Cop/Firefighters........ What do you think??

In my town, we have cops that are crossed trained to be firefighters as well as cops. They drive SUV's with there turn-out gear inside. What do you think? Good idea or bad?

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Permalink Reply by BillySFCVFD on February 8, 2009 at 10:00pm

They both, protect the public, wear uniforms, have equipment, male and female, form comradeship and work together. TCSS

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Permalink Reply by John Rulli Jr. on February 8, 2009 at 10:07pm

What happens when there fighting a fire and a bank robbery comes in? Thats just like vol. fire depts. running ems calls. I feel they shuld stick to there assigned tasks.

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on February 8, 2009 at 10:19pm

There is a big difference between mixing fire and EMS and fire and law enforcement.

Fire and EMS often respond together to incidents where there is one or more major scene hazard and patients. That can be fires, wrecks, hazmats, technical rescues, water rescues, etc. In most cases, law enforcement participaiton in these incidents is going to be traffic and crowd control, scene security, and post-incident investigation. Those roles don't mix well with, say treating and extricating patients.

Fire and EMS are teamwork-based. Most law enforcement activities are accomplished by a single patrol officer in lone-wolf mode.

Most of the places that have gone to combination fire-law enforcement public safety have realized that the cops are rarely available to be firefighters, so those departments end up just being undermanned fire departments.
Combination fire-EMS departments, on the other hand, are usually better staffed than a single-role fire department or EMS system would be as a stand-alone agency.

There are some exceptions to law enforcement participation...for example my agency's hazmat team has a law enforcement detachment that is very good and that works very well as part of our team.

And...for most fire departments, EMS response IS an assigned task.

Ben

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Permalink Reply by BillySFCVFD on February 8, 2009 at 10:19pm

God bless any VFF no matter what their primary job is. Most, like any other VFF holding a job, they go on calls either when their boss allows it or when they are off the job. If things get bad call in for MA. TCSS

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Permalink Reply by T.J. on February 9, 2009 at 7:50am

Our near by city runs Pulbic Safety and I can only go off how it works here, but I think the cops want to be cops and thats it. their only firefighters because they had to be to get the job. Their are some guys that do good but a lot of them have no intension of going into a burning building. I dont see "Public Safety" working out for this City for ever.

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Permalink Reply by FIRE BEAR on February 9, 2009 at 7:59am

well the way i see it most of the time cops are there before us doing our jobs anyways so they might as well be trained for it to . here police are sent before the fire dept or ems just to make sure we are needed like the person calling 9-11 dont know when someone is passed out or when there home is on fire then when we get the police almost never do scene security or traffic control and god forbid if we are doing a extrication if they are not involved with that yeah ill let fight a fire when they allow me to raid a house or catch the next bank robber

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Permalink Reply by John Richards on February 9, 2009 at 8:29am

I would love to be a Cop/Firefighters. I was a Southern Arizona Ranger (SAR) for 3 years plus a Vol Fighter/EMT in Siera Vista AZ. No I'm in Marshall VA at Marshall Vol Engine Company 3 in Fauquier County. It would be nice to be able to go to a hot scene and secure it and treat the patient.

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Permalink Reply by John on February 9, 2009 at 9:05am

I'm thinking not bad as long as they don't short staff themselves on the law enforcement side of things during a fire.

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Permalink Reply by Smoke Eater on February 9, 2009 at 4:15pm

We have had this on our dept. At one time we had two guys who were also reserved county sherriffs. One pretty much stuck to whatever job he was doing at the time. The other, who was a Capt. at the time, would always respond to an incident with us but if PD was there he would wonder off and sit with his buddies. Mainly on MVAs. It was starting to make alot of guys upset. Unfortunately he did have to leave the FD because of problems at home. But because of that one person I am a little leary of having someone on the FD and PD at the same time.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on February 9, 2009 at 4:17pm

I don't see a problem as long as they can separate the two....on scene you are either a Firefighter or a Cop....you cannot do both roles....Paul

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Permalink Reply by sully on February 9, 2009 at 4:22pm

THERE ARE TOW WAYS TO LOOK AT THE SITUTION HERE. I COULD SEE IF YOUR TOWN OR CITY HAD A VOL. FIRE DEPT. AND A PAID POLICE DEPARTMENT,THEN THIS TYPE OF SITUTION IS OK. BUT IF YOU HAVE BOTH SIDE OF THE THESE DEPARTMENTS PAID THAT IS STUPIED. BUT MOST VOL. FIRE DEPARTMENT HAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE FINDING GUYS FOR THE DAY RUNS. THE DEPARTMENT I CAME FROM WAS A VOL DEPT, AND WE A HELL OF A TIME HAVEING GUYS FOR THE DAYS BECAUSE MOST OF THE GUYS WORKED DURNING THE DAY. BUT I JUST DON'T LIKE THE COPS TRYING TO RUNTHE SCENES WHEN THEY DON'T HAVE ANY TYPE OF FIRE TRAINING AT ALL.