This is why many of us hate (generally speaking) the fire services....

[Richard B the EMT]

Being a LEO, Fire Fighter, or an EMSer all share some dangers, other dangers are unique by employment category. I know many people who left one of these 3 jobs to go to another of them, and the common wisecrack is "He (or she) went to the 'Dark Side of the Force'".

As for the 3 links to stories about drunk or thieving EMS personnel, search a bit harder, and you'll find similar ones about LEOs and Fire Fighters. It's a "given" that the LEOs and Fire Fighters hate seeing stories putting their, or other, departments, in a bad light as we are for EMS.

Bill Mauldin was an editorial writer/cartoonist from the Second World War. After the war, just because there were so many veterans, many articles in the newspapers would emphasize the fact that some wrongdoing was committed by a veteran, so he drew up a picture of a couple reading the newspaper, one commenting to the other, "There's a triple ax murder on page 17, with no veterans involved".

I also am reminded of the old saying- it ain't bragging if you can back it up. The guys who turn every conversation into a BS session about how they "beat back the beast" and brag about the fires they claim to have seen are generally the ones who haven't seen jack shit. The ones I respect are the ones who quietly do their job and take pride in it- whatever it may be.

Supporting that, most of the "Big One" type calls I know of, from me, you'll just hear my frustration of what I missed by being at another assignment, being off that day, on a medical leave, or out of town/state/the country.

One "Big One" that I WAS at, I was actually bored silly ("Golden Venture" illegal immigrant Chinese "Boat People" grounding, with 10 DOA and roughly 330 "patients"), another, I had to be assigned a different detail within the event (American Airlines Flight 587 crash in Belle Harbor, 260 souls on board and 5 more on the ground), where I was going into some version of shock from working with all the body bags, and moved to guarding equipment temporarily removed from ambulances being used as morgue wagons.

[Herbie]

Being a LEO, Fire Fighter, or an EMSer all share some dangers, other dangers are unique by employment category. I know many people who left one of these 3 jobs to go to another of them, and the common wisecrack is "He (or she) went to the 'Dark Side of the Force'".

As for the 3 links to stories about drunk or thieving EMS personnel, search a bit harder, and you'll find similar ones about LEOs and Fire Fighters. It's a "given" that the LEOs and Fire Fighters hate seeing stories putting their, or other, departments, in a bad light as we are for EMS.

Bill Mauldin was an editorial writer/cartoonist from the Second World War. After the war, just because there were so many veterans, many articles in the newspapers would emphasize the fact that some wrongdoing was committed by a veteran, so he drew up a picture of a couple reading the newspaper, one commenting to the other, "There's a triple ax murder on page 17, with no veterans involved".

Supporting that, most of the "Big One" type calls I know of, from me, you'll just hear my frustration of what I missed by being at another assignment, being off that day, on a medical leave, or out of town/state/the country.

One "Big One" that I WAS at, I was actually bored silly ("Golden Venture" illegal immigrant Chinese "Boat People" grounding, with 10 DOA and roughly 330 "patients"), another, I had to be assigned a different detail within the event (American Airlines Flight 587 crash in Belle Harbor, 260 souls on board and 5 more on the ground), where I was going into some version of shock from working with all the body bags, and moved to guarding equipment temporarily removed from ambulances being used as morgue wagons.

Yeah- those "Big One" calls are generally the ones where you get a couple mindsets- first, it's "Damn, I missed that." Then- for the especially horrific ones- it's "Damn-too bad I wasn't on vacation- that was no fun." Sure- sometimes it's fun to claim bragging rights among your peers and say "yeah- I was at that big one- pretty f'ed up scene" or to point out that you are either a crap magnet that attracts these type of calls, or the lucky SOB who manages to miss them. (I happen to fall into the former category)

Obviously it depends on where you work- the horrific calls you never forget may not be mass disasters with scores of victims, it may be responding to your neighbor who is a DOA or the SIDS call of a family member.

Yes, the big incidents garner all the media attention, but depending on what they are, and your particular role in the event, as you say, it may have been nothing but sheer boredom, waiting in the staging area. It's the "other" calls that are not news worthy enough- the types we all see every day-child abuse, a fatal hit and run, domestic violence,etc- that usually have the biggest impact on our lives and careers.

All professions have morons, wankers, posers, and lunatics. It's also never pretty to see your peers behaving stupidly- it tends to cast a shadow on us all, but no rational person thinks a single clown represents an entire circus. .

[runswithneedles]

Bu

All professions have morons, wankers, posers, and lunatics. It's also never pretty to see your peers behaving stupidly- it tends to cast a shadow on us all, but no rational person thinks a single clown represents an entire circus. .

Unfortunately news like to view it as such. Makes a helluva better uproar within the community.

[Kiwiology]

All professions have morons, wankers, posers, and lunatics

So which am I?

[Herbie]

So which am I?

LMAO

Couldn't tell ya mate, but depending on my mood, "all of above" would probably be appropriate for me.

[Richard B the EMT]

It's also never pretty to see your peers behaving stupidly- it tends to cast a shadow on us all, but no rational person thinks a single clown represents an entire circus. .

I take it you've not had people actually coming up to you, total strangers to you, and indicating that "you are one of those fouther muckers who (mention of the dumb action committed by the fool who makes us all look bad). The local/state/fed government should fire all of your asses!"

For verbal abuse like that, I may be the magnet, or I just have a thin skin and note it all.

[Kiwiology]

Thin skin eh? You're not diabetic are you mate? Been going to the loo any more than usual?

[Richard B the EMT]

Thin skin eh?...

No comment beyond "No Comment".

[EMTDenny]

You guys are to funny.

[HERBIE1]

I take it you've not had people actually coming up to you, total strangers to you, and indicating that "you are one of those fouther muckers who (mention of the dumb action committed by the fool who makes us all look bad). The local/state/fed government should fire all of your asses!"

For verbal abuse like that, I may be the magnet, or I just have a thin skin and note it all.

The only time I have heard similar attitudes is during political debates on a current events board that I frequent. The elitist liberals of the board seem to think that public sector union employees do not deserve the pensions and benefits we receive because we did not "earn" them.

I have never had anyone address me personally with such comments.

Thin skin eh? You're not diabetic are you mate? Been going to the loo any more than usual?

Too much prednisone, maybe?... LMAO