Are you at your forever department?

[u/iheartMGs]

EDIT: I really appreciate all the feedback from everyone! Pretty cool to hear all the different responses! Stay safe brothers/sisters and wish everyone the best of luck throughout your careers!

Title says it all. Curious how many members have found their forever depts and why you made it your home for the rest of your career. The culture at my department is simply amazing. The chiefs know every member by first name and your put into a leadership role pretty early on if you’ve earned the trust of the officers. They will send you to virtually any training, deploy you across the nation, etc. Let’s hear what you have.

[u/KGBspy]

It’s where I set out to be as it’s the city my family is from, where I briefly lived and had a great grandfather work in back in the 30’s. I would prefer to work ARFF but that’s an extremely hard nut to crack here. The place has changed so much, I got 15 months left, I’m tired.

[u/iheartMGs → u/KGBspy]

That’s really cool. So your grandfather was a FF back in the 30’s or he just worked in the same city? Either way sounds like lots of history and that is just icing on the cake, too cool. I’m tired too boss, but it isn’t from getting off shift this morning. Hang in there, almost done! Any plans after retirement?

[u/KGBspy → u/iheartMGs]

Ugh, I messed up. Great grandfather (paternal) worked there, I work in the station he did (built 1895) so my hand runs along the same handrail his did. I could see the house he and my grandmother lived in from there (I’m told years ago when my grandmother was alive that he used to go home for dinner) but there’s an over 55 place blocking my view. No plans per se, I’ll just go find something else to do part time and hopefully travel a bit. Everyone I talked to that retired all did it around same ages of the mid 50’s, they all do fine and don’t miss it. Trying to sock away as much as possible for daughter college. I’m tired and going in every day, going on each call is just an annoyance now.

[u/iheartMGs → u/KGBspy]

Wow that is really interesting and fulfilling knowing that you are following in your grandfathers footsteps. I’m sure there is a huge sense of pride and ownership especially considering being able to see their house from the station and just being in his old stomping ground. That’s not very common whatsoever but I would imagine it made the hard times just a little better knowing the history/legacy that he left behind. Really appreciate you sharing that. Does the daughter want to follow suit as well?!

[u/KGBspy → u/iheartMGs]

I do see old pics of guys working here, sitting on horse drawn trucks and think of who came before me and realize I’m standing in the same spot they did. I wonder how life was for them, the city has changed as has the job. My Daughter is almost 16, in the cosmetology program at the vocational high school. I don’t see her doing this or the USAF which I did both of. She can find her own way.

[u/iheartMGs → u/KGBspy]

I wish I could say I had that same history at my department but I don’t unfortunately. I’m trying to paint an image in my mind on how the station is. I’m sure I’m totally off but all I can do is try. Kids these days definitely need to find their own way that’s for sure. One minute my 11 year old daughter wants to be doctor, then a veterinarian and then back and forth. My 6 year old son wants to be a firefighter though.

[u/KGBspy → u/iheartMGs]

Well without doxxing myself with a picture if you google “abandoned Lowell Mass fire station” you’ll get an idea of what I work in, that one in the search is in rough shape. Mine looks similar but is in good shape, in the summer you can smell the horse pee as it soaked into the floor where are lockers are which was the stalls back then.

[u/iheartMGs → u/KGBspy]

That’s almost exactly what I had in mind. Boston-ish old school style station. As deterring as that smell might be, I still dig it.