DRINKING AND THE FIRE SERVICE

[SFDE12]

Dr Law, my money is on you will get a flippant response! I also bet Dr. Inferno, macsen, and myself will too. It will probably have some thing to do with sniffing fingers, old police cars, and being a waste of space.(Those are among his favorites.)

As for drinking in the station, it is not allowed in my department. I belive this to be a good rule.

DFD132, are you and DFD1LT the same person? I belive that Jake295885 must have pegged you on the money in the "pain in the @#$ at the firehall" post.



[This message has been edited by SFDE12 (edited 04-07-2001).]

[canman]

My vollie dept. is a dry firehouse, if you must drink at the station do so responsibly. Don't drink and drive your car or apparatus, also don't go on any calls as you're no help to anyone in this condition.

[eyecue]

We have a policy that says that no one can even go to the station under the influence of alcohol or prescription or non presciption drugs. We also have a bar at the station. It was an old timers thing but thank goodness, things do change.

[postal79]

my company has a real big problem with this, we have a soda machine that for 50 cents gives you a choice of bud,coors,or coors light, and at every work detail thats where 80% of the members run to first, and when i come from home to a call there will be 2,3or4 people down there so i think good ill have a nice crew but when i get in its "sorry we've been drinking for like 3 hours every time it really ticks me off!

[jmk271]

My only comments are.....YOU GO, DR. LAW!!!!

Oh yea, alcohol policy....If you've been drinking here, they prefer you not even show up. But if you do, you must remain at the station to sweep the floors or whatever. I don't think I have ever seen anyone break this rule. At least at this department. The previous department I was with, now that's an entirely different story. There is not enough space in this forum to talk about how those guys acted. Quite scary actually.

[Captain Gonzo]

DFD132...when you say banning any public servicing agent from having alcohol, I assume that you mean any public safety employee. This was tried on a nationwide scale back in the 1920's...it was called Prohibition and failed to stem the problem.

As a firefighter, I enjoy a cold beer or a mixed drink when I am in a social setting.
I have a rule that I follow...a minimum of 8 hours between the bottle and the nozzle.

As a fire officer, I have had to deal with inebriated firefighters twice in my career. Both times I arranged to have them driven home and kept the matter out of the corner office at HQ. I never had a problem with the two individuals again.

Common sense should prevail...if you are off duty and have spent the afternoon watching a ball game and having a few and the tones go off...you should make the right decision and stay home!

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Firefighters: rising to accept the challenge!
Captain Gonzo

[AXE]

We definately have a "DRY" fire station here.

Years ago I hear there was alot of drinking going on but I think it divided the department more than anything...

On duty is NO place for alcohol!

[firera]

My dept. is a small combination dept. and we are a dry station. we have a "zero tolerance" policy. where alcohol isn't allowed and not tolerated.

[jmk271]

Captain Gonzo has a great point. I couldn't agree with it more. If you've had a few, stay home. It's one thing to be a sober hero. It's another to try to be one when you've had too much to drink. And I still haven't seen that "flippant" response that Dr. Law is expecting to get......

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JMK271
***Stay safe out there***
***These opinion(s) are my own, and not that of the department in which I serve***

[AXMAN620]

O.K kids, let's put this on the line and stop bickering. Simple rule if you drink you don't get to play today Now, as far as it being at the station, it goes back to tradition, if your dept. has had it, will have it and keeps it in the house then there ya' go. were all adults ( ) so act like it!!

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SEE YA' @ THE BIG ONE!

[ntvilleff]

I must say I am rather offended by the replies that it's an "east coast" thing or as one reply said "..more accurately, a northeast thing..." All our dept's are dry (there are 6 houses in our town)Zero tolerance, if you even smell like booze, don't bother coming to a call. You will be disciplined. Some may argue that what's wrong with having one beer. Tell that to your Chief, or even worse, the media, when something bad happens and your the one who smells like beer. Can you tell the difference between a f.f who had one beer or 6 by the smell on his breath??

[ntvilleff]

REPOST

[This message has been edited by ntvilleff (edited 04-17-2001).]

[lang]

Hi there, I am a career fire fighter (24 yrs service) from South Africa. I am a Station Officer at a petrochemical refinery and we have a zero tolerance against alcohol use/abuse while on duty. I a guy has to drink he can do so in his own time. However I have one request: don't jeopardize the image of the Fire Service by abusing or misusing of alcohol.
Regards

[One13Truck]

We are dry as well! Had some back in the days but the beer got replaced with bottled water and * gasp * sports drinks and sodas!!! * L * We DO have a seperate building that our Hose Company runs that has a bar but general rule is, first drink gets poured the pager gets turned off. We had a department in our County roll a Tanker a few years ago that had rumors of "slight" connections to alcohol. I won't mention names because from what I've heard they learned from their mistakes. I still like to go out and put a good stupor on once in a while, but will never be anywhere near any calls we have while I do it. Why risk it?? People sue over such BS today?? Our town is $100,000 in the hole the way it is, not to mention the thought of being thrown out of the department for it?? It's not worth it. I'll take the bottled water and be happy I'm on the Engine or Rescue when it's on it's way out the door! But that's just my 2 cents.

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Edwardsville Emergency Services, Station 10
We came, we saw, WE KICKED IT'S ***!!!

[dcfdlt]

Are we grown men and women or children?

Here's a joke, "What's a firefighter's ultimate night?"

THE HAT TRICK!

Drink a beer, get laid and squirting some water.

I try not to drink on the job. Must be an East Coast thing...