Ideas on How to Make It Better

[BD6413]

I work full time with in a Volunteer Company {There are 5 of us Career People total} and approximatley 20 active Volunteers...We are Non-Members

I'm looking for ideas to improve relations between The Career Staff and The Volunteers...especially some Officers who I truly believe feel inferior to "us" being there

The Fire Chief is in the dark with most of the Bull Sh** and really doesn't need to be bothered with it.

Any ideas ???? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[RLFD14]

I served in a combo department with 13 career and 35 volunteer. The career Chief was in charge. Mostly everyone worked very well, thankfully.

Two things that promoted division:

(1) The career and volunteer staff had different sets of turnouts and helmet reflectives. Basically career was yellow stripes and volunteer was orange stripes. It didn't really serve any useful purpose, because our helmet numbers also gave this info away, but produced a kind of us/them feeling sometimes. Training requirements were the same, so when a job needed to get done you (theoretically) could grab anyone to do it.

(2) The volunteer leadership stubbornly held on to the old patch design on their uniforms, and kept the light blue shirts after the career staff went to dark blue. Why? Not like funding wasn't available. Just go with the change and be consistent.

One thing that promoted unity:

(1) Properly trained/certified volunteers were frequently called in to cover the shift of a career person out sick or on vacation. This went a long way towards blurring the lines and better working together.

So to sum up - in my opinion - both sides need to first grasp and accept that some people are career and get paid for their time commitment, and some are volunteer and don't get paid for their time commitment. That's life. Get over it. Career guys applied and were accepted, and no one is holding the volunteers hostage to contribute. After that is behind you, all members should integrate as much as possible, both in the workplace, in appearances, and to the extent possible responsibilities. Ideally, the public should never really be able to distinguish career from volunteer when seen in action or at the station. Then it feels like one team.

Just my observations. Sorry my post was so long.... I tend to ramble. But, you asked! ;)

[BD6413]

Not Long winded at all...Infact more or less what I was looking for especially the part about Some get paid for their time comittment and some don't - I like that phrase. The majority here need to "Get over it" as you put it I think jelousey plays a significant part at least here where I work

Thanks for the reply

[DrParasite]

Bro, I worked on the other side, as a volunteer in a combination department, and quite honestly, I would never do it ever again, mainly because of the paid/volly split.

Assuming the paid staff is always at the station and the volunteers respond for calls and have the oppartunity to pull duty shifts, here are the things I would change:

1) if a volunteer is riding a shift with the paid crew regardless of if he's a proby or a 20 year vet, any meals the paid crew has, the volunteer is invited to join. if the crew makes a dinner, the vollunteer is invited to dine with them. it's a stupid little thing, but it helps. and yes, I did have the paid staff make dinner during an evening shift, and not even bother to tell me about it. kinda made me feel like a member of the team :-(

2) Identical gear, identical uniforms. the fire department/district should have one uniform.

3) training should be done side by side. if you have 6 guys (3 paid guys and 3 vollunteers), then instead of doing 2 teams of 3 and 3, make it 3 teams of 2, with one volunteer being paired up with a paid guy.

4) if a voluteer line officer gives a career guy an order, it should be followed. simliarly, a volunteer officer can be in charge of a paid guy. and vice versa. and the chief should make sure this happens, or reprimand which ever side doesn't follow this.

5) let the volunteers do stuff. I know it sounds selfish, but they are they because they want to be, not because they get a paycheck. Let them pull the hoseline and be on the nozzle, let them be on the primary tool on a pin job, if they are an EMT, let them do the assessment. especially if they are pulling a shift with you. paid guys might do this day in and day out, but the volunteers don't have the same time or amount of experience on the job.

those are just my thoughts, and I have been know to be wrong.

[BD6413]

I couldn't agree more especially the Same Gear / Uniforms - Problem there is yes The Volunteer Side of the company is begining an in house Duty Program but isn't into the uniform thing.

There are about 15 EMTs on the Volunteer Side none of which want anything to do with assessing or trating a patient much less ride the ambulance over the B.R.T. -- Thier philosophy on that is simple..."We have paid people to bother with the patients why should we?..."

I usually plan the evening meal when there are members in house -- I work alone so the company is a welcome addition to the bordem. Excellant relations there and everybody splits the cost and the duties so that works well.

Since My original posting we have replaced one person {left to another company}and hired one additional person, a particular crew was split up which has improved the way things get done - Now everyone has to share responsibilities. - Yeah we still have one sh** head that crys and moans and thinks he knows everything {5 yrs. in the fire service and doesn't take the job seriously} but I guess every place has it's idiots. --

[DrParasite]

There are about 15 EMTs on the Volunteer Side none of which want anything to do with assessing or trating a patient much less ride the ambulance over the B.R.T. -- Thier philosophy on that is simple..."We have paid people to bother with the patients why should we?..." I know this is going to sound really sucky, but I can kinda see their point of view. if you are paid to be there as an EMT to treat the patients and ride the rig, well, i know it sucks for you, but you might get stuck doing that more often than you like. Me, being an EMT for 6 or 7 years, I have no problems riding the rig, doing assessments, treating people, whatever, and I enjoy doing that. And if the crew was you and me, I'd want to be doing the assessement and all that fun stuff.

but there are some people, even EMTs that don't want to. don't ask my why, but they don't want to, and you being the paid guy might get stuck treating and doing all the patient care stuff. It can be a sucky attitude to have but they have decided to pay someone to do it, instead of doing it themselves.

good luck though, and if you are ever going to be in central NJ, shoot me an e-mail, I'll buy you a beer.

[BD6413]

I fully understand your point....But before there was a Career Staff here the Volunteers handled it. Sure than there were maybe 300-400 Calls for Service in the coverage area mainly mutial aid to other districts and now we average 1300-1350 a year with alot of in district calls.

I don't mind being the EMT -- I learn more and get to do more in the box than being up front behind the wheel but what aggrivates me is that when there is an ambulance call on my shift the siren has to blow.......4 minutes and blow again and maybe if I'm lucky one person will pull up with little or no EMS expirence and drive for me. Even someone with a Card just wants to drive and not assist at the scene. Yeah they're paying me but geez.

Even Sadder.....Yesterday during Daywork we were down one person so we had one person working....We managed to "Scratch" {Missed ambulance call} 3 times between 11am and 4pm yet in between we had an out of district tanker assist and a car fire that managed to muster 10 members to get the trucks out each time but they can't help out when the ambulance siren blows ?? As paid staff we ride / drive the fire apparatus also so it's not like they're not coming because we're getting paid to do it they're picking and choosing ....it's the chief's problem as far as we're concerned. Hey after all I still draw a paycheck whether the ambulance gets out or not.