“...I can almost guarantee you he’s not going to the fire academy,” he tells Maggie. “You know how I know? Firemen don’t live like that!.....”
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That was my thinking as I read this. I’m not paid rather I’m a volunteer firefighter. My fire company, which is fairly well run, does not allow young people who have a sketchy employment history and discourages those who are unemployed to run calls. We also have to pass a background check.
For paid firefighters they have to pass a civil service test then have to take a medical exam then pass a boot camp style physical test. Firefighting is not an easy job and most paid firefighters also run as either an EMT or Paramedic. Medic is in my state you must be an active EMT for a year then go to Medic school.
Good post—from the evidence presented it seemed unlikely the guy had “the right stuff” to be a fireman.
It was just a placeholder to gaslight her.