Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Donnie Mathias on January 21, 2009 at 2:19am

The biggest challenge im running into is in house training i am going through the academy but i would like to learn about the truck more and so on.

Permalink Reply by Jeremy mcclung on January 21, 2009 at 9:53pm

I have a stupid question, but have you tried to get some one on the dept. to teach you. Some times you have to take your training into youre own hands by jumping in there on asking questions and learning all the controlls on the pumper.

Permalink Reply by Donnie Mathias on January 22, 2009 at 6:29am

Yeah i have tried that and some times it work's but there is only 2 people that actully will take the time it seem's like and they both work full time . Sometime's it's like pulling teeth if you know what i meen but hey i guess i will just keep being persistent and either i will be tould to shut up or it will work out lol.

Permalink Reply by Chief 29 on January 22, 2009 at 11:12am

The biggest challenge is keeping everybody happy and yet also getting things done without upsetting the different clicks within the company. I have not quite figured it out yet but I am working on it.

Permalink Reply by Eric Scheirer on January 23, 2009 at 1:22pm

I guess we're lucky , we have a great instructor close and we can get him at our station anytime we need, and our officers are totally committed to training our new and old members and anytime one member can go to another and ask questions. We figure it better to answer it at the station than at a scene. Everytime I've ask about training , the cheif as given me to ok to get scheduled.. Just last year we had 6 members go for their ff1, we had basic fire police cert. at our station along with basic vehcile rescue, evoc, and pump ops, and this year again we have basic fire police, highway saftey, and ff1 classes scheduled, along with first aid and haz mat ops.and that just what I 've put together for the first six months, and no I'm not an officer, but our station beleives in you want training just ask and we will either get it in house or someone will find it somewhere, it only benifits everyone to train someone who wants or needs it, remember we are a team. It's everyone responsiblity to be safe and the best way to insure that everyone is on the same page, is to make sure everyone has been trained and then we train together, and drill what we train....just my thought...

Permalink Reply by Eric Scheirer on January 23, 2009 at 1:34pm

yeh I hear that, thank god we had one of our clicks ( 2 members) left us and went to another station,, don't get me wrong they had some great ideas and on scene I work with them anytime, anywhere, just off scene well, let me just say the station is like it use to be when I joined, it's fun to go to drill or work night or just hang out there. When you figure it out please post. Our biggest thing is old timers and young guys, but we are getting though by putting young in positions that they get to try their way and see what the old guys are saying, now whats funny one of our lts just turned 21, he's ff1 and one might think he's one of the young guys but he's been their since he was 14, as most of our line officers. and our board has one member with less than 2 years. Its working for us .Good luck

Permalink Reply by Edward Fleming on January 24, 2009 at 11:31pm

Our problem is getting the younger members to train in ff 1 and ff2 classes, they all want to become paramedics which is good i am a paramedic myself. 85% of our calls are medical but when we do have a structure fire its hard to get interior ff"s. there are only 3 level 2 ff in our dept which i am one of them.

Permalink Reply by Robert Solberg on February 22, 2009 at 9:27pm

funding,training and age

Permalink Reply by Mary Ellen Shea on February 23, 2009 at 11:38pm

As is the norm in a small department, our biggest issue is always the budget. Our annual funding from the village is in the 28-35K range. That's not much.

We have one newer Pierce...that's our first due, but our other two trucks are Hahn's...and they're pretty old. You still have to manually bleed the brakes on our third. No hose rollers, no vehicle extrication tools, no TIC.

We pay attention to our PPE...we're all in new Cairns helmets and new Lion PPE, but I'd sell my soul for some leather boots. I hate climbing ladders or hauling hose in rubber boots.

Permalink Reply by Kevin Benton on March 4, 2009 at 12:11pm

I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS KEEPING MEMBERS ACTIVE IN THE DEPT, WEATHER IT BE RUNNING CALLS OR TRAINING, OR ANY OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT MAY BE GOING ON.

Permalink Reply by anne potter on March 7, 2009 at 5:22am

That the town that is part of our contract does not care.. Does not want to give us money,does not want us there at all... We get $10,000 a year trying living off that... Oh wait did give us diseal fuel this year for the trucks... But the rest is all up to us.. insurance the works..... The village we are also with .. The town same town gives them twice the money.... Yea .. Well thats our biggest challenge..

Permalink Reply by Jay Griffin on March 7, 2009 at 8:52pm

keep your rubbers leather sucks in the winter slippery as hell have been on my a** more this winter then on my feet had to stud them to keep up right now must remember not to walk on undamaged floors at co calls and such be safe jay

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