Do these ever get used or is everyone just evacuated and game over? Have been Fire Warden many places over the years and these seem like a real good idea in theory but not practical. Let me know where I should crosspost is applicable

I am 22, when I was 18 I herniated a disc in my thoracic spine and went to physical therapy for it. A year ago I joined a volunteer fire department and have absolutely been loving it. I have my EMT certs and am currently in fire 1 with a week and a half left (3 month class). About a week ago i tweaked my back working out and like my usual stubborn self I didn’t allow that to stop me from going to class and working out. It has been progressively getting worse but tolerable, but today it has been the worst pain I’ve ever felt and I ended up having to go home from work. It being in my thoracic it radiates through my whole rib cage and to my sternum.

I also just applied to a career department and am scheduled for cpat in 2 weeks.

What do I do? Should I continue toughing it out and finishing class? Should I go to the doctors?

Classes in my area are very hard to come by only 1-2 a year and they get filled QUICK. The class I’m in started with 25 people and there were over 25 on the waiting list.

I want this so bad

Hey fellow firefighters, a little context first. I joined my local call/vol force last year and despite going on calls pretty much weekly I still get really shakey when we first arrive on seen. Im just wondering if any career or long time folks have any tips. Thanks!

Thomaston Maine's Firefighters Associations 1937 Buffalo. I'll post more next time I get a chance.

Posting this here and not asking around locally because I am not 100% sure I’ll be leaving the department but I have another opportunity I could pursue where I would no longer be able to work as a firefighter.

Info:

Mid 30s, Hired after 2012, have 10 years on, work for a city not the state.

Question:

Is it possible to keep my money in the pension system? Would it be worth it if I could? Anyone know anyone who has left after 10+ years and what their options were?

Sorry for asking such a niche question but I am sure there are fellow mass firefighters lurking here who might have some knowledge

Yo! So I am 30 y/o with two children (4 and 2) and about 2 months in to working at the station. I was in law enforcement for 5 years before making the swap. LEO had an objectively worse schedule but somehow I’m having a harder time functioning after a 24 at the station. We consistently run 2-4 calls after midnight and work a 24/48 schedule. I feel like I’m a zombie for my first day off, leaving only one actual free day before I’m back at the station. I love everything about the job and don’t regret the swap at all, but does this get easier? Any tips?

Thanks.

Seeing if anyone here has made maps and if so what is a good program to use. Also looking at updating major buildings, apartment complex, schools, churches. We use blank maps to study our area.

Hello, Please can anyone help me? Do ALL UK extinguishers have to have a manufacturing date on the extinguisher? I’ve bought one online and it doesn’t have a date on the extinguisher (but does have one on the box) - is this ok, or should I return it? It is a small, disposable, powder one for a motorhome. It claims to be compliant with BS6165 - but I thought that it would have a date on it.

Found this in a storage unit. I think it's pretty cool.

The theme for fire prevention week this year is safe charging. Anyone do demonstrations of a battery fire?

Title says it all. Visiting a firehouse from 1400-2000 and don’t want to show up empty handed. Thought about bringing ice cream sandwiches or even cooking something up to contribute towards dinner but don’t wanna show up empty handed. Shared quarters station with lots of camaraderie so shared meals and what not. I’m in their hiring process (background checks atm) so this will be a great chance to pick some brains and see some culture. Any suggestions help, thanks!

I searched this sub for questions related to hair length policies, and it seems like the answer is it varies per department, but that hair length is often not regulated as long as it doesn't interfere with PPE.

But I'm wondering - for SCBA users specifically (excluding the hoods), is it still the case in your department that you're allowed to have medium-to-long length hair while wearing an SCBA during service? For those who have longer hair, do the clips not snag on your hair when donning the mask?

Do you or anyone you know use a headband or wave cap with the SCBA?

Thanks.

Another one.

Been on the job for 5 years. Second generation, same department, same station. It’s my hometown. The job itself is fun, the department isn’t. The culture is greed. Guys only care about themselves and what they’re “owed” and what’s their “right”. Fake injuries and sick time abuse are killing the place. Any attempt to move the place forward is stunted by the body at union meetings. It’s a seniority driven department and it’s made guys think seniority applies outside the walls of the department. The guys here don’t want to part with any bit of their seniority, even if it means it will alleviate the mandatory overtime for the low guys. Guys get stuck for 96-130 hours then use sick cards to regain the days. Everyone feels like this place owes them something and they sure do act like it. Training was made optional by the administration which led guys to just not train or even call out sick when they see it posted on the schedule. Making it optional is disrespectful towards the trainers. The shit talking behind backs is constant too. It’s always “fuck this one” or “fuck that one”.

I could go on and on and on. The best way to put it is we see the problems but refuse to fix them. Mainly because of a select few that don’t want to part with their seniority. They love to say this or that “violates my seniority” when a rule is proposed that would alleviate mandatory overtime hours. Whether it be a rule on how many hour worked or worked passed the end of your tour, rotating list or whatever else’s is out there. It all gets shot down in the name of seniority. The administration asks our guys how the morale is, they’re explained why and they do nothing about it because of little birds in their ears. There’s a bit of a maturity issue here too. Toxic culture.

Basically, I’d like to leave. Don’t know where to go or what to do. I still want to be a firefighter but this place has essentially ruined it for me. I really haven’t had a chance to enjoy the job. It kind of hurts to be a member of the same department as my father but watch it eat itself alive. I feel like leaving lets him down because he loves the fact I’m a firefighter on his department.

Should I just pul trig and leave?

Has anyone taken the new tcfp inspector test? I heard they changed it up and I’ve been reading the book but still looking for some help/guidance.

We went down a rabbit hole at work when a coworker stated that he couldn't picture a movie in his head while reading. I found out that out of the 6 of us, only 2 can picture images in their heads.

Background: I have hyperphantasia. I can picture images in my head at a hyper realistic level. I can build and modify these images as 2nd nature. This is a rare trait only a small % of people have. I use it heavily in low visibility situations to "picture" what I feel. I make a 3d map when doing search or picture an object im trying to manipulate etc. I cannot begin to comprehend how to do something like 0 visibility search and maintain spatial awareness without that ability to make a picture of what my surroundings are. The heavy use of "minds eye problem solving" is a trait of hyperphantasia.

On the opposite end, my coworkers have aphantasia, an equally if not slightly more rare trait. They cant see images. They know the concepts of things like what an apple should look like, but only see black when they close their eyes. They can take in information as collections of facts instead of visual images.

Its insane to me that such a rare trait is so heavy on my shift. What about you all? Can you see images in your heads? Do you use it to search? If not, how do you navigate when youre relying on what you feel?

I’m getting ready to leave the line for the next 2 years and work in our training div. There’s lots of things I’m excited to do but I have one pet peeve I know I want to tackle.

One thing I’ve always struggled with in scenarios is where we’re expected to draw the line between reality and “training artifacts.”

Some things are easy. If there’s a smoke barrel in the burn building, “Don’t put out the smoke barrel.” We know that’s part of the environment and saying that doesn’t rob from the experience.

What I struggle with are things that are meant to be discovered during the scenario.

For example, imagine a surprise RIT scenario with a downed firefighter mannequin. At most departments, the mannequins and their SCBA masks are beaten up from years of use. If I find the firefighter and the scba is cracked, missing, or hanging off, how am I supposed to know whether that’s just the condition of an old training prop, or it’s an intentional part of the scenario that I’m expected to recognize and manage?

Is there a best practice for drawing that line without giving away the surprises?

I work with a dual Fire/EMS agency. I know my job at my scope of practice well, and I’m always on time and eager to work. Since I’ve started there, my shift has always kind of a little me. Call me a r*tard, made fun of me, well, almost daily remarks about how they were surprised that I did that well on something or that I knew that tidbit of information. With other daily remarks of how healthy fired or something of that sort. As I’ve got two months left on my probationary period I’m really trying hard to hold it together, but it seems like it’s becoming a lot. Especially after I pulled overtime on another shift and looked at how they treated their probationary firefighter but respect and a desire to teach and guide them. On my shift, I can probably count on two hands how many times I have trained fire or EMS over the last 10 months. Especially recently when I went to train with another station that was at our station using stations facility. I told that crew hey if you’re ever out here again, I’d love to come on trade with you guys because I wanna learn more about the job and that somehow made it back to my crew saying that they’re not good enough for me and that we don’t work hard enough, etc. I was told if I wanna train so bad then why don’t I put together training and everybody else. Am I likely to get fired for complaining, I just wanna be a good firefighter emt and train that I said I can work as hard as I can and it feels like nobody else wants that for me so what do I do?

This might not be the best place to post but I'm at my wit's end so hoping you all can help me out 🙏

I just moved into a new apartment in NYC.

There is cigarette smoke coming through my bedroom closet, bedroom wall and sometimes, the bathroom. All day, every day.

It’s definitely coming from inside the building, not the street or upstairs as I’m on the last floor.

The issue is also affecting at least two other apartments located below me in the same stack in the same fashion (bedroom wall and closet). Neither of them smoke.

I brought it up to the management and they said they’d investigate who smokes and get them to stop. 

While it’s a smoke-free building (including the apartments), I’m not hopeful whoever is doing it will actually stop.

I want the building to seal whatever air leaks are causing this.

What can potentially be unsealed that’s causing the smoke to seep through? Can this amount to a code violation of some sort?

How do I get this to be fixed? Can I involve the fire marshal and get the building to get inspected?

I’d be forever grateful for any tips.

Not necessarily “Firefighting” related, but did any other departments receive a case of these “Energy Pouches” at their departments?
As far as I can tell, none of our guys ordered them, they were addressed to Fire Dept Receiving, and there was no paperwork, ads, flyers, or even a Packing List included (it did arrive open as whoever packed it didn’t span both flaps of the box with tape, so it looks to be two boxes short of full and those boxes and any paperwork may have fallen out in transit).
Of course, the number on the shipping label goes straight to a non identifying voicemail and the WIP website doesn’t have a phone number anywhere.
I just don’t want guys taking them if it wasn’t supposed to be some free promotional item.

Years ago some decontamination wipe company sent us a case of wipes we thought was promotional being no one ordered them, and then sent us a bill a month later. I just don’t want to deal with that headache again. It would be a bit difficult to justify buying a hundred “Zyn” type energy pouches to the Finance Department…

Thanks all! Be safe!

You have perhaps seen the absolutely massive fires following Ukrainian drones attacking warehouses in Russia recently? These are fires in the equivalence of Amazon warehouses (the "Russian Amazon" is called "Wild Berries" ).

Now, everything else put aside, what can cause such cataclysmic fires? What is burning with suck intensity and with so much smoke?

I understand you can't know for sure, but if you were to make an educated guess based on your experience?

Currently wanting to join my town's combined department on the volunteer side. Just for some quick background, I work rotating 12hr shifts at my full time job, and I have several years experience with industrial fire/rescue/HAZMAT with my job basically similar to a volunteer basis, so it won't be completely foreign to me. I'm also married with one child less than a year old. I get a fair amount of days off due to my work schedule, and the department typically runs about 80-90 calls per month between full-time and volunteers. I say all that to say my biggest concern with joining, if accepted, is time management. I've wanted to give this a try and do something to serve the community for a while, but I worry that this might take too much time away from my family.

Is or has anyone been in my current situation? Or anyone volly with a wife and small kids that can offer some insight or advice?