Should explorers have minitors?

[NRFR/explorer]

I'm 16 and an explorer from my FD. It has been in debate from money costs, but we finally got second-hand minitors from the firefighters on our FD. WHat do you guys think. Should we have minitors???

Joe, 16
NRFirst Responder, explorer

[This message has been edited by NRFR/explorer (edited January 06, 2000).]

[explorer36]

I think if your old enough to ride calls and get to the station you should. You can sometimes buy used one for yourself pretty cheap.

Joe
President
WHTFC Explorer Post

[D.Pharr]

The bad thing about Explorers having pagers is that they want to take them to school and to leave school if they get a call. Get an education first,there will be plenty of time after school to learn firefighting.

[Engine508]

I agree D.Pharr..Its good to have a pager because you guys DO respond to calls and are basically a firefighter. So why not hear when the calls are paged out right? But anyway its a privilage to have Pagers for juniors or explorers I think. Dont be stupid and show off cause you are on the FD. I know you can get a large head because you are a firefighter but just take it easy with the pagers so you guys dont get them taken away. And DONT BRING THEM TO SCHOOL half the time you wont make it anyway if you go to the fires from school..Its stupid bringing it to school anyway..I know of a friend who brought his to school and got suspended by the COMPANY AND SCHOOL. and had his pager taken away. Other than that I think its a great idea to have pagers and good luck in your firefighting career.

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Andrew
"You Go....We Go"
"Emt's Don't Die They Stabalize"

[OFD95]

Jrs in my department are issued pagers once they are allowed to ride. I bring my pager to school, but leave it in my car. I leave it on so I know if we had any hits during the day. It is really not necessary to have it "on" in school, but to have it nearby for after school responses.

[explorer36]

I agree....school is not a place for having a pager. Explorers/Jr Firefighters aren't shown a lot of respect at schools anyway...why wear it to school and get made fun of! Oh well....just my opinon.

Joe
President
WHTFC

[NRFR/explorer]

Thanks for responding, I was just curios on other peoples input. Most of us take our pagers to school, only for the ride to and from school though. During school, we turn them off and put them in our lockers or bag. School permits us to wear pagers in school, but we must have them kept off during classes. Even though, we don't have them on our belts, because eveybody wants to see it and play with it which is annoying. By the way, Explorer 37 (President), where can you get used minitors? Our post is scarce and we need more for our members. Could you tell me how to order them? Thanks a bunch
JOe
NRFR, explorer
MFD

[OFD95]

I do not go to school in the town where my FD is, but the kids at my school love hearing about what I do! I never get made fun of! Everyone I know hopes that one day they will be in my town to see what I do. Even though my pager is not on in school, kids still see it, and want to know what I do.

[Kelly Tool]

I think if jrs show that they are making calls and want to learn and if there are enough to be given out then they should be given one. A few reasons for this is that we have some Jrs that make more calls than our regular members, also they are around more during the day than a member that has a 40hr work week and are around summers and vacations. Also teenagers are not usually hanging out at home, so the portability appeals to them, just look at how many have regular pagers so friends and family can keep track of them. Most imortant though i feel if the Jr is showing that he is mature enough than why not a chance with a pager?

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Put the wet stuff on the red stuff!

[rdrlve]

Yes I think they Should Carry alert pagers. and Yes I did carry mine in school but under one condition..I was allowed to respond form school if my rents let me. My teachers always let me respond and they had no quams about it they knew I had a duty to profom and it was essential. and for the fact about geting teased hell yea we did we didnt care...but if your school work slide then it maybe time to take that pager away for a few months. In my dept we have implemented a policy for our jr they must keep there school gradde satisfactory ie: B's and A's and it seems to work and we are rewarded when we grad with 125 dollers form our hall as a gift.

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Engine 41, Heavy Rescue 43
----**SHAKE AND BAKE**----

[MEDIC4Lyfe]

At my dept we get 2 sets of pagers, one voice and one Alpha pager. That way we can keep the Alpha in our pocket (school doesn't allow them to be visible) and if we get a call we can know what it is quietly. Not some loud thing screaming the call and blasting our tones!
PFR

[FireManL1]

When I started off on the fire department I started as an explorer, they would not give us minitors. We established a telephone system. If the incident commander thought that the incident was big enough and he needed the explorers he would call the dispatcher and they would initiate the system by calling the explorer captain. The captain would then call the two lieutenants. Each of the two lieutenants would call two members and so on. This system worked well. The biggest reason that we were not issued pagers was due to the lack of funds in the department. I believe now they are using the alpha-numeric pagers. Although the explorers were not, and still are not able to respond on calls from school. Remember that your education is much more important than responding on a fire call. I am now in college for fire science and in a live-in firefighter program, I still do not carry my pager with me to school. In todays world an education is much more important than leaving school for a fire call.

[jr.fire]

Yes Jr's should have pagers. How else are we going to know about a call if we don't? The Jr's have the old style minitor one's, as apposed to the full fleged members having minitor two's. I take my pager to school with me but i leave it in my truck. we arn't allowed to respond to a call during school hours. and also if we're failing a class or something, we arn't allowed to participate on fire calls, until the next report card when it shows that we're passing.

[Fyrbub_4011]

Pagers are good, because they teach responsibility to the explorers. I am an explorer, and carry 1 @ school. They also can inform you on situations occuring while you are @school

Engine 508- Wrong, sir! "You go, you go". We have no time for someone to get killed trying to save his partner that is gone already. Get yourself out.

[kiddo]

I am the president of Explorer Post #3435, and right now the post is brand new, and we don't have pagers. I am working on getting our members second-hand pagers for the times they pull duty at the station, and later we will work on 24-7 pagers, once everyone has had ridetime and experience. I've been a jr.ff at another FD for 3 yrs. now, and I wasn't issued a pager there, but the number of pagers was limited anyways. Keep up the good work...!

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[Styles]

In my Explorer Post we are issued pagers on three conditions. 1) we have been in the Post for three months, 2) we passed the test that proves we are profficient with BAs, loading hose, and slavage, and 3) we pass another test, testing our general knowledge of the district and fire operations. You must meet all three criterion. We are allowed to take them to school but are only allowed to leave if we are toned out. Which has only happened twice. When I'm at school I turn mine to Exlporer tones only. We are given our pagers under the directive that we are not to chase calls and if we are caught we will get reprimanded and even terminated. I like having my pager because I am constently on the road, and this way I know if I'm needed.

[JR95]

Well if a junior/explorer has past all of their tests and is extreamly familiar with all department procedures, and are allowed to ride... then I say why not! If there are sufficient funds available, then go for it! It will bring more learning time for the juniors/explorers!

[eng1221]

Our cadets are issued pagers. But NOT to take to school. They are for listening to at home, or they can come down to the station when a run comes in.

[Whip]

What about Plectrons? I know they don't work in the car, but I'm sure most of you have scanners. Also does your dept. have extra pagers. In my dept. if there are extras to be had then they may go to the explorers, but they must understand that if a person joins who is already a Certified FF, they may lose it. Or if a regular member completes FF training. They understand it's not personal, and that someday their time will come.

[FF.FOREVER]

I BECAME A JR. FIREFIGHTER MY SOPHOMERE YEAR. WE WERE ALLOWED TO WEAR OUR PAGER TO SCHOOL AND LEAVE SCHOOL FOR CALLS (STRUCTURE FIRE,CHIMNEY FIRE,MVA). I ALSO BECAME A EMT MY JUNIOR OF HIGH SCHOOL. MY SCHOOL UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORTANTS OF BEING A FIREFIGHTER/EMT TO MY TOWN. I GUESS IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW MANY FIREFIGHTER YOUR DEPT HAS AROUND IN THE DAYTIME AND ARETHE JR. FF NEEDED. WHEN I WAS A JR.FF THE JR. CHIEF,ASST CHIEF,CAPTAIN. ALL HAD PAGERS. UNLESS YOU WERE A EMT YOU ONLY GOT A PLECTRON. IF YOUR LOOKING FOR PAGERS I WOULD LOOK ON EBAY BECAUSE SOMEONE IS ALWAYS SELLING THEM. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION YES JR. FF SHOULD GET PAGER IF THEY ARE AVAILABLE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS DROP ME A LINE


FF/EMT
MIKE SIMMONS

[KcAreaFF]

I believe that if a dept. has the funds available, and they are willing to pay for minitor's for their junior firefighters or explorers, then great. However, due to the fact that in most cases (and please note the word "most", not all), explorers or jr. firefighters are limited or even restricted from participating in fire suppresion activities, I feel that the need for alerting pagers for these members isn't all that great. As a side note directed towards Fyrbub4011, I must admit I'm troubled by a comment you made, and I qoute, "Wrong, sir! "You go, you go". We have no time for someone to get killed trying to save his partner that is gone already. Get yourself out." You can be assured that if my partner is in need of my help, I'm going to do everything in my power to help him or her, even if that means I have to give up my own life. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, or upset you...I just hope you realize what you're saying with that comment, before it's too late. Well, I'll get off my soapbox for now. Keep the posts coming, and by all means, stay safe.

Robert
Firefighter/EMT
CJCFPD

[NRFR/explorer]

I agree with Rob!!
Joe,
1st Responder, EMT-W trainee, explorer
KFD, Roger's Rangers-EMS

[rfdlt437]

I don't think they shouldn't cause
if they were injured then who would pick up the responsability and they have a whole life to do the activities of a firefighter. They are smart for supporting the fire dept. and for joining their local Departments. I wasn't aloud to carry a pager. And I appretiate them for that. Your school should come first cause if you want to be a officer then you should study then get into Firefighting full time.

[HFDPOST321]

i bought my own minitor II brand new and the company had no problem with it. and i even got tones for my home town rather than the tones for my post's fire department. but i don't know where i'd be without my minitor. it's kept me informed and has been very useful when i'm first on scene of maybe a property damage accident and i need to know when the fire dept. is dispatched and other things. without it, i'd have to carry around a scanner, which is much bigger and get no range and reception compared to the minitors because our county is on low band, 33.8600 there are many advantage but probably also disadvantages.

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Deputy Chief James Ulrich
Hagerstown Fire Department Explorer Post 321

The opinions expressed here are my own and may not be those of my department.

[eng7ine]

first on the scene of property damge accidents?you arent even a membere of smithsburg so basically you are just another nosy person.thats all the fire dept needs.if it happens like right in front of you then its ok but you shouldnt respond till you are A MEMBER OF THE STATION!soon you can run calls but untill then dont tell everyone you are first on the scene all the time.why do people act ike they are really important just because they wear a pager or know whats happening.no offense to james cuz he is a good freind but wait untill you actually are allowed to be on the scene before tellin people you are on the scene first.sorry to whoever came up with this topic it has nothing to do with the minitors(i have one by the way)but we are just normall people dont act like you are a god because you are a firefighter.that gets people hurt not saves them.

cadet kyle minnick
smithsburg voulunteer fire department

the opinions expressed are my own and may not be the opinion of my department

[Future_in_EMS]

I'm the closest thing to a captain or officer with in are explorer post and feel that explorers don't need or should be given pagers. They arn't real fire fighters! I feel that if they are able to respond to calls and leave school then why arn't they on the department staff? Explorers are in training, if they are to responded to calls then it should only be for observation. I don't think anyone likes to send fire fighters into a building and much less anywhere else where risk of personal injury to a TRAINED professional can happen. So why would you send a cadet / explorer into the same situation? If your not trained to do the job fully then step back and observe.

Thanks:
Future_in_EMS

P.S.
Saftey comes first!

[Brian Dunlap]

Future-In-EMS,
I'm sad to say you are wrong....Jr. Members should be issued paging equipment for the following reasons:

1. To learn how to respect equipment that is issued for home use...

2. Jr. Members are still members of the Company -- In most places--- with limitations of course...But they should be aware of incidents

3. To also learn a sense of responsibility...One would be by not taking it to school in the frst place....I say give the kids a chance...If they screw up then pull the pager...but issue them if they are availible.....

I've been involved for 11 years now in the Volunteer Services Fire/EMS....And have found that if Jr. Members are treated as equals { Except Blue-Lights NO WAY !!!} They stay intrested and stay around