You Know You're A Firefighter When...

1. ... You refer to a car fire as a “car-beque.”

2. ... You think Backdraft is a comedy… wish every fire I was on had no smoke!!

3. ... Every vehicle in your family’s fleet have the little fire helmet sticker on them

4. ... When you get pissed watching other cars ignore an apparatus going code 3\

5. ... When your 4 or 6-days are always spent at the river

6. ...If you’ve ever made a campfire and told everyone, “Trust me, I work with fire everyday; I’ll get it to light”

7. ...You refer to "stupid people"... (aka...possible unfortunate victims) as "Job Security"!

8. ...You hear about a fire on the news and no matter how far away it is you hope that the department working the fire calls your department to come and help out.

9. ...When you drive down a major highway and you can recite what type (make and model) of car hit what tree.

10. ...If you leave your house to drive 30 minutes to another town just because they have a working fire just so you can say, "Yeah, I was there."

11. ...You get upset when your pager doesn't go off when your spouse is making you do something you don't want to do.

12. ...When your in-laws are over and you fake a call to get out of the house.

13. ...You know you're a female VFF when you don't worry about your butt looking too big in your bunker pants!

14. ...Dinner is over at home and you break out the playing cards for dishes.

15. ...Your girlfriend/wife plays the TONES just to get your attention!!

16. ...You are constantly looking for a switch to speed up your dash light on your P.O.V. when it never really slowed down.

17. ...You're so into work that shift, that when it's time to go home, you forgot to take off your radio, and get in trouble the next day.

18. ...You leave your spouse with a full cart of groceries, in the checkout line of the grocery store to go to a structure fire. (Oops!)

19. ...Your kids are afraid to get in a water gun fight with you!

20. ...You have ever run out of the diner across from the station when the tones go off without paying.... Yelling back to them, "Ill be right back!!"

21. ...You complain about all the calls you are getting but secretly wish there were more!

22. ...You would rather be packing up then driving, till you get to the scene and notice the fire could be put out by your 4 year old.

23. ...When you use... "Honey I'm on call," instead of "Not tonight, I have a headache."

24. ...You know your a female VFF when you wear sports bras ALL THE TIME.

25. ... If you have ever not been able to sleep because you have a feeling that "big one" will occur tonight!

26. ...You buy the station wagon/minivan/SUV just so that you have enough room in your car for all your gear.

27. ...You're children own their own "real" bunkergear and think it is their right to go with you to a call (our son actually gets mad if one of us leaves and doesn't give him enough time to gear up and go along!)!

28. ...You spend a great deal of time explaining to your friends what it means to be a volunteer- "Yes, I'm ALWAYS on duty. No, I'm not kidding!"

29. ... You've ever purchased a full set of mirrors for your blue light so that it MIGHT trip the opticom!

30. ... You can hear that the siren will go off even before your dog does.

31. ...The microwave goes off and you're already out of the house thinking it was your pager... when you realize the popcorn is done.

32. ...You have ever stomped out a fire with your boots because you couldn't wait for water.

33. ...Your wife/girlfriend or husband/boyfriend has learned to duck and take cover when they hear the pager go off for fear of being run down.

34. ...You have ever gotten jammed in the doorway with your spouse as you both respond to the pager call.

35. ...You had to extricate someone by cutting the car doors off on one side and realized there was nothing wrong with the doors on the other side.

36. ...You have more toy fire trucks than your kids do.

37. ...You take great joy in smashing the windows of a car parked in a fire zone or in front of a hydrant.

38. ...You can tell what type of fire it is by the smell of smoke 10 miles away.

39. ... You have ever had a heated debate over the color of firetrucks.

40. ...You lay out your clothes from that day so if there is a call at night you can find them quickly.

41. ...You carry enough in your car to extinguish a minor blaze.

42. ...You take pride in the fact that you haven't washed your gear in years.

43. ...All the shirts you own say you are a firefighter.

44. ...The smell of a fire excites you more than sex does.

45. ...You have ever been airborne without an aircraft and water was your thrust.

46. ...A great stop has nothing to do with a moving vehicle.

47. ...Your wife or husband voluntarily chooses the lumpy side of the bed to avoid being trampled enroute to a call!

48. ...You always wear red suspenders.

49. ...All your friends give you t-shirts from their departments for your birthday, Christmas, anniversary, etc.

50. ...You have ever called a person found after a fire a "crispy critter".

51. ...You are in the 'middle of something' with your wife/girlfriend or husband/boyfriend and the pager goes off for a call. (Whew!)

52. ...You carry a ton of specially modified tools in your pocket (including D sized batteries).

53. ...You ever cursed out someone for Armor-Alling the seats to make them look nice.

54. ...You have ever played jingle bells at Xmas time on the air horns to clear traffic.

55. ...You have ever said, "she's hot tonight" and NOT been talking about a girl.

56. ...You have ever smoked and there wasn't a cigarette in sight.

57. ...You have ever walked 3 miles into the woods in 100 degree heat in full turnout gear and a 5 gallon or more water can strapped on your back just to put out a fire.

58. ...Your kids are afraid to get into water fights with you.

59. ...Your own vehicle has more lights than a Christmas tree.

60. ... "Climbing the corporate ladder" has nothing to do with career advancement.

61. ...You have ever spent 10 minutes trying to force open a door only to have someone come along and open it by turning the handle.

62. ...Your work gear makes you sound like Darth Vader. (Luke, I am your father....)

63. ...You roll around in anything that just burned to make your new gear look old.

64. ...You have ever juggled hot coals with your gloves.

65. ...You've ever clung to the air horn chord for dear life because the driver is insane.

66. ...You have more pagers than money in your wallet.

67. ...You've woken up thinking your pager went off and as you look at it..., it does.

68. ...You carry enough in your pockets to give the Swiss army knives competition.

69. ...You think that rusty old hydrant would look like a good addition in the garden, right next to the petunias.