huh?
Good luck to you...I hope that peace comes to you....
(I still have dreams of Vietnam)
That’s messed up.
I wonder how first reponders like this don’t have PTSD and other issues like returning soldiers. I’m guessing many do.
Thank you for what you and all firemen and police do for us.
so dear fireman....spare us....you're lucky you can get out after 20 yrs...
Spare me....
Interesting.
I just 7 short replies, we see a range of replies from sympathy and compassion to this individual to “suck it up, crybaby.”
I have a friend who is a fire fighter. I asked him how he could handle it. He told me you get used to it.
If you've had enough, then retire. I for one wouldn't blame you. But I never would have been in that line of work to begin with.
So, you can retire from firefighting when you’re 50 but you still have to work somewhere as you can’t collect the retirement until you’re 60-65YO, yes?
And you retired at the age of 45????
A typical employee in the private sector such as the auto industry (me) could never retire with only 20 years seniority until I was 60 years old..........
Wish I could have retired at 40 with half pay. Wish I could retire at 70 with half pay.
My nephew ia a paramedic in New Orleans. Katrina was his baptism of fire. Now,9 years later, he`s just about burned out at 32. I`m encouraging him to write a first-person book. What first responders see is horrific. Prayers for you all!
As a side note, I had my air conditioning compressor replaced last summer by an active Detroit fire fighter who had a very profitable heating and cooling business on the side.........LOL!
Some of the events listed appear to be positively dark comedy. To wit or perhaps witless: The 18-year-old tattoo artist found hanging in his basement by his roommate. Alas a veritable Van Gogh of buttocks art taken away all to soon.
I’m of two minds on this.
I know it’s a stressful job and a hard one. Don’t know if I could do it and I’m sure glad the good ones are there.
OTOH, everyone knows that going in yet there’s always a wait list to get those jobs. The pay is darned good, the hours are sporadic (I realize they’re on duty for long periods, but how much of that is actually spent first responding), benefits are excellent, retirement is near phenomenal compared to the private sector, thanks to the unions they have near absolute job security and they tend to strike (even when illegal) if everything isn’t going their way, and they get a lot of perks too.
I have to say, it’s a wash for me. If they were doing it for minimum wage in the private sector rather than what they get using my tax dollars, I’d have more sympathy.
As it is, I’m sorry that I’m leaning toward saying suck it up, Bunkie. Work sucks. Get used to it. Be happy you get paid extra for the extra suckiness you have to endure. Take care of your health and be safe and maybe you’ll get out more than you put in.
I understand your nightmares. God bless you and thank you for helping so many.
A buddy of mine (fire chief) mentioned about how they use “fake” fire (propane) for training instead of just setting a bunch of crap on fire. “We die early enough already.”
I questioned him more about the “dieing early” and he was talking about all the crap they breath in, the stress, etc. He wasn’t complaining, just stating the facts.
“Every time you drive to the store you go by the intersection where you had to peel the kid off the pavement, the freeway exit where you pulled the bodies and body parts of the entire family out of the car and off the road, etc.”
Bless your heart. Thank you for your service, and may God grant you peace and happiness .