Forget EMS........This is OUR new "Service"

[FHandz17]

I work on a Rescuse Squad which runs 6-10 Fire/EMS/Rescue runs per day, and between calls, hydrants, inspections, CPR, First Aid and school tour groups, we are now installing 2-3 child car seats per day, even after dinner sometimes after dark.

They won't send me to ROCO, PALS, BTLS or any other Fire class......but they ask me once a month to get certified to do car seats. (3 day class)

I am all for providing "all around service", but this is our "new stepchild".

Is this a regional thing or are you guys / gals doing this as much as we are?

[ffguy083]

Thank goodness we aren't doing that much. There is certainly more to ou job than putting the wet stuff on the red stuff, but like I said in my new topic, some Chiefs are losing sight of what we do.

Sounds crazy to me.... Even Building Inspections in lieu of Preplans is an issue these days, esp when Fire Prev is better trained and staffed than it has been in years past.

[BillyMott]

To FHandz17, yeah our Dept has been doing the carseat thing for 1 year now, and after all them installs, guess what? They had to take a recert class. At least it was only an 8 hour refresher. Admin can't figure out why more of our stations won't sign up for the classes. What I can't figure out is if it takes a 40 hour course here in our dept. to learn how to install a seat correctly then how can anyone walk out of a store with one in hand and a 15 min video tape? In my opinion everyone should have to buy one through a certified dealer/installer like AAA or a automotive service center or something along those lines. But my biggest peave is after you spend 20 mins putting it in the parents vehicle what happens when they take it out tomorrow to take the other car to see Gran Ma? Do we reinstall every week? This could get real old real quick, except for the masterminds at Admin who never installed the first one to begin with. . Oh yeah I almost forgot, now some of these same masterminds want to look into offering Gun safety courses. I'm all for gun safety but I say lets leave something for our 700 man Police force to do.


[ 07-06-2001: Message edited by: Billy Mott ]

[SFD-129-3]

A 40 hour class in installing child safety seats?!?! I gotta agree, this is getting too much!! Gun Safety classes? Why don't we just start running speed radar and put the cops out of a job? Oh, never mind, they must have one heck of a union.

[PFD_66]

We just got into that a few months ago. It is overtime for the people that want to get into the program, and take the classes. They have a trailer that is set up for them which they take to differnet events in the city. Think they even managed to get most of the stuff bought for the program with a federal grant.
I prefer my overtime on the trucks.....

[jeg532]

i think this sounds kind of ridiculous, first of all, how hard is it to wrap a seat belt around a car seat ? why not just hold a demo like once a month or something like that. i know our service isn`t all fires, but this sounds a little to much.

[CaptKup4]

We do the car seat thing too. Used to do subdivision block parties a few years ago (that sucked) but they stopped that. So now these subdivisions figured out we do car seats so they have a "Safety Day" and we get to do every flippin car seat in the subdivision. Gotta admit, the cops are there with us helping, but this has got to end somehow. I don't mind the inspections, hydrants, etc, but all this stand out in the baking sun installing car seats for these rich, ain't got no common sense, lazy 'citizens' is getting old fast. Thanks for letting me vent.

[DKelly]

A 40 hr. class(with monthly recerts?!) just to install a car seat sold to the general public? I hope you're joking . I got my EMT cert after 110 hrs., with about 4 hrs a month for recert. This is insane. I can't wait for the "we're providing a vital service to our customers" crowd to start on this one!

[FHandz17]

Hey CaptKup4,

We still do the block party thing!!!! Like I said, I do believe in providing many services to our "customers", but it does water down our real mission, if you ask me.

Oh well, it is still a great job. I'm not complainig, just curious.

[ADSNWFLD]

We are in the same boat. Don't forget 3 hours of drill per shift also.
If you haven't been to the carseat class, you should go. (jeg532) I bet most of your guys or your families aren't putting the car seat in properly. At a recent carseat inspection day we saw close to 100 seats and about 92% were installed incorrectly. It is a lot harder than you would think.
I think we need to draw the line somewhere. Their is a town west of us that starts their day at 0700 and has to stay on the floor until 2100 hrs. No, not a typo 9 PM. No recliner, no TV, no early bed.
I actually like the block parties, we get some good food out of it. (CaptKup4) Think of it as a way to meet and flirt with the babes of the neighborhood.

[pyroknight]

It's my last day here so I guess I can offer up a few of the wacky things at this department on my way out.

Try out:
-*- Bird patrol - driving around in a support vehicle checking buildings for bird nests. Nests in progress are destroyed before they can be inhabited. Inhabited nests are off-limits.

-*- Weed patrol - driving around in the engine (fully staffed x 4) filling out forms on the height of the weeds and the amount of combustibles in fences, around transformers, etc.

-*- Bird patrol part 2 - walking around in the larger buildings (warehouse type construction, big box, you know) looking for birds nesting inside

-*- Turf maintenance - once a week, under supervision of the sod-layer, using a quarter million plus fire apparatus to apply water to new sod


Just when you thought YOUR department was whacky! There's ALWAYS someplace more screwed up than your department. There's someplace more screwed up than THIS department (I just don't want to ever WORK there!).