We don't have a policy for the fireground but some years ago we banned smoking within the fire house. Drills, meetings, fundraisers (even the public) you name it, taboo.
I just don't understand how someone can be wearing an SCBA, then come out of the building, doff the face piece and light up. Hello? WTF is wrong with this picture?
OK we have a new bldg and it is all NON smoking. part of grant mandates. You wanna smoke go outside. Our chief smokes and so does half the dept. so it is not uncommonAFTER we are done doing mop up work to see guys smoking. NEVER in a truck and NEVER while attacking a fire LOL
No smoking in any of the district buildings or apparatus. They ask that during training you wait for breaks (if any) to smoke/dip and you do it outside away from the entrance. On calls, if your going to smoke, it's an unwritten rule to do it away from the action and out of the way behind a piece of apparatus. (out of sight, out of mind) Especially when dealing with volunteers and manpower being such a premium all we can do is educate on the risks involved with smoking. A complete ban of all smoking in the volunteer sector would lead to having less folks around. I would rather have someone show up and light one up when on scene for an hour and a half than have them not be of any help at all due to a ban. A union contract as a provision of hiring and maintaining a job is something the applicant understands when applying for the position.
Permalink Reply by Rob on February 20, 2009 at 11:21pm
No policy here. We do try to keep it out of the view of the cameras when the news shows up. Kind of odd though, we put on an SCBA to keep from breathing all that shit and then half the guys come out and light up a Marlboro? Makes no sense to me.
Even funnier was one training officer at a neighboring department that judged when the room was ready after lighting a stack of pallets by when he coudl hook up his regulator without hitting the lit end of his Marlboro. Heard stories of it and thought they were joking till I saw him do it.
We can't smoke in the trucks or in the station. Although some of us do go out in the bay but nobody says anything. As far as on scene I will go hide somewhere out of plain sight when everything is done and get one.
Permalink Reply by Doug on February 24, 2009 at 4:35am
Pretty much the same here, but we have an actual written SOG concerning it. No smoking at all in the station or apparatus, and at an incident you must first ask permission from a line officer. And yes, they can and have told firefighters no or to hold off a few more minutes. But it's the same deal, out of sight out of mind.
In Russia there is not a difference you smoke or not!
There are the special places for this purpose!
I gave up this bad habit oftentimes! not able from it to be delivered!
Firemen in Russia talk about smoke:" does not smoke him, we breathe them."
(В России нет разницы куришь ты или нет!
Есть специальные места для этого!
Я бросал много раз эту дурную привычку!Но не смог от нее избавиться!
Пожарные в России говорят про дым:"Мы его не курим,мы им дышим.")
or us forbid to smoke in a car when ride on a call.
But not whoever observes a rule!
(у нас запрещают курить в автомобиле когда едешь на вызов.
Но ни кто не соблюдает правила!)