Open Post
I will be out of town from the 9th til the 16th. I offer you another open post. You guys comment on whatever the heck you want. Please try and keep it civil. I will try and post the comments as often as possible. Have fun and be safe. All are welcome, outsiders included. Maybe we can break the record for comments with this one, having a week to post comments. The current record stands around 48.
- I talked to Gary Fisher today...all is well in Iraq.
- Send in the pictures of the Station Coins, I will post them when I get a chance. They are very unique and affordable.
- If you need me, my email is FireFleitz@cox.net. I only check my City email once or twice a month. I get emails quickly on my CrackBerry.
- I talked to Gary Fisher today...all is well in Iraq.
- Send in the pictures of the Station Coins, I will post them when I get a chance. They are very unique and affordable.
- If you need me, my email is FireFleitz@cox.net. I only check my City email once or twice a month. I get emails quickly on my CrackBerry.
60 comments:
Do you ever work, or do you just vacation about two weeks a month?
I make the best of it!
I know I am a little late but I would like to make a couple of comments about Chief Hoback and the reduction of manpower issue. Bear with me on a little history. Hoback was hired when the EMS division was started. He rode a medic unit for a while until it was decided that EMS needed to have some supervision. A promotional exam and assessment center was given and Hoback took it. He was not promoted. Altman, McSherry and Pope were promoted to RS1. Hoback went back on the medic unit. Some time latter an opening came up in Wanda Reeds office for a staff position. Hoback applied and was given the job. It consisted of computer programming, insurance problems, developing SOPs and other office jobs. Soon her office merged with the fire office and Hobacks career took off. He has thrived in the office setting. However he has NEVER taken a fire hose into a hostile fire in the city of Roanoke and he has never been in charge of a station. All of this leads me to my point. When asked whether the reduction of manpower will make a difference to the citizens of Roanoke and the moral of the department I honestly believe that he has no idea. I am sure that he consulted with Grigsby and was told it will not affect safety and do not worry about moral. My point on this ramble is that I believe that Hoback did not lie when he stated that losing fire personnel and equipment would not harm the citizens of Roanoke. I think he believes it will not because Grigsby told him so.
I've got a question. If Chief 1 has never fought a fire then why does he barge his way onto the fire scenes and take command. If he has no idea what the conditions are like inside the building then why should we, as firefighters, listen to what he tells us to do on the fire scene??
Are the BC's not more qualified than he to command a fire scene? If I were the BC at a working fire and he came in and took command....I believe I would just head on back to the station since I was not needed.
Secretary turned chief, very interesting.
Why do you think they changed it to Incident Management instead of Incident Command. All he has to do is manage the BC's, make them Operations, sit back and get updates from the ones that actually know what is going on and what to do.. That goes for the other 2 in the office too
We follow his orders because that is just the way it is. We do the job and someone else tells us which job to do. We don't question the orders we just follow them. If the situation is unsafe or warrants a question to the boss then do so otherwise shut the suck up and do your job.
If you are going to get on Hoback for coming over from the EMS side, then you need to get on all of them who did the same thing. BACK DOOR.
I think the “back door” tag on the older EMS guys is a little unfair. When they came into the department they did not take an entrance test or agility test. However, none of the older firefighters at the time did either. The EMS people were brought in because of the specific skill they had. I know this is another subject and a can of worms but I think that an AIC should be given priority on promotional testing because of the valuable dual role they play. I use to have a Captain that was a medic and he could give a fair evaluation on the ems part, ride in with any patient, give an extra pair of hands on any emergency and understood what riding the medic unit two cycles in a row was like. He also did the job on the fire scene. One of the older EMS guys stated “when EMS and Fire merged the average I.Q. for the department went up 50 points”.
The merger is more then 13 years old now. Give it a brake its OLD News. More then 50% of the department has now come After the merger, so who cares.Either you can do the job or you can not! Bottom line.
So I guess you think we should all bow down to a bunch of medics...? Give medics "priority" credit for promotion because they are medics...? Wow, that is a good one. What about painters, mechanics, and landscapers found in the department. Do they get extra credit also for their skills?
Some of the officers we have now came in as merger medics and never took a Lt or Capt test. And it shows!
The department IQ might have went up 50%, but the respect went down 100%, so I guess it is a wash.
The crying also went up 50%...Oh chief, I don't want to ride the medic truck anymore, I want to ride the engine and still get medic pay for doing nothing. Waaaaa!
Anyone can become a firefighter....look at the academy...but you have to work really hard to become a medic...a medic can do your job...can you do a medic's job. I am so sick of the whole medic merger thing...you guys make me sick...you are supposed to be a brotherhood....not tearing each other to shreds....HELLO!!!! Are you gonna let a guy die in a fire because he is a "merger medic"? I hope not..it would be on your conscience and you will have to answer for it in the end....Hoback is a different story and you CANNOT compare the "merger medics" (as you so crudely call them) to Hoback at all. Those same medics would stop at nothing to save your life if needed....can you say the same? Stop tearing one another to shreds and start looking out for one another...Lord knows downtown is not interested at all in what happens to you.
To the guy who said "the average i.q. went up 50." Maybe that is true, and maybe it isn't. I don't really feel like arguing that point. But let's talk about EMS. It is a part of this job that is used as a stepping stone in your promotional career. Nobody wants to do it, let's be honest. Not even the medics! I'll bet you even bitch about riding the damn truck. Don't get me wrong, if I were out here running codes, or femur fractures everyday, calls where I would actually be helping people, I would enjoy EMS. But let's be honest, we pick up fatties who can't walk out and get into their car, po' folks with no wheels to get to the hospital, people that are chasing pain pills, people that get into a domestic and have no place to go so they call us to take them somewhere at 3am. What this place should be doing is hiring medics who want to be on the medic truck. Like the older guys that are still here, they want to be on it. That is the great tragedy of EMS care. Nobody wants to do it anymore because they are forced to. We hire people and make them sign contracts. Doesn't matter if you're cut out for it or not, YOURE GONNA DO IT AND LOVE IT!!!! Hey chief i'd like to make up a contract for u and have it say "I will go into a burning building with zero visibility......AND LOVE IT!!!" Then you can come to me and say "you know what, u were right, there are parts of this job that not everyone is cut out for."
Screw it, sign me up for intermediate!!! I'm ready to get abused!! Bring all the fatties, the uninsured, the pill chasers!!! I am you're keeper!! I love you all!! I hate sleep!!! Please reproduce and have 10 more such as yourself!! I love cradling you through life in my arms, I'm here to nurture you and take care of you!! I'm ready to sell my soul for a promotion!! I'm not gonna wait for my three years to get here, I'm gonna volunteer for I-class!! And according to that post "i'm gonna get preferential treatment for all the lowlifes that I give a taxi ride to." HORSE SHIT!
Another thing about medics in this dept., they will pick up and leave at the drop of a hat. How many medics do you know that are from "out of town." And when these out of towners leave, move on to some other place that they're gonna spend three years in, medics get moved to fill their spots. I myself do not want to be ALS in this dept. and get bounced around from station to station.
So does a painter help us on a fire scene? Oh I guess they let their Captain know so that he will call on them when he needs someone to climb a ladder. Next a landscaper, “Hey there you know a lot about plants, you think this one is combustible and could have caused this fire.” A mechanic, “Man put your finger in that stuff, you think it smells like oil, gas, or power steering fluid.” None of those traits or jobs applies to this department in any way nor does any other part time job/skill someone has out of this department. Except those that work as a Firefighter, EMT or ALS on their days off. A firefighter with ALS training plays a critical role in this department. Notice how I said firefighter not just medic?? Last time I checked everyone in this department was a firefighter, not just a medic or EMT. You go down who is there, all the firefighters and "medics" pull you out. Then who steps in to save your life, all those firefighters and those “MEDICS”, who the firefighters are asking “What do you need us to do?”, “How can we help you.” Yes oh yes firefighter ALS is not a one man show, because there is no good medic without great EMTs. As far as extra credit, I am pretty sure the only way to get extra credit in this department is to be a firefighter yes chief. Unfortunately years of service and experience don’t mean a thing in this department. We have to stick together as a group or like we used to say, a brotherhood. We are not merger, pre merger, old school, new school, medic or EMT; we are a fire department, with a lot of talented people. Some people are officers who do not need to be, but that is life. Life is not fair, just like the buddy system in this department is not fair. Every place you will work will have people that do not belong in a management position but they are buddy buddy with the people in charge. Move on get over it don’t let it drag you down and make your days at work bitter.
What a retard, "give priority on a promotional exam". What the HELL is that. I agree that Medic's should be paid for what they do. But give extra points on a test, come on!!! If you need extra points to get on a list, don't take the test.
We stuck together at city council and look where that go us.
As far as the medics go in the department, you old school firefighters try showing up on a code and see if you dont shit yourself. Hey, I hate EMS as much as the next person but you gotta respect what they do on a day to day basis. They deserve a lot more respect than they earn. When one of us is having a heart attack somewhere are you going to be calling for an EMT-B??
“Priority for the medics” – ha son, you don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know about the merger. We old guys did test written and agility back in the day. No the dept didn’t get smarter w/the influx of medics. Only a medic would say that. They didn’t have to compete with the best of the old fire department. They competed with the suck ups that never would have made rank w/out the merger. And we’re stuck with those bastards now. Hell, they didn’t have to compete with anybody under Grigsby. No they weren’t brought in because of their skills. It was political. Then FF’s started at $21,000 and EMT’s at $18,000. The city saw that they could give the FF’s $1,500 per year for being an EMT and save big bucks. What a joke. It was a national trend. Plus EMS could not keep up with the demand. Medics already get priority here. Didn’t you know that?
To a volunteer, anybody with a turnout coat was a FF and a medic was greater. Our volunteer background management adopted that mindset. In volunteer companies, you vote on promotions. Again, our volunteer management changed the promotional process so their vote would win. All this crap hurt the fire service nationwide. I could write several pages to tell you what happened, but it is not worth the time and it is WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE.
I have three thoughts; One; I guess I won’t be seeing you inside, Two; you don’t know anything about the merger so are just trying to stir up some crap, or Three; you’re a new medic and want “priority” status.
We are an EMS fire department now. Face it. Look around. We have a few firefighters, many EMS/firefighters and a few Firefighter/EMS. I have no use for some of the people here but it is a reflection of the variety that exists in life. So I don’t fight it, I accept it as the nature of life. As long as we fight each other WE LOSE. Are you
listening “Mr. Priority”? If you want priority exactly how good an officer will you be? You would be just another like the many we have now that aren’t worth a damn? Try aiming a little higher. We have a few good officers. Try to be like one of them.
Yes, I’m proud to be old school, but respect goes both ways. The medic will do something on a code that I don’t want to do, but I will do something on a fire that he doesn’t want to do. We must allow that we are all different and bring different things to the table.
Proud to Be Old School
Hey priority medic(fluff) you have justified what all none medic's say. Any captain can tell if his medic is good or not. In your world we can't tell if the chief is doing a good job are not because he is chief. Medic logic like that has turned this department into the joke of southwestern va.
(not trying to offend any good guys out there, but you are no better than me if your and AIC )
From the previous post, I will have to say very well said. We are the same level no matter what position that we are in. We are here for one goal and that is Customer Service. I know that there are a lot of issues that people have with the way that the department is managed and with the ways in which people are promoted. Trust me, I know and I am not a fan of the promotional process. If we look at the big picture, is there anything that any of us are going to do about the problems in which we face…NO! Is there anything that is going to be corrected in the department as long as we have the same yahoo’s running it…NO! Is bitching about who does what, who ran what call, and who said what going to change a da** thing about the job in which you perform…NO! So why must we bitch? The second item is the new hires. I can say that there are two guys that were hired who I have not had the pleasure of meeting. However, the other two, new medics, I have worked with both within the city and in the county. They both have their strong points and their weak points. Nobody on here needs to point out which is which because they will make their 1st impressions soon enough. If rookie school doesn’t readjust their attitude towards the mentality of a rookie, then they will have to answer to the company once they come out of academy. We all just need to give these guys a fair shot as a firefighter, because it is the best damn job on the face of this earth. The last time I checked, we were all once rookies too!!!
Wait a minute..
I was never a rookie. At the start of my first day, I was a seasoned veteran.
Quit crying about EMS vs FIRE, we are all one and the same, look at the patch on your shirt.
People get promoted for playing the game, whether its Medic, HazMat, HTR, Investigator, Instructing, Kissing Ass, etc.
If you want to bitch, lets talk about Anthem, Delta dental(crap), 2% raise, Ladder 7 with 3 people,No reserve ladders(everythings broke), E-13 out of service, E5 next engine out, the pay scale, the joke of a training schedule, moodle, Engine's being dispatched to BLS calls, Department paying for Colorado vacations (they pay to send people to I-Chief convention but won't even give time off for people to go to IAFF convention)
Lets don't rag each other, there are more important issue's out there that need solutions!
Well I always say you can teach a firefighter to be a medic but you cant teach a medic to be a firefighter!
Think about it!
You got that right about teaching. I know yes some can do the job, but alot are scared of the real job, or don't want to ride the trucks (FIRE). Thats a fact take it to the bank. It shows all the time, and yes I have seen it. One way to fix it is to separate it, make it 2 div. They are a dual role, bullshit most even the newer ones bitch all the time. If you didn't have a choice in getting it i'm SORRY, but if you took it just cause shut IT. Enjoy your extra $4000 a year, your probably making more than the person in charge of you! Know thats some real BULLSHIT !!
Have there been any good fires lately???
Sky Rockets in flight. Booooooommmmmm, Afternoon delight
You must learn to bow down on both knees ! when you see "C" in the house. nothing less will be accepted.
Well I always say you can teach a firefighter to be a medic but you cant teach a medic to be a firefighter!
Think about it!
I did think about it and you must not be paying attention to the pass/FAIL rate in the EMT-I classes. Plus if every firefighter can be a medic then why are they not. Let me see oh yeh they don't want to ride the medic truck, because that sucks. This is a FIRE-EMS department, if you don’t like FIRE and EMS then you should not work for this department. Medics don’t gripe about having to ride the medic truck, its the disrespect they get from people in the department. If once and I do mean only once if someone would just thank there medic for riding that truck three days or for several months at a time, that medic would probably come to work a little bit happier. Oh I forgot its there job to ride the medic truck. That is what everyone thinks in this department and that is what makes the medics in this department bitter. Just think about it, as an EMT coming in everyday and having to ride the medic truck while you watch everyone else ride the engine. Then only to hear no thank you, just the words get on the box that’s what they pay you for. Just put yourself in there shoes for a day. Whether you like it or not EMS is a cash cow and medics are few and far between in this department. So ask yourself have you thanked your medic today.
Oh for fu@$* sakes. I've never heard so much crying in my life. Thank your medics?? Are you kidding me. I guess you want a hug every morning from your Capt. and to do a little yoga before you check off your gut wagon?? Grow up son, this is a mans job....and a few tuff ass women. Reach down and see if you got a pair. Thanking your medic? ITS YOUR JOB! Your pay check is your thanks. I'm not thanking anybody. Matter of fact, I dont want to be thanked for coming in and doing my job. Its my job! "Medics dont gripe about riding the medic truck". WRONG! I know one that cries like a baby almost every time he rides. Half of these posts are medics crying. Listen to your self!!! I really dont think the person that wants to be thanked will retire from Roanoke. They dont have thick enough skin...and one more thing, to the person that wrote "we are all firefighters...." Thats WRONG. Every one carrys the title, but a lot are NOT firefighters. When 4 and 5 year people come off the truck and have to ask what to do every time, on every call, and have to be told when and when not to pack up, run through 1 bottle walking around in the house doing nothing and come out with their chest poked out, bragging and dont go back in at all...I can go on, you all know people like that, but bottom line, not every one here is a fire fighters. Thank your medic???....DO YOUR JOB AND QUIT CRYING. How was that?
Why can't we all get along. The new plaque on the wall says we must embrace and celebrate our deversity. We all need to sing cume-by-yah.
The merger medic captain says, "It's too hot"
"Why I do not want to be a medic in Roanoke City"
-Medics are the most abused individuals in this department-
1)More likely to be thrown on the box when you travel or when you trade time with someone.
2)Many medics are not from Roanoke. They'll work here until they're ready to pick up and move again. Then when there is a vacancy I will get moved if I am als. Bottom line medics get bounced around more. Ya don't believe me, then ask 'em.
3)Riding double medic on a truck which is taking away from me getting experience on the big red truck b/c an officer is looking out after his emt's. I hear a lot about medics bitchin', but what about the emt's. emt's bitch just as much as medics about ems. Yea you're not gettin' payed more but it's still part of your job.
4)When you become a medic in Roanoke City you get a new last name. Medic is your new identity.
5)I am not a scab, ie suckup, ie coffee pourer. This means after being made to become als I will have to keep it longer than the sucks who will be promoted before me.
6)if you're actually lucky enough to get a shift of overtime, you're goin' on the box.
7)sitting in i-class not getting payed and the county and salem guys are laughin' about it. You know what I get, I get to go home at 8pm after i've already been at work all day and i've missed any quality time that i could spend with the wife, and i've already burned the gas to get to work. Hell i'd rather stay at work all night and take a chance on having some excitement.
8)And last but not least, THE PAY! $4,000/yr sounds good at first. But a new medic brings home just about $100 more a paycheck than a new emt. For all that that i've just talked about that isn't shit. Medics should be payed more, a lot more, because of the bull that they put up with. And not to mention the added stress of being an aic, all of the added responsibility, to me it's not worth the money. And you guys are gonna say "$100 goes a long way. That's extra food on the table." And I'll respond with "That's what the second job is for." :)
I love lamp, I love desk,..... I love rug,
OK you're all jackasses. Me too.
I HATE EMS. I despise it. I was hired as a Firefighter/EMT and made the choice to get my ALS certification. And had to study my ass off to get it. The reason I got it was to help out the medics on calls. This snowballed and I wound up riding the box on a regular basis. I hated every freaking minute of it; I still cringe at the site of the damn thing. I get nauseated every time someone in the seat uses the ‘ambulance’ siren on the engines. Our department has several problems: 1) We all try to screw with each other way too much 2) The merger was handled very poorly 3) Our benefits (i.e. insurances, pay, vacations, sick leave, and so forth) suck comparatively 4) Our faith in our leadership is questionable at best and 5) Our city has no practical solution to our problems and could care less if any of us show up for work tomorrow. These are but a few of our issues. The ‘medic problem’ is one we have created and can solve for ourselves.
As for the merger BOTH sides hated it. I can only think of a select few who actually wanted the merger from the EMS side. Those few are now officers. The majority of the remaining EMS employees just wanted to keep their jobs and was open to NEW RESPONSIBILITIES. If any of you think one side made out far better than the other as a whole you are very badly mistaken. True, their pay scales were higher, but can you fault them for wanting to keep what they had already been given? And yes it is true that 6 or 7 of them jumped 2 or 3 pay grades when they went from EMTs to FF/EMTs. I have heard several of the ‘older’ medics saying they would go back to 10 and 14 hour shifts if it was possible. Do they bitch constantly about the asshole firefighters that are far too bull headed to accept change? Nope. Make no mistake before you start to type your knee jerk response, I HATE EMS and wish the merger had never taken place and I wish we were still RFD not RFEMS, but I accept the present and don’t dwell on the past. I still know what I learned as a medic, does it make me a more productive officer? Maybe it does, maybe it does not. Who cares? I did it and I am proud I did it; I helped a lot of people. The original ‘merger medics’ were treated like shit by almost all of us, myself included, and we endlessly played jokes on them and called them everything in the book and made up a few new ones. There are a bunch of guys in this department that were medics prior to the merger and did the job off the clock; most of them will not admit it now though.
The firefighters in the pre-merger department feel like they have been wronged because interlopers from the EMS department came into the shining and glorious fire department and forever tarnished the luster associated with the bright blue patch of EMS freedom. Was it shitty that Grade 11 paramedics were allowed to test for 1st Lt? Yep. Could any of us do anything about it? Nope. Is it anyone in the field’s fault? Nope. Last time I checked there were 7 guys that managed to skip the Lieutenant rank, 1 of which doesn’t even work here any more and another that has passed away. That’s the gist of the ire that pre-merger firefighters feel, 5 guys were given promotions. FIVE. 5 men tested and were promoted. 5 men took career-advancing tests that allowed them to make a newly created ranking position and then advanced to higher ranks (for the most part). Three jobs that were not needed and should never have been created opened the door for 3 of these guys. The 1st Lt Preceptor position, now known as the ‘Battalion Aid’ position. Did the guys that took this position get to act as an officer? No, we wouldn’t let them, we gave them no respect, and we berated them at every avenue. Now with the innovation of the new ‘aid’ position guys are accepted more and people grant a little more respect than with previous guys. Some of the guys in this role now came in the merger, some are crappy officers, and some are post merger guys. Why has the outlook on these guys changed? Because the title was changed. Once the stigma of EMS was taken from the position suddenly everyone was OK with it. And that really sucks. Some of those guys are really nice guys; some of them are very productive and reliable union members. The older guys are still grinding their axes because now instead of 4,000 calls a year they are running 25,000. Is it busier these days? Hell yeah. Is it because of EMS? Damn straight. Do we have the 12 remaining stations because of EMS? No. They were already here. Are they lasting as long as they have because we merged? Yep.
You ask me the fire department sucked, the EMS department sucked, and yes the Fire-EMS department sucks. What can I do? What can you do? What can be done? NOTHING. Try to stay safe, earn your retirement and leave as happy as you can. If you don’t like EMS or Fire or whatever the hell is the hot topic of the day, hit the streets. It has been proven that several guys have left and several more will leave because they can’t stomach the responsibility of living up to their word. The word they signed and agreed to when they were hired.
Forgive me if I am not 100% on the pay, but isn’t a new Firefighter paid $32,000 a year for fire and EMS. A new FF/Medic is paid $36,000, which gives him $4,000 for the AIC albatross and $32,000 to do the same job as the other guy. That’s $4,000 to be a medic $32,000 to be a firefighter and they have to jump through about 10 times as many hoops. On top of that we have Haz Mat guys making an extra $1200 a year and get paid OT for training, their pay doesn’t even count towards retirement. Investigators make an additional $1500 a year and it counts towards retirement, but they don’t get OT for training. The folks on the HTR team don’t get paid at all for their training, but they get new toys, wetsuits, and get some OT every now and then. Aren’t we all paid too little?
As someone said in a previous post, even on a bad day this is still a damn fine job.
Anonymous said...
OK you're all jackasses. Me too.
And a lot of other things that I was in the process of saying myself, great post BTW.
I was here when the merger happened (and quite a while before the merger happened). I watched as people were handed jobs that I had to work my ass off to get. I watched as people were given rank that didn't even take the test. I have had to ride the medic truck even though it was nowhere on my job description.
Too bad.
Is it the medics fault that they were given no other options when the merger happened?
Is it their fault that, to keep their jobs, they had to move into a 24 hour shift?
Is it their fault that they were given pay grades and promotions ahead of the fire fighters in the merger?
NO!
Don't fault these guys for the merger, they were only playing the hand that they were dealt.
People, get over this stupid "us vs. them" mentality! The medics aren't the problem any more than the firefighters are! The problem is the management and the department that they have created. (along with every person in this department that has all the Chiefs "bleep, bleep" programed into their phone, but thats a different story)
Medics, you don't make enough to ride the box all the time, firefighters, YOU don't make enough to ride the box all the time.
SUCK IT UP, DO YOUR JOB, FIGHT THE REAL PROBLEMS TOGETHER AND WORK FOR CHANGE!
I love when someone has a conversation with all questions and answers.
Could I smell better? Sure.
If I ate gravy all day would I get fat? Possibly.
Do I enjoy picking my scabs? Sometimes.
Do I sometimes doo-doo in my pants when I think its just gonna be a fart? Most of the time.
Every day you get better or worse, the choice is yours. But if you smooch hard you may get better a little faster than others.
precious
Did I mention that I think everybody here (firefighters and medics) are great. thanks!!! scooter
You've got a bias opinion Scooter = ) Glad to see you back man.
-Boy, that escalated quickly... I mean, that really got out of hand fast
-It jumped up a notch.
-It did, didn't it?
-Yeah, I stabbed a man in the heart.
-I saw that. Brick killed a guy. Did you throw a trident?
-Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident.
-Brick, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you're probably wanted for murder.
WTF????????
Things have slowed down. Where are all of the complaints at? Anybody know when and where the moves are to???/
I said Bow down NOW.... Both knees
harumft harumft
Where's Overacker at? A couple good fires lately and no pictures to be seen. What's up Mike? Show up and do your job man, its like your retired or something.
Oh yeah, now everyone wants to see me, now that I've retired. What fires are you talking about? There have been a couple lately, but before I get the alert, and get out the door, you all are mopping up. If you all would take your time getting to these fires, and then spend 5 or 10 minutes standing outside, deciding on a plan of attack, then I might be able to get there and get some shots.
You all do know that absolutely nothing in Roanoke ever happens fast, except for putting out fires by the best freakin' firefighters in the world, Roanoke Fire-EMS.
Actually, I received the alerts, but I have been out of town for a couple of fire alerts, and on a business conference call on another fire alert.
I promise to try to do better.
Battalion Chief ;> Michael Overacker - Retired
If I were 7ft tall I would buy a Mini Cooper and drive while sitting in the back seat and drink Grape Nehi soda and eat burnt toast exclusively. I mean, isnt that what all 7 footers do??
Since this is an open post I've got a complaint. Picky eaters in the kitty that have to be catered to!! You guys really need to suck it up. I thought this was a man's job. And then I get here and hear things like "I can't eat jiffy, it has to be real cornbread." When I was growing up and mom made dinner, I ate what was for dinner. I didn't complain. Too many tender tummies in this department. "But that gives me indigestion" "Oh that makes me gassy" "Too greasy" "I have to have homemade bread for dinner" Unbelievable!
Yeah, but I am guessing that you don't walk into a restaurant, hand over your money, and say "bring me whatever you feel like fixin'", do you? If a person is paying money to eat, they should at least have some say in what is being fixed. Some people have food allergies. Some people have food reactions, and some people just do not like the taste of some foods.
So, YOU suck it up, and be understanding of the needs of your fellow firefighters. And you cannot tell me that you will eat whatever is put in front of you, because that would be a lie. No one, and I mean NO one, eats everything.
Now, cry a little more because you can't have your way all the time and eat only what YOU want to eat.
It don't have to be homemade bread, just cook it before serving it. raw bread sucks!
Raw bread??????? .... Uhhhh, it's called dough.....
Lets ask a question
why do they want medic so bad.
Dual trained
cash cow for the city
high IQ
Point is, medic's are not hired because they need someone to ride the fire truck. Quote from a chief " firefighters are dime a dozen, medics can right their ticket" don't get me wrong most can do the fire job as well as emt's, but the fact is they need aic for the box.
I have heard talk about we all need to be doing the same time on the medic truck 50/50 and so on. when I have been here for coming up on a decade and a new medic makes as much are more then i do then how in the hell is that equal. So yes the new medic gets the box more because he is new, he gets paid as much as a ten year man, and it is are should be the seniority thing to do. What totally amaze's me is the medics and emts that are bitching the most are the new one that have not spent any time in the department. Maybe it is a generational thing with the Me and I people that are society's produce. For many years emts have been right there with the medic up all night long I no this hands on. I concede that when things are bad medic due get hit hard, but lets be honest that why they want medic's, so they can stick a body/AIC on the box.
So whats the answer
1. Pay every person the same on the box, and all ride the same.
2. every one spends their time on the box and moves to a spot on the engine or ladder.
3. How about everybody in the department rotate on the box from the chief down. this is an ems dept and 80% of the call are ems, then it is helpful for everyone and nobody can complain.
I am and emt that respects the hell out most medics and what they do. I would do anything I could for any of my brothers/sisters regardless of medic or emt. I just hope that the majority of AIC don't think they deserve priority on promotions and their IQ is higher. Hopefully this is the thought of the few because if not I need to reevaluate. As far as the IQ thing , why would people so smart sign something so dumb, just asking. Perhaps I’m not the smartest in the world but I can read. "can't spell or write"
As we all need to remember, the fight is not with each other. DOWNTOWN loves this because it diverts all of their fleecing on the department .
Then again maybe this is the best we can produce...
Little brother is watching
food allergies! my damn kids have food allergies. iam a grown ass man.. i eat what i want and dont eat what i dont like!! but i dont cry about what the other guys want to eat for dinner...
Bow down I said... take a knee...
Is this food thing for real, I took it as a joke but it seems to really have deep roots. If we can't even eat together, downtown don't give us a second thought.
what the old saying "if you don't eat together you can't fight fire together" think about it
You have got to be kiddin me. I can't believe this is the fire dept that I came to work for almost 20 years ago. It sounds more like a damn daycare with all the crying going on. Some of you need to grow up and learn to deal with life. If you don't like what is being cooked don't eat it and wait till you get home so your mommy can fix you a Kid's meal with a juice box. At every station that I ever worked at there was plenty of food to go around and a pretty good variety, so if you don't like something don't eat it, or if you think it will hurt your wittle tummy call mommy to make sure it is ok for you to eat. In the past several years we have hired a bunch of spoiled rotten little brats (not all of them,you know which ones)who are having a rough time adjusting to the real world and being a man about things. Mommy is not hear to wipe your snotty nose. Grow the hell up!!!
Geez, so much for brotherhood. Does anyone here really know what brotherhood means?
The FD will never come together if little things like who doesn't like what, and who won't eat what I make them is at the top of the bitch list.
Can't we all just get along?
The above post hit the nail on the head. We are running an adult daycare. "Kids meal with a juice box", that is priceless!
Next thing you know, we will hear little voices coming from the restroom saying somebody come wipe me!
Hell Mike didn't you issue a no mushroom order wherever you worked?
Hell Mike didn't you issue a no mushroom order wherever you worked?
Yeah, when you are allergic to mushrooms, you can't eat them, or eat anything with them cooked in it. It isn't being picky, it is trying to stay alive.
When I first was hired, much was said about it. One time, another shift made some spaghetti sauce and blended the mushrooms to hide their presence. They then handed it over to our shift to use, since they were going on break. When asked if they used mushrooms, they said no. Our shift made some more sauce, and added the other shift's sauce to it. I had an allergic reaction after eating dinner. Other shift thought it would be funny. It wasn't funny. My captain definitely didn't care for it either, and told the other shift so. Of course, back then it was handled in house, between the shift captains. I could tell you who planned it, but you would never believe me.
I like you mike but come on your a mommies boy to.
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