[VINMAN]

Tough to respond to this thread with out being biased,.....but here goes. Ive been a FF for 17 yrs. 8 yrs as a line officer 4 yrs as Chief of Department. Like any profession, you get all types. You get the super motivated and dedicated. The adrenaline junkies. The guys that do it for the camaraderie. The guys that enjoy doing the job. Lastly,the guys that just want the benefits. Fortunately most firefighters fall in the middle to upper range.
The guys that Moses and Ha Ha described fit alot of guys out there. Fire buffs(or "hose homos" as I like to call them) are the ones that set a bad example for us. They are the ones that draw all the attention with thier "personal fire trucks". Running around town like idiots, causing people to point fingers and make snide comments. Most are good guys, and excellent firefighters, but they still dont help our cause.
The most common thing you hear is; "You guys just sit at the firehouse, eat and watch tv all day". True we have many periods of inactivity, but for the times when we dont, people dont see that. When we are not "watching tv", maybe we are out on the highway cutting your dead teenager out of a car wreck.(I had six of those last yr. Two so far this yr.) Ever have to restrain a psychotic parent whos daughter is being taken out of a windshield to be put in a body bag?? Had to do that way too many times. Its not fun. It fuchin sucks! Especially being a parent myself. The cops should be doing that you say?? Nah they are to busy standing there with thier thumbs up their asses, or fighting with us over "jurisdictional authority"

Or while you are home in bed sleeping, we got woken up at 2 AM in the middle of February to fight a fire in someones home, all the time working with equipment and turnout gear covered in a layer of ice.

Or maybe standing with the county coroner, looking at the charred remains of an infant, child or elderly person that we found in a closet or hiding under a bed. You never, ever forget that smell. it lingers in you nose for days. Try facing a young child when they ask you if you found thier favorite pet . Sure you did, it was burnt to a crisp, or suffered smoke inhalation. But its ok, you can try doing rescue breathing on a dog or cat while the poor kid looks over you crying hystericaly.

I dont know Moses guys deal, so I cant support nor chastise him. But I'm just saying dont make a generalization about all firefighters. We do a job that most people would never do or could handle physically or emotionally.

End of rant.. Sorry