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I have actually considered becoming a firefighter post-military. Would any of you please describe the process of becoming a firefighter to someone who is almost completely ignorant? Fake edit: I know it's a vague request, but I'll take whatever you can offer : 
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Feb 20, 2010 17:15
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 14:41 |
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I know this is some thread necromancy, but I just wanted to stop in and update. I got out of the military at the end of June, and decided to take an EMT class. Just before I started that, I joined my local volunteer fire department. I'm waiting to go to my first class in January (Firefighter 1).
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Oct 20, 2010 05:51
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Val Helmethead posted:Heya folks! Just checking in here. I've been accepted into my local Fire Department as a volunteer probationary member pending a physical (comprehensive) and an agility test (which pretty much everyone that has ever taken it passes). Frankly it looks like an awful lot of fun. Awesome, congratulations! I've been a probie for about 4 months now myself so I can give you a few pointers. When you get to the fireground try to stay close to an experienced guy and when they aren't busy ask them a few questions. There isn't really such a thing as a dumb question and now is really the time to learn how everyone works. Try to volunteer to do anything you can and usually people will let you try something out if you ask. Don't hesitate to grab a piece of equipment, or pack hose, or take over something for a more experienced guy. Busting your rear end will get you noticed. Get as much experience as you can. Try to learn where everything is on every truck you have as soon as possible. The most important thing is to stay safe. Sounds stupid, but make sure you wear your seatbelt (even on the truck), take your time driving to calls/the fire house, keep your gear in good shape, etc. You don't want to be the guy who gets in a wreck on the way to a call and have your own department have to come get you, and even more you don't want to get a ticket for reckless driving and have the Chief murder you. invision posted:Also what's your guys opinion of vollies having lights and sirens on their POVs? Personally, I think it's kinda "look at me" but it seems like everyone else out here has some kind of set up going on with their vehicle. (Not that I'm about to go drop money for anything, I think flashers + living ~3 minutes away from the station is good enough.) Cage Kicker fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Nov 30, 2010 |
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Nov 30, 2010 22:25
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invision posted:Just got back from a training fire. Interior firefighting is literally better than sex. I start FF1 in a few weeks. This is intensely good news.
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Dec 6, 2010 01:28
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You can add me as well. Oh yeah, and guess who put out his first truck fire today? Man it looked like there was magnesium burning in there somewhere too and having fire three feet from your face is like the ultimate drug.
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Dec 8, 2010 07:33
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Crazy Dutchman posted:Rookies are so cute Haha yeah, when I got out of the Army I felt all salty and "meh". Being a rookie again is actually fun because everything rules.
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Dec 11, 2010 02:16
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Woo just got back from a working structural fire and its my birthday! What a way to start.
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Dec 20, 2010 23:24
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Kashew posted:Wait til you get a call for a structure fire and it turns out someone saw their neighbor's dryer vent pouring out steam in the winter. This happened today.
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Dec 23, 2010 23:20
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Kashew posted:Have you been dispatched for "an odor of carbon monoxide" yet? "35 engine, dispatch, did the caller say what the CO smelled like?"
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Dec 24, 2010 00:33
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We had our gear inspection for FF1 last night and my helmet got a no-go...for being made in 1988 
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Jan 7, 2011 20:33
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invision posted:Don't feel bad. I burned the poo poo out of my knees last night because of how lovely my bunker gear is. Pretty sure my lid was made in the mid-90's. Ahaha my pants got a no-go too, they're too old. I am assured that I'll have new stuff "before the live burn." 
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Jan 10, 2011 00:57
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I just tried to respond to a rollover from my house, and it ended up with my neighbors helping me rescue my car from my driveway. Ice sucks.
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Feb 2, 2011 18:00
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Well if he isn't cleared to, y'know, actually do anything, then he shouldn't even be climbing up onto the truck. Run it by your lieutenant or something so that prick doesn't get anyone hurt.
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Feb 6, 2011 02:53
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Don't you just HATE it when you get like 9 calls in a day and then it's super quiet for like a week or two?
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Feb 17, 2011 07:04
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So it was really quiet in town for a while so we were expecting a big call, and today we got a tone for a structure fire. Edit: I wasn't really going anywhere with that. It was an unattended frying pan that turned into a stove fire, which quickly spread. We managed to knock it down before it got much further than the kitchen. He had the biggest collection of different knives hanging up downstairs that I've ever seen.
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Feb 25, 2011 04:22
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invision posted:Applied to (big city FD) today. Hope my vollie experience + military gets me a shot. Trying to not get my hopes up about it though... Tell me about it. This one old dude had a homebrew printing press set up in his garage and was printing some kind of stuff for Yale.
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Feb 25, 2011 06:34
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A lady cried when we told her that she didn't have any CO in her house and yes, her son was going to be just fine. I even got a hug 
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Mar 1, 2011 08:03
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invision posted:If this loving pager goes off again tonight I'm throwing it through the window. Don't lie you loving love it!
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Mar 2, 2011 22:34
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I totally just saved an old folks' home from a fire....again. Oh, and this happened: Old lady: I think someone pulled the alarm just to get all you handsome young men down here! Chief: I think whoever that is needs their eyes checked.
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Mar 11, 2011 20:33
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invision posted:Not a whole lot. But this guys frontyard resembled junkyard. There were close to 50 oxyacetalene bottles, a few 50 gallon dums of diesel and a shitload of magnesium in a 20x20 space that touched his front door. It just blows my mind that people live like that. I'll never forget the pickup truck burning on the highway with a big hunk of magnesium going under the dash and a guy sprinting away from the bed with two bigass cans of fuel.
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Apr 30, 2011 06:57
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Oh so this is when all those tones were gonna come in
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May 14, 2011 22:57
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Fire 1 practical on saturday dammmn almost there
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May 20, 2011 05:40
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Thanks, its weird in that the more we review the BETTER I actually feel about it so by tomorrow it should just be business as usual. I'm going to sleep in that drat yellow helmet when I get it (no more rolling hose! no more "get the fan"!) 
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May 20, 2011 17:23
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The practical is way easier than everyone made it out to be.
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May 22, 2011 19:20
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invision posted:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS-RNNNyqgc Busy week or something? Also, disturbing lack of "current POV setup".
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Jun 5, 2011 19:39
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invision posted:First on scene to a fire today, tried the door, then kicked it open. Lady standing in the doorway goes WELL I WAS COMING TO THE DOOR YOU DIDNT HAVE TO KICK IT OPEN. UGH. Well was there actually a fire in there?
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Jul 22, 2011 06:02
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Didn't come out the way I meant it.
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Jul 29, 2011 05:20
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Holy crap, that kinda rules!
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Sep 5, 2011 18:48
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foghorn's dispatch posted:Engine 421 bravo, box 3302 for an ALS emergency, baby born in a toilet. 
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Oct 4, 2011 03:22
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I prefer straight stream. I opened a fog nozzle on a stack of pallets during training and it turned the room into the most goddawful sauna. A straight stream doesn't mix up the thermal layers so much.
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Oct 7, 2011 03:21
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invision posted:Honestly, both have their place, and saying "X over Y because..." is kind of ridiculous. Saying "Well, I prefer X in situation A because of Z, as opposed to using Y because..." is much better IMO. Of course they both have uses, but there's nothing wrong with "I vastly prefer one to the other."
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Oct 7, 2011 03:35
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Kashew posted:"Caller disconnected after reporting he would advance a 3/4" hose line through the front door." Gonna need way more hose than that! 
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Oct 24, 2011 07:25
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Kashew posted:Believe it or not, I've been to calls where that's happen. Senor_punk, you remember that room and contents behind station 1 in like September 2006? The retired FF next door had advanced a garden hose up the stairs to try to contain it...ahh that was great. Just out of curiosity, how'd he do?
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Oct 24, 2011 18:06
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 I was gonna say something about y'all being hosed up, but I was directing traffic on Rt. 1 in the middle of the road today and I didn't have a radio either and definitely could have used one. But our SOP just got reworked, I guess.
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Dec 18, 2011 01:35
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I know this will open a can of worms, but does anyone have any advice on lights for my personal car besides "don't bother?" I want to save as much money as possible without getting creamed by a moron at 2am.
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Dec 18, 2011 02:08
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Thanks for the input, I know asking anywhere else starts an unholy shitstorm. We can use blue here, and they're just courtesy lights. I respond to the scene a lot and want something to ID my car and keep people away from it. Thanks!
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Dec 19, 2011 07:31
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And dinner was overcooked in the kitchen with care, In hopes that the fire department soon would be there
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Dec 24, 2011 20:15
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Have my second training shift in a Fire/EMS dispatch tomorrow 
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Jan 17, 2012 04:39
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invision posted:live burn this weekend. Color me loving jealous. 
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Jan 20, 2012 06:08
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 14:41 |
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invision posted:
I tried everything for a day and a half, I'd just say "time" at this point.
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Jan 23, 2012 17:45
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