Help A Girl Out?

I(as a new firefighter) was just wondering about the common misconceptions and most commonly made mistakes in the firefighting field............I'm open for anyones opinion......and welcome all possible comments regarding this topic......................>Cheers<*>Jen<

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Paul on April 24, 2009 at 10:07pm

get to know the members on your company. Find out who the dogs are and find out who the Firefighters are that know what they are talking about and wont get you hurt. Stick by their sides. Dont hide. Be the first to step up. You are going to make many mistakes. Be sure you learn from them. To say what rookie mistakes are is kind of an open question. That depends on the individual and your personality type. My parting comment is dont do anything stupid just to prove your self. You will have many years to show your dedication. dont try to do it all on one run. Good luck.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on April 24, 2009 at 10:21pm

If you'd just post a photo of your helmet or a vaguely smoky, anonymous head-and-shoulders shot, you'd attract a lot less attention from those pantheistic guys who are hot for that "come hither for your beheading" shot of your ~~forearms~~ four arms.

How ya been, Kali?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on April 24, 2009 at 10:42pm

You, soft??? Maybe a few years after you hit the bingo table in the nursing home, but probably not before then.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by lutan1 on April 24, 2009 at 11:03pm

The most common mistake is usually made by rookies thinking their invinsible because they have bunker gear and an SCBA on...
Or the old dinosaurs that don't think they need to wear proper PPE or train...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Matt Crawford on April 25, 2009 at 2:12am

train,listen,and repeat.

stay safe and good luck

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mike Lintz on April 25, 2009 at 4:38am

I have to agree with what alo of the people have said. Listen, train, and Dont freelance.

As a relatively new firefighter (just over 5 years) i have seen alot of people come out of the academy acting like thier shit doesnt stink. From my experiance your heading down a bad road if you do that. And if you get on a new dept like i have dont act like you know what your doing because you dont. Every dept does things differently. It doesnt matter if you are just starting out or have been around for 20/30 years, on a new dept your a rookie and have no knowledge of how that dept operates. just refer back to your basic training and learn how they do it. Dont go around and say this is how we did it or thats not how thats done. You will lose alot of respect and thats hard to get back..

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Allen on April 25, 2009 at 8:19am

You say something? :)

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Russ Griffith on April 25, 2009 at 9:44am

Becoming complacent, not maintaining situational awareness, disregarding your training, not working as part of the team, being a "fire genius", and the invinsibility factor are the most common downfalls that turn potentially good Firefighters into walking disasters.
Stay Safe

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michelle on April 25, 2009 at 2:55pm

Learn something from every call and every training you go to. You can never know enough. Common sense will also take you far.

On another note, I read all of the responses you got. If you don't be yourself no one will ever respect you. I saw the one that said to dress down and don't wear alot of make up and all that crap. The fact of the matter is you are a female on a fire dept there will always be someone somewhere that will have somithing to say about that. To those I say put up or shut up, usually they are insecure about themselves.

Everyone who knows me knows I don't beat around the bush and I don't take shit. My point is the guys on my dept have my back no matter what and I have theirs no matter what. They know that I'm not affraid to call them out if I see something wrong and vice versa. We are all here for the same reasons to serve our community and go home!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jourdon Pope on April 25, 2009 at 5:46pm

A lot of rookies think they know it all when they finish rookie school, but they fail to understand that all they have learned in rookie school is the basics. The best thing to do is to sit back look, listen and learn, and if asked a question answer it or if you have a question ask it. Something to remember is a dumb question is a question that's never asked. Always remember that God gave you two ears and one month. Listen twice and speak once. Good luck

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on April 25, 2009 at 7:01pm

Kali does have an advantage with her ~~forearms~~ four arms, though. Those could come in handy when advancing a 2.5 inch line up the apartment stairs.

Kali does have a point about some female firefighters - or especially juniors - glamor shots not making up for their relative lack of experience. I don't have a problem with her perspective, she has the experience and the resume to back it up.
Those Harvard people and their IQ's - sheesh.