Post by scruggs on Mar 5, 2013 21:22:20 GMT -5
Well here we are a week after the meetings and I personally have been doing a TON of thinking. It was a total eye opener to hear the common thread at the meetings, "I am tried, I just don't care, Life just got busy, ETC., ETC". I thought I was the only one and Sadly I am not the only one!
WE the Brotherhood have seemed to have fallen into a pit of despair and decreased moral. This is somewhere I honestly never thought I or WE could be, for god sakes we are a brotherhood! I can only see and admit where I have failed us, Which I have! But I think each and every Fireman should look into a mirror and figure out where they were, Where they are now and where they want to be. And from this we will emerge stronger, more refined and a tighter group. We have all been told or have read the saying "What does not kill you makes you stronger" Let apply that to us, the Fire service. Has slashing budgets killed us? Has layoffs killed us? have brownouts Killed us? The answer is NO!! (more dangerous, Yes) They have hurt our moral, and taken the wind from our sail......did that stop your love of fire? Brotherhood? desire to do good? Do we still love stretch that first line? HELL YES!! Will we still help that stranger out when they need it? Wave to a kid on the corner? YES and YES.. Will we all still band together for a brother in need?? YOUR #$%@ing RIGHT WE WILL!!!
So where are we??
We took a oath to protect, life and property. And no matter how much the MUTTs reduce us we will ALWAYS work harder to accomplish the tasks we know need to be done......WHY?? Because we are FIREMEN! When the tones dump we'll run to the rigs, get dressed, lights and siren on (smiling like a little kid) thinking how we are going to accomplish our first due assignments better than the other guys....and Y? because inside we all still truly love what we do and who we are..FIREMEN! When the probie walks into the station for their first tour and we make every effort to teach them "the right way" and we spend countless hours passing on the basics of our job, more hours with them about the history of the job, stories and a few tall tales about the job......Y? because we are FOOLS!!!
www.norcalfools.com/files/orangepeel/PeelPDF/who_are_you.pdf
The FOOLS, like the traditional leather helmet, has always existed through the brotherhood and tradition of the Fire Service, and will continue to grow and flourish as long as there are fires to fight and emergencies to respond to. All firefighters are welcome to be a part of this great organization; one does not have to own a leather helmet to be considered a "Leatherhead". The only qualification is that you are true to your profession and true to your Brother and Sister firefighters.
Not sure why all of this came out some of it is rambling some of it just makes me feel better to say. But as of today, from today on I am making a vow to return to who I was!!
A d**n proud FIREMAN and a d**n proud FOOLS member!
Be safe brothers!
WE the Brotherhood have seemed to have fallen into a pit of despair and decreased moral. This is somewhere I honestly never thought I or WE could be, for god sakes we are a brotherhood! I can only see and admit where I have failed us, Which I have! But I think each and every Fireman should look into a mirror and figure out where they were, Where they are now and where they want to be. And from this we will emerge stronger, more refined and a tighter group. We have all been told or have read the saying "What does not kill you makes you stronger" Let apply that to us, the Fire service. Has slashing budgets killed us? Has layoffs killed us? have brownouts Killed us? The answer is NO!! (more dangerous, Yes) They have hurt our moral, and taken the wind from our sail......did that stop your love of fire? Brotherhood? desire to do good? Do we still love stretch that first line? HELL YES!! Will we still help that stranger out when they need it? Wave to a kid on the corner? YES and YES.. Will we all still band together for a brother in need?? YOUR #$%@ing RIGHT WE WILL!!!
So where are we??
We took a oath to protect, life and property. And no matter how much the MUTTs reduce us we will ALWAYS work harder to accomplish the tasks we know need to be done......WHY?? Because we are FIREMEN! When the tones dump we'll run to the rigs, get dressed, lights and siren on (smiling like a little kid) thinking how we are going to accomplish our first due assignments better than the other guys....and Y? because inside we all still truly love what we do and who we are..FIREMEN! When the probie walks into the station for their first tour and we make every effort to teach them "the right way" and we spend countless hours passing on the basics of our job, more hours with them about the history of the job, stories and a few tall tales about the job......Y? because we are FOOLS!!!
www.norcalfools.com/files/orangepeel/PeelPDF/who_are_you.pdf
The FOOLS, like the traditional leather helmet, has always existed through the brotherhood and tradition of the Fire Service, and will continue to grow and flourish as long as there are fires to fight and emergencies to respond to. All firefighters are welcome to be a part of this great organization; one does not have to own a leather helmet to be considered a "Leatherhead". The only qualification is that you are true to your profession and true to your Brother and Sister firefighters.
Not sure why all of this came out some of it is rambling some of it just makes me feel better to say. But as of today, from today on I am making a vow to return to who I was!!
A d**n proud FIREMAN and a d**n proud FOOLS member!
Be safe brothers!