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Comment by Legacy on December 9, 2008 at 10:19am

I can not leave work for fires unless I can see it from my office window or I know it's a serious emergency. My boss is understanding but alot of private industry does not let employees leave anymore. More and more people work outside of their town and it is impractical for responders to drive at speed or above to respond to emergencies.

Comment by Jim Brunelle Jr. on November 16, 2008 at 5:49pm

My place of employment is very understanding when it comes to leaving for fire calls,but with that comes the responsibility on my part of keeping them informed of when I leave. It also works on the basis that I wait for a confirmation from the first arriving units as to the extent of the call. This eliminated rushing out only to return moments later due to it not being a major incident.
Yes it is a judgement call, but one that must be made with the consideration that the employer still has a buisness to keep working.
It has to be a two way street .

Comment by Denise Imperiale on November 16, 2008 at 9:04am

I can understand both points but I was right there. I think maybe it was a way for me to realize the job was not for me.

Comment by Michael Bates on November 16, 2008 at 8:28am

Denise ,I can't say that I would have acted differently. but in the volunteer service remember family, work , then the fire company. As much as I love being a volunteer the Fire dept won't pay my bills.

Comment by Jenny Holderby on November 15, 2008 at 11:23pm

If my department was called out on a structure fire, I would have gone too. If you feel that you would do it again, then you have followed your conscience. That is what we have to do.

Occasionally I leave my job for "big" calls. I have to take vacation time but after 20 yrs I have enough of that to go around. I hadn't missed work for a call since Feb. In the past couple of weeks I've left early & called in late a couple of times.

Hey, if your kid supports your decission, it had to be a good one.