I might be called a dinosaur and thats okay. I really don't mind being the old guy but I've noticed more and more the terminology has been changing. Or might be the advent and exposure via the internet of other departments.

The Bus, This used to be called the ambulance. I never liked the term "bus". Why, I don't drive buses, I'm not going to pick you up on the street unless your hurt..or real pretty. When I hear people say I worked the bus I want to ask, then why are you wearing a fire company uniform? If I was a young man (or woman) I would tell them I ride or drive the ambulance. It really sounds cooler then I ride the bus.....

 Banging the deuce. Sounds like something you do at a Rave but sounds cooler then called for a second alarm.

We had a job. Now I've grown up saying work. We had a worker or it was working. You tell someone in the public we had a job they would say I hope so. But you can say we had a working fire.

 I once was guilty of trying to be cool on the radio. We have assistant chiefs in the volunteer service. One company wanted to use Battalion Chiefs as the designation which had to go through the County Chiefs Assoc. A couple were doing it anyway. Well we had this house fire that wasn't much to it. I called fireboard and said “30 Battalion 1 assuming Clyde St Command” (this was 20 plus years ago) ........You could hear the disgust in the dispatchers voice.

For years we always had ladder. We used number for all equipment. Anything with a 7 was a ladder, Then 10 years ago a company wanted to use Truck 34 (an example as not to embarrass said company) as opposed to Ladder 34 if they were going to use plain language. Why truck....because it sounded cool at the time.

Going to plain language caused its own issues because everyone wanted to sound cool. For the first couple of months we had “11-5 rolling out” “35-2 on radio” or the worst 37-2 leaving the house......

Or the cool 10 code. Back in the day we used 10 codes for the basics, responding, onscene, returning, under control etc. But someone had to be fancy and ask for a 10-48, Fireboard asked them to repeat. Once again they asked for a 10-48. After three more tries Fireboard finally said you want another rescue. He should have asked for a 10-47 for a tow truck or do like 98.7% of the officers in the state just come out and ask for a tow truck. Be he had to be cool.

I remember when it was cool enough to be a firefighter and put out fires and help people. Maybe I am too old. I'm going to go eat so I have to take my tongue out of my cheek.