Firehouse/EMS Brats?

[Guest]

I admit, I was a firehouse/VAC brat. I'll even go as far as to say it has been rumored that I was concieved on the back of a firetruck (my mother denies this! luv ya ma!) Anyway, from birth I was always at the firehouse getting schlpet from this call to that call.. AND! had to wait in my Halloween costume for my Mom to get back from an EMS call to go trick or treating. Trust me, when you are 8 years old the last thing you want to be doing on Halloween is sitting in an M & M costume at an ambulance corps building. My father was Chief of TFD while my mother was Captain of PVAC. I admit when you are younger there is resentment b/c it seems as though all of your parents' time is being devoted to these volunteer organizations. But, as I got older I guess my feelings changed b/c I have been a member of PVAC for 6 years now and recently resigned from TFD in July after almost 4 years of service there. So, my overall question is how many people were the pride and joy of fellow Firefighters/EMT's or, did some get involved on their own without family involvement? Just thought this would be a fun and interesting toic for everyone to get involved in! :

[fireboy 6]

I have hung around my dad alot at the firehouse over the years and never get tired of it. Now that hastings got anew engine 45 in 2004 I cant help telling people about it. Being that he is captain it makes me feel important.

[NWPFD05 1]

i would have to say my uncle and all my cousins being firefighters prior to my joining had a major influence on me. not only has it been a dream of mine since i was a kid but seeing my uncle fly out the door when i was over there for dinner was influence enough.

[csf248 0]

im kinda a brat.

my father wasa fd member for like 4 years, but he quit, because he did not like the things that were going on. he was also a cop who recently retired after 20 years of service.

my mom was always ladies auxil, and is still one of the most active members.

My stepfather is ex captain. when he first married my mom there was a big gap between us. but the fd filled that gap. now dinner conversation is filled with who had a big job today, or other bs thats going around the firehouse. he even became advisor of the juniors when my brother joined as one.

im ashamed to admit that the main reason that i became a junior was because i knew it would anoy my father, because he did not leave on the best terms. but it turnd out to be something i love to do and want to do for the rest of my life, not only as my career, but as a volly as well. ( o yea till thisw day me being a ff pisses my father off! for christmas we got a pd vs. fd chess set!)

[Guest KFD236]

I have been around firefighting all my life. My dad was chief of the Katonah FD from 1990-1991 and I was a year old and from then on I was doing whatever I could to go to the firehouse or do something with the fire department. I did the carnival, chili night everything. A couple of years before I was a member I did whatever I could to go to the fire calls. Everytime my dads pager went of I was in the car with the light going. I went to midnight structure fires on the weekends and I even ran from my house to the firehouse when my dad was not home to take me. And sometimes I would look like a total idiot when I did run down but my dad decided to play a joke on me and not go. Belive it or not I made a lot of calls. And I kept track of them too. I ran up to my room took an index card and wrote down what it was, where it was, what time, any other departments that went and so on. Know I don't need to because of the point system and we record all the calls and so on. I have many cousins and uncles that were in fire departments such as the late Bill Whalen.

[Firefighter57 0]

we should start a club....i think when i was younger, i was at the firehouse more then some of the members were, running after trucks and watching all the action. and then before i could drive after i was a member, id fly down on my bike to calls..lol...but out of all seriousness, it really shows the family tradition that runs in the firehouse

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

The Firehouse is my palace. My father is a foreman in Bedford Village and I am a junior corp member there as well. It is kinda a family tradition that has only been around for 3 years. Before I was a junior corp member was washing trucks, hanging out in the Firehouse and getting to know the members. Now anytime I can be in the house or around the members, I am. I am not ashamed for any reason to admit that some of my best friends are firefighters and emts in Bedford. It is true that firefighters and emts are among the nicest and coolest people.

[CAM502 6]

LOL...Dad's been with the Dept for 27 years. Grew up calling a bunch of the guys I work with "Uncle". Now I do it to make them feel old.

[Guest]

LOL...Dad's been with the Dept for 27 years.  Grew up calling a bunch of the guys I work with "Uncle".  Now I do it to make them feel old.

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Haha... I can totally related to that.. but I can take it step further as to say when you are a little girl they look at you like a little girl... but when I joined when i was 17 and stayed in until I was 21, needless to say I don't think they looked at me as their "little niece" anymore.

But, all in all it does prove that it is one big family and that the traditions and memories you gain along the way can only be understood by people in the subculture of the firefighting/ems world.

[KelliPVAC 32]

Considering my sister started this forum, i'm a fire/ems brat. Volunteering has always been a big part of my life to say the least. There have been happy times and sad ones. I would never change anything. A lot of very important friendships have been the result of volunteering. I never was part of the fire dept. I've been with PVAC for 8 years. I am now the Captain. Everyone asks if I'm taking after my Mom, I always say "I have pretty big shoes to fill".

QUOTE(CAM502 @ Feb 26 2006, 10:16 PM)

LOL...Dad's been with the Dept for 27 years. Grew up calling a bunch of the guys I work with "Uncle". Now I do it to make them feel old.

I know how you feel, the firefighters that used to have to babysit us while our parents were on calls, We now babysit their kids! Talk about feeling old

[ex-commish 490]

Considering my sister started this forum, i'm a fire/ems brat.  Volunteering has always been a big part of my life to say the least.  There have been happy times and sad ones.  I would never change anything.  A lot of very important friendships have been the result of volunteering. I never was part of the fire dept.  I've been with PVAC for 8 years.  I am now the Captain.  Everyone asks if I'm taking after my Mom, I always say "I have pretty big shoes to fill".

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Kelli, yes you have big shoes to fill but you are doing a great job doing so.

Andy Mancusi

Chief

Hawthorne FD

[ex-commish 490]

Being I had no family in the fire service I can't consider myself a "brat". I was a 17 year old kid who was heading at one point in the wrong direction and ended up joining my first fire department and got taken in by a group of people who simply would not take any sh** and showed me the right direction not only in firefighting but in life general.

Andy Mancusi

Chief

Hawthorne FD

[Guest alsfirefighter]

I think I went through the firehouse the day I was brought home. My grandfather, father, me and my brother grew up at the firehouse. Weren't allowed to be brats though or home you went.

Then again, I now 20, 30, 40 and 50 year old brats still around the firehouse.

[GAW6 66]

Good topic you started lilblueeyes! (and I still stand behind my story that you were not conceived on the back of E-89)! My father was a 30-year member of Valhalla FD; he used to take me to the firehouse and let me climb on the trucks, but I was never interested in joining the FD (girls didn't do that back then!) But now I am a Fire Commissioner (Thornwood) and my father is a Commissioner (Valhalla) kind of unique situation! I was always interested in emergency stuff; my dad is also a retired MPPD officer. EMS is where my heart is and always will be - I am glad that my kids don't hold it against me for bringing them to calls, etc.

[x242Steve 1]

i would have to say my uncle and all my cousins being firefighters prior to my joining had a major influence on me. not only has it been a dream of mine since i was a kid but seeing my uncle fly out the door when i was over there for dinner was influence enough.

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That would be my dad that he's talking about "flying out the door"... I've had a scanner since I was about 13, and used to turn it on everytime that I heard him going down the stairs at some un-godly hour of the morning (of course I would peak out the window, waiting for the blue light to come on) and would wait to hear "Patrol 3 is 10-17". 12 years later and now I'm qualified to drive that same rig that I used to help him wash for parades (Although now its "Utility 39 responding...")

For anyone keeping track... my family now has 1 in each of the 4 Rye companies, and 1 in N.W.P.

[firecapt32 282]

What a great topic Im glad things havent changed over the years. yes fireqt you are a fire house brat have know members of your family since before you were born, and respect every one of them.

I on the other hand can still remember going on the fire house as a kid with my father, seeing all the guys helping when ever they would let me. So it does become "in your Blood".

I am now entering into my 40th year in the fire service, as a volunteer, career firefighter, and now a State fire Instructor.

I remember day one when i was sworn in as a volunteer, day one as a career firefighter,day one sworn in as a fire Officer and the last day of career service. They are all in my memory bank forever.