FFPCogs

As Alan said studies like these are always going to show the results in the client's favor...those results are bought and paid for by the client so it can be no other way. With that said almost universally volunteers are going to cost less...and that is just a simple mathematical fact. Don't think so, then riddle me this:, Where does the vast majority of the money go in a career FD's budget? Salaries and benefits of the employees, aka career firefighters...that's where. No salaries= a significant reduction in cost. So let's not try to pretend that an all paid service is going to be cheaper...it won't case closed. On the flip side of that coin though is the quality of service provided for the money spent and in this the level of service provided by a paid department is almost universally going to be better than that provided by volunteers, for all of the reason so often cited here...case closed there too. So where does that leave us? After spending tens of thousands of dollars to get the study results you want and then touting those results as fact what has been accomplished? Not much really...wanna know why? Because for all the dollars thrown at the issue of which type of fire protection is better, in the end we don't decide the matter, the citizens do. And that my friends is just as it should be, after all it's their tax dollars and their lives is it not? And since it is, the type of fire protection they get is THEIR choice to make not ours. Point being don't waste your money on studies everybody knows are skewed anyway, they don't rally matter to Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public. Fact is that money could be far better spent dealing with the real issue...
 
And what is that real issue? That's a gimme boys, ...the real issue is the adversarial relationship that has grown ever more ingrained and vicious between paid and volunteer firefighters in recent times. Well guess what fellas, paid or volunteer, we all do the same job...protect lives and property. Do some do it "better"? sure they do. Do some do it "cheaper"? you bet, but the fact is, we all do it...period  Now you can thump your chest and stomp your feet...why you can even take that study you paid for in hand and go yell your point from the rooftops. Sure get out there and let everyone know how much better trained you are, or how much cheaper you are or any one of a hundred other BS arguments, but in the end, for all of our bombast, that's all it is, bullsh!t...no matter how many studies you pay for to "prove" otherwise. Here's the deal, our self imposed divisions serve no one and have done nothing to better OUR fire service and each and every one of us should be ashamed that we've let it degenerate this far. Worst of all though is that the biggest losers from all of our bullsh!t are those we are all supposed to be here to protect and serve, our citizens ...anybody remember them in all this?
 
The best thing we as a service could do is to start trying to find ways to work together for the greater good of everyone...firefighters and our citizens alike. Now sure there are many things which divide us, some valid some not, some real some imagined, but there is one thing which unites us all as firefighters and that is our common mission...protecting those in need. High time that came first. High time THEY came first.
 
I will leave you with this: Many moons ago when I joined my first VFD, standing on the firehouse apron one evening, I was told by a old weathered veteran member, "Remember kid you're not here for you....you're here for them" as he pointed out to the neighborhood around us. In my 36+ years I've never forgotten that piece of advice. So tomorrow morning, as you look in that mirror, let those words ring in your ears as you start your day serving your community. With that as the basis for our actions we will find the common ground we all know is there to make OUR fire service better today than it was yesterday...And that my friends is a win/win no matter what side of the coin you're on.

This is no different than when the Council of Mayors paid Tri-Data to say there was no increased cancer risk to Firefighters. In my city Tri-Data was considered to be the most amazing and knowledgeable and super fantastic fire experts that ever walked the earth. Then it came out that they simply do what they are paid to do. I never trust any study like this because I don't trust the research.  

As I read that letter I could only shake my head in disbelief. I guess all I can say to these chiefs is, you're pissing in the wind boys, the contract's been signed. You had your chance and because of your own arrogance, egos and pettiness you blew it...repeatedly. I really hate to say I told you so, but....if the shoe fits wear it.
 
It is truly sad to watch 108 years of service by volunteers wither and die when all of it could have been prevented with just a little forethought, humility and support. Some of us tried, and tried like Hell, only to be rebuffed by each of you at every turn...well now you Chiefs can enjoy the fruits of your self serving labors. You have no one to blame here but yourselves boys...but know this, in the process you screwed not only yourselves, but your memberships and most important of all, the people you were supposed to serve.
 
 

As I read that letter I could only shake my head in disbelief. I guess all I can say to these chiefs is, you're pissing in the wind boys, the contract's been signed. You had your chance and because of your own arrogance, egos and pettiness you blew it...repeatedly. I really hate to say I told you so, but....if the shoe fits wear it.
 
It is truly sad to watch 108 years of service by volunteers wither and die when all of it could have been prevented with just a little forethought, humility and support. Some of us tried, and tried like Hell, only to be rebuffed by each of you at every turn...well now you Chiefs can enjoy the fruits of your self serving labors. You have no one to blame here but yourselves boys...but know this, in the process you screwed not only yourselves, but your memberships and most important of all, the people you were supposed to serve.
 
 

As I read that letter I could only shake my head in disbelief. I guess all I can say to these chiefs is, you're pissing in the wind boys, the contract's been signed. You had your chance and because of your own arrogance, egos and pettiness you blew it...repeatedly. I really hate to say I told you so, but....if the shoe fits wear it.
 
It is truly sad to watch 108 years of service by volunteers wither and die when all of it could have been prevented with just a little forethought, humility and support. Some of us tried, and tried like Hell, only to be rebuffed by each of you at every turn...well now you Chiefs can enjoy the fruits of your self serving labors. You have no one to blame here but yourselves boys...but know this, in the process you screwed not only yourselves, but your memberships and most important of all, the people you were supposed to serve.
 
 

As I read that letter I could only shake my head in disbelief. I guess all I can say to these chiefs is, you're pissing in the wind boys, the contract's been signed. You had your chance and because of your own arrogance, egos and pettiness you blew it...repeatedly. I really hate to say I told you so, but....if the shoe fits wear it.
 
It is truly sad to watch 108 years of service by volunteers wither and die when all of it could have been prevented with just a little forethought, humility and support. Some of us tried, and tried like Hell, only to be rebuffed by each of you at every turn...well now you Chiefs can enjoy the fruits of your self serving labors. You have no one to blame here but yourselves boys...but know this, in the process you screwed not only yourselves, but your memberships and most important of all, the people you were supposed to serve.
 
 

As I read that letter I could only shake my head in disbelief. I guess all I can say to these chiefs is, you're pissing in the wind boys, the contract's been signed. You had your chance and because of your own arrogance, egos and pettiness you blew it...repeatedly. I really hate to say I told you so, but....if the shoe fits wear it.
 
It is truly sad to watch 108 years of service by volunteers wither and die when all of it could have been prevented with just a little forethought, humility and support. Some of us tried, and tried like Hell, only to be rebuffed by each of you at every turn...well now you Chiefs can enjoy the fruits of your self serving labors. You have no one to blame here but yourselves boys...but know this, in the process you screwed not only yourselves, but your memberships and most important of all, the people you were supposed to serve.
 
 

The use of the "Like" button has skyrocketed since JetPhoto made this post! Thanks all!

JetPhoto, you hit the nail on the head. Even though it's a little thing, it's a way to let people know we appreciate them taking the time to post and add knowledge, information, or photos to our community, making it better for everyone.

It's the nice thing to do, easy and same as liking something on Facebook. Give people some credit for posts you like.

I gave you a like, Jim, because it's definitely something that's gone to the wayside. A lot of members won't reply to posts, and then they get to the point where they read and just move on. It's like looking at Facebook all day....eventually you just see a few posts and move on. But sometimes there's a great topic and some awesome information that comes across the threads, and no one acknowledges that they were there, that they read anything! I'm just as guilty of this, as sometimes I'm just catching up on things or just reading a few threads before I have to run out the door.
But, you're right. We should be acknowledging each other a little more with that tiny blue button in the lower left corner.

I notice fewer & fewer people using the "Like This" button, now of course everyone is not going to "Like" everything but consider the contribution the person made to the topic.
As an example if a person creates an "Incident Alert" and they really take the time to put some details in the story please consider giving them some credit. I have seen some people who no longer post them because it appears no one cares.
If people post some photos of an incident and you like them let them know by hitting that "Like" button.
Good conversation started or comments you agree with in a topic give them some credit hit the button.
Just my opinion
Jim

Yeah Willy even those cold winter nights. Just something about being on that step with the wind (and rain and snow and dirt and dust) in your face. We used to get geared up on that back step too. One guy holding on to the cross bar, arms spread wide, while the other stood in between his arms donning his turnouts, and then they switched...and thoise turnouts btw were handed down to the backsteppers by another guy up in the hosebed....all while in motion.  Ahhh yeah the good ole days of being young.  My God the safety Nazis would have a stroke if they ever saw it....  Honestly though like just about everything else in our business, barring the unexpected and things beyond our control, if you did what you were taught you'd be just fine...as all of us were. I guess it's more nostalgia than anything else, FFs are much better off today in term of road safety and rehab, but it still was one hell of a ride and I'm glad I got to partake in it.
 
Got to agree with your second point here...money would be put to better use donating to ffcancer.org or another FF aid charity.

First off I loved riding the back step and would do it again anytime. That said, it's a T-shirt,  a simple T-shirt...it means absolutely nothing unless you're a whacker.  People are free to do as they please no matter how ridiculous they'll look or what it may seem to others. Bottom line... if you don't like it...don't buy it. 

First off I loved riding the back step and would do it again anytime. That said, it's a T-shirt,  a simple T-shirt...it means absolutely nothing unless you're a whacker.  People are free to do as they please no matter how ridiculous they'll look or what it may seem to others. Bottom line... if you don't like it...don't buy it. 

Yeah Willy even those cold winter nights. Just something about being on that step with the wind (and rain and snow and dirt and dust) in your face. We used to get geared up on that back step too. One guy holding on to the cross bar, arms spread wide, while the other stood in between his arms donning his turnouts, and then they switched...and thoise turnouts btw were handed down to the backsteppers by another guy up in the hosebed....all while in motion.  Ahhh yeah the good ole days of being young.  My God the safety Nazis would have a stroke if they ever saw it....  Honestly though like just about everything else in our business, barring the unexpected and things beyond our control, if you did what you were taught you'd be just fine...as all of us were. I guess it's more nostalgia than anything else, FFs are much better off today in term of road safety and rehab, but it still was one hell of a ride and I'm glad I got to partake in it.
 
Got to agree with your second point here...money would be put to better use donating to ffcancer.org or another FF aid charity.

Yeah Willy even those cold winter nights. Just something about being on that step with the wind (and rain and snow and dirt and dust) in your face. We used to get geared up on that back step too. One guy holding on to the cross bar, arms spread wide, while the other stood in between his arms donning his turnouts, and then they switched...and thoise turnouts btw were handed down to the backsteppers by another guy up in the hosebed....all while in motion.  Ahhh yeah the good ole days of being young.  My God the safety Nazis would have a stroke if they ever saw it....  Honestly though like just about everything else in our business, barring the unexpected and things beyond our control, if you did what you were taught you'd be just fine...as all of us were. I guess it's more nostalgia than anything else, FFs are much better off today in term of road safety and rehab, but it still was one hell of a ride and I'm glad I got to partake in it.
 
Got to agree with your second point here...money would be put to better use donating to ffcancer.org or another FF aid charity.

First off I loved riding the back step and would do it again anytime. That said, it's a T-shirt,  a simple T-shirt...it means absolutely nothing unless you're a whacker.  People are free to do as they please no matter how ridiculous they'll look or what it may seem to others. Bottom line... if you don't like it...don't buy it. 

Yeah Willy even those cold winter nights. Just something about being on that step with the wind (and rain and snow and dirt and dust) in your face. We used to get geared up on that back step too. One guy holding on to the cross bar, arms spread wide, while the other stood in between his arms donning his turnouts, and then they switched...and thoise turnouts btw were handed down to the backsteppers by another guy up in the hosebed....all while in motion.  Ahhh yeah the good ole days of being young.  My God the safety Nazis would have a stroke if they ever saw it....  Honestly though like just about everything else in our business, barring the unexpected and things beyond our control, if you did what you were taught you'd be just fine...as all of us were. I guess it's more nostalgia than anything else, FFs are much better off today in term of road safety and rehab, but it still was one hell of a ride and I'm glad I got to partake in it.
 
Got to agree with your second point here...money would be put to better use donating to ffcancer.org or another FF aid charity.

First off I loved riding the back step and would do it again anytime. That said, it's a T-shirt,  a simple T-shirt...it means absolutely nothing unless you're a whacker.  People are free to do as they please no matter how ridiculous they'll look or what it may seem to others. Bottom line... if you don't like it...don't buy it. 

 
 Even those cold winter nights ? Those back tailboards were even covered in ice. Ice all over the place. The tailboard your standing on, the cross bar your holding on to, in addition to a human body wearing firefighting gear covered in ice. After spending a few hours following water, at least to me nothing sounded better than riding back inside of a heated cab of a fire truck. And sometimes that wasn't even the case with an open cab.
 
  Well, honestly, I know of one guy that won't be buying one or two of those T-shirts. I'd much rather see my money put to good use in such things as the firefighter cancer fund. You could also send your money to that as well, for a somewhat different purpose. In case anybody wants to do that instead it's www.ffcancer.org .

First off I loved riding the back step and would do it again anytime. That said, it's a T-shirt,  a simple T-shirt...it means absolutely nothing unless you're a whacker.  People are free to do as they please no matter how ridiculous they'll look or what it may seem to others. Bottom line... if you don't like it...don't buy it. 

Sadly Willy I think this lesson is lost on more and more people coming in, paid and volunteer alike. Like the rest of society it seems like many now feel that it's all about "me" and what the fire service will do for "me", not the other way around. It is up too us to remind our newer brethren (and the older ones who still don't get it) that regardless of what goes on "out there" they are now a part of something greater where service to others is the PRIME objective. Maybe it can be best summed up like this:
 
To take a few liberties with a famous quote by JFK..."Ask not what the fire service can do for you, but what you can do for the fire service"

I take it even a step further in that besides serving the public when they need us,  be that need great or small, we need to remember to serve each other too. The fire service is a WE thing not a ME thing and when we forget that in our firehouses it not a far stretch until we forget it about those who rely on us out in the streets. Egos and agendas are all about "me" and it seems to me that those things now take precedence over our common mission...and that corrosion of our core values and tradition starts in each firehouse. It starts when we allow the us against them mentality to guide our decisions. It starts when we show favoritism. It starts when we turn our backs on our fellow firefighters because they're not "popular". It starts when the whims and wants of the few become more important than the needs of the many within an organization (paid or volly). Changes in society play a big part in this, but a bigger part is played by each of us allowing the "outside" world's standards to apply to us on the "inside". The oaths some take, the mission statements we all have, the traditions we share are more than just words...or at least they should be, and the only way can only show our commitment to them is through our deeds and actions. 
 
Maybe I'm a dinosaur or a misguided fool or both, but I honestly believe and do my best to uphold all of those things not only in word but in deed. So if it's a fool I am, living in some archaic fantasy so be it, I would rather be a fool who believes in our finest traditions and values than a self serving prick who turned my back on them.

Just wanted to send my kudos to my boys back at the Belltown FD in Stamford for their tribute to the Dallas 5. They've added a blue with black border stripe to the rigs.
Good job boys!!