It's against the rules, but other than that I don't know why you would want to. If I'm at work I'd want to show a little pride and wear my own. On probation you must wear your button up with collar brass, name tag, and probie tag until 8pm. After that or when you're off probation you may wear a DCFD tshirt, polo, etc. We also have company shirts that will say something like DC2FD Chinatown or DC27FD Deanwood. However at most companies you don't wear those until your crew tells you that they want you to. You have to earn your company shirt. Even though we earn them for ourselves, we still sell them to the public. I was told some of the downtown companies sell over 300 shirts every week to tourists. So I'm sure there's plenty of vollys out there wearing our shirts.
I knoiw it's defintely a cash cow for many big city departments. It became a big problem after 9/11 when there was concern that people were masquerading as firefighters in NY and other large cities.
I don't think anyone wearing the colors of another dept. is tacky. Actually, I think it is a sign of respect - that is unless they have altered or defaced it in anyway. But otherwise, if another firefighter wears a different dept. shirt.. I suspect there is some respect there.
One thing I don't like seeing, is people (usually guys) wearing fire t shirts - being stupid in bars and getting *hitfaced - hitting on the babes - just being plain rediculous. THAT (to me) looks nuts, and disrespects the image of a firefighter. Just me talkin. I know it won't ever change lol
For example....I attended the funerals for fallen Bridgeport brothers Michel Baik and Steven Velasquez. I intend on buying a couple of t-shirts anda helmet sticker which I plan on wearing in their honor!
I try and learn whatever I can from big city departments, despite the fact I may never get a lot of respect from some career firefighters. If there's something they do that I can apply to my respose area, I'm all over it. I wear the shirts of departments I have a great deal of admiration for.