:
“Look at those reckless fools.”
When four men struggle with an eight-man ladder:
“They don’t even know how to raise a ladder.”
When firemen open windows for ventilation to reduce heat in fighting a fire:
“Look at the wrecking crew.”
When they open the floor to get at a blaze:
“There goes the axe squad.”
If the chief stands back where he can see and direct his men, people say:
“He’s afraid to go where he sends his men.”
If they lose a building:
“It’s a lousy department.”
If they make a good “stop” folks say:
“The fire didn’t amount to much.”
If lots of water is necessary:
“They are doing more damage with water than the flames.”
If a fireman gets hurt:
“He was a careless guy.”
It a citizen gets hurt:
“It’s a crazy department.”
If a fireman inspects a citizen’s property:
“He’s meddling in somebody ’s business.”
If he wants a fire hazard correct:
“I’ll see the mayor.”
If he/she gets killed and leaves a family destitute:
“That’s the chance he/SHE took when they joined the fire department.”
Author unknown
When the fire trucks are delayed 40 seconds in traffic, People say:
“It took them 20 minutes to get here.”
When the truck races at 40 m.p.h., it’s:
“Look at those reckless fools.”
When four men struggle with an eight-man ladder:
“They don’t even know how to raise a ladder.”
When firemen open windows for ventilation to reduce heat in fighting a fire:
“Look at the wrecking crew.”
When they open the floor to get at a blaze:
“There goes the axe squad.”
If the chief stands back where he can see and direct his men, people say:
“He’s afraid to go where he sends his men.”
If they lose a building:
“It’s a lousy department.”
If they make a good “stop” folks say:
“The fire didn’t amount to much.”
If lots of water is necessary:
“They are doing more damage with water than the flames.”
If a fireman gets hurt:
“He was a careless guy.”
It a citizen gets hurt:
“It’s a crazy department.”
If a fireman inspects a citizen’s property:
“He’s meddling in somebody ’s business.”
If he wants a fire hazard correct:
“I’ll see the mayor.”
If he/she gets killed and leaves a family destitute:
“That’s the chance he/SHE took when they joined the fire department.”
Author unknown
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Huw Jones on
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That unfortunatly is the name of the game,
Always has been, always will be.
You are damned if you do,
And damned if you don't
Do the job, ignore the completey ignorant, educate those that can be educated.
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Permalink Reply by turk182 on
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Ingnore the negative if you go out to an alarm.
If you go out to an alarm and do to the best of your ability and training to get the alarm taken care of in a safe and timely manor and you know that you and your fellow firefighters did their best then what the people say who are not trained should not matter to you.
I know public image means alot to the fire service but you cannot let it get your spirits down, because it will start to affect they way you function.
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Permalink Reply by jpzxzp47mmhn on
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fuckin people couldn't do this job if they tried so i dont wanna hear it
but hey we dont care what they think we do it for them but dont expect anything in return
damned if you do
damned if you dont
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Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on
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Is it really that negative? I know there are some who diss us (and honestly around here it's ems... sadly), but I haven't heard a lot of negative comments about our work. I am actually usually quite humbled and surprised by what I see or hear. We completely tore apart a house that had a weird addition, holes through the floors and then holes through the siding and brick outside, water from the tower poured through a hole in the roof until everything was wet (we chased the fire throughout the entire building, balloon construction). It was a good job, but to the naked eye, I'm sure we looked like a wrecking crew for sure. The owner walked by when all was said and done and we were cleaning up (she and her husband watched from across the street) and said "thank you".
I think if you focus on the negative, you will believe you are being looked at and treated that way. Focus on the positive, and this stuff might not bother you so much.
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Permalink Reply by Clark Hummel on
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I cant say I have seen any negatives from the EMS side of this site. It is sad if it is truely dissing. I work both sides of the service (not with the same dept). I will say that statistically perception is reality in most cases. All it takes is a few individuals creating a stink about the way a dept functions and there is a bad public relations issue. There are many ways to avoid this. As well as many instances they cannot be avoided. The biggest thing any department can do is completing their job as quickly as safety allows. You said a big key with your final statement. The owner knew you had done all you could for her structure. Should we dwell on the few naysayers NO should we do our best to keep our general public opinion up YES. After all they pay for our equipment and in some cases our pay, and the next time a tax increase is asked for to pay the bills. The public may not be so quick to pay it.
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Permalink Reply by Dan Hoey on
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In the defense of the clueless be hurt or have a child hurt and wait for help yes minutes seem like days. They don't understand and they shouldnt have to. We do what we do and part of it is getting crap sometimes for it.
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I wasn't talking about this site, I was talking about the three dimensional world! lol You would have to work here to know it. We try our best to remedy it, but it starts right at the college level. it's really too bad and sometimes you just have to shrug and move on.
I could care less if someone sends me "back to bed" instead of clearing me, I do my job and I love it. Don't cry, apply... right? lol ;)
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Permalink Reply by ILDisasterEMT on
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Sorry, Spanner. I think you said you were from Canada, but I cant recall. Youre right about it being EMS that does alot of the disrespecting of the fire service. Here in the States, a lot of EMTs and Paramedics call firefighters "fire monkies" or "hose jockeys" or if a firefighter is also a paramedic, they make the joke that "real paramedics dont roll hose."
But, you know its a bit like you said: the ignorant will always comment. They dont know that we regularly go head long into a 1000 degree plus inferno to save someone's life or property (or dog) or child. They dont know that the wracking toll that years of doing the job takes on our bodies. They dont know how many family get togethers we leave to go help others. They dont know that we arent numb to the destruction and death that we see or how we mourn right along with a person's loved ones when we were just a few minutes too late cutting through the twisted metal of a car and another life is lost. And the EMS responders that bash us, they dont know that well over 65% of the EMS provided in North America is provided by firefighters.
So once again I say God bless the Smoke-eaters and May God Always Bless the Fire Service!
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That's right, I am in Canada. You know what really sucks, is they do know what we do when it comes to fire calls (well, sort of anyway), they watched us lose 4 of our own to cancer in the last 2 years, as well as 5 others who had to leave the job or were off the job for a good chunk of time due to cancer. They also were there to attend to my colleagues who jumped from a building that flashed and still all they can worry about is us showing up first and "hogging their glory." Yeah, lots of glory in doing compressions on a dead guy. We have issues with our calls being held so EMS can get there first, when you call to check the times, before a supervisor can say not to give them to us we are told the call came in 4 (sometimes over, sometimes just under) minutes before we were dispatched, the exact difference in response time guarantees. it's really pathetic. Politics and whining should not play a role in patient care or quick response. It's been obvious on many occassions. It's so sad. They don't complain when we get there at the same time, go in to the building, assess, begin compressions and wait 5 minutes for them to get their stretcher out and get into the building (literally, I wear a watch, I can tell time... lol), and they won't clear us as long as compressions are needed, even if there are 5 or 6 of them on scene. I've been told that compressions are beneath them here (by an ex-paramedic). They refuse to realize that tying up 4 of us so they don't have to do compressions is ludicrous. If there's a fire, mvc, alarm call right around the corner we are stuck. I bet if it was their home it would be different.
I could go on and on, lol, and yet when we are at the call I do what is asked without question, even if they are rude (which has been the case on many occassions). I don't need please and thank you, but it's been pretty blatant at times. All of this being said, there have been times when they were fantastic, great to work with and there is nothing but reciprocal respect. Those calls always run smoothly and you leave with a sense of accomplishment, regardless of the outcome. I had to call 911 twice in one weekend in another city for medical emergencies, the first time, the paramedic supervisor made a crack about the firefighters, "they show up and all they want to do is give them oxygen," claiming the pt was hyperventilating and getting too much O2. I responded, "Yeah, I know, but to be fair, that's all we're really trained to do and 98% of the time it reassures the pt that something is being done." Wow, was he embarrassed, I told him it was fine, I was used to it and we both laughed nervously! The call the next day went well, different region, fire and ems got along great. I asked the paramedic later about it and he said the relationship was really good there and it made the job so much easier. I can only wish for this to be the case here eventually.
(oh look, I did go on and on... lol)!
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I started off sort of the opposite way and became an EMT before becoming a fire fighter (or at least starting fire school this week). Im always happy to see the FFs there before we get there if thats the case because I do know that they are doing all they can. Im also happy to be an EMT on my new department so that when we are first due, I can grab a jump kit and start treating the patient and not just be there to do their compressions for them. All too often here in the States we get looked at as the big oxes that show up to do the heavy lifting. Ah well...as long as the life is saved, it doesnt really matter who does what does it. I showed up once as an EMT and all I did was compressions on a young girl who had taken a lung full of water in the family pool. We got her back and I thought the mother was going to break my neck hugging me. The end result is all that matters, not who gets it done. Take care up there, brother.
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Permalink Reply by Sandy113 on
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my town generally loves us....of course they don't show their support when it comes time to vote yes or no for our budget!
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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A venerable Utopia here.
We get what we want and do what we want.
Fundraisers are always wall to wall. All political initiatives have passed.
Last negative comment was in 1998.
In three years, we have doubled our tax receipts and budget.
I guess we're OK.
TCSS.
Art
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