In my many years in the fire/ems service I have seen officers come and go! Some very good one's and others you could not wait till voting time to get them out. But either way why do they run for office? Why do they take one all the extra responsibility? Is it the while helmet? The radio? The getting to boss the people under around? Or is it to make a difference, regardless how small a difference is it to make one. To be the best at what you do, to help others grow in the service and get them ready to serve as an officer some day? Because after all we won't be able to do this forever. We won't be able to be an officer forever. I know that and you know that but why then won't the people in charge train the people coming up? Scared they will take your job. Yea that's the idea. I have seen officers that if they don't get voted in next year as a officer that is it you don't see they again. Why is that? Makes you question why they wanted to be an officer in the first place. Now i am not just shooting from the hip here, have been an officer and I have not.. I had it all Chief of EMS and I gave it all up. I was EMS lt and then I wasn't. I let the person i trained under me have that chance at being an officer. But through having it all and then back to black helmet I never once stop running calls..I never stayed away because I was now being bossed by someone else. That is what it is all about...I trained this young guy from the time he was a jr in our dept to my Lt, and then iI saw he was ready and I stepped down and let him run for it all and he had it. He did a great job..He was that dept. but someone ran against couple years later and I never saw him again. Why? I asked him one day why did you become an officer? To make the company the best it could be. To bring us up to date. To have the members be great emt's. Yes you did all that, so why did you stop running when you lost the election? He didn't have answer for me. That is sad. He was great at his job, great with people and he spent years to get there, but is that the only reason he did what he did to get to be chief and when that was no longer his he felt he had nothing to give? So untrue..I stayed and I helped the new Chief learn the Chief stuff, when to call someone when to not, paper work lots of paper work and who to use your officers under you to your best. How to train the non officers to be officers some day. I now have been around 24yrs. I have seen lots of officers, I had my chance to be ems capt again, but I let the young guy that wanted to be capt more then anything in the world he said...well I havent seen him, He hasnt taken one extra call, hasn't shown up for the snow storms. Has made one extra thing since he became capt. But he has sent almost every week nasty emails to all the members, We can't do anything right. From cleaning to our paper work to just being a person, we get nasty bashing we are no good emts email every week...Is that why he is an officer..that is why he wanted the job more then life it self? Some one somewhere had to do one thing right don't you think? As a volunteer giving freely of my time I had to just one thing this week..I don't know spending the whole weekend away from my family during the snow storm, which by the way he wouldn't know who was there because he wasn't and he complained about the pager going off two times and waking him up at home. What he had the nerve to send a email saying such a thing..it wouldn't have gone off twice if he was there to help? Do you have a right to correct the members if you are not part of the members? I don't think so. I also don't think that you should never tell someone that they did a good job..it can't be all negative,,,Is this why you wanted to be an officer,,,never do an extra duty night...just let it go and hope someone will answer the call but not you...so you can share the reports with your friends and laugh at the rest of the squad that is why you wanted to an officer more then life itself...am i upset that i am not an officer no way i did that at this time i have looked forward to taking my calls and leaving and spending time with my family. But am i upset that I gave him the spot you bet I am.. know at the least on my bad day i won't say a word to someone..But on my good days people would be thanked for all they do and i would be right there in the trenches with them...I would never ask a volunteer to give more of themselves and never have the nerve to show up myself..This to me is actions unbecoming of an officer,,a person,,