Navyvet

I highly doubt that any of the emergency personnel knew that the buildings would collapse causing all that dust and debris. Some of them, I'm sure, were too busy running for their life (literally), to don appropriate PPE. If this guy served in Nam, as my dad did, I would hope that he isn't sitting around drawing VA disability because he didn't get out of the way when being shot at. After all, he knew he'd be getting shot at, so he should have known to move out of the way. That would make just as much sense as what he's claiming anyways...

I was only a volunteer fire fighter about 1/3 of the way through Fire I when I had to move, but in order to go on calls, we had to have a basic level of knowledge. The first thing that my chief drilled into all of us was that we had to think of ourselves first. We had to make sure that our own gear was on properly before helping someone else and we had to make sure that we didn't put ourselves in a situation where the rescuer needed to be rescued. I would think that anyone in law enforcement, fire fighting, and EMS should have to follow that, especially if the situation is outside the scope of your job. The officer, while he meant well, should have waited until the FD arrived with the proper training and gear to perform a rescue. As to the FD arriving in full gear, in most places it is standard operating procedure to be in full turn out gear when you get to the scene of a car accident. I do think that the fire fighters should have just grabbed the officer under the arms and dragged him as opposed to taking the time to bring in a back board. I doubt that it would have changed to outcome though. As far as dispatch goes, I know that they don't always have the correct or complete information to pass on. I also know that sometimes the dispatcher just doesn't have a clue as to what info you really need. Example, I went on a call with the FD to a fall with injury. I swear dispatch made it sound like someone fell out of a tree. What did we find when we got there? A sky diver...

Hi everyone. I found this site while looking up things online, and thought that it may come in handy when I begin classes in the fall. My husband and I are both Navy veterans. We just moved to Ohio from Georgia this summer when my husband got out of the Navy. When we lived in Georgia, I started volunteering with the local fire department. While working with them, I had the opportunity to become CPR/AED certified and certified as a first responder. In our area, fire fighters and EMS would both respond to medical calls, so I discovered that I am better at EMS than fire fighting. I'll be starting classes next fall for Fire Science and EMS (Basic and Paramedic). Since we live in a big city, fire fighters and medics have to be trained in both. I know that volunteers tend to get picked on, but I was grateful to have had the chance to try it out and make sure that this is the profession that I'd like to be in. More specifically, my husband feels better about my ability to do the job and be able to handle the types of calls I would have to go on. If any one has questions, feel free to ask.