Our volunteer fire department is just 20 years old. We get a variety of calls in our area, about 100 a year and that number is growing! Our leadership and methods are outdated by as many years as our dept's age, if not more! Our fire dept has become more of a social club then a modern fire dept. There is no training, no safety (ie taging in and out), and no disipline. The morale is good, but thats because most of the 'cliques' are busy scheduling their next golf tornament, or whatever, at the dept expense. We are fortunate to have a large tax base to draw resources from, but do not use it for proper equiptment or training. The problem is the 'The Old Boys Club'. Have any of you ever heard of this club? They are resistent to change. One of these days we will be called upon to perform a high angle resq. or a confined space resq. and we will end up standing around until mutual aid shows up or worse, someone (firefighter or civie) gets killed! Anybody that has any ideas or experience that might help some of us younger guys in the dept show the older 'Club' that change has to come before it's to late, I'd love to hears from you. Thanks in advance. OTTIS.

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