Biggest pet peeve....

[LVFD301]

Six guys all bunched up on the stairs and no one feeding hose.

There are something like 35 fire departments in my county, all of them (except 1) dispatched on the same channel, many of which have automatic mutual aid agreements. It would be pretty confusing if there were 35 Engine 2s! The 3 (or 4) digit truck number tells you everything about that truck; Battalion, department, and apparatus type.

I like it simple. Lanton Engine 2 is Lanton fire, station 2, and an engine. Lanton Brush 1 is the brush truck from station 1.

Our neighboring department labels EVERYTHING as a truck, and just in sequential order. Who knows what truck 9 is? You are telling me nothing when you say truck 9 is enroute, other than if nothing else I will have at least one more person on the scene.

[LVFD301]

IC micromanagement.

If you are a riding B/C with a shift made up a crews you have worked with long enough to trust and expect certain things from, you should not have to tell those crews every little thing to do when they arrive on scene. Let me do my job. I was once told (while assigned as the driver of a truck company) that if we arrived on scene and did anything without being told first that we were freelancing.

The particular activity in question was throwing ground ladders on a multi story working fire without being told.

I expect you to be doing that, and not waiting for orders. You know what needs to be done, I should just be there to ensure it gets done. Holding hands on a fire scene sucks.

[tree68]

There are something like 35 fire departments in my county, all of them (except 1) dispatched on the same channel, many of which have automatic mutual aid agreements. It would be pretty confusing if there were 35 Engine 2s! The 3 (or 4) digit truck number tells you everything about that truck; Battalion, department, and apparatus type.

Our current numbering system tells you the department and the apparatus type. The last digit is just a serial (if we have three engines they're 68-1-1, 68-1-2, 68-1-3).

We have 44 VFD's and two career staffed departments. All of them have a department number, although the career departments don't use them since they are on their own radio channels.

Mutual aid is a county-wide thing.

We went to "department Engine 1," etc for a while. Total PITA. I argued for using the department number (Engine 68), but that fell on deaf ears. Now we're back to the 'old' system.

The DC area added a number at the beginning of each unit that indicates the county. PG is 8 (Kentland 33 units are "833"). I think Montgomery is 7.

[LaFireEducator]

People in online forums claiming to be firefighters when it is obvious they are not.

Nitwits that keep saying the same thing over amd over though it's not true.

Happy Holidays.

[LaFireEducator]

This is annoying too. Whats wrong with plainspeak designations, like "Chief 1" or Engine 1, Engine 2, Medic 1, Rescue 1, Truck 1, Tower 1, etc etc etc etc.......Why does something as simple as Engine 1 have to be 37-4-38 or 4-5-6 7/8ths?

We use plainspeak here, but we only run a couple of mutual aid calls per year, and only recieve it about the same, so inter-department communications and appratus designation is a pretty minor issue.

I did like the numerical system we used countywide on last my VFD as we ran AMA to three other departments (and they came to use). Pretty simple Department Number - Vehicle Type Letter - Vehicle Identifier. Example - 4E4.

[Miller337]

Mine would have to be reporters and sh1tballs who invade the scene to interview, film or give out business cards causing the clients any further distress.

[scfire86]

We use plainspeak here, but we only run a couple of mutual aid calls per year, and only recieve it about the same, so inter-department communications and appratus designation is a pretty minor issue.

I did like the numerical system we used countywide on last my VFD as we ran AMA to three other departments (and they came to use). Pretty simple Department Number - Vehicle Type Letter - Vehicle Identifier. Example - 4E4.

Please stop claiming knowledge of firefighting operations. It's obvious you are not nor ever where a firefighter.

[LaFireEducator]

Please stop claiming knowledge of firefighting operations. It's obvious you are not nor ever where a firefighter.

Blah, blah, blah.

Prove it.

[FWDbuff]

Prove it.

He doesnt have to. You do every time you post.

[Whocares]

The real question is which one of you LAFire bashers is the coolest? I meant the toughest, most badass fire god out there? If all it took was a relentless, obsessive, embarassing focus on one member of a forum, you would all be great firefighters. Other than that, I have yet to see you all posting videos of your hot **** departments out there working so we could all learn the RIGHT way to do things. Reading the chest pounding "I'm braver than you" posts every time LA offers an oppinion is really cringe worthy. I'm embarassed for you...

[FWDbuff]

Reading the chest pounding "I'm braver than you" posts every time LA offers an oppinion is really cringe worthy. I'm embarassed for you...

I dont think any of us have ever implied that we are "braver than anyone" however when someone flat out admits (in writing, on a national forum no less) that he would just keep driving by an accident with someone (the word child has been specifically used several times in fact) trapped in a vehicle on fire "because its his choice" as a disguise for his cowardism, well yes, he is going to get called a coward. We pound on him in the hopes that his poison will never affect the minds of the younger more impressionable crowd out there. Frankly, I'm embarrassed you are defending him.

[Bones42]

The real question is which one of you LAFire bashers is the coolest? I meant the toughest, most badass fire god out there? If all it took was a relentless, obsessive, embarassing focus on one member of a forum, you would all be great firefighters. Other than that, I have yet to see you all posting videos of your hot **** departments out there working so we could all learn the RIGHT way to do things. Reading the chest pounding "I'm braver than you" posts every time LA offers an oppinion is really cringe worthy. I'm embarassed for you...

At least they are consistent.

[Whocares]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-sh...7707--nfl.html

I'm sure the big tough NFL guy would pound his chest in a forum and say he would never leave his best friend to burn to death trapped in a car too. But thats what almost happened. Whatever.

P.S. I wasn't defending LA, I was talking about the "super firefighter" bashers telling him he's not a real firefighter - as if you are all the authorities on that.

[LaFireEducator]

He doesnt have to. You do every time you post.

Blah, blah, blah.

Funny thing is very few folks that I have worked with seems to feel that way.

But hey, your entitled to your opinion, even if it is based on a lack of facts.

Have a great weekend.

[LaFireEducator]

At least they are consistent.

I have to give them that, and one of the most important traits in a person, at least IMO, is consistency.

[tbzep]

Ah, Ummers, on the radio. They key the mike and the first words out of their mouth are "Ah, Um" or a deadly silence. DON'T KEY THE MIKE UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY!

And there are those that do just the opposite. You only catch the last couple of words of a sentence. You ask them to repeat and they do the same thing. You finally tell them to press the button before they talk and they get ****ed off. We don't have the issue on my paid dept., but it often happens on our rural vol. calls with other depts.

[LaFireEducator]

I dont think any of us have ever implied that we are "braver than anyone" however when someone flat out admits (in writing, on a national forum no less) that he would just keep driving by an accident with someone (the word child has been specifically used several times in fact) trapped in a vehicle on fire "because its his choice" as a disguise for his cowardism, well yes, he is going to get called a coward. We pound on him in the hopes that his poison will never affect the minds of the younger more impressionable crowd out there. Frankly, I'm embarrassed you are defending him.

Yup, a coward.

And quite frankly the expectation that you seem to have regarding the fact that we must take risks all the time simply because we are firefighters, even when taking those risks has the potential to devesate a family financially, I consider quite irresponsible.

Yes, there are times when it is perfectly acceptable for an off-duty career or out-of-district volunteer member without the benefit of PPE, equipment, medical or wage protections not to act. It is also perfectly acceptable for them to choose not to act off-duty or out of area if they feel that the situation is over his/her head in terms of training and/or experience, and they feel that they could not carryout the rescue without significant physical harm to themselves.

The primary responsibility of any firefighter, career or volunteer, is the well being of thier family, and if they come across a situation, no matter how severe, where they feel that acting may create problems for thier family, they damn sure have the right to choose not to act without being judged by others. To expect them to act simply because they are firefighters ignores the fact that often they have responsibilities to thier famalies that are far greater than the responsibility you seem to feel they have towards the public.

And yes, if I ran acorss that situation today, and did not have PPE in my vehicle, even though I am now covered by my state's Civil Service sick time policy for off-duty injuries (at the time of the original post I was not career and had no sick time protection under LA Workman's Comp as a volunteer/part-time member), I would likely not act as the potential cost to my family could be devasating.

If you consider that cowardice, have at it. I consider it acting responsibly and taking care of your family first. And every member has that right.

[LVFD301]

Damn Children! Can we not play nice for at least one thread? You two go and stand in the corner until you can be adult. (Don't worry - we will celebrate your birthdays while you are in the corner - I realize it will take a while)

[LaFireEducator]

Damn Children! Can we not play nice for at least one thread? You two go and stand in the corner until you can be adult. (Don't worry - we will celebrate your birthdays while you are in the corner - I realize it will take a while)

Do we still get our cake while we are in the corner?

[IronValor]

My biggest pet peeve is when somebody calls somebody else stupid because he or she does not know any better. If you have made an effort to show them how to do it the right way and they still continue to mess up e or incapable of learning then they are ignorant not stupid.