What pulled you in??

[WannabeintheFD]

What got you into the fire department... what cought your eye... was it a family tradition or just a child hood dream???

[ThNozzleman]

Why, the pay, of course.

[dfdex1]

What pulled you in

Well...... well there was this.........this yellow sign that said "GOSLOW" and I saw the fire station and then I went over to ask the fireman where Goslow was and I tri....no fell...no... was ambushed and thrown in a cage by a stop sign..... and was knocked out and when I came to I was a fire explorer.

[dfdex1]

What got you into the fire department

The door?

[EoneTiller]

COUGH smartass COUGH!

I was walking by the firehouse late at night when i saw a bright green glow coming from bay door and I started to walk towards it and BAM! i walked right into the wall.then somehow i was transformed into this orange goo, and it sucked me under the door into this room and i became a jr ff.then the alien spaceship aka tower ladder drove me to my house where i ran to my room and locked the door in fear of the fireman! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[FiRsqDvr45]

Gee..My excuse is much less imaginative then yours. I wanted to be a firefighter when I was very young but the feeling seemed to go as I grew. When I was 13 my mother died at home and I watched not knowing what to do to help her. Along comes the Portsmouth Fire Department with an engine and ambulance and they did everything they could do for her but it was to late. I realized that they did much more then fight fires, they gave people a chance to live, I wanted to do that also. When I was 14 some buddies at school were in the Fire Explorer Post in Newington and told me if I was interested to drop by for a meeting and training to see what they were learning. That was August 1987 and I never looked back. I now have the greatest and most noble job in the world.

[rfcmitch]

None of you take this serious?

Why cant we actually take something for serious? You people I tell ya... so immature... he asks a nice question and you act like morons...

Well actually I was walking the dog one day and these firemen in full turnouts jumped out of the bushes and kidnapped me. Through me on the engine and took off, they had sparky sit there and growl at me so I would yell. Well to make a long story short they played tapes all night in my little holding cell... things like...

Fight Fire... Fire trucks... Fire... Fire engines... firefighters... and in all this reduncy as you can see.

So after years of being brain washed, hypnotised, and put in my cell at the hall, I became a junior.

I didnt get abducted per-say like the rest of these "orange goo" people. I just got plain ol' kidnapped.

I think the fire chief, my dad, was behind the whole charade.

[Dickey]

I watched my father go on fire calls when I was young. My father was a founding member of a local volunteer fire department in our township we lived in. Plus, I just wanted to do it for as long as I can remember. In fact I used to draw pictures of fires and fire trucks when I was a just a wee squirt. Mom was a little concerned at first but she go over it. Maybe she should have had me checked out and maybe I would be in a business that you make lots of money doing?

Keep your head down and your powder dry.
________________________
Lt.Jason Knecht
Altoona Fire Rescue
Altoona, WI

[EoneTiller]

How is that being immature mitch? It's called a sense of humor, lighten up man.Trying to add some flava to the forums! Also there has been posts where i have been 100% serious.


serious mode:ON

I went to the firehouse because there was something going on within this group my mom is apart of so i went along, and this fireman comes up to me asking would i ever be interested in becoming a FF so i said yes and they next day i was there filling out paperwork to join.

serious mode:OFF

[Trafficjockey93]

You guys are hysterical!! ROTFLMAO!!!!

The time to be serious is when the s--t hits the fan.
Ya gotta have some humor or the stress will do ya in.

I got started when I was 14. My father was a daytime driver for a volley company near his work. One day he came home with that wonderful fire and smoke smell all over him and his clothes. I asked him why he had that smell on him, since I didn't know he belonged to a Fire Company. He told me what he did for the Fire Company and my admiration and respect for him grew even greater that day. Some time passed and I asked him at what age I could join. He told me 14. So at the next meeting I was filling out all the paperwork. That Fire Company gained two members that day. My father then became very active and he even took Firefighting classes with me. He held me in check and gave me good advice that I still use to this day. Fortunately I never made some of the same mistakes that Explorers and Juniors make with running the mouth before brain is engaged. He taught me to listen an shut the hell up. I still use that philosophy today, because there is always something to learn. You gentlemen here are a good example of that.
My Father taught me alot about firefighting over the years.

God Bless his soul. He has passed on now and he had his final ride on the back of the Engine he loved so much to operate.

Now you want to talk about history repeating itself. My son, who was born on my Fathers birthday the same year he passed onto that Big Firehouse in the sky has now joined the Explorer Progran at the Fire Company I belong to. Like Father, Like Son.
I sincerely hope that everyone of you out there who have sons, have the opportunity to have your sons run with you. It is truly a wonderful experience, one filled with pride and admiration as you see them advance in their training and pecking order at the Station.

Take Care, Be Safe and God Bless

[Guest]

Two guys did it for me... Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto.

[codeblue81]

Alright!! I was wondering when someone was going to bring up Roy and Johnnie!!

For me though, I always admired FFs. From the first time I saw a REAL fire in 2nd grade. I became more and more interested in EMS and then soom became interested in Firefighting. Now it's just hang on and see what happens.

code_blue81

[FiRsqDvr45]

Roy and Johnny were also a factor,but so were the crew at LAFD Station 1 in "Code Red". Can't believe I forgot them. I also realized through the Explorers that EMS was not very much like the EMS on "Mother,Jugs, and Speed"! How is that for an oldies influence?

[ullrichk]

I got into this work entirely by accident.

I was minding my own business running the Dept. of Public Works for a smallish university town when the fire chief (a crusty old 80 y.o. antique) asked me if I would be willing to be a volunteer FF.

Seems he didn't have enough people responding in the daytime and knew I would be available.

The more I learned about firefighting, the more I liked it. I wound up going full-time (with a significant cut in pay) and even went back to school for another B.S. in Fire Administration and an M.B.A.

I can't imagine doing anything else now.

I don't know or care if my kids will follow in my footsteps. I just want them to have an honorable profession, be good at it, and be happy doing it. But if they do all join the fire service, I'll have enough for my own engine company!

[ff7134]

Its a Family Tradition!!!