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What is the funniest thing you ever did as a newbie???
I now use this little icebreaker, when teaching any new recruit school classes. It shows the group we are all human and keeps us grounded to where we came from... So tell me a story of something you did, (or said) in front of your peers that was funny or strange when you were a newbie.
My story was quite embarassing, it happened 16 years ago, during my very FIRST call for an MVA with entrapment. Accident occurred right down the street from my house. (then a vollie) responded in my POV, shiny red lights flashing, thinking hey I am going to be first due for a few minutes until the rescue and squad arrives. Jumped out of my truck, donned my gear... just as I was taught in FF1. Reached in a pulled my helmet off the top of the passenger side seat rest, (you know you have to ride around town showing off your helmet, LOL) and placed it on my head.
The funny part was about 15 minutes later after the call was under control and the victim was loaded into the ambulance, I was informed, in my hast to don quickly and look the part of a seasoned firefighter... I was actually wearing my helmet (pisspot then) backwards the entire call and nobody told me. I thought to myself at one point, I must be doing something wrong because even the victim looked at me funny, LOL
My Chief even got in on the gag as he came by and said, hey kid, I am glad to see we spent good money on that FF1 class... So I thought he was giving my kudos for a job well done or something... up until another guy walked by and spun my helmet around and said your head is on backwards newbie.
I don't see it as embarassing anymore, actually makes you remember we were all once newbies and overly excited to just be a part of the family...
My story was quite embarassing, it happened 16 years ago, during my very FIRST call for an MVA with entrapment. Accident occurred right down the street from my house. (then a vollie) responded in my POV, shiny red lights flashing, thinking hey I am going to be first due for a few minutes until the rescue and squad arrives. Jumped out of my truck, donned my gear... just as I was taught in FF1. Reached in a pulled my helmet off the top of the passenger side seat rest, (you know you have to ride around town showing off your helmet, LOL) and placed it on my head.
The funny part was about 15 minutes later after the call was under control and the victim was loaded into the ambulance, I was informed, in my hast to don quickly and look the part of a seasoned firefighter... I was actually wearing my helmet (pisspot then) backwards the entire call and nobody told me. I thought to myself at one point, I must be doing something wrong because even the victim looked at me funny, LOL
My Chief even got in on the gag as he came by and said, hey kid, I am glad to see we spent good money on that FF1 class... So I thought he was giving my kudos for a job well done or something... up until another guy walked by and spun my helmet around and said your head is on backwards newbie.
I don't see it as embarassing anymore, actually makes you remember we were all once newbies and overly excited to just be a part of the family...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by T.J. on
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a guy on our department, was running around the side of a home that had a grass fire behind it and forgot to look and got closed lined by the owners close line, it was 10 years ago and we all still laugh about it:)
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Teel on
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My dept got a call for an activated fire alarm a few blocks from my house. It wasn't going in the direction that my firehouse was so I responded to the firehouse. The engine was just pulling out so I followed them to the scene. I parked behind the engine at an intersection and grabbed my gear from the back seat (i drove an 85 2 door Plymouth with no room in the back seat and kept my gear on the back seat). After we were cleared, I walked back to my car, took my helmet off and put it on the roof of the car, took off my gear and put it in the back. I hopped into my car and started to turn around to follow the truck back to the house when my captain pulled the horn cord to get my attention and yelled on the PA "Check your roof!" I put the car in park lifted my body out "NASCAR" style and grabbed my helmet. I found it pretty funny so I didn't mind the ball busting.
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Permalink Reply by Moose on
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Ok, thought I would never share this one, but I will!!!
Brand new in the dept when I was 18, about 20 years ago. I was not aware that the county did Noon pager and siren tests every Saturday, and did not yet have my pager. I was doing a fund raiser with the Rescue Squad and the siren went off. I started to run down the road towards the station, with everyone looking at me oddly. Two of the other squad members were chuckling at me and I never thought twice about it. I got to the station and was ELATED at the fact I was the first one there, I would get the pick of the trucks!! I ran to the radio room and "Acknowledged" the call...to the dispatchers suprise, she answered "Be advised KEF 943, this is the weekly siren and pager test, are you acknowledging the test?" I looked dumbfounded for a few seconds, scratching my head like Stan Laurel from "Laurel and Hardy" did, than answered, "10-4, siren and monitor test affirmative." than went back to the fund raiser!!! The guys who were chuckling saw me coming and yelled to me, "How was the call, did you save the house?" I just smiled and showed them how many fingers it took to reach their IQ!!!!! LOL
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Don't worry I had those moments as a probie, the tones would drop for the nightly test and I would grab my pager and run out the door just as dispatch said "This is your nightly test".
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Permalink Reply by Ashleigh on
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I'm still a newbie, only been on the department for 7 months now, but my silly moment actually occurred on the night of my first meeting. We were doing gear drills, and I was doing good and actually sort of keeping up, and I must have let it get to me, because my chief hurried over as I was the first one to get my gear completely donned (he was surprised) This quickly turned to laughter as I and my chief, along with everyone else realized that I had forgotten to pull my pants up past my knees and only had my coat and hat on properly, with my bunker pants around my knees lol!!! I try to be a little more careful now!
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Permalink Reply by Bonnie on
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Oh I have done some pretty dumb things. I would imagine I will do a few more before my time is up. I was at the station late one evening. It was just the chief and I. We got tapped to respond mutual aid to a medical. Chief told me to hop in the officers seat. I hadn't been properly trained on the radios and was pretty nervous. I grabbed the mic and keyed up. I put us responding with dispatch. We were second engine arriving. I again keyed up again to announce to dispatch our arrival. Unfortunately instead of grabbing the radio mic, I had grabbed the PA!! I had announced to the entire neighborhood that "Engine 1-1 responding" and "Engine 1-1 has arrived" The other department heard all the ruckus and thought it was hilarious.
One other dumdum moment was at academy. We were instructed to climb the training tower and open up a fog stream out the second story window. I was all gung-ho. Got to the window in record time and pointed the nozzle out the window. Opened up the bail and straight-stream directly at the training captain. He had to dive to get out of the way. Oopsies!
Listen to other people's stories and remember, "you can learn a lot from a dummy!!"
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Permalink Reply by LT Lake on
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stood on a dead end gravel road at 2:20am with a traffic sign and traffic lamp directing traffic.....what traffic you ask thats right there was no traffic but those were my orders so thats what I did
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Permalink Reply by Just Plain Craig Moyer on
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There was an instructor at state fire school called 10-8 for the same reason.
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Permalink Reply by Damon Dyer on
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First time i got to drive we were training and the chief rode with me . We were traveling down the road when the Q went off i looked at the chief and just sat there smiling . Well a little bit later it went off again and he just sat there smiling . We got down the road far enough and we turned around and started back when the damn thing went off again . I finally asked him why he kept doing that my driving was not that bad was it ? He just grinned and told me it was me hit the button with my foot .
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Permalink Reply by Justin Buck on
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I was taken mod 3. which i PPE. we had to put everything on in 2min. that is including scba to. they started the clock i got my pants and coat and the scba on and the mask on then i put the the thing that connects into the mask. for some reason i wasnt getting air out of the tanks then it donned on me i forgot to turn on the air and i guess my instrucer didint notice me try to turn it on then i try to get my mask off but i couldnt get it off so i dropped to my knees and then thats when they realized something was wrong. i was still trying to put my mask off but i was getting to weak my instructor started trying i took him a little bit to get it off but he finally got it off. it was was the funniest thing when u look back on it. but when it was happen it was the scariest
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Permalink Reply by John Leese on
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i was out on a controled burn and the chief told me to come in on the north side where i was just at and put more foam down. well i turned the 6x6 around and went back in where i just came out of. as i was going back in to the field i found a large bolder. it got wedged between the rear dulls right smack in the middle. well tha year i got the opps award. the chief could not belive it.
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Permalink Reply by kimmieflirts on
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i went to my first fire it was a brush fire.it was on a local hill/ mountain being that it was my first fire and we had to hike to get to it. I scaled the side of a large rock instead of taking the trail (like i had always done as a kid in this spot) dumb me (its a lot easier with out 45 pounds of gear). we got up there with rakes and water cans. it was a camp fire it was nothing and quickly put out. but the funny part was i was not used to my gear and still very off balance. so on the way down i tripped and fell and slip down the hill. i was unscathed, except for i felt like a dumb dumb lol
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