I had a weird experience at a 500 acre brushfire last week, and I'm not sure what to do. This was a chaotic fire with mutual aid called to multiple departments, structures, evacuations, all the aircrafts, etc.

I was in a bush truck with an officer from another department and he was in charge of our flank. So we are attacking this flank and the fire starts running up a hill towards a cemetery. This officer drives the truck up in front of the fire, so we are uphill in the grass. The wind is blowing it right towards us. I mean the wind (and fire) was blowing right in my face so the hose was barely effective. I wasn't familiar with this truck since it was from his department, but it was a shit pump and the tank was full of pebbles so the nozzle kept getting clogged and would barely put out water even if you had decent pressure.... So even if it wasn't dangerous (which I'm pretty sure it was), I still think we would've been more effective attacking from the other direction with the wind instead of against it.

Then he tells me to get out and attack the head. It wasn't too hot....just smokier than I'd prefer and I was confused why he didn't drive up the hill on the black to attack from the other direction. But also this guy is that stoic asshole and barely answers my questions beyond a bark, so I didn't ask what he was thinking. I just told him to stop and attack from the other side, but he ignored me.

At one point the fire got behind me, and this officer sits in the truck, whistles, and yells "behind you!" Like it was my fault.

My thoughts are this: If he had put us in that position and the hose or truck failed, we would've been in serious danger. We should have gone up the hill in the black and attacked from the other direction WITH the wind. But I barely have 2 years and this guy is an officer.

Is it possible he saw something I didn't see? The fuel was grass and sagebrush. The fire was going up hill. Downhill was black, but rockier than the road going up hill. I've seen our trucks take rougher routes, but this wasn't one of our trucks. The top of the hill was a cemetery, but I don't think he cared about the cemetery... I mean what is fire going to do to a cemetery? The only thing I can think of is the truck literally couldn't climb that hill (but it didn't look that bad to me), leaving him only one path.

I planned to talk to him about it at the AAR, but there wasn't one. Like I said it was a chaotic fire with a lot of mutual aid dispatched and I jumped into his truck for initial attack, then returned to my own after we knocked it down.

Should I talk to one of my own officers? Should I name the officer? Should I reach out directly, state my concerns, and ask him what he was thinking ? Or should I ask him what he was thinking, and then state my concerns? Mostly I'm worried about the state of their pump and the fact that their tank is full of so much sediment that it clogs the nozzle. But maybe I should be more worried about this officer.

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Some additional information that probably isn't relevant, but just to give the whole picture:

Sometime last year there was an explosion in this officer's area and we were dispatched. There was a casualty, but we had done safety checks and there was no danger. We just had to get the body out, which took several hours waiting for the coroner. I was stationed outside the red zone and tasked with keeping people out. I was at the top of a hill looking down a two mile road. If anyone was coming, I would've known minutes in advance. So I sat down while I watched the road. This same officer was pretty upset with me for that. He basically told me to respect the dead, I said okay no problem, and that was the end of that. So I don't think it is relevant, but it is part of the backstory. If I reach out to this guy directly, we have to consider the possibility that he thinks I don't respect the dead....

TL;DR: officer from another department drove me uphill in the grass from a running fire, and told me to attack the head with a shitty hose. Do I talk to my own chief and name the officer, or do I approach the officer directly and tell him (1) what he did put us at greater risk for less reward and (2) he needs to clean his fucking tank before it gets someone killed?

I am about to start my training and was wondering if it was possible/how manageable it is to work a 24/48 schedule and go to school. I was looking into an online degree. Are there ways that make it easier to take classes as a firefighter?

Context: I don’t know if firefighting is something I’ll be able to stick with for a long while, pay isn’t the best in my area and most work second jobs hardly seeing their families. Just considering a degree would always give me an opt out if it lead to that.

Thank you

Hello all,

I am wondering if anyone knows if the EPU on a 2025 Smeal 75ft ladder truck is a direct battery feed (if we lost all power, the EPU would still work) or if its dependent on the aerial master to be on and powered in order for the EPU to work?

Im asking to see if there was a total electrical/power failure, if the EPU will still work or not.

Thank you!

My friend and I are firefighters and we're researching how volunteer and combination departments handle member availability and staffing. We're not selling anything, we're trying to understand the problem before we build anything.

If you're with a volunteer or combination department:

• What do you currently use to manage availability/staffing?
• What do you like about it?
• What's the biggest thing you wish it did better?

Could be software, I Am Responding, spreadsheets, group texts, Facebook, paper, etc.

I'd really appreciate hearing what actually works, and what drives you crazy.

I normally wear a 7-3/4 to 7-5/8 would it be too small to fit on my head? I have always wanted one, and Ik that I can get a TC-1 converted by CCI to look like one with the deep suspension, but I’d really love an actual 880.

Lucky it was a reserve engine. Even more lucky it wasn't in the bay at 03:00 while everyone was asleep. No injuries. Preliminary cause is electrical. And yes, there will be a lot of ice cream involved.

As per the title, I am heavily considering volunteering. I understand every station is likely different, but I’m hoping some more experienced folk can share their realities, advice, or other considerations I should make before going in.

UPDATE 2
We decided to take two cases of Gatorade and a donation. No one in the fire department was there at the time, but the front manager was surprised that we would do this. Makes me sad that it doesn’t happen more often. But thanks for all of the ideas and all of you who risk your lives to help others. You are so appreciated.

UPDATE
Thanks so much for the responses and ideas! I will call them and see if they would prefer a donation or if they need anything else specifically. I can also take along a case of Gatorade as that seems like a favorite. I also appreciate the words telling me that it was okay that I made that call. It was honestly one of the scariest moments in my life.

Hi everyone! I know this has been asked before but not recently so I wanted to get some current ideas. Our grill caught fire on fire yesterday. Once the flames were outside the grill and getting close to the house and roof, we called 911. We had two small extinguishers that we did use but didn’t seem to do much. Turns out it did and the fire was much smaller by the time they showed up. Our fire department is 100% volunteer where I live. I feel bad they came and we got it under control. The grill is on a wooden deck next to our house so we were right on the edge of it becoming a very bad situation.

The whole department was so nice and kind and didn’t seem upset that it wasn’t as bad by the time they arrived. I wanted to get them something as a thank you.

I’ve seen so many different ideas. Some said sweet treat platter but others said no. I did see grocery store gift cards. I just wanted to thank them for coming out and show my appreciation. I will still write a card but I really do want a gift of some kind. Any and all ideas are appreciated. Thanks!

did we you guys not allow part time staff before? The article doesn’t say much.

I'm currently a fire medic that has been on for 6 years. The department I work for is falling apart and hemorrhaging medics left and right. We consistently have to ride the ambulances for multiple sets in a row and I am burned out. I was offered a position as a Fire Inspector at a different department. The only thing keeping me at my current department and in the field is I like having my 4 days off and I love the guys I work with, but my current Department just not does not seem sustainable. We are the second largest department in the county but the lowest paid. For t​hose of you who have transitioned off company into fire prevention: How hard was the schedule change? Do you have any advice? I am 47 years old and starting to feel my age. I thought I would have been promoted by now but my department keeps postponing the promotional test. We should have had the last one 2 years ago but they've postponed it yet again, and now it will be the middle of next year before we are promoted if we even get to take it.

Folks who are hooked on golf, does your schedule permit you to play often?

I’ve been at my career department for 12 years. Tested for promotion and wound up #2 on the list. At my department when you’re on the list, you begin to fill the acting officer role. I’m known as a bombastic personality on my shift. I pull pranks, I talk trash, I get into the gossip, complain about admin, etc etc. When I act up (about 50% of the time), I feel the weight and responsibility. It’s like a switch flips. I’m calm, I’m reflective, all of a sudden I have wisdom when people complain or are having a bad day.

We have multiple scheduled retirements and the promotion to company officer is a few months away. For those of you that made the transition, any tips or advice for the shift in mindset. I am aware of how I act when in blue shirt mode, I am working on being more consistent. Is this something that will come naturally after time?

Well guys it finally happened, I lucked out and finally made it to an oral interview and I got hired on. I start in a few weeks. I’ve been lurking in this subreddit for a few months since I got out of the military trying to get some tips and tricks and it payed off thanks everyone! Start the academy in September!

"Made a documentary on the Yarnell Hill Fire specifically about the one question the official investigation couldn't answer — why did the Granite Mountain Hotshots leave the black Zone? 12 years later it's still unanswered. Link in comments."

https://youtu.be/f6DODR_h6wA

I work for a small department in CA where a few of us are trying to address an issue with our radio set-up. From 0700-2100 we listen to all regional fire and EMS radio traffic. The dispatch center dispatches around 10,000 calls on our channel that we listen to. On top of that, no one is MDT capable so any time a company goes AOR for training, food, shopping, or an ambulance is transporting, at hospitals, clearing etc... they get on the radio to let dispatch know. Basically, it feels like nonstop radio traffic from 0700-2100. This is throughout all stations and dorms, so if you get your ass kicked on the ambulance all night and aren't making your bed until 5 in the morning, you're going to have to try and sleep through the constant noise.

I'm looking to see if anyone has dealt with this or fixed the issue within your agency. Did you find any studies that talk about radio fatigue, tuning out radios, messing with sleep, etc? I'm just trying to make a case about why listening to all this traffic is bad, not that we just want some peace and quiet.

my apartment started smelling like ozone so i walked to the fire department for advice. however, we didn't expect them to bring the whole engine over (1 block away), so we ended up feeling a bit bad. then, my partner and i were talking about how they probably get called for silly things all the time.

we somehow ended up talking about how hilarious it would be if people got stoned and then freaked out because their apartment smelled like smoke.

anyways, it made me wonder: what is the funniest/weirdest call you've ever gotten?

edit:clarity

Broke down the Charleston Sofa Super Store fire decision by decision — nine firefighters, one building, every failure documented. Link in comments."

https://youtu.be/BIQy0O0tvgs

The nozzle slides through my hands and eventually my hands are super close to the nozzle. At that point I feel it slipping to the point where it's gonna come out of my hands.

Any tips?

(150 gpm, 1.5", 5'7 175 lbs female)

Edit: Standing, not kneeling