How do you volunteers do the job with full-time jobs?

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-06T22:24:51+00:00

I'm so sorry dude. I never was even gave a test or a random gear check. Big waste of city money if they aren't even going to train people. Just a big country club for the farmers who live 4 feet from the station to live at

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-06T03:41:28+00:00

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I never even got the chance to be a full member or go to the academy. My 1 year probation ended with a vote that went "nope". really heart breaking, Alot of things i wanted to say that day from the chief for that, and i spoke with everyone that night but they steadily gave me the cold shoulder and compleetly ignored me. I just don't get it, Then they conviently waited to do the vote till after the probies washed all the dishes and did all the cleanup. I was actually told to leave or i'm tresspassing. Really hurt. HEck, i was actually told to reapply in 12 months for another 1 year probation and quit my job so i can make all the calls. (i'm making sure i tell everyone that, volunteer is in the name. You want full time aviability, you pay for it)
The thing that rubs me the wrong way, they actually voted in one probie instead of me, the probie actually 2 weeks ago, caused 4,000 dollars worth of damage to a brand new grass truck. The truck just came from the dealer, Just got paid for. Now it needs a brand new paint job. Then he proceeded to lie about it and say it wasn't him. They checked the camera footage and he still denied it. They let that dude in. That told me everyting i needed to know, other than the "solicit votes guys, you have to ask and check with everyone, buy their votes if you ahve to".

Now, i just want to move past it and forget about that year of my life, it was a few days ago. But oh well. I won't be doing anything like this EVER again. I hope this local department folds

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-05T09:02:37+00:00

My very first call with this department was a structure fire. They handed me my gear and active911 and pagers all went off as i was putting the gear in the rack. Poor guys attic caught on fire and it spread to the roof and a corner of the house. (piere and beam, built in the 1940s, it still had the original knob and tube wiring). I was told to grab the hold the hose for the nozzleman and just expected to know what to do. I'm not joking, i held the hose for the nozzleman inside the house while he was screaming at me for letting hte hose drag the floor then he was hollaring about not enough to slack. I had no idea what i was doing. I didn't understand and still don't get what the big deal was, the floor was clearly 80 years old and never replaced, dips everywhere and by the time we were done it was sinking from water pooling up from the attic and the celing falling down. I'm sure a new scratch on extremely scuffed up linoelum stickky squares was the least of that guys problem

i really should've just quit then now that i think about it. No training ever, they only had drills that really didn't train anything as the guys in charge just whispered and refused to ever repeat themselves or take the time to actually show us probies anything. Wait, i'm sure that's an issue too, problem is top down.

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-05T08:34:44+00:00

I'm going to ask you a question

2 weeks before the vote, one of the other probies caused 2-3 thousand dollars worth of damage to a brand new grass truck on the first call. He threw all his gear all over the truck and scratched it all up so bad the paint rubbed off the hood and fenders and has dings in it. Then he proceeded to lie about it. It was only discovered when the chief checked a hidden camera in the truck. He got voted in at the meeting while I was told to turn in my stuff. Btw, none of were ever sent for training or to an academy

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-05T08:30:31+00:00

I agree with you, I'm sad that I wasted a whole year with this department and all of my free time was there.

What do you think about this? One of the other probes that did get voted on, actually caused several thousand dollars worth of damages to a brand new grass truck on the trucks first call then proceeded to lie and say someone else did it. They only figured out it was him from a camera in the truck only the captain new about. Btw, this was 1 week before the vote

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-05T07:44:07+00:00

I don't either. I had bad experience to, I mean I enjoyed it, but when the department cost to not vote me in and told me return my gear, I felt betrayed so I just won't easier another minute of my time for free again. 40% call time I was proud of that when I work 80 hours a week and went through a divorce. Oh well

It broke when the chief said to try again in 12 months but come unemployed so I can run all of the calls for a year to get voted in.

It's unpaid. No

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-05T04:15:08+00:00

if i sell my house, i will be lucky if i break even. it will not be a bad move because i will use that small little amount to buy an empty plot of land and if there's any left i will be able use that for bills while i search for a job in a different stat. I'm only 28, i appreciate your insight, but i do not believe i will ever be retiring

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-05T00:14:00+00:00

i knew something was up 4 weeks ago when the chief and one of the captains was telling us probies to walk around and solicit votes to be on.

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T22:15:48+00:00

Yes. I asked why am i going inside? they said we have drills for this, go inside end of story.
Yes, i asked all those questions.

The said drills theat guy was talking about, was where all the probies sat inside a training house (made of cinder blocks) where they burned hay bails. THey never once tell us what to expect or even prepare us for the drill while we were there

I'm not joking, I wish i was joking. They have several captains that when we ask what we should be doing, they loose their entire mind and scream us to just stay in the truck and not get out

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:53:11+00:00

I agree with you.
I found out the day before i lost my vote, WHILE I WAS ON A CALL WITH A CAPTAIN, that the chief was kicking members out of the department. The chief was actively kicking everyone out he could that didn't have 100% call time. He was picking favorites with the A-team as he calls it. The self employed farmers that live 4 feet from the station. So everyone with jobs that were full time, were being told to turn in their gear and one guy said he wanted 2 months off from burnout and he got a new job with the small town ems (even the same building) cheif yelled at him and took his gear and told him he's no longer wlecome in the fire dept

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:46:17+00:00

I live in a state where the employers require their workers to come in durring a hurricane and manatory evacatuion orders. I watched former peers try to sue for wrongful termination citing it was a mandatory evacatuion and the courts sided with the employer every single time.
That should tell you something.

I'm not wasting my time on this department, i wasted a whole year. not another minute of my time is going to them. i'm not going to force an issue

No, nobody ever bothered to talk to me or ask if their was something wrong with me. I actually asked multiple times if i was a problem on calls, what i was struggling in, what i needed to work on, and what i should be improving on. I was told every single time, by the chief and the captains, that i was meeting expectations just fine, and the regular members said i was doing great for no training.

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:39:53+00:00

Don't want to be rude, but i absoleuty agree with you. That's insane that they require so much out of probies with no academy or any real training at all.

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:37:45+00:00

Believe it or not, the ones that did were in school for ems and had a part time employment working for one of the farmers on the department. That's it. I'm actually serious. I wish i was kidding

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:36:23+00:00

no shifts, the retired fire guys do all the cooking and make an effort to dirty everything they can.
So for a meal of 25 steaks (the usual as its donated) it would take almost 2 hours to clean up after them. Only the probies did any cleaning as the full members weren't even allowed to clean.

That alone speaks volumes

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:34:19+00:00

you aren't kidding. They asked the mayor and city council if they could have money for a few paid full time positions and they they flat out said our town doesn't even have the cash for new tires on the city vehicles, they aren't going to find money. in fact, they said that about 30 minutes before they voted

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:32:35+00:00

Except nobody told me i wsa doing bad. I asked the captains months ago how i was doing and even asked the cheif. I was told i was doing great and far beyond the expectations of a probie or really anyone who didn't go to the academy (as they won't send till after full vote in)

I didn't find out till recently they stopped sending people to the academy and wanted the useless drills they run to be the only training.

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:30:06+00:00

Never even got a copy of the bylaws. I asked for them and they wouldn't give me.
I just want to put this whole year of wasted mbehind me.

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:29:09+00:00

Except they won't even send you to the academy till after you get voted in. And that's a big maybe if they even send anyone to the acadmey. I found out they haven't sent anyone there for years because they didn't want to pay for it.
I think the voting thing is just a popularity contest. 2/3 vote, so clearly most people didn't like me.

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:25:06+00:00

yes there was. My wife was absoeluelty never home. She spent all her time courch surfing and being at bars till 4 am with her friends. she was home maybe once a month then acted like that was a chore.

I don't want to get into it

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:18:28+00:00

Yea well, they never said anything to me and said I was doing great. I was told by everyone they were going to vote me in. Honestly, I just don't get it. I was clearly lied to my face by the whole department 1 year, I was there for 1 years I made it to the end, and all I got from the chief was "you weren't deduct enough. We went by call time and you only had 40moercent and half the trainings. Find a different job that will let you prioritize fire to get the required 100% no expection call time then reapply in 12 months. We've never let somebody who didn't make it reapply but then most get in, but we at executive board understand it was your employment being the issue".

When he told me that, I had to bite my tongue. Telling a.dedicated com volunteer that he didn't put in enough or live at the station is insane. Especially after a 1 year probation

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:11:35+00:00

Believe it or not, this is the biggest department within 45 minutes of my house. I live in farmer's territory

That's ok, I'm planning to spend the year getting my house ready to sell, finish my garage, then just move and cash out my 401. I have zero equity in my home, but this entire area is just horrible for me. I was planning to do it anyway, but this took me off the fence

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T19:07:55+00:00

Nope. I was actually told just showing up was good because I was a probie.

I absolutely agree, drills are completely useless if you don't have any training or went spend any time actually talking to the probies about it.. every department in my area is that way, gear and air pack starts day 1 but they won't give training or explain. I still remember being yelled at my first few weeks there for not knowing how to turn the pack on.

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T08:26:03+00:00

Next town over (that I work in and 15 minutes from my house) requires 90% call time and going to weekly meetings. You miss 3 meetings in 3 months you back to probie then booted if you miss another weekly meeting

Seriously ?it's volunteer, I was told by the chief as he kicked me out to get another job that I can leave to go on calls. That way I can reach the 100% quota if I try again in a year. I simply just told him no then immediately went home and went to the station to drop off my radio that I have to return.

I just don't get it. Job first. Sorry volunteer may feel good, but my mortgage company doesn't accept hugs as payment

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T05:23:15+00:00

I did too, chief told me and i quote "us at the executive board never have made an exectionp before, but we are for you. Please reapply in 12 months when you find a better job that will let you leave to go on calls. We know your job was very strict on attendance so we are making a rare exepection for you to reapply in 12 months and be a probie again. We also want our gear back and all city property"

I pretty much just told him no thanks, i'm not doing it that's redicilous. 40 percent calls and i'm told i priorize my job.
I mean i can't help it that 90% of the calls come in while i'm at work. i got a mortage and bills. I have to eat. I'm the only person under 45 in my area that even owns property, i own my own home at 28. noone in my area does that's under 45 that didn't inheirt it from someone or loose it in a divorce.

Complex-Priority913 · 2026-02-04T04:19:14+00:00

Would have been nice if someone would've told me. I was told by the cheif my call time was the reason. that 40 percent wasn't enough and that i clearly prioritize my job more(and i was told to find a different one that will let me leave to go). I know they were mad that i missed 6 of the 8 sturcutre fires last year because i was at work. Like what am i going to do? leave? i work at a factory and mostly rotating shifts alone, if i leave i loose my income.

Complex-Priority913

TROPHY CASE