You know you're a firefighter when..

[Firefighter156]

You know you're a firefighter when..
1. You can tell what type of fire it is by the smell of smoke 10 miles away.

2. You have ever had a heated debate over the color of firetrucks.

3. You have ever spent 10 min trying to force open a door only to have someone come along and open it by turning the handle.

4. You have ever taken 10 or more showers in 1 day.

5. You have ever been airborne without an aircraft and water was your thrust.

6. You have ever slept in a hosebed.

7. You've ever clung to the air horn chord for dear life because the driver is insane.

8. You have ever played jingle bells at Xmas time on the air horns to clear traffic.

9. You have ever said, "she's hot tonight" and not been talking about a girl.

10. You have ever had "yoda ears."

11. You have ever smoked and there wasn't a cigarette in sight.

12. You have ever stomped out a fire with your boots because you couldn't wait for water.

13. Your kids are afraid to get into water fights with you.

14. You have ever uttered the words, "I can break the door if you need me to Cap," before actually testing to see if it is locked.

15. If you have more toy fire trucks than your kids do.

16. You run towards a dangerous situation and not away from it.

17. You have ever been dressed from head to foot in rubber and it was not a sexual experience.

18. Your idea of ventilation is done with a chainsaw and not a Bag-Valve-Mask.

19. You've ever cursed a guy for amor-alling the seats in the rig.

20. You take great joy in smashing the windows of a car parked in a fire zone or in front of a hydrant.

21. You take pride in the fact that you haven't washed your gear in years.

22. All the shirts you own say you are a firefighter.

23. The smell of a fire excites you more than sex does.

24. A great stop has nothing to do with a moving vehicle.

25. You roll around in anything that just burned to make your new gear look old.

26. You have ever juggled hot coals with your gloves.

[explr985]

lol

[Tooanfrom]

you know when you have been in the job fo a while

When you are in your "pit" --you hear the bells go down, then you realise you are not on the run! Ecstatic grin , snuggle down in the blankets--go back to sleep--this is even more delicious when it is "raining cat and dogs" or there is a heavy snowfall.

[RyanEMVFD]

heck, i've played jingle bells on the airhorn to clear intersections during the summer.

[VolFFJohn]

here some of the ones I have

You have a fire pager, two-way radio, pager, or cell phone within reach at all times in case a call comes in.
You carry turnout gear or other fire/rescue equipment in your personal vehicle.
All your favorate stories have to do with “the big fire”, or “one time at the station...”.
You installed warning lights on the dash of your car.
You constantly show up at accidents and emergencies to help, even when it’s your day off!
Your dog is a Dalmatian.
You drink coffee for the sole reason of “staying up for the good one you heard on the scanner”.
You have two (2) or more police or fire scanners in use at your residence.
On the walls of your residence are pictures of you “battling the big blaze”, or “making the rescue”.
You’re addicted to shows like Emergency, Third Watch, Rescue 911, etc.
You read magazines like Firehouse, Fire Engineering, etc.

[EoneTiller]

You know you're a volunteer Firefighter when..

You've woken up thinking your pager went off and as you look at it..., it does.

You spend a great deal of time explaining to your friends what it means to be a volunteer- "Yes, I'm ALWAYS on duty. No, I'm not kidding!"

You can hear that the siren will go off even before your dog does.

The microwave goes off and you're already out of the house thinking it was your pager... when you realize the popcorn is done.

Your wife/girlfriend has learned to duck and take cover when they hear the pager go off for fear of being run down.

Your girlfriend/wife plays the TONES just to get your attention!!

You leave your spouse with a full cart of groceries, in the checkout line of the grocery store to go to a structure fire.

You have ever run out of the diner across from the station when the tones go off without paying.... Yelling back to them, "Ill be right back!!"

You complain about all the calls you are getting but secretly wish there were more!

[Imaff4free]

Question for you Firefighter156, you say PROUND MEMBER OF I.A.C.O.J. yet I have not seen your name listed as a member of the site. Do you use a different name on the IACOJ site? and if so what is it?

[firefighter26]

my favourite....

Everyone is running out of the burning building, and your running in (and loving every minute of it)

Or how about hearing a siren, and knowing whether it is an ambulance, fire engine, or police car based on pitch and tone.

[Firefighter156]

Imaff4free,
I was active in the forums when the IACOJ started, then I fell off the face of the earth for a while. I actually couldn't tell you where the web sites are. I'd like to know though, if you could give me a heads up, that'd be great.

[dfdex1]

You know your a FF when you hang out with the EMS detail at your Project Graduation or look for sick people in the crowd while graduateing----hmmmmm reminds me of a certain fire girl from WV..........

[Co11FireGal]

...wasn't looking...just concerned about the one I saw...

[blaze79]

One of my favorite things about being a firefigther is the way that a child will look at you with total awe. Kind of makes me hope that we've given them a little inspiration.

[blaze79]

whoops

Figther? What's a figther? Hahahahaha...you know what I meant.

[ChiefReason]

156:
Go to www.iacoj.com.
That will tell you what you need to do.
Then do it!
CR

[Firefighter156]

Thanks Chief