Color Blind

[AIR1986]

Hey everyone just curious if your firehouses allow someone who is colorblind in some aspects still become a FF. Also if you are a paramedic in a firehouse would that still pertain to you?

[npfd801]

Paid or volunteer? I've seen some paid departments require that employees not be colorblind, others it didn't matter...

[firelawn]

Seriously why should it matter? By this age in time you should have slightly over come your problem. Red is on top and green is on the bottom, pink is in the middle. lol I'm joking. I don't see it being a problem though.

[npfd801]

Seriously why should it matter? By this age in time you should have slightly over come your problem. Red is on top and green is on the bottom, pink is in the middle. lol I'm joking. I don't see it being a problem though.

The sad thing is that even if you can get through the standard colorblind test, if you don't disclose your colorblindness and get hired - then they later find out, it could be grounds for termination. That wouldn't be any good.

I'm sure there are logical reasons why a department would require their personnel not to be colorblind, but I don't know what they are.

When I got hired on my career stint a while back, the guy ahead of me lied about something in his background on his polygraph. I don't think the issue he lied about was a big enough deal to take him out of the running, but the fact that he was dishonest about it was... He was off the list, from number one to nothing for a lie.

[BlueMtnsFirey]

We have had at least one guy in our area taken on with the stipulation that he cannot drive any brigade vehicle due to colourblindness.
So he does everything else on the fireground......the guys in his station make sure someone else is watching for coloured smoke on hazmat calls. Apart from that no issues but he did have to fight for it and sign paperwork showing his rectrictions for his file.

[BoxAlarm187]

As a matter of fact, I happen to have a member of my shift that's colorblind. We haven't found it to create any problems for us (or him). About the only thing we do different when he's around, and this is at his request, is that we specifically request a size needle by the size, not by the color package it's in, which is most BLS guys like to hear. Yea, I know, kinda silly. :D

I asked him about this just now, and he says that he's always been colorblind, has done everything else in his life while colorblind, so this job hasn't presented any more challenges to him than anything else in his life.

[Kobersteen]

I'm color blind and of the 5 departments I have worked or volunteered with, only one gave me grief. They ended up relenting after I got a note from my eye doc saying that I can tell red from yellow from green. :rolleyes:

Interesting article for those who think we all see in B&W: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_blind

[FIREGIRL4EVER]

I'm blue-green colorblind and work part time with the county. They don't have a problem with it I've overcome and adapted.

[dmleblanc]

You can be colorblind and join our department. You are just not allowed to be on any apparatus design committees :D

[DeputyMarshal]

We have a Captain who is red/green colorblind and also wears eyeglasses.

It wouldn't be so much of a problem except that he can't seem to hear without his glasses either... ;)

[Kobersteen]

It wouldn't be so much of a problem except that he can't seem to hear without his glasses either... ;)

Come again?

:D