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Chewing and smoking in fire houses?!?!?! gone forever?
ok so i have been hearing talk about smoking ban on all fire houses! I myself am only a volunteer with hopes on becoming a pro in the next few years but it still is a very interesting thing to me! could it affect the volunteer setting as well? im not a smoker ya but i dont mind if people do it! i chew when im around the station wether it be a paid firehouse or my volunteer station i realize that it is a nasty habbit, but it wether anyone likes it or not is very relaxing and its a social piece and if people have a problem with it i usually give them the benifit of the doubt and walk away, even though most of the time they cant tell i have one in! i mean are they taking too much from us as firefighters? and what does everyone think about chewing at the fire house? please help me out!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tony P on
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Smoking is banned in all public or government buildings here, that covers all fire stations. So no smoking. If people want to smoke, that's their choice but why should I have to be exposed to their smoke? They can do it in private.
The other uses of tobacco that seem popular in the USA? From what I've read online about the spitting involved I'm so glad that the practice doesn't seem to exist here! (There may be some people who 'chew' etc., but I've never seen or heard of it.)
As for people not knowing that you are 'chewing'? Is that the same as people saying that nobody knows that they smoke? People know when they are with a smoker, the smell sticks, it's there in clothing, hair and breath. So don't be so sure that "most of the time they cant tell i have one in".
As a sideline, it always saddens me when people say they 'are only' a something. 'I am only a housewife'. 'I am only a volunteer'.
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Permalink Reply by Joseph Smart on
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yah i understand! very much so i know my parents went through that and i hate the smell too i know what ur talkin about there! im not tryin to get a heated discussion im just thinkin about the people who have been around for along time and they are kinda dependant on it and to just take somethin away from some people it could prove hazardous to their enviroment! make them go through changes that can be fatal! even though using tobacco is fatal!
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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Smoking, prohibited in the fire house. Chewing? That's a different story.
It surprises me how many of our members dip snuff or chew tobacco. While it doesn't pollute the air in and around the station, chewing does produce some particularly disgusting by-products.
My understanding is that some career departments prohibit their workers from smoking. The reason is that firefighting in and of itself presents an increased risk of job-related illnesses including some forms of cancer. It's hard to prove an illness is job related if you are putting yourself at higher risk by smoking. Or chewing, for that matter.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
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Joe, take the time to look at prior posts on this subject, they are very informative... and a good read.
However, seeing that your post seemed to question the logic of this, let me shine some light on this for you:
1. the fertilizer used for tobacco contains phosphorus as one of the components.
2. phosphorous contains po-210 and pb-210 (thats polonium and lead in case your not a hazmat guy like I am)
3. light up a smoke and you are inhaling these two materials in conjunction with a host of other nasty things
4. these particles accumulate in your lungs and actually have a pretty high potential for going to the left main stem bronchus, it's how we as humans are built.
5. not all people get lung cancer, the throat, tongue, etc. can be involved as well
6. chew the stuff? you have to figure that these materials are being ingested...
7. and the big one is 2nd hand smoke... couple this with naturally occurring Radon and you get the PO-210, PB-210 and the Radon combining causing even more issues, hence the increasing incidents of 2nd hand smoke cancer
This is why chewing and smoking in the firehouse is or should be gone. FOREVER! and just think, people smoke in houses with young children who are actually small biological units that when insulted chemically, can have long lasting deleterious (negative) affects medically and mentally.
We are allowed to learn from our mistakes and actually get smarter. Or at least we sure hope so... If folks are going to smoke a cigarette, they need to follow hazmat rules and do it the reverse of what we were taught for hazmat. that is downwind and away from others to negate the possibility of exposure to others.
I did a lot of research on this and posted it on the FFN as a blog. Here's the link brother:
http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/the-dirty-little-se...
TCSS, CB
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thanks for the info!!! appreciate it! i was trying to prevoke thought and it seems like it is working!! lol :)
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Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on
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Because we are part of the City municipality and Tobacco products are banned from the City property then we do not allow chewing at our station. Out on a call if your not wearing a SCBA and discreetly yes we allow it. Smoking is not however.
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consider yourself prevoked...
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Did you know that oral sex also causes mouth, lip and tongue cancer? maybe this should be banned from the firehouse as well... The researchers believe this is because oral sex may transmit human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus implicated in the majority of cervical cancers.
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on
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wow when was any form of sex allowed in the firehouse...are you guys looking for new members?
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actually, when I found this out I was amazed that this was actually a cause of oral cancer... makes me glad that this coming February is our 30th anniversary. makes one glad that he is not single and dealing with all of this... it was much simpler in the 70's... : )
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if your into this, perhaps a career with SFFD might be in order?
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Permalink Reply by Dustin J. Millis on
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I cant see the few diehard smokers we have on our dept. giving it up for anyone. Its only allowed in the bays though, certainly not in the trucks. Alot of guys on the dept chew though, I did it for a few years when I first turned 18. I made myself quit about six months ago for the new gf. anyway... besides the obvious health concerns, there are plenty of reasons not to smoke/chew. Think of all the little kids that look up to firefighters. What are they looking up to when they see a cig hanging out of your mouth?
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