EE Taft Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 After years in retail ATV/utility sales I've decided that for the most part I'm not going to find a job as honest and moral as the one I had. So.....I've began a major change. As soon as I get some things lined out I hope to begin EMT training and get into my local fire department as a firefighter. As a greenhorn I would like thoughts and opinions from those here who serve with their local fire departments. Good or bad, I'd like to hear your experiences. Thanks in advance, EE Taft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pit Bull Tex Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 My prayers are with you EE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bama Red Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Double E, get ready to work your butt off, lose a lot of sleep, see things nobody should have to look at and maintain an air of professionalism at all times. The pay is nothing to brag about and the hours can be brutal. I wasn't EMT or Paramedic qualified, but I got to see more than I ever wanted since the last fifteen years of my career I was, among other job titles, Chief Vehicle Accident Investigator. I have the utmost respect for those folks and all other First Responders, as well. Best wishes and good luck to ya, EE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 It's not a job so much as a calling. It's wonderful and stressful and exhilarating and heartbreaking. Good luck if you choose that path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Same thoughts as Pit Bull Tex...prayers are with ya pard! GG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Gun For Hire Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 EE, That's a big change for ya. It is a calling not many people would do. That being said, best of luck to you. Remember the cowboy way and you will do fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I'll quote my ole Daddy here "Son, whatever you decide to do work hard at it and be a goodun!" Good Luck Pard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Smokepole #29248L Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Be prepared to see the absolute worst that is in our society. It will be a soul draining commitment but one that will also make you feel like you have made a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashpowder Hal Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I spent 10 years as an EMT for a local ambulance. It's adrenalin, stress, tears and SO MUCH satisfaction you won't ever forget. Word of warning: Folks that need help are getting, ummmm .... "bigger" every year. You must have a strong back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Good luck to you EE and my prayers are for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 It's not a job so much as a calling. It's wonderful and stressful and exhilarating and heartbreaking. Good luck if you choose that path. I agree wholeheartedly with UB and all the other comments here. As a retired volunteer/paid firefighter/paramedic it was the best and worst job I ever had. If you really feel it's your calling, check out your local volunteer fire departments first. Go on some runs with them, if nothing else but to watch how they operate and see what you will be getting yourself into. Offer to take fireground pictures for them. That will expose you to firefighting and help them with incident command training. If you still feel the call, check out the training academies at your local junior colleges. Most fire departments will require you to have had some training. I don't know what's offered there now days. I graduated from the Mizzou Fire School in Columbia many moons ago. It also won't hurt for you to be in excellent physical condition. Best of luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I hate to be somewhat of a downer, but you should make darn sure your palsy isn't going to disqualify you. It would really suck to get a ways down the path and then find out you can't go any farther because of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EE Taft Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Well Grizz, my Palsy doesn't disqualify....just gives me a tougher look stuck on my face. I've done many a runs out with volunteers and been around it but never jumped in, so to speak. You are all right about the calling. It has tugged at me for years. It's something I've wanted. As for getting it done well.....if I down pass the tests then I don't. I know all too well that it is rough. Also, to get in I must work hard and move quick. Our city has a hiring age limit of 34 which is getting close for me. I'm not pinning my every dream on it but look forward to giving it every last ounce of try I can. Now.....I gotta start getting my a** in shape! Thank you all for the insight! It's been a whirlwind over the past few months. We think we're moving then we don't, we find job offers that turn up lame..... I want to quit wasting time and go into service for my community. Not to make me feel better....just to do what I can. It's the cowboy way!! I've seen , over the years, my share of bad....this might give me a chance to be a helping hand in bad situations. I'll keep y'all posted as I learn more and get closer to getting my foot in the door. EE Taft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 You should do a couple of "ride-alongs" first. On a Fri. and Sat. night after the bars close. The hardest part for me as an LEO was dealing with dead kids........An then the STUPID people that caused it. Good luck, LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blasted Cap Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Lumpy hit the nail. I had to stop for a while after I worked a fatal x4. The mother was the only one to survive the rear ending they got. The kids were 8,5,4,and 2. Those are hard to take with a 9 and 7 year old at the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Good luck to ya EET One of my nephews caught on with the Grand Junction FD just this past week. His experience was enlightening to say the least. 1. On his own dime he took what he called firefighting classes at a local school. (???) 2. For the last 12 or 13 months he has been a volunteer at a nearby small town FD. (plus spent every free weekend at the station to get more hands on time) 3. Took a series of exams to test his knowlege and another series of physical exams just to get in line for an interview. 4. Had 3 seperate interviews (including one with a lady checking on his mental health) plus of course a drug test. 5. Was one of about 12 who made it to the final cut/waiting list. (was told that there were about 140 applications originally) 6. Waited until there was an opening in the department. He was lucky as they are adding a couple more pieces of equipment which meant they needed more manpower relatively quick. IMO a slow process but for him the realization of a dream that he worked hard to grasp. All of this occured while he was working a full time job in the DMV, so a pretty large investment in time. Regards Gateway Kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EE Taft Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 To give you an idea of my thoughts on the change ....I've spent years on the road. I've been part of many more accident scenes just because I was the first to stop at a mangled mess while others passed by. In more than one incident I've been asked to help the first ones on the scene until more help arrived. Coming from a truck driving family, we've seen a lot that most folks just pass by. I guess it's not in my nature to ignore things like this. A few here have mentioned dealing with the death of a child while having little ones at home. I feel that having little ones makes me want to be of help. Having been directly involved in helping at the scene of more than one fatal accident involving a child or children I tend to think....what if this was my babies? That's what seems to holler out to me to do this. Does that make sense? I know well the hard side of the job. Some better advice on the technical side would be great! I know it's hard to split the two and I know you have all done the best you can to tell me things that I need to know. I guess long story short, I know what I'm getting into with the pain I will see on a daily basis. What does it feel like when you are part of doing more than the average person? When you are the front line in helping in a life or death situation? I'm probably full of all the wrong questions but this is really helpful to me and I'm sure I want to follow this path. EE Taft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Hav'n both taken and saved lives, there are no words to/for the feel'n you get. My best day was when I helped to deliver a baby girl at the beach. One of the worst, was pull'n a DOA 4yo off the bottom of a pool and then later have'n to tell the parents. LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Willy Dunkum, SASS # 61027 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 My friend, it sounds as if you have the drive and the compassion for it. Follow your dream as far as it will take you. If you never try, you will always ask yourself "what if?" I was a volunteer EMT for a small town for many years. I too, saw many things that was hard to get over. Kids hit on a bicycle in the fog, car/train crashes, burns, but the saves are memorable. The feeling that you have made a difference in your community, to your friends and family, that you did all you could do, has no equal. There were many nights in ER with drunks/psychos and our men in blue. On the other hand, there were days when we were happy to show the neighborhood kids how everything worked, tossed candy during parades, and hugged our family when we came home. As a side note, my new hometown has lost its ambulance service. We had two ambulances and for years could not get anyone to sign up as a volunteer. The new generation is different. I salute you for your consideration of this community service. Your friend, Rev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apache Hawk 60642 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 To give you an idea of my thoughts on the change ....I've spent years on the road. I've been part of many more accident scenes just because I was the first to stop at a mangled mess while others passed by. In more than one incident I've been asked to help the first ones on the scene until more help arrived. Coming from a truck driving family, we've seen a lot that most folks just pass by. I guess it's not in my nature to ignore things like this. A few here have mentioned dealing with the death of a child while having little ones at home. I feel that having little ones makes me want to be of help. Having been directly involved in helping at the scene of more than one fatal accident involving a child or children I tend to think....what if this was my babies? That's what seems to holler out to me to do this. Does that make sense? I know well the hard side of the job. Some better advice on the technical side would be great! I know it's hard to split the two and I know you have all done the best you can to tell me things that I need to know. I guess long story short, I know what I'm getting into with the pain I will see on a daily basis. What does it feel like when you are part of doing more than the average person? When you are the front line in helping in a life or death situation? I'm probably full of all the wrong questions but this is really helpful to me and I'm sure I want to follow this path. EE Taft EE my friend, my youngest son is a LEO in NC. He has told me things that I think I would not be able to handle now. Back when I was in-country, i was numb, but not now. And the fact that he's scared to death one mintue and full of pride taking down the bad guy is a rush to him. He has pulled his weapon a number of times, but never had to fire it............Thank God ! I do not know what the medince side of EMT 's are and i will not pretend do. All I can tell ya is what he told me, "Dad..this is something I gotta do !" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacker, SASS #55963 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 EE Taft, I personally hold EMTs and Firefighters in the highest regard. If you want to take that path as a career; God Bless and Keep You Safe. Hacker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashpowder Hal Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 I remember going on three heart-attack CPR-codes in a row one night All 3 passed on. BUT it never bothered me, Because; A: I knew I'd done every thing possible to do within my training. B: I knew God does the choosen', not any man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 A few here have mentioned dealing with the death of a child while having little ones at home. I feel that having little ones makes me want to be of help. Having been directly involved in helping at the scene of more than one fatal accident involving a child or children I tend to think....what if this was my babies? That's what seems to holler out to me to do this. Does that make sense? Yes it makes perfect sense. That is a large part of the reason I started out as a volunteer and went on to join the academy, at a time when women were just starting to get into "traditionally male" oriented jobs like law enforcement and firefighting. I know well the hard side of the job. Some better advice on the technical side would be great! I know it's hard to split the two and I know you have all done the best you can to tell me things that I need to know. I guess long story short, I know what I'm getting into with the pain I will see on a daily basis. Technical side, that's a tough one. I'm not sure what you mean by that. You will need to know your geometry and some engineering, as well as being able to calculate things like distance, pressure radii etc. on the fly. A straight off the top example from my old volunteer days: You are the only engine to tag this water main. The water main's pressure is X. Your guys have two lays of 200 and 300 feet of hose off your truck to get water to the incident. Calculating for friction loss on their 3" lines, how much pump pressure will you need and how much pressure do you need to have on each line to make the nozzle pressure of Y? That's a real life example, but is it what you want? What does it feel like when you are part of doing more than the average person? When you are the front line in helping in a life or death situation? I'm probably full of all the wrong questions but this is really helpful to me and I'm sure I want to follow this path. EE Taft I don't know if anyone can answer that for you. It's something you will have to experience yourself. There were painful days I came home, rolled up into a ball on the chair in the corner and cried, like when I worked my first arson for murder fire and three little children were accidentally killed. There's also the euphoria of finding a scared elderly person hiding in their closet and you were able to carry them out to safety. There's the rush of going to the schools in uniform and teaching fire safety to the young minds so eager to learn. There's also the anger of arson for hire, arson for murder and going to court to testify against those scumbags because you have evidence the fire was arson. You will go through those and many more. I realize this is probably TMI, but I think this is what you are looking for. If not, let me know and I'l try to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy Emily SASS #73673 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 firefighters EE I am sure whatever you decide to do you will be awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EE Taft Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 CK, these are very helpful answers! Right on par with the thoughts rolling in my head. There are things I won't know until I try. I may not even get in considering my age.....and ability. I thank you all for the information and well wishes. I know we don't always get where we want to be. I may not, but I'm going to try. You folks are a deep well of information and I thank you all for always being here to help me and each other out. Truly touched by the kind words and concerns! EE Taft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EE Taft Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 CK, these are very helpful answers! Right on par with the thoughts rolling in my head. There are things I won't know until I try. I may not even get in considering my age.....and ability. I thank you all for the information and well wishes. I know we don't always get where we want to be. I may not, but I'm going to try. You folks are a deep well of information and I thank you all for always being here to help me and each other out. Truly touched by the kind words and concerns! EE Taft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 CK, these are very helpful answers! Right on par with the thoughts rolling in my head. There are things I won't know until I try. I may not even get in considering my age.....and ability. I thank you all for the information and well wishes. I know we don't always get where we want to be. I may not, but I'm going to try. You folks are a deep well of information and I thank you all for always being here to help me and each other out. Truly touched by the kind words and concerns! EE Taft You're very welcome. Another career thought along these lines would be working for an Ambulance company. I'm not sure if they are private or public (run by the fire department) in your area. You might want to take that into consideration as well....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EE Taft Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 That's the general thought I have. If the Fire Department doesn't get me set up I'll have the training needed to get in on the Ambulance crew. The way I see it, the training alone will pay off one way or the other. Always great advice here 'bouts! EE Taft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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