I haven’t made a post here in a while. Mostly because I’ve been so busy being a firefighter and mom that it was just quicker (and easier) to post on social media. I have big plans for this website and am hoping to start posting regularly with the new year.
Stay up to date with what’s going on with me and my firefighting journey on Instagram and Facebook. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and happy new year!
-Rookie
The Naming of Roads
The people who name roads seem to enjoy adding to the confusion of a town. In our fire district we have Oak Lane, Oak Avenue, and Oak Court.
But wait… there’s also Oak Drive which is on the other side of our area from the other 3 streets!
Just to keep us on our toes we also have multiple streets which the north and south sections of the roads don’t connect. Seriously!
There are TWO intersections of Peach and 8th street. Makes things interesting when there’s an MVC (motor vehicle collision) at Peach and 8th street.
-Rookie 🚒
*Road names aren’t actual names in our fire coverage area.
Affiliate Disclosure: Please note when you click links and purchase items, in many (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links is much appreciated. -Rookie
A Volunteer’s Schedule
Whether you’re paid-on-call, paid per call, or 100% volunteer, attempting to schedule a group of volunteers to assure full coverage throughout the week can be a bit tricky.
With a smaller volunteer fire department like ours there tends to be a day crew and a night crew. Some people work regular 9-5 jobs Monday – Friday which automatically puts them on the night and weekend crew. We have several who work a constantly changing schedule so they may work mornings one week, afternoons the next, and nights the third week.
To explain this, let’s say we have 25 people on our department. Fifteen of these people work daytime jobs, so they’re available most nights and weekends. Five of these people work 12 hour shift work, so they’re available during days and nights about 3 days out of the week. The other five work part-time jobs at odd hours, work from home, or are retired, which puts them available most days and nights out of the week.
How in the world does a volunteer department juggle these schedules and make sure the community is covered with enough people 24/7, 365 days out of the year? Communication. Seriously, it’s that easy!
We’re all volunteers, so we run calls when we’re available. Our area is always covered no matter what, and that is what helps to keep everyone in our community safe.
The Weight of the White Helmet
A white fire helmet weighs more than all the others.
No, I don’t mean literally… I’m talking about the heavy burden of responsibility that comes with the title of being Chief.
Did you know the fire chief is responsible for each and every firefighter regardless if he is on scene or not? It’s the chief’s job to make sure every firefighter has the proper training, and every citizen is given the best outcome possible no matter what the emergency is.
“The fire chief is responsible for carrying out the day-to-day tasks of running a firefighting organization. Such tasks include supervising other officers and firefighters at an emergency scene and recruiting, training, and equipping them for their respective duties.”
Wikipedia
In addition to the above, many chiefs are also responsible for:
community education
disaster preparations
personnel issues
maintaining a good working relationship with other emergency agencies
making sure every truck and piece of equipment is working
staying up to date on safety regulations/requirements
numerous e-mails and phone calls
With all of these responsibilities, guess who is most likely to get sued if something goes wrong? The fire department itself and…. the Chief!
So the next time you see someone with a white helmet… shake the man or woman’s hand. Tell them a genuine thank you for all they do. Because that white helmet is a very heavy weight indeed.
Fire Cam MINI Helmet Camera
To all who are called Chief…
May your sleep be untroubled and your heart be a little lighter. While we cannot walk in your shoes (and do not wish to), there are many in your corner and we’ll support you however we can. May God bless you and keep you safe on every call.
-Rookie 🚒
Affiliate Disclosure: Please note that when you click links and purchase items, in many (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links is much appreciated. -Rookie