Type of Organization

Fire/Rescue Department - Paid

Job Function

Firefighter

Years in Fire/EMS:

39

Primary Fire/EMS Department:

Chicago

Years With Department/Agency

32

My Training:

Fire/rescue, diver, hazmat tech B, driver, deep tunnel rescue, high angle, collapse, Wmd responce, terrorist responce, fuel and pipeline fires, BG-4, cascade systems, aircraft firefighting, extrication spec, ropes I and II.

About Me:

58 years old, married with 4 sons and 2 stepkids, retired last year. I miss the clowns but not the circus.

Day Job:

none anymore.

Relationship Status:

Married

Why I Joined Fire/EMS

I joined a paid on call Dept. just shy of my 18th birthday. An ad in the local paper said they were looking to fill positions in a new firehouse so I joined. 2 weeks later I went to my first fire and realized that this was my calling. 7 years later I was lucky enough to land a job with Chicago. 32 of the best years of my life and no regrets. Some guys cant wait to get promoted, but I always liked doing the job on the ground floor. I never cared about the pay scale enough to want to get booted up the ladder. The higher you go, the more political the job becomes.

Why I Love Fire/EMS

Greatest people in the world to work with.

Top Issues Facing Responders:

Health is always #1. #2 is politicians. How did we, alongside cops and other public servants get the blame for lousy management of the pension system by the politicians. #3 is poor pay for the beating our bodies take over time. #4 is stress.