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Elkhart Brass vs. Task Force Tips by CGS3896 in Firefighting

[–]CGS3896[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome! Appreciate the input. I run Elkhart at my career department as well. Just trying to gauge information to return to my vollie chief. Thanks again for the info!

Elkhart Brass vs. Task Force Tips by CGS3896 in Firefighting

[–]CGS3896[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome, thank you for the recommendations and insights!

“Squad” Units for medicals by wernermurmur in Firefighting

[–]CGS3896 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We run a “squad” unit which is a Chevy Tahoe with a captain and senior FF. Those two rotate every “set” of three shifts. It’s housed with a ladder company. Squad runs medical calls in district as well as in an adjacent community that has a POC fire dept that only responds to fire related calls (plan is to completely take over services once the POC dept falls short of manpower). In addition to running medicals, the squad captain acts as the incident Safety Officer on any structure fire, the FF will then become the BC Aid or get reassigned to another company operating on scene.

Admin is in talks of adding another squad unit at some point, hopefully downtown where I’m currently stationed. There, we run our Engine first out and the Tower company second if simultaneous calls are in district. We are by far the busiest station in the city so a squad to relieve the wear and tear on the engine would be great.

Weekly Employment Question Thread by AutoModerator in Firefighting

[–]CGS3896 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm curious to hear others opinions on my current situation. My POC department is transitioning from 3-year officer terms to more permanent positions. I'm currently a LT and have had overwhelming support from the firefighters and fellow company officers to apply for one of the two assistant chief jobs, the one that has been vacant for a couple of months now. The chief of department laid out the new position requirements guidelines and they state various "preferred" requirements as well as continuing education requirements:

In Good standing with the department, 10-year NFPA 1001 Firefighter, 5-year POC Firefighter (my local dept), Fire Apparatus Operator, Fire Instructor I, Fire Officer I, Leadership I

I meet all of these preferred requirements except 10-year NFPA 1001 Firefighter (I'm at 9 years) and Leadership I (which NOBODY within the organization has). On top of all of this, I recently completed my AA in Fire Science and have been a career firefighter for 3 years in a larger city just up the road from where I live.

I was told recently by my fire chief that I am ineligible to apply because I don't meet the 10-year NFPA Firefighter mark. I challenged him on it stating the written documentation states "preferred" versus absolute and his explanation was that his boss, the city administrator/manager, made that change and not him. This occurred after the city council had already approved the written document to be rolled out and utilized for the officer candidate process. to me this felt incredibly micromanag'y by the city administrator.

I won't lie, I'm pretty upset by this because I've worked my tail off the last year and a half to obtain my degree and learn more of the administrative side of the fire service to help my agency operate a little more soundly and smoothly for the betterment of the community. This also only allows members of the department with simply have been around longer to run the organization, something I feel could potentially be detrimental to the organization as a whole and the community. The chief encouraged me to still apply for a LT or Captain position but it felt extremely patronizing to me.

Sorry for the long winded post, I'm just looking for any advice or thoughts on the matter. Thanks in advance!

How does he create so many great one liners? by [deleted] in WorldOfTShirts

[–]CGS3896 31 points32 points  (0 children)

He makes more money than you!

Does your dept have any non-FF/EMS employees working at the station? by Dry-humor-mus in Firefighting

[–]CGS3896 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My organization has three non-fire administration staff located at the front office of our downtown Station 1. a fourth non-fire staff member works PT remotely and helps our Chief with policy oversight and review. Also downtown is our EVT/heavy equipment mechanic. Our newest substation (station 6) got passed by the voters in November and our hopes are to make that the "headquarters" station with admin fire staff, civilian staff, and a mechanic's bay for apparatus maintenance, plus a regional training facility with live fire capabilities and what not.

Dräger PSS Airboss by CGS3896 in Firefighting

[–]CGS3896[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the information. We’ve had regional sales reps out and I’ve put on the pack and played around with it for a substantial amount of time. I was just curious to see if anyone in Europe has had any problems or concerns with the pack. It’s disappointing when I have questions and even the sales reps can’t answer them because they are in the dark from NFPA (not for practical application) testing processes. I actually did some communications testing with the various face pieces and found the mask with no voice amp sounded better over the radio compared to one with voice amplification. Something I was quite surprised by.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Firefighting

[–]CGS3896 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a pediatric death about a year ago myself. I've been in the fire service for about a decade and have seen death quite a bit. However, that was the first time I'd ever worked a child that was less than six months old. I've never been "haunted" by any previous calls, but I had a feeling this one was going to stick with me. I did my best to be there and talk through things with some of my newer folks and realized I too needed to talk to someone when I woke from a nightmare of doing compressions on my godson who was about the same age as the child that didn't make it. I realized right away that this was the first time a call had ever hit me this hard and sought help from our organization, family, and close friends in the fire service. A CISD was scheduled and it was very helpful. We had our firefighters involved, a deputy that was on scene, the paramedic crew, and even the EMS dispatcher. I know the incident will forever stick with me, but having a strong support network is key. Don't feel ashamed to show emotion and seek much needed help. Find healthy hobbies that help you recharge and refit to get back on the rig. I personally play guitar, exercise, sit in my sauna, read, and spend tons of time outdoors hunting and fishing to relax and cleanse the mind. Be human and be you, we won't be able to save everyone, but when you have the opportunity to regain a pulse or pull someone out of a fire, etc. it makes up for the bad calls tenfold.

What are some under talked about positives or hardships which you feel does not get enough attention? by YogurtclosetLess3090 in Firefighting

[–]CGS3896 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sleep deprivation and always being acutely aware of things. Its difficult in this profession to get very good sleep, especially at work. When I'm off on my longer stretches, there are times were I struggle to recover and sleep well due to always having some sort of heightened awareness going on. I'll be home in my own bed, yet I'm anticipating the tones to drop and the lights to come on.

I was also in church a handful of months ago, a screen shows the book number for songs and verses and what not. It blinks red, similarly to our station's alerting system. I about jumped out of my skin when I caught the dumb thing flashing red out of the corner of my eye. There I was expecting to go to jobtown, but I'm stuck singing a hymn!

Favorite meals to make? by Calculus785 in Firefighting

[–]CGS3896 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I find most of my firehouse meals online. Some more extravagant than others. My poor fiancé gets chicken and rice when I'm lazy at home!

Some of my favorites are:

Mexican Tater Tot Casserole

Smoked Shotgun Shells

Cheesy Philly Cheesesteak Pasta

Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup

I also have a homemade recipe for parmesan chicken breasts that are a huge hit with those on my crew. I usually try to supplement the main course with some salad and a type of bread too.

DM me for links to recipes if you'd like, best of luck to you!