Originally posted by godrulz
It's all about Jesus. We can present Him in simplicity and power. This other sophisticated mumbo jumbo is important, but not worth fighting about. Let us love and proclaim Jesus to a dying world.
Were you a volunteer firefighter or a paid professional in a city?
I am a paramedic. I am not cross trained. We get along like cats and dogs. I like volunteer firefighters who serve their community. I have a problem with self-serving, budget-padding Fire services that eat, sleep, and watch T.V. all day/night and try to take over EMS and its budget to justify their existence (results in lesser patient care).
I am not crossed trained either, just advanced first aid, although there were a few of us firefighters trained as paramedic's. Yes.....I was professional, put in twenty years.
Hummmm...Sorry to hear you didn't get along with the pro-firefighters. My experience was just the opposite, I got along just fine with the paramedic's, one of which is a good friend. Although during my active duty years the Fire Department and EMS. were two separate departments, they are now incorpated into one.
We worked 24 on and 48 off, while the EMS were eight hour shifts. Most of us had off day jobs too....sorry about the bed thing, but it is hard to stay up for 24 hours.....lol! It was aways a comfort to me to have the EMS guys around! Some of the EMS crews would stop by the fire house in between runs, and have a cup of coffee ,and watch "TV" with us...lol. If we got a fire they would tag along in case we would need them. I can remember many a times being in a smoke filled burning building, ventilate a window, look down and see my EMS friends standing on the street with a oxygen bottle in hand ready if we got into trouble......As I said they were a comfort to me!
A few years before I retired , the incorporation of the two departments was in the planning. I was in support of it, and the only concern my Paramedic friend had was the fear of cross training.....As it turned out the cross training wasn't made mandatory, and the pay increased for the paramedic's ....raised to that of the firefighters. So ....the EMS people benefited....Which I looked at as a good thing...They deserved it! I always had a respect for them.
We also from time to time would work with the volunteers ,in the out of city districts. Most of which had contracts with the city for fire protection. For the most part we got along fine, a few problems arose now and then, but it was aways worked out!