Congratulations and welcome to the American Fire Service!


1)-Don't wait to be told to get things done around the station. If your
day slows down and your officer is preoccupied, there's a long list of
station maintenance always available to you. Wash blue rags, change roll
towels, organize what's disorganized, clean what's dirty.

2)-Along the same lines, if you see something in the station that is
obviously wrong, fix it. Something that needs to be put away, or picked
up, or repaired. Don't wait for someone else to do it, or wait for an
officer to tell you to do it. Take pride in making the buck stop with
you.

3)-You will have many questions during your first year. A good habit
to get into when you have a question is follow the chain of
command-starting with yourself. Do the research yourself first, then
ask a senior firefighter, then your driver, and only then, your officer.
Don't get me wrong-most folks are happy to answer questions, but this
is a good habit to get into.

4)-If you have thin skin, thicken it. Sarcasm is the breakfast of
champions in the firehouse.

5)-If you can't cook, learn.

6)-Even if you see other firefighters doing otherwise, address officers
by rank and last name until they personally instruct you to do
otherwise. Even then, remember that addressing an officer by last name
and rank is a sign of respect…need I say more?

7)-When the rig is backing up, only the officer and driver should be on
board. Only one firefighter should be in contact with the driver as the
rig backs up, but the second and third firefighters can act as another
set of eyes.

8)-If you can't find your sheets and pillow-case in the morning, look
in the freezer. You forgot to take them off the bed your last shift and
they're frozen into a bucket of water.

9)-Every interaction you have with the public, no matter how small, is
a chance for public education and relations. To a little kid, you are
practically a movie star. Know where stickers and handouts are on your
rig-or carry some with you on inspections or grocery trips.

10)-Always leave things the way you found them. (Does not include
broken or dirty) Locked, Closed, Ready to use, for example.

11)-When you go the city garage for fuel, don't sit on the rig and
wait. Get out and be ready with the nozzle in the fuel tank as the
driver gets out.

12)-All of the above may have you wondering about all this info…! This
brings me to a theory I've developed. There are unfortunately only two
types of probies in the eyes of many senior firefighters:
"Suck-up/Brown-nosers" or "Cocky Mouth-offs." It may sound like you
lose either way in this situation, however, here's my take on it. It's
very bad form get too comfortable in your attitude and start mouthing
off. On the other hand, if you are consistent in treating everyone with
respect, you will be labeled a suck up. This is just a test to find out
what you're about. The difference between a suck-up and a good
probationary firefighter is motive.


13)-A probie knows when to be first and when to be last.
Times to be first:
Answering the kitchen phone, and, as you settle in to the place,
any phone.
Answering to door bell.
Doing dishes after a meal.
Helping out in any way.

Times to be last:
Serving yourself at a communal meal or ice cream.
Voicing your opinion.

14)-Arrive a half an hour early to work everyday. You'll be getting
moved around from station to station, and this takes more time. The
person you're relieving can't go home until you are in service.

15)-Ask your officer's permission before washing your car or doing
personal projects at work. Using stand-by time for personal projects is
a privilege, not a given.

16)-Never stop learning. Each night, the T.V. lounge will tempt you.
You always have the choice to veg out or develop your skills as a
firefighter: read, tie knots, practice skills, go over equipment. It is
a choice. Although a majority of citizens respect the profession, there
are those that see firefighters as overfed slugs that watch TV and sleep
on the taxpayers tab. Prove them wrong.

17)-Some of you may be coming to the job with previous fire service
experience. Some volunteer, some paid-on-call, and some may have been
on other union/professional departments. On these departments, you may
have years of experience, and even been ranking officers or drivers.
Well, I've got bad news for you, and this is just the way the fire
service is: even your experience as a Battalion Chief means very little
with the members of your new department. As Captain Bob says, "You must
leave your rank and experience hanging in the locker of your old
department." (www.eatstress.com) Don't let this confuse or anger
you-your officer would much rather have a probie who has proven
herself/himself on the fireground, rather than worry if you are going to
soil yourself the first time he drags you into a working fire. But be
warned-resist the temptation to talk about your experiences while on
probation. You will appear to be tooting your own horn, sounding cocky
and over confident, and you will, with lightning speed, develop a
reputation all over the department as a big mouthed know-it-all.
Remember that actions speak louder than words.

-(Footnote to the above: Here's a challenge for you, and it's hard to
practice: If your officer is teaching a new skill, or a senior
firefighter wants to show you something, and you already know everything
about it, don't say anything. If you keep quiet, you may learn a new
way to do something, or see a point of view you never considered. Even
if you know more about the subject than anyone in the room, keep your
lip zipped and it will be a good review for you. Obviously, if you know
some fancy-pants rescue knot in an emergency and your officer is looking
for ideas, now would be an appropriate time to speak up.

16)-This next point has been given to me by several Appleton officers
and senior firefighters. Your probation-all 18 months of it-is a golden
opportunity to make an impression on your coworkers. Because this
opportunity lasts over a period of months, its effects will last for the
duration of your career. If you work your butt off, are respectful, and
listen more than you speak, you will develop an image as a darn good
firefighter. On the contrary, for the rest of your career, your will
never work hard enough to shake a reputation as a slacker or bigmouth.

17)-Find one aspect of the job that is particularly interesting to you,
and research the hell out of it. If you like it and you become
knowledgeable, you become an asset to your crew in that area. Some guys
love extrication, and have become informal experts because of their
interest. Rope rescue, haz-mat, EMS, anything. No sympathy is available
for bored probies.

18)-In the beginning of your probation, your crew takes you on and
knows nothing about you. You will make mistakes, believe me. All of
this advice is not intended to make you terrified of screwing up. But
it is my opinion that I (as a rookie) am a liability to my crew. Sure,
it is their responsibility to look out for you-but you have the
opportunity to return the favor by thinking of ways to make your
presence a blessing not a burden. Any lughead can bring in ice cream,
but how about the previous point-- How can I be an asset to my crew?
Know your equipment, know the way your officer likes to operate. All
this takes time, by the way.

19)-Firefighters can be a gossipy bunch. You will inevitably be told
things about the business of others, but just remember that the business
of others is none of your business. Resist judging people you may or may
not know based on this sort of low-quality information. This is a hard
one for a new guy because joining in on talking smack seems like a
shortcut to being buddy-buddy with your crew, but it will lead to bad
things. Remember, "Speak only well of others and you need never
whisper."

20)-The same goes for racist and sexist comments & jokes-just because
it happens, doesn't make it acceptable. There's no need for you to
express disapproval, but don't join in. It's the 21st century, and
there's no place for that anymore. As public service pros, we can set a
positive example even in the firehouse, out of earshot of the public.
Chief Alan Brunacini says "What we practice on the inside, we deliver on
the outside." Choose to practice respect.

21)-Get to know your driver and what makes him/her happy. If the
driver isn't happy ain't nobody happy. Offer to help them if there's
nothing else to do-the driver is responsible for the rig AND every last
piece of equipment on it. If you're back from a call and the officer is
back in bed, but your driver is getting your rig back in service, help
out.

22)-Don't swear or talk smack in front of a Battalion Chief. If I need
to explain this, you're in the wrong profession.

23)-Don't complain. Give me a break-you are getting paid over sixteen
dollars an hour to do a job you already love-you should be smiling all
the time. If your officer assigns you to pick up dog poop, clean the
underside of the rig, or you go a few shifts without calls, suck it up.
You can take it-you're a tough firefighter, remember?

24)-Let me re-iterate the last point: DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT CHORES for
crying out loud!
I'm shocked by this when I hear this coming from the mouth of a new
firefighter. I actually heard a 4 month firefighter complaining that he
had to clean the dish of a 15 year fire veteran. Cry me a river,
smartypants. This is part of a probie's job.

25)-If you're ever unsure of what to do or how something goes, don't
ever fake it. Your crew is depending on you with their lives, so when
in doubt, ask first. Given the choice between bugging your officer with
a question, or having you make a mistake, your officer would gladly
answer your question.

26)-Your driver owns the rig you are assigned to. If you mess with,
alter, adjust, or break anything on it without telling your driver,
prepare to deal with his/her wrath. Imagine going out to your car in
the morning and finding it wrecked or otherwise out of commission.
Well, this is worse. Your driver is staking his/her reputation and your
safety on the knowledge that the rig is as exactly as he/she left it.

27)-Even if your crew seems to be really tight, and everyone acts
buddy-buddy and jokes around with each other-don't get too casual with
your crew; and don't argue, talk back to, or question your officer.
This may seem obvious to you-but I've seen it happen. All of these
tips are based on real experiences or observations.

28)-In my life, when things get challenging at work, my motto is, "look
on the bright side, you could be in Navy Seal training." The point
being, be thankful of your position at all times. Probationary
firefighters have it relatively easy in Appleton. Some larger
departments run recruit schools just like Army boot camps. Madison
doesn't allow probies in the TV lounge for 18 months. Milwaukee starts
chopping at first light, every morning for the duration of recruit
school. West Allis firefighters refuse to even speak to probies at all
for 18 months. So smile.

29)- Avoid having a chip on your shoulder, or something to prove.

30)-Some firefighters are funny about accepting help. If someone cooks
dinner for the crew and there is a sink full of dishes, there's no need
to ask whether there's anything you can help with. Jump in! Want to try
a fun experiment? Try sitting in the TV lounge while a senior
firefighter cleans the pots and pans from the meal he just cooked for
the crew and you.

31)-About sarcasm and jokes and pranks around the firehouse-you can
tough it out. It is kind of an unspoken method the see how you deal
with stress. You think this is bad, try the stress of a fireground at
three in the morning.

32)-About pranks and practical jokes-use your best judgement about the
necessity and severity of your prank, stick to your own recruit
classmates for the majority of your probation, and never, ever mess with
someone's emergency equipment.

33)-Remember, after hearing all of this, as well as advice from other
firefighters, remember one thing-everyone on the whole department is
senior to you right now, and they've got a lot of things to say about
what you are doing, but they want you to succeed. They want your
probation to go smoothly. So don't get overwhelmed by criticism or
other feedback.

34)-Remember to turn your handheld radio down or off before your
officer transmits to avoid Jimi
Hendrix-like feedback. Its an easy way to bug your officer. You will
forget this one, trust me.

35)-Even though you are the lowly firefighter, don't get lulled into
the sense that you should do nothing but run to the rig when the alarm
comes in. Though you may not be a driver for some time, pay attention
to and remember the address when the dispatch comes in-for that one time
when the driver says "What was that?"-it'll be worth it.

36)-When the day finally arrives that you've been waiting for-finishing
probation-you will be tempted to suddenly act like a veteran towards
more new hires and other firefighters. This spells trouble-hopefully
you have formed good habits during probation, don't let go of a good
thing now.

)-Be prepared for a senior firefighter to get a hold of this and say,
"You're taking advice from Austin Treehugger Powers?? That guy is a few
sandwiches short of a picnic!" These are just some of the lessons we've
all learned our first year. You may choose to ignore all of this and
learn from your own experience. Just know that I do not aim to preach,
but simply to share knowledge that may make your probation easier, and
in turn, will set the scene for a good career.

-And finally, be thankful and proud. You've got the best job in the
whole darn world. Hold onto that thought alone and you'll succeed.

__________________ -Friends dont let friends ride American LaChance.