Do you consider firefighters heroes?

[BoomerD]

I really have no point but to point out my jealousy of high paying jobs doing jack shit.

Hell, Mayne, I was a crane operator for 30+ years. I bragged that I didn't work...I sat on my ass and watched other people work...for much less money.

 

[Mayne]

Hell, Mayne, I was a crane operator for 30+ years. I bragged that I didn't work...I sat on my ass and watched other people work...for much less money.

don't get me started on crane operators...I did concrete forming for 5 years.

 

[KMFJD]

Firefighters also ride the ambulances, at least in DC. My brother has to ride the Ambulance some nights and he doesn't look forward to it because it's pretty rough. As far as I know they only do it at night, never during the days.

Reminds me how the firefighters back home wanted to take over the local paramedics jobs, they figured a few weeks training would have been enough, local council thankfully decided not to go through with this 'cost saving' (other municipalities that had done this in the past had to go back and restart EMS as the firefighters where completely inadequate for the job).

 

[Mayne]

It was only recently here in Toronto Canada that paramedics was made a service like fire fighters and cops. Can you imagine not being a required service for your city?

 

[KMFJD]

It was only recently here in Toronto Canada that paramedics was made a service like fire fighters and cops. Can you imagine not being a required service for your city?

Yeah they looked at what happened in Toronto and Owen Sound and saw that it was a disaster as well as not making much financial sense.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

When I was going through volunteer firefighting training the full time crews always referred to themselves as glorified janitors. Everything at a station was spotless. After a fire, we washed our engines as soon as we made it back to station. At the places I volunteered for, it was 99% medical/accident calls, 1% fires. But those 1%'s are what get you.

 

[Humpy]

My hero is Ernie, my UPS guy.

He's always bringing me stuff.

Stay safe Ernie. Love ya.

 

[Gibsons]

what impresses me is paramedics. They must of seen some shit on a daily basis. kudos to them.

"must have"

 

[brianmanahan]

There is a reason why I'm doing this.

and that reason is _________________

 

[Kaido]

Anyone that's willing to run into a burning building to save lives is a-ok in my book.

Agreed. Firefighters, policeman, military, doctor/surgeon...doesn't matter if you're a jerk or not, you get a gold star from me for putting yourself in danger or doing something that would probably make me pass out. The worst danger I face on a daily basis is static shock from touching metal computer parts after walking across the carpet, and the grossest thing I have to deal with is maybe a spiderweb inside of a computer case here & there. So props to people who run into fire, are willing to risk getting shot at, and can handle digging around inside of other people's guts so that I can live the cushy life of a professional IT nerd

 

[JEDIYoda]

Mayne is the type of guy who would consider a gynecologist a hero.......

 

[Paladin3]

I'm only really familiar with Los Angeles County Fire Department from the late 80's to 2000's. All LA Co. firefighters are at least EMTs, while most are paramedics. Ambulance personnel are usually only EMTs, which is a lot less training that paramedics.

Firefighters do not get paid during their time off as the OP claimed. They usually work 10 24-hour shifts for about 240 hours per month. That is more than 55 hours per week and it's not all eating and playing cards by a long shot. During their "down time" they have to cook all their meals at the firehouse, maintenance their equipment, clean and maintain the firehouse, patrol problem areas, and continually train. Anyone who thinks it's an easy job is a fool.

Calls come in at all hours of the day and night, and it's very rare for a crew to get 8 hours sleep while on duty. They provide emergency medical aid, cut cars apart to pull injured people out and perform all kinds of rescues under all kinds of situation. In Southern California brush fires were a big thing. I've seen exhausted crews come off the line at a brush fire for a short rest break sleeping in the middle of the road with their heads against a curb.

I've also heard fire dispatch come over the radio to ring the "last alarm" bells for fallen firefighters "returning to quarters" for the final time after giving their lives in the line of duty. I've seen a burly firefighter crying after performing CPR on a toddler he pulled from a swimming pool but couldn't save. "Fill them all in with concrete," he said to me.

Some firefighters can be real assholes, especially the old school guys back in the 80's and 90's when they didn't stress being PC as much. Still, I never met one who wouldn't risk their life to put out a fire or keep a dying person alive. Hero? I don't know, but if you meet a firefighter who hasn't saved a life they are probably new on the job.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I know a few personally. It is a job that can be boring at times but also dangerous. None of these guys are rocket scientists but they are generally nice guys and good family men. They are well compensated for their work. One of the guys I know lives a few houses down from me no we've had him and his wife over a few times, they are our age and we have two sons who are close in age to our son.

Personally, I'm not into hero worship and I don't automatically bestow hero status on anyone simply because of the profession they've chosen.

 

[jlee]

I really have no point but to point out my jealousy of high paying jobs doing jack shit.

My last year as a LEO resulted in $48k.

"High paying" wut?

 

[skyking]

My sister's husband has been in a wheelchair for 41 years, he was in a burning building when it collapsed on him. Does it make him a hero? I don't know about that, but I do know about the potential sacrifice that comes with the job.

 

[Ns1]

Nm

 

[Ns1]

It's all fun and games until shit like this goes down.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/...ry.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Mayne]

So i've been reading some Anne Frank stuff today.... She hated her mom, was jealous of her big sister, and used her dad to get what ever she wanted. She sounded like a sociopath...do people think she is a hero?

 

[Chaotic42]

Hell, Mayne, I was a crane operator for 30+ years. I bragged that I didn't work...I sat on my ass and watched other people work...for much less money.

Yeah, but isn't that the kind of job where in the window of time where it's difficult, it's *really* difficult?

 

[BoomerD]

Yeah, but isn't that the kind of job where in the window of time where it's difficult, it's *really* difficult?

Heh...yeah, hours and hours of boredom, punctuated by seconds of sheer fucking terror.

 

[skyking]

Heh...yeah, hours and hours of boredom, punctuated by seconds of sheer fucking terror.

I got all my mobile certs last month, Boomer. It was windy as hell when I was testing on the Manitowoc 222 lattice boom crawler, boy that was fun! NOT.

 

[BoomerD]

I got all my mobile certs last month, Boomer. It was windy as hell when I was testing on the Manitowoc 222 lattice boom crawler, boy that was fun! NOT.

Wind sucks...or blows!

It's amazing how little wind it takes to push a boom around.

 

[Chaotic42]

Wind sucks...or blows!

It's amazing how little wind it takes to push a boom around.

So do they have training sites set up for that or is it all OJT and hope no one dies?

 

[skyking]

I was at the union school for 4 weeks. They have several different cranes to work with.

 

[BoomerD]

So do they have training sites set up for that or is it all OJT and hope no one dies?

Both...good union locals have training facilities. Non-union companies MIGHT send a prized employee to a privately-owned school.

Laws have changed a LOT since I started in the trades. It used to be 5 minutes with an experienced operator showing you what to do..."this is lever A, that one is lever B. If you don't know what to do with lever A, just leave er B."