Q: What do cops & firefighters both have in common?
A: They both want to be firefighters!
Okay, okay, relax, it's a bit off humour... LOL!! I'm gonna catch it from all of my cop friends now! Last post I touched on some cop 'n' firefighter commonalities; now we'll look at some differences.
BTW, I have so much more to add about the adventures of firefighter training, but I should catch up on what was left unfinished...
The more I become engrossed into the world of firefighting, the more observations I can make. Keep in mind, I have yet to serve 5 minutes on the floor as a badge-wielding, Union-backed, IAFF sticker-bearing firefighter that actually has a story to tell – but even as a lowly recruit, there are notable differences.
Primarily, the nature of our contacts with the public come to mind. Let's face it, anytime you see a cop car coming at you Code 3 (lights & siren) behind you while driving, I'm guessing the first things you do will involve looking at the speedometer, hitting the brakes, asking yourself if you've done anything wrong, and putting your cell phone/Crackberry/iPod/breakfast/lunch/dinner down and paying attention to the road, after you've checked to make sure your seatbelt is on. Sound familiar? Then as the cop passes right by you, you breathe a sigh of relief as you wait for your heart rate to subside. Uh huh. Or, let's say you get a knock at the door in the middle of the night, or whenever, and there are two uniformed cops standing there. Whatever the reason, you know it's not going to be good. Usually, public contacts with law enforcement are not happy ones, and that's ther reality of the job. Cops have to deal with both scumbags and law-abiding citizens, and their duties are thankless. A job well done is often taken for granted, and when you do get the scumbags off the street, there is always someone trying to criticize the who/what/where/why. So easy to jump to conclusions, but if you weren't there, you have no right to criticize. End of story. But when cops do make mistakes, you can bet it's all over national television. Well what about the happy human-nature stories? Once in a while yes, but disproportionately. "If it bleeds, it leads", to quote a popular journalism saying. It's not right, but it's not going to change anytime soon.
Firefighters, however, have it pretty good. Courageous, and brave, when the community calls the Fire Dept into action, they are SOOO happy to see us arrive! We save their lives, their property, their homes.... and we have a special charitable calendar to to boot! We get station visits from families and community groups, people honk and wave as we drive down the street, and we really feel the public's appreciation for what we do. AND... even though we work a 4/4 shift schedule much like police do, we actually get to rest on our night shifts, sometimes. We get to ride that big red truck!! Does it get any better?
People often joke that I've traded my gun for a pillow. Actually, it's usually the cops the say that to me. That I switched to the "other" side, to be a "buckethead". They've even asked why I'd want to be a firefighter... because I'm too smart!! Ouch! There are so many misconceptions it's hard to keep it short for a blog like this. But let's try.
What I find amusing is that it's usually the cops that try to belittle firefighters, whether it be to criticize how we burst into houses just to bust shit up and break it down, like bulls in a china shop. Or, we spend our spare time shining that pretty red truck. Or that we get too sleep on night shift. Or that we all have second jobs, usually in the trades. The list hoes on. But funny, I really haven't heard any "digs" from the firefighters about cops. Except for maybe to question to fitness level of some members after they've spent a few years on the road.
Fitness. Now we're talking. I have a lot of opinions on this, and I speak from experience, not as an armchair quarterback. I've walked the talk, and am not shy to say it like it is. Too many times I have seen police pre-recruits work their asses off to pass the POPAT or PARE, then let themselves slide once they're in, past Police Academy or Depot, and then fitness becomes a chore, last on the priority list. 99% of the job is routine, and you spend a lot of time sitting on your butt in a patrol car. But it's that 1%, that one call where the shit hits the fan and you have to fix it... you NEED to be on your A-game, you are going full-on, balls-to-the-walls, with an all-out adrenaline dump. Now is when you will feel that skipped workout! Firefighters, by the nature of the job and countless hours of continued training, MUST and DO maintain a high level of fitness, otherwise they become a risk to themselves and their mates. Our CPAT fitness test is 10:20 compared to a 4:15 POPAT, and much more difficult. But the real test in on the fireground, when you not only need to have the strength to set up ladders & fans, hump hose, climb/walk/crawl in, out, up, down, around, wearing 50lbs of gear, hauling heavy tools, and also have the cojones to enter a building on fire, search for things when visibility is zero, get the job done, and make it out safely... all on air, which means if you run out... bad things happen. Our first week of Fire Academy, our Training Officers told us that now we are in the field of emergency services, we GIVE UP THE RIGHT to be unfit and unhealthy. I love it!
Probably the best way to describe to differences between firefighting and policing is to first understand that we are different people that fit under the broad spectre of emergency services. Then, to put it bluntly, cops are enforcers, and firefighters are saviours. And I'm speaking my own humble opinion here, in very general terms, so if you have a comment or story to share, please do! Love to hear fr om you!
TD
A: They both want to be firefighters!
Okay, okay, relax, it's a bit off humour... LOL!! I'm gonna catch it from all of my cop friends now! Last post I touched on some cop 'n' firefighter commonalities; now we'll look at some differences.
BTW, I have so much more to add about the adventures of firefighter training, but I should catch up on what was left unfinished...
The more I become engrossed into the world of firefighting, the more observations I can make. Keep in mind, I have yet to serve 5 minutes on the floor as a badge-wielding, Union-backed, IAFF sticker-bearing firefighter that actually has a story to tell – but even as a lowly recruit, there are notable differences.
Primarily, the nature of our contacts with the public come to mind. Let's face it, anytime you see a cop car coming at you Code 3 (lights & siren) behind you while driving, I'm guessing the first things you do will involve looking at the speedometer, hitting the brakes, asking yourself if you've done anything wrong, and putting your cell phone/Crackberry/iPod/breakfast/lunch/dinner down and paying attention to the road, after you've checked to make sure your seatbelt is on. Sound familiar? Then as the cop passes right by you, you breathe a sigh of relief as you wait for your heart rate to subside. Uh huh. Or, let's say you get a knock at the door in the middle of the night, or whenever, and there are two uniformed cops standing there. Whatever the reason, you know it's not going to be good. Usually, public contacts with law enforcement are not happy ones, and that's ther reality of the job. Cops have to deal with both scumbags and law-abiding citizens, and their duties are thankless. A job well done is often taken for granted, and when you do get the scumbags off the street, there is always someone trying to criticize the who/what/where/why. So easy to jump to conclusions, but if you weren't there, you have no right to criticize. End of story. But when cops do make mistakes, you can bet it's all over national television. Well what about the happy human-nature stories? Once in a while yes, but disproportionately. "If it bleeds, it leads", to quote a popular journalism saying. It's not right, but it's not going to change anytime soon.
Firefighters, however, have it pretty good. Courageous, and brave, when the community calls the Fire Dept into action, they are SOOO happy to see us arrive! We save their lives, their property, their homes.... and we have a special charitable calendar to to boot! We get station visits from families and community groups, people honk and wave as we drive down the street, and we really feel the public's appreciation for what we do. AND... even though we work a 4/4 shift schedule much like police do, we actually get to rest on our night shifts, sometimes. We get to ride that big red truck!! Does it get any better?
People often joke that I've traded my gun for a pillow. Actually, it's usually the cops the say that to me. That I switched to the "other" side, to be a "buckethead". They've even asked why I'd want to be a firefighter... because I'm too smart!! Ouch! There are so many misconceptions it's hard to keep it short for a blog like this. But let's try.
What I find amusing is that it's usually the cops that try to belittle firefighters, whether it be to criticize how we burst into houses just to bust shit up and break it down, like bulls in a china shop. Or, we spend our spare time shining that pretty red truck. Or that we get too sleep on night shift. Or that we all have second jobs, usually in the trades. The list hoes on. But funny, I really haven't heard any "digs" from the firefighters about cops. Except for maybe to question to fitness level of some members after they've spent a few years on the road.
Fitness. Now we're talking. I have a lot of opinions on this, and I speak from experience, not as an armchair quarterback. I've walked the talk, and am not shy to say it like it is. Too many times I have seen police pre-recruits work their asses off to pass the POPAT or PARE, then let themselves slide once they're in, past Police Academy or Depot, and then fitness becomes a chore, last on the priority list. 99% of the job is routine, and you spend a lot of time sitting on your butt in a patrol car. But it's that 1%, that one call where the shit hits the fan and you have to fix it... you NEED to be on your A-game, you are going full-on, balls-to-the-walls, with an all-out adrenaline dump. Now is when you will feel that skipped workout! Firefighters, by the nature of the job and countless hours of continued training, MUST and DO maintain a high level of fitness, otherwise they become a risk to themselves and their mates. Our CPAT fitness test is 10:20 compared to a 4:15 POPAT, and much more difficult. But the real test in on the fireground, when you not only need to have the strength to set up ladders & fans, hump hose, climb/walk/crawl in, out, up, down, around, wearing 50lbs of gear, hauling heavy tools, and also have the cojones to enter a building on fire, search for things when visibility is zero, get the job done, and make it out safely... all on air, which means if you run out... bad things happen. Our first week of Fire Academy, our Training Officers told us that now we are in the field of emergency services, we GIVE UP THE RIGHT to be unfit and unhealthy. I love it!
Probably the best way to describe to differences between firefighting and policing is to first understand that we are different people that fit under the broad spectre of emergency services. Then, to put it bluntly, cops are enforcers, and firefighters are saviours. And I'm speaking my own humble opinion here, in very general terms, so if you have a comment or story to share, please do! Love to hear fr om you!
TD
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