They are everywhere, even in this small town.
I to had run to the store to get chicken for dinner because I forgot to take some out of the freezer. I didn't mind though, this way I didn't have to cube it myself. You know your meat department will cut or tenderize your meat for you? I didn't know this until recently. The produce department will also cut cabbage, lettuce or even a pineapple in half for you if you don't want to buy the whole thing? Now all those halves of fruit and veggies make sense. Oh you already knew this, okay then. On to my title.
I was headed out to the burb with my chicken and other stuff because you know you always get extras. I was opening the back window as an elderly woman says "excuse me, are you on the fire department?" as she points to my plates. I told I wasn't but my husband was. She then asked if that was his full time job, as I was answering with a no she interrupted me before I could get out that he was a volunteer fire fighter. She goes on to tell me that it's awesome that these men are willing to risk their lives for a paycheck. This is when I offered up that he was a volunteer and didn't get paid. I should have walked away at this point. She put her hands on her hips and declared that he wasn't a real firefighter then. I stood there as the snow flurries were melting on my shoulders not knowing what to say. I guess she could tell I was shocked and starts talking again as I go to shut the window. She tells me she doesn't want to be rude but wanted to let me know that my husband wasn't a "real" firefighter and we shouldn't be allowed to have firefighter plates. This is when I stopped her, holding up my hand in her face. She took a step back as I asked her for her address. She was confused and asked why I would want her address.....I glared at her and explained that if it wasn't for volunteer firefighters here, there would be no firefighters. I told her when she calls 911 here, she gets nothing but volunteer firefighters responding and if she wanted "real" firefighters I'd let them know not to bother to respond if it was her address that came through all their pagers. The pagers they carry with them at all times. The pagers they place next to their beds every night, along with shoes and clothes so if they get a call at two in the morning they can respond quickly. I turned to walk away and she says.....are you ready for this...hold on to your panties....a pager doesn't make them any more qualified to be a firefighter.
As I was driving home, I wondered why she would think this and why she felt the need to stop me and talk to me. What a jerk, I thought. I am sure she stopped me thinking she was going to thank me for the sacrifices firefighters and their families make but then....it all went wrong. So very wrong.
Some firefighter facts to educate the uneducated.
• Volunteers comprise 71% of firefighters in the United States. Of the total estimated 1,148,100 volunteer and paid firefighters across the country, 812,150 are volunteer.
• Communities served by volunteer firefighters depend on them to be their first line of defense for many types of emergencies. Volunteer firefighters are summoned to a wide array of emergencies across the country every day including fires, emergency medical incidents, terrorist events, natural disasters, hazardous materials incidents, water rescue emergencies, high-angle and confined space emergencies, and other general public service calls. The public relies on the volunteer emergency services to be their first line of defense in these emergencies. Volunteers spend an enormous amount of time training to prepare for these emergencies.
• The majority of fire departments in the United States are volunteer. Of the total 30,165 fire departments in the country, 20,857 are all volunteer; 5,099 are mostly volunteer; 1,752 are mostly career; and 2,457 are all career.
• Services contributed by volunteer firefighters save localities across the country an estimated $128 billion per year.
• The number of volunteer firefighters in the United States has declined by over 10% since 1984. Major factors contributing to the decline include increased time demands, more rigorous training requirements, and the proliferation of two-income families whose members do not have time to volunteer. The two greatest sources of increased time demands are increased volume of emergency calls and increased training hours to comply with training standards.
So how dare this woman say these volunteer firefighters aren't the real deal. She can bite me.
I to had run to the store to get chicken for dinner because I forgot to take some out of the freezer. I didn't mind though, this way I didn't have to cube it myself. You know your meat department will cut or tenderize your meat for you? I didn't know this until recently. The produce department will also cut cabbage, lettuce or even a pineapple in half for you if you don't want to buy the whole thing? Now all those halves of fruit and veggies make sense. Oh you already knew this, okay then. On to my title.
I was headed out to the burb with my chicken and other stuff because you know you always get extras. I was opening the back window as an elderly woman says "excuse me, are you on the fire department?" as she points to my plates. I told I wasn't but my husband was. She then asked if that was his full time job, as I was answering with a no she interrupted me before I could get out that he was a volunteer fire fighter. She goes on to tell me that it's awesome that these men are willing to risk their lives for a paycheck. This is when I offered up that he was a volunteer and didn't get paid. I should have walked away at this point. She put her hands on her hips and declared that he wasn't a real firefighter then. I stood there as the snow flurries were melting on my shoulders not knowing what to say. I guess she could tell I was shocked and starts talking again as I go to shut the window. She tells me she doesn't want to be rude but wanted to let me know that my husband wasn't a "real" firefighter and we shouldn't be allowed to have firefighter plates. This is when I stopped her, holding up my hand in her face. She took a step back as I asked her for her address. She was confused and asked why I would want her address.....I glared at her and explained that if it wasn't for volunteer firefighters here, there would be no firefighters. I told her when she calls 911 here, she gets nothing but volunteer firefighters responding and if she wanted "real" firefighters I'd let them know not to bother to respond if it was her address that came through all their pagers. The pagers they carry with them at all times. The pagers they place next to their beds every night, along with shoes and clothes so if they get a call at two in the morning they can respond quickly. I turned to walk away and she says.....are you ready for this...hold on to your panties....a pager doesn't make them any more qualified to be a firefighter.
As I was driving home, I wondered why she would think this and why she felt the need to stop me and talk to me. What a jerk, I thought. I am sure she stopped me thinking she was going to thank me for the sacrifices firefighters and their families make but then....it all went wrong. So very wrong.
Some firefighter facts to educate the uneducated.
• Volunteers comprise 71% of firefighters in the United States. Of the total estimated 1,148,100 volunteer and paid firefighters across the country, 812,150 are volunteer.
• Communities served by volunteer firefighters depend on them to be their first line of defense for many types of emergencies. Volunteer firefighters are summoned to a wide array of emergencies across the country every day including fires, emergency medical incidents, terrorist events, natural disasters, hazardous materials incidents, water rescue emergencies, high-angle and confined space emergencies, and other general public service calls. The public relies on the volunteer emergency services to be their first line of defense in these emergencies. Volunteers spend an enormous amount of time training to prepare for these emergencies.
• The majority of fire departments in the United States are volunteer. Of the total 30,165 fire departments in the country, 20,857 are all volunteer; 5,099 are mostly volunteer; 1,752 are mostly career; and 2,457 are all career.
• Services contributed by volunteer firefighters save localities across the country an estimated $128 billion per year.
• The number of volunteer firefighters in the United States has declined by over 10% since 1984. Major factors contributing to the decline include increased time demands, more rigorous training requirements, and the proliferation of two-income families whose members do not have time to volunteer. The two greatest sources of increased time demands are increased volume of emergency calls and increased training hours to comply with training standards.
So how dare this woman say these volunteer firefighters aren't the real deal. She can bite me.
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