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WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ALL THE REAL FIREFIGHTERS
Is it just me or has the commitment of the younger firefighters these days just gone to pot? Now don't get me wrong there are some young guys and gals out there that still go get it but they are a shrinking breed. Out of 20+ applicants to take our last agility test only 5-6 passed the rest just quit because they were tired out. We have a working fire at my volley station and 1 cylinder of air and they are laid out in the yard wipped out and the house is still burning, and one last thing is this, it's all about "me" thing, only looking out for myself instead of whats best for the crew or the dept.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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The key is LEADERSHIP that can take all of the different personalities, aim them in the same direction and get there together as ONE. The only common denominator in ALL of them is their want of becoming a firefighter. To actually become a firefighter for whatever reason they have is in the strength of your mission statement. Without it will be archaic.
We are our own worst enemy in that regard.
Leaders HAVE to lead, set the good example and give the others positive role models to emulate.
The new generation don't want our "war" stories. They want our knowledge without all of the embellishments.
When our duty is done, WE can sit around with each other and tell our war stories. In the meantime, we have to TEACH.
TCSS.
Art
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Permalink Reply by Rusty on
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I agree. We have the same problem that apparently everyone else has. I'm 29 years old and have already been in the fire service for 16 yrs. I started as a Junior Firefighter and now have worked my way up to Asst. Chief. (My mother would probably say that I was responding from my crib when my father left for a call.) My father has over 30 yrs in the fire service, all as a volunteer, and I have 3 brothers who started as soon as they were old enough and are still in it. Two of them are officers in our department. The kids nowadays don't care about commitment, they're only in it for the attention. I see so many of these kids who will join our neighboring departments, deck out their car with so many lights they look like a UFO coming down the road, but when they get to the call, we're lucky to get them to even pack out. Meanwhile, myself, and the rest of my guys, including one of our officers who, at 60+ yrs old can make at least two bottles into any structure fire, are balls to the wall to det with the job and put the fire out. I don't understand it. I guess that's the mentality of the kids nowadays, what can I get and how little do I have to work for it.
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Permalink Reply by Lou on
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i agree, i am a 22 year old fireman from michigan and my life centers around the fire service. but i have seen to many people around my age get into the fire service for all the wrong reasons and too often now we end up trying to train recruits that want the easy way out and don't want to dedicate themselves to the family idea of the fire department.
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This discussion reminds me of a well worn phrase that I kept hearing back in the late 60s and early 70s:
Generation gap.
But we also heard that we had to find a way to "bridge the generation gap".
I would think that with today's generation growing up with all of the technology and video enhanced gaming, we could combine it into interactive training modules.
There are several video training programs available. Our training institute offers them in their library and also has several on line courses available.
Maybe it would be a good idea to find out what they want, instead of assuming that they want it for a little of nothing.
It sounds as if we are writing off the future of the fire service because many of us are nearing the end of our careers. Are we so vain as to believe that we are not leaving it in good hands? Because if we are, then I have to wonder if we did our jobs as leaders and teachers. Why is there so much disdain simply because someone doesn't measure up to our expectations? We have been so hard on ourselves that we expect the same of those coming up.
And if you think about it, alot of what we did in the beginning wasn't real smart. I point to the cancer rate amongst people my age (55). Who would want to bust their hump for a good dose of early retirement due to medical?
I think we need to give this more thought and I'm just thinking out loud here. I feel a blog coming on.
TCSS.
Art
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Permalink Reply by Bill Heizer F/F E.M/T.-P on
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After 30+ years in Fire and EMS, it has readily become apparent to me that the younger generation doesn't have the stamina or the fortitude that the older generations had.Most of the trainees in either EMS or Fire cannot or willnot stand up to the rigors of everyday work enviroment. I cannot begin to remember the number of times that I have had to "bail" out a probie or trainee out of a situation either due to the fact that they were too tired or would not go that extrabit of effort to complete a task. And on numerous occasions have been told that I am being too hard on a new member, when I am trying to help these individuals realize that this is not a 9 to 5 job and what we do everyday can nake a difference on whether you or the people we respond to live to see another day
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Permalink Reply by Sully on
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I am almost 19 years old and have been around the fire service almost all my life and we are 100% Vol and i see people my age at my dept that are lazyer then a cut cat and are just there to say look im a firefighter and it ticks me off because i know that i will have to depend on them someday and i don't really know if i can.
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Permalink Reply by FD 46 on
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Nobody knows how to work anymore, and they take no pride in any thing they do. It's really sad and looks bad for our future.
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Permalink Reply by Zeke Harman on
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I am only 19 and i have been on a vol fire dept since i was 16 and ive yet to quit on a scene i might go dunk my head in the drop tank and then i go back but at our station we usually have maybe 5 to 10 members roll on a call and me and my buddy is always competeing for the hose line.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Brother,First of all if a fellow firefighter doesn'thave a nomex hood on he shouldn't be entering the structure with two other firefighters you nenter by yourself because if you do and get hurt the depts insurance company can turn around and say they are not gonna pay the claim for the injuried firefighter.As for being smarter I agree we can always be smarter but like in the Commonwealth of PA every year we are expected to do more but yet over 80 percent of the mmonwealth of PA still doesn't pay the volunteer firefighters when they should because it makes the politicians look good to the taxpayers when they are saving 6 billion dollars a year now after all these years don't you think the volunteer firefighters deserve to be paid!!!!!! Afterall the Police and the E.M.S. and the 911 dispatchers all get paid and we are all a very important part of government...... I hope some politicians will pass a bill to pay the volunteer firefights its about time!!!! God Bless You All Brothers&Sisters,Hughie 57 House Westmoreland County,PA
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God Bless You Chief,Us guys that have thirty years in still have alot to offer.I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts for the next burner....lol lol lol Chief firefighting was in our blood.Stay Safe and Becarefull. Irwin FireFighter Hugh Fawcett Keep up the great work.:-):-)
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Permalink Reply by Greg cousler on
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We are hiring some very capable people. It's at negotiation time that I see a lack of commitment. People appear to be more concerned about their part time gig or they are too comfortable due to their spouse's income. The new people have nicer cars than I do and I've been working for 20 years. Having said that I voted no on our last two contracts for reasons more important than an increase in pay.
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Permalink Reply by James R. Heath on
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amen bro, its the same way here, alot are just there to say i have a pager an im a firefighter
an i get tired of it like u said there are a select few but it is in deed shrinking. this isnt about us its about the man next to you and the brotherhood(sisters included) its about tradition an never quiting. its about making sure everyone goes home an saving lives..its not a game..its not a job..its a passion
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