Chief is on my case... What do I do?

[jrfireemt]

I'm only thirteen, and i'm going to be a firefighter. you may know me from my thread, 'i'm thirteen, and I have 5 years to go.' So here's the story, so everything was going fine, right, I have a scanner and I sometimes go to calls when I hear them. But I didnt go to everyone of them. But I stay away from them, and half the time they dont even know i'm there unless i go talk to them, or they(normally) see me when I leave. And when i called in a gas leak, I was just going to leave, since i'd already been on a crash earlier, but the sherrif who i talked to on the phone said stay their unless they had any questions. so i did, then the chief chewed me out fro watching the calls and I want to go on the calls, and watch, for experiance, but he just doesn't want me to. And he's basically band me from going to the station either. so i'm practically screwed, and i dont know what to do. i really dont want to loose firefighting.

[BLSboy]

Are you currently afiliated in any way with any public safety agency?
I am a little confused.

[jrfireemt]

well, kind of, i know the guys, and they gave me a scanner, but technically not because they dont have a jr firefighter program.

[KEEPBACK200FEET]

I'm sure they probably gave you a scanner so you could hear the calls and not respond to them. How are you getting there?

[jrfireemt]

no, dont get me wong, they said it's good experiance to watch, but to stand back. and i'm getting there by riding my bike.

[charlie82]

How many calls a week are we talking about?

[jrfireemt]

ha, none anymore, but it used to be mabye two or three, tops.

[st42stephenAFT]

Hmmm... I don't know if the chief can ban you from going to the scene. I mean, as long as you aren't getting in the way and causing problems, there should be nothing wrong with that. But once you start getting in the way, or doing something you're not supposed to, you're in trouble. Even though you know the ffs and they gave you a scanner, you're not part of the fire department, so when you go to a scene, you have to stand back with all the other by standers.

Also, don't be going around calling in everything. I mean, if its a gas leak (from a car? propane tank?) and there's a problem, call it in. But every time you smell smoke, don't call it in. That will really get you in deep water when you are of age to join. Just some advice to stay on the good side of the firefighters.

Also, be careful going to calls on a bike. Don't get yourself hurt because you want to be there.

[jrfireemt]

yeah, i've only called in one thing, that was the gas leak, and it was really bad, but i get chewed out even when i'm with the by standers. for example, this one time, i went to a fire one town down, and i asked one of the guys i know well where i should stand to watch, and he said just to stand with the other bystanders, and then afterwards, chiefyelled at me for it. like i love the chief and all, he's awsome but i jsut dont get it. and the ff i asked was just standing at the brush truck, doing nothing, he was having a conversation with me, and so i wasnt interupting, or getting in the way at all.

[KEEPBACK200FEET]

Maybe do what the Chief says and limit the amount of calls you go to watch. Riding your bike to calls chasing the fire truck (I know this may not literally be the case.) is extremely dangerous. I'm sure the Chief has the best interests of you and the department in mind when he yells at you. He probably doesn't want to see you get hurt or accused of something you didn't do.

[charlie82]

Are you telling people who are bystanders what you hear on the radio? Because if you do it make you seem like you are a member of the company, despite the fact that you are not actually a member. Also do not speak to the FFs unless they come to you. Do not approach them while on scene, they are doing something vital and should not be distracted.

[mcaldwell]

He probably doesn't want to see you get hurt or accused of something you didn't do.

Yup

Are you telling people who are bystanders what you hear on the radio? Because if you do it make you seem like you are a member of the company, despite the fact that you are not actually a member. Also do not speak to the FFs unless they come to you. Do not approach them while on scene, they are doing something vital and should not be distracted.

and Yup


Showing up at scenes regularly could get you singled out unexpectedly. Many arsonists stick around to watch the response. Police and FF's often watch for this.

Enjoy the scanner, but don't push your luck.

[FIREGIRL4EVER]

I agree don't push your luck. Maybe stop going to the calls is the best thing. You def don't want to get on the chiefs bad side. Especially if you plan on joining the fire dept. he's the chief at. I've learned it only makes matters worse if you go against what the chief says.

[jrscvfs]

Had the chief ever confronted you before this incident, or did he just one day yell at you?

[Remthedays]

That chief may be thinking of the young man that responded to fire calls on another department and was killed riding his bike. And if you live in your chiefs area where you want to be a member one of these days you might want to take his advise.

T.J.

[RedFox0457]

Why don't you sit down with the Chief and ask him? Regardless of the outcome he would respect you for doing that.

[GTRider245]

Not sure how a chief can tell you that when all your doing is watching. Its the same thing as if you lived next door to a burning house and you walked out and watched. IMHO the chief had no right to do what he did as long as you just watched and you didn't get in the way of anything. I would just bow it off and go watch anyway, no laws saying you cant as long as you dont drive 10 feet behind the firetruck Like I said, its the same thing as if you walked outside of your house and watched the FFs put out the fire that was in the house next door. Your only 13, in 5 years that chief might not even be there anymore. who knows.

That is horrible advice. If you want things to go smooth in the future just do what you are told without asking why. It is probably for your own good. If you cant accept that now then you will have no future in the fire service.

[jrfireemt]

alright, thanks, yeah, i havent gone on any calls at all for a long time, but yes, it was just taht one call. then on eafter that, but when i called in the gas leak, he didnt get mad at me, because the sherrif told me to stay, but other than that, yeah, i pretty much listen now. and no, i dont tell others what i hear on the radio, if they ask, i just say it's confidintial stuff. just like the guys tell me when i used to ask. and when i talked to the ff that was just standing there, he wasnt doing anything, and he wasnt even close to the scene. and he doesnt want me to get into trouble, so he would have told me if i was in the way.

[charlie82]

By saying that its confidential, it shows you know, in turn causing you to appear as a member.

[ElectricHoser]

Alabama, I also disagree with you. I've seen more than a few probies go down in flames for "standing up for themselves", even when they might have had some justification. Your fundamental principles have not yet matured enough to understand the subtle nuances of compromise for the greater good.

========================

jrfireemt, please disregard Alabama's advice. Play by the rules, regardless of whether or not it seems fair, or you may get thrown out of the game entirely and permanently.

From what you write, you actually remind me of myself, twenty five years ago. (Holy crap, I am getting old!)

Your very first, number one, highest priority at this juncture, is to not get thrown out of the game. Nothing else matters. If you keep showing up in defiance of the Chief, using the rationale of getting "experience", whatever you learn today will be useless to you down the road when you find you can't get into the agency because you torqued off the wrong people, intentionally or not.

Effectively immediately, don't go to any calls, no matter what. If you happen to run across a call in progress, leave. If you have to call something in, call it in, leave your name and number with the dispatcher, and then leave.

I don't know what size department you are dealing with. I think talking to the Chief is a good idea, but just like for a job interview you should try to do some homework and preparation first. Is the Chief always around all the time? Are all of the firefighters friendly, or are some distant? Do you trust them to not "tattle" on you if you show your face when Chief is not around?

The reason I ask, is because I think you should first find time to talk to some of the firefighters who are watching out for you and being friendly. Tell them what is going on, but don't act like it is unfair. Make it clear that you want to cause no trouble and will do whatever it takes to not upset anyone. What you're really trying to find out is if they know why the Chief is being hard on you. Don't sneak around though, that would be adding to the problem. I just want you to choose your allies wisely to stay out of further trouble. You'll have to find a way to find out what you can without leaving the impression that you're sneaking around behind his back to do bad things. Be very careful.

I am sure it is not personal, but he is probably a busy guy and does not have time on a scene to sit down with you and explain exactly what it is that you're doing to cause a problem. Trust me, he has lots of things to worry about and can think of a variety of ways you could get yourself or one of his crew members hurt, or there could be public relations issues if anyone even remotely suspects you're a member and you do anything even slightly out of line that could unfairly reflect on him and his agency. There's lots more, but I promise you that you can't even begin to imagine all the things that could go wrong. He can, and with his limited amount of time he is not going to make a long list of rules for you to follow when he can solve the immediate problem by just sending you home.

Once you start to get an idea of what the problem is, your next step is to try to arrange a time to visit with the Chief. Remember though, you don't actually know what you did wrong, you only have guesses. Don't go guessing at solutions to issues that might not be the problem. You are likely to hear things you didn't expect when you meet with him, so don't think you're going to go in there and tell him how you'll fix everything. As a non-member, you are way lower than the the lowest of the low, so accept that reality and act accordingly.

He will hopefully tell you what you are doing that is causing a problem, and he will tell you what he wants you to stop doing. So stop. No discussion. Agree and thank him for telling you and teaching you what you didn't know before. If the conversation is going more or less OK, you can tell him you would like to learn more about the profession, and that you would like to find a way to learn or participate within his rules. If you're lucky, he may allow you to visit the fire station to study training manuals or watch training videos, but don't make any suggestions along these lines, let him decide what you can do, if anything. He probably is going to stand by his position that you stay away from calls, and you'll have to accept that if he does.

No, he may not have a legal "right" to keep you from coming to calls, but he does have the legal right to talk about you and share his opinions about you with others on the department and on other departments nearby that you may have interest in in the future. Memories are long, and since they know your name you are already in the game. Play it safe, slow and wise.