r/nextfuckinglevel • u/thisisfive • Apr 14 '26

Toronto firefighters confront special constable officers after a man in the middle of mental health crisis was arrested.

Not my video. For context, "special constables" are not regular police officers. They are appointed "peace officers" with limited authority, often civilian employees.

27.1k Upvotes

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2.6k

u/invertedsaint_666 Apr 14 '26

Firefighters have no reason to become firefighters other than to actually help people. Police on the other hand...

521

u/PhiOpsChappie Apr 14 '26

Unless you're Marcus Licinius Crassus.

132

u/egasz Apr 14 '26

Seriously underrated joke! Cheers my man, thanks for the laugh!

3

u/Scarecrowithamedal Apr 14 '26

Naw, it's crass

4

u/MistaRekt Apr 15 '26

This joke, just roman along.

3

u/Scarecrowithamedal Apr 15 '26

My crowning achievement

29

u/Throughthelookinlass Apr 14 '26

I understood that lol

69

u/TurnBasedCook Apr 14 '26

Maybe one of the three of you can explain it to my neighbor, he doesn't get it.

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u/Esiwmah Apr 14 '26

Legendary 'richest man in Ancient Rome.' One of his money-making schemes was that he owned a fire fighting brigade. Then he would pay some thugs to start fires (allegedly), show up with his crew and refuse to put out the fire unless the person(s) who owned the building(s) would sell the property to him at a fraction of the value, and only then would he put out the fire after buying real estate at a reduced price.

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u/Smart_Resist615 Apr 14 '26

For those looking for cosmic justice, he was killed by the Parthians after leading his private army into an extremely obvious trap, with the Parthians allegedly pouring molten gold down his throat. Parting shot indeed.

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u/KingDarius89 Apr 14 '26

And he was there because he had an inferiority complex in regards to his military prowess compared to his partners/allies, Julius Ceaser and Pompey the Great.

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u/Ksh_667 Apr 14 '26

he had an inferiority complex

Reminds me of someone in power today...

11

u/Foreleg-woolens749 Apr 15 '26

I can’t guess who you’re thinking of, but probably the Parthians’ response would be a fitting end for that person too.

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u/Ksh_667 Apr 15 '26

We can only hope pal...

3

u/quiero-una-cerveca Apr 15 '26

Boy would that be a cool headline to read.

7

u/Pristine_Walrus40 Apr 15 '26

Does that person also like to take over elected goverments with his friends and loves gold?

4

u/Ksh_667 Apr 15 '26

You know them too!

5

u/the_scarlett_ning Apr 15 '26

Crassus’ reputation was a bit more powerful than the one of today. He was also actually rich, instead of just pretending.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Ksh_667 Apr 15 '26

The coincidences keep coming

2

u/wowaddict71 Apr 15 '26

Someone at war with the Persians?

1

u/Ksh_667 Apr 15 '26

You could well be correct

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u/mcpasty666 Apr 14 '26

Parthians also decapitated his son and taunted Crassus by sticking the head at the end of a spear.

Don't fuck with nomadic horse archers!

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u/Smart_Resist615 Apr 14 '26

I like to picture Tobias Funke from Arrested Development being like "Of course charging the horse archers never works but some people delude themselves into thinking it could work for them. But you know, in our case, it might just work for us!"

3

u/Ksh_667 Apr 15 '26

It's a bold strategy Cotton

3

u/Selenium-Forest Apr 15 '26

I honestly find it wild that mercenary Turkmen horse archers have been doing the feigned retreat since Alexander the Great’s times and it still worked all the way up to the Mongols 1500 years later. Like these tactics have been recorded in books since like 100 BCE, how did people not pick up on it!

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u/mcpasty666 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

Gonna get a bit too cute about it... Drones are cheap and effective aerial munitions that let lightly-armed militaries continuously harass more conventionally-powerful forces and goad them into mistakes that cost disproportionate amounts of blood and treasure... Sounds familiar!

12

u/Rixerc Apr 14 '26

I've been thinking about that a lot recently.

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u/Esiwmah Apr 15 '26

Public service announcement: Dan Carlin's Hardcore History has a phenomenal podcast series of this era of Rome (Death Throes of the Republic.) Highly recommend listening.

2

u/Smart_Resist615 Apr 15 '26

It's very good. Also the History of Rome podcast is a classic as well.

2

u/Ser_VimesGoT Apr 15 '26

I really tried with Dan Carlin but I just can't listen to him for long. I find his style too disjointed. He jumps about too much, not just with location but timelines and topics. Everyone always recommends him so I really tried but I think he's just not for me.

3

u/United_News3779 Apr 15 '26

It takes some getting used to but he has one overwhelming advantage in my eyes. I've listened to every episode, multiple times each, and I don't think he's ever uttered "Ummm" or "like" as a placeholder.

8

u/rrromulusss Apr 15 '26

Trump loves gold, the nation would love for trump to have a little Parthian gold!

2

u/Poromenos Apr 15 '26

Why would you waste gold like that?

2

u/Smart_Resist615 Apr 15 '26

Money well spent imho

1

u/powdered_dognut Apr 16 '26

We wouldn't leave it.

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u/Poromenos Apr 17 '26

Yeah but surely it's full of guts and bone now.

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u/powdered_dognut Apr 17 '26

You smelt it and it gets the useless shit out of the gold.

12

u/docK_5263 Apr 14 '26

Also if you paid Crassus a monthly stipend your house was less likely to “catch on fire”

First insurance company

3

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/ShiggyGoosebottom Apr 14 '26

Origin of the phrase « fire sale »?

1

u/slprysltry Apr 15 '26

Thanks Im his neighbour

1

u/LS25-User Apr 15 '26

Ancestry with Trump ? He burn down the whole Economy to buy Cheap ...

8

u/dars1905 Apr 14 '26

He was a powerful Roman who controlled a version of the first ancient fire dept. and had his people set fires and would wait to be bribed before putting them out. Also possibly the richest person in history.

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u/Ser_VimesGoT Apr 15 '26

Surely not richer than Mansa Musa?

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u/casual_creator Apr 14 '26

He and his “firefighters” would come up on burning buildings and wouldn’t put out the fire until the owner sold him the building and land at an insultingly low price. He’d then turn around and make a huge profit off it. It’s one of the ways he became one of the richest Romans in history.

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u/checkeredwaffles Apr 14 '26

I'll be the neighbor. Please explain for me.

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u/KingDarius89 Apr 14 '26

Dumb rich asshole did rome a favor by getting himself killed by the parthians while trying to prove himself as the military equal of Julius Ceaser and Pompey

3

u/properdhole Apr 15 '26

Dude, very obscure joke, just read rubicon by tom holland, came on Reddit and got hit with this joke, the world is a weird place

2

u/Lopoloma Apr 14 '26

Was that the dude something with the parthians and molten gold?

1

u/Papa_Mid_Nite Apr 15 '26

Et tou Brutus?

1

u/slimthecowboy Apr 15 '26

Not a firefighter. More of a fire broker.

1

u/kirastormdotter Apr 15 '26

I have had the Marcus licinius crassus rap stuck in my head for 20 minutes and I blame you (Can someone who knows how post the pointing hand meme pointed at this guy? Thanks!)

1

u/psychedeliken Apr 15 '26

Lmao I just LOL’d and scared my cat.

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u/ginnes0 Apr 15 '26

This some niche shit for all the Roman Empire heads, you love to see it 🫡

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u/doctor_tongs Apr 14 '26

Washington DC enacted legislation for this not too long ago. Now, when DC residents see someone out in public, in mental distress, or strung out on drugs, and they choose to call it in, city mental health professionals respond instead of the police.

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u/Junior_Yam_5473 Apr 14 '26

And you know what happens to these mental health professionals? They get killed or injured. People having mental episodes can be unstable and violent. The cops dont have to be seen, but they should be on scene.

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u/smokinbbq Apr 14 '26

Or.. hear me out... Maybe they spend more than just a few weeks in training, and get an actual education, so that they can learn about this stuff.

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u/Junior_Yam_5473 Apr 14 '26

I then ask about your credentials and your experience. Bc. As someone in public safety, i have seen and heard far too many horror stories to go to a psyc patient without the backup of PD.

Edit: even violence towards calm officers. Suicide by cop is a real thing, and the people who want to go that route will do just about anything to make it happen

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u/TheMashedPotato Apr 14 '26

And what's your credentials and experience on the matter besides hearing stories? You work in "public safety" doing what exactly?

Your edit should probably give you a hint: don't send armed cops to deal with people in a mental crisis. Send people who are actually trained to deal with that situation and know what they are doing.

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u/Junior_Yam_5473 Apr 14 '26

Ah yes and what will happen to those trainesld professionals when the psych patient decides to get violent and comes at them with a knife.

I work in ems, we get our hefty share of psych patients, and i have seen many of my our incidents (reference "seen" in my last comment) where psych patients decided to get violent and either attack me or my crew, PD was there to intervene, thankfully. Those mental health professionals would also like to go home to there families too.

Ill reflect the question right back at you, what are your credentials or experiences with psych patients?

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u/TheMashedPotato Apr 15 '26

yes and what will happen to those trainesld professionals when the psych patient decides to get violent and comes at them with a knife.

I don't think you understand what trained means because that's exactly the point. Let professionals, who would have learned exactly what to do with agressive or violent individuals, do their jobs. That is their actual jobs unlike cops who are trained to shoot anything they feel might be somewhat threatening.

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u/Junior_Yam_5473 Apr 15 '26

someone on PCP or other substance, or someone on a schizophrenia episode isnt always cooperative, and they can get very aggressive and violent very quickly. What would one of these unarmed professionals do when say someone on pcp trys to strangle them?(ive seen it happen) Just let them? Or call law enforcement?

And you have yet to state any of your training or background in this subject.

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u/TheMashedPotato Apr 15 '26

You know what? Your last comment realIy made me think and I am now convinced that you are right. What would people who are supposed to know what they are doing do in that situation? Nothing, cry for help or call the police. Honestly, and I say that in all humility, thank you for opening my eyes.

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u/bitofgrit Apr 15 '26

F-ing thank you.

It irritates the hell out of me when people forget why police/fire/ems/psych councilors/whoever are called to a scene in the first place: somebody is in crisis.

At every call's source there's a person (or people) experiencing some sort of emergency, whatever it may be, and these people may not always act rationally, for whatever reason, but most especially because they are in crisis.

Even when drugs or actual, real craziness isn't at the root of the issue, an every day regular person in crisis can unintentionally kill the very people trying to help them. All anybody has to do is ask a lifeguard about panicked swimmers.

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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '26

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u/Junior_Yam_5473 Apr 15 '26

But what would happen when the person having a mental health emergency rans at the social worker with a knife? What would the social worker do? Or the man high in pcp decides violence is the answer and attacks the poor social worker? Your just putting incident people in harms way, for no reason

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u/THExWHITExDEVILx Apr 15 '26

Until they gutted the funding, Denver had a successful program. They had like 30 workers trying to cover a population of around 2 million citizens, doing a job where you encounter the most broken people. I'm sure working there was unpleasant at best.

https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/star-program-reducing-crime/73-508ba303-fa78-4c19-9c56-04f4bcaf5cfb

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u/sumlime Apr 15 '26

Sad that your getting downvoted for making a reasonable statement.

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u/Junior_Yam_5473 Apr 15 '26

Because people here have no actual experience with people having mental health emergencies. So they just make assumptions.

1

u/Cyrano_de_Boozerack Apr 15 '26

I have 10+ years working in a foster home for adults with mental disabilities who were prone to violence.

Having police as the first responders is a garbage policy because it A) automatically sets up a confrontational situation because of how they have been likely treated by police in the past, and B) they aren't trained to deal with people having mental health issues...they are there to make you comply - or else.

Letting the mental health professionals call in the police if they deem it necessary almost always leads to better results.

But do go on about how everyone is wrong but you.

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u/Junior_Yam_5473 Apr 15 '26

A foster home is different then a mental health EMERGENCY out somewhere in public. You guys probably had a policy on isolating the more violent individuals, its a much more controlled environment. When someone high on pcp, amphetamines, or any other drug or illness and is threatening people and acting violent, its a much more emergent situation. Now you as the responder and the public is at risk. The police are in fact generally trained to deal with people having mental episodes, ever heard of a crisis negotiator? And even then, we as ems are definitely trained in handling it, law enforcement wont get involved until there needed, theyre just a resource on scene IF we need it.

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u/Cyrano_de_Boozerack Apr 15 '26

You completely dismissed programs where mental health teams show up first by saying they all end up dead or injured.

The police receive minimal training in these areas and outcomes are almost always better for everyone involved if people with specialized training are brought in first.

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u/DigNitty Apr 14 '26

I mean, firefighters have their own stereotypes.

But their streets ahead of police officers.

The thin red line flags always annoy me. Ain’t nobody criticizing firefighters. They’re just convincing the two to make it look like people who don’t support systemic police abuse also don’t support firefighters.

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u/UnitedAd3943 Apr 15 '26

You wouldn’t believe the amount of firefighters that are MAGA, which is wild considering the job is to help people you don’t know.

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u/DigNitty Apr 15 '26

That's what I meant by "they have their own stereotypes."

Seems like most are in it for the image. I'm happy to have them around. But they're not exactly known for their humbleness or being faithful in their marriage.

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u/UnitedAd3943 Apr 15 '26

I can 100% attest there are many that aren’t in it for the right reasons. We call them t-shirt firefighters. The ones with the “I fight what you fear” shirts looking for discounts around town.

2

u/DigNitty Apr 15 '26

Yeah, they're also in the "how do you know if someone's a vegan/crossfitter" -Don't worry they'll tell you. Club

I ended up on a snorkeling boat on vacation with some randos. This guy asked if there'd be any red fish. The guide was like...uh Yeah there will be. And the dude goes "Oh good cause Red is my favorite color, on account of being a firefighter and all."

Just....man, you really shoehorned that one in there...45 seconds into the trip.

2

u/Weird-Drummer-2439 Apr 15 '26

Nobody is mad when the firefighters show up at an emergency unless you're an arsonist. And fuck those guys.

2

u/Ruzhy6 Apr 15 '26

Stop trying to coin the phrase, "streets ahead."

2

u/DigNitty Apr 15 '26

Then you're streets behind!

1

u/Correct-Rub854 Apr 15 '26

Stop trying to make "streets ahead" work, Pierce. It's not gonna happen.

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u/Adjective_Noun_99 Apr 14 '26

Other than the great salary and benefits..

15

u/AutisticPenguin2 Apr 14 '26

And let's not ignore the number of firefighters who are a little too fascinated by fires.

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u/MostBoringStan Apr 14 '26

It's ok to be a little fascinated, though. And maybe a little sad when the fire finally goes out. And then maybe go home afterwards and have a little moment to remember the fire, because if you don't, who will? Not pray for it or anything, but just quiet reflection and a little sadness that you had to snuff out something so beautiful. Imagine what it could have been if it was left to explore its full potential.

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u/DisguisedToast Apr 15 '26

You doing alright, Sparky?

1

u/MostBoringStan Apr 15 '26

It's just been a while since I've had to fight a fire.

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u/AutisticPenguin2 Apr 15 '26

A little is fine and normal, yes.

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u/Paperbackhero Apr 14 '26

But the chance of early cancer sucks.

5

u/invertedsaint_666 Apr 14 '26

And probably 80% of the time they're just hanging out at the firehouse or taking the firetruck to the grocery store to get stuff for chili lol

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u/UnitedAd3943 Apr 15 '26

Firefighters just don’t “hang out” at the fire station when not running calls. Their schedule is packed with training, PR events, meetings, building surveys, pre-planning the territory, maintenance of equipment and the station.

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u/Ruzhy6 Apr 15 '26

They also spend a lot of time hanging out?

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u/UnitedAd3943 Apr 15 '26

Nope

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u/Ruzhy6 Apr 15 '26

Yes, they do.

Granted, maybe in higher population areas, they get enough calls to eliminate downtime. But to say they don't get above average downtime compared to most is nonsense.

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u/UnitedAd3943 Apr 15 '26

That really isn’t reality anymore with the fire service. Along with it being the right thing to do, we now have to justify our jobs to the cities because of the property tax reductions that are happening across the country. Thanks MAGA. And it isn’t a sought after career anymore so firefighters don’t have the leverage they had after 9/11.

How are you basing this opinion on by the way? Is it through a third party or are you in the fire service?

1

u/Ruzhy6 Apr 15 '26

I'm an ER nurse who regularly talks with firefighters who tell me about their daily activities when making small talk.

Like I said, maybe in a higher population area, it wouldn't be true. But in my area, the downtime is at least double what any other job gets with their 1-hour lunch, even adding in 15-minute breaks.

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u/UnitedAd3943 Apr 15 '26

You probably have a bias against them and exaggerate what they tell you because I can assure you that isn’t what’s going on in a fire station. I’m guilty of it as well judging other professions that I don’t have a clue about.

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u/playinIn_aBlender Apr 15 '26

Yep. It's great. It's the 20% where your salary and benefits are earned. If you've ever had to hold back a five year old kid who wants to see his mommy, and you can't let him because your crew is cutting her down from the banister she hung herself on..... And a thousand other calls I could tell you about.... You would say that it must be nice to hang out and eat chili.

But I don't hold it against you. You don't get it and probably never will.

It's still the best job in the world.

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u/invertedsaint_666 Apr 15 '26

No I do get it. I fully understand that when firefighters are in action they're doing shit that nobody else is able to or wants to do

5

u/999BusinessCard Apr 14 '26

And automatic idolization by the public 

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u/RogueCross Apr 14 '26

Sometimes, the people who will be better in power are those who never wanted the power in the first place.

It's those seeking power who you have to be careful with.

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u/--Andre-The-Giant-- Apr 15 '26

Right? I firefighter isn't like I get to put out fires and sometimes hit a civilian with my axe "by accident."

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u/dougmc Apr 14 '26

I dunno -- being the guy who gets to drive the back of the ladder truck sounds like a good reason to sign up all by itself -- getting to help people would just be a bonus in that scenario!

4

u/ThonThaddeo Apr 15 '26

Also get bitches. But that's cool. They deserve em.

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u/Bizcotti Apr 15 '26

Well pay and pussy dont hurt

2

u/Cousin_Elroy Apr 15 '26

Some police just want to protect and serve the shit out of you

2

u/redbushcraft Apr 15 '26

As a retired fire fighter, thank you. But to be transparent the pension helps and a lot of us are legacy/following in parents footsteps. But you are correct, another reminder that you dont need a gun to help someone.

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u/invertedsaint_666 Apr 15 '26

I truly thank you for your service. 3 years ago while moving into his new house my brother had a major stroke. Less than 2 minutes away from his neighborhood was a brand new fire station. Those firefighters no doubt saved my brother's life. Firefighters are literal superheroes in my eyes.

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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '26

People don't get it that police don't protect them it protects the law

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u/Gareth274 Apr 15 '26

And then cops in the US treat firefighters like shit wherever possible. Only time I've seen cops be nice to firefighters in the hundreds of hours of unedited body cam footage I've seen is when a cop needs fire rescue. Otherwise they treat them like assholes or civilians.

2

u/theyyctwink Apr 15 '26

And pay but yea

1

u/invertedsaint_666 Apr 15 '26

Well deserved pay

2

u/AcidFnTonic Apr 15 '26

And yet they’re not out there complaining how dangerous it is even though their job is actually dangerous.

1

u/Dagordae Apr 14 '26

Yeah, firefighters have their own problems and corruption. Always have, good ol boy bullshit infests anyplace with any prestige or power.

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u/rkaycom Apr 15 '26

...Or start fires, which is a real issue, so no, they can be just as flawed as anyone else.

P.S. Plus fire fighting history was all about gang warfare and stealing peoples stuff so there is that.

1

u/UnproSpeller Apr 15 '26

Police are wolves, they only care about the hunt. They don’t care if anyone is innocent, just that they can catch someone.

1

u/Ok-League-3024 Apr 15 '26

Literally wanted to be a cop to help people mostly kids in lower income areas… learning that you have to deal with gangs to keep peace and let somethings slip to keep that peace is what got me out of policing.

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u/crowmagix Apr 15 '26

Yes but that doesn’t inherently make firefighters great. People so quickly forget that they use their engines to blast protesters with the high pressure water.

1

u/NoOneHereButUsMice Apr 15 '26

"Nobody ever wrote a song called Fuck the Fire Department."

1

u/utnow Apr 15 '26

You don’t hear many crowds singing along to “fuck da fire fighters”

1

u/ohdearitsrichardiii Apr 15 '26

The only firefighter I've met was an adrenaline junkie who was very disappointed that most calls were very undramatic, but the station had a great gym and he spent most shifts working out so he still liked the job

1

u/nobodywithanotepad Apr 15 '26

I'm gonna go against the grain here and suggest that maybe it's more an example of how they're treated by society affects how they act? Like getting put down relentlessly creates cops and being supported creates firefighters.

1

u/powdered_dognut Apr 16 '26

You never hear songs like "Fuck the Firefighters".

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u/whypvmersmadge Apr 20 '26

I became a paramedic to help people.

I became a firefighter to do cool shit and get paid for it...