r/Firefighting • u/iheartMGs FF/EMT/Hazmat Tech • Apr 21 '25

Ask A Firefighter Are you at your forever department?

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.

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u/[deleted] Apr 22 '25

I retired from my forever department which is my hometown.

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u/iheartMGs FF/EMT/Hazmat Tech Apr 22 '25

That must be nice..how many years of service?

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u/[deleted] Apr 22 '25

20, then went to work for the County where I built responses for all Fd, PD and EMS units into our CAD (compuyer-aided-dispatch) system. I worked there 15 years then retired. I would have worked longer in FD but I had maxed out on everything. So I took my retirement and started a new career.

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u/iheartMGs FF/EMT/Hazmat Tech Apr 22 '25

That’s awesome. Seems that quite a few people do that. They retire then they go elsewhere and start something else. I’m sure you’re sitting pretty! Congratulations on such a long career!

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

I do alright with 2 pensions and Social Security. One reason I retired from the FD was I was diagnosed with MS, but was able to retire naturally instead of disability.

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u/iheartMGs FF/EMT/Hazmat Tech Apr 23 '25

Ah damn sorry to hear that boss. Glad you were able to retire organically and close that chapter. Stay strong my friend.