r/Firefighting • u/TigerBack56 • 7d ago

General Discussion Whats your departments dumbest/strangest policy?

So i come from a military background and I know how stupid some policies can be. Our department has a few i can think of but I wanted to here from the community, what is your departments dumbest/strangest legitimate policy?

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u/username67432 7d ago

We have tons that date back 100 years we just don’t follow. Technically still when a run comes in, the man standing watch is to ring the house bells one long continuous ring. All members of the house are to report to the apparatus floor and either be instructed where to respond or be dismissed by their officer. Another one is company officers are to ensure their members are in bed around 2am? Or so?

1

u/Mediocre_Daikon6935 7d ago

Honestly?

I think the bell one should stay.

2

u/BenThereNDunnThat 7d ago

Uh, no. Why would you want to have to get out of bed if your apparatus wasn't going on the call?

2

u/Mediocre_Daikon6935 7d ago

Um.

He said he gets rung if there is a call….

3

u/BenThereNDunnThat 7d ago

You missed the part where the entire station has to turn out on the apparatus floor and then either go on the call or be dismissed. If it's a call for the Ladder only and you're on the Engine, do you really want to have to get out of bed and go to the bays at 3 a.m. only to be told to go back to bed?

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u/fish1552 FF/EMT who thankfully doesn't have to do medical 6d ago

Not every dept is lucky enough to have station dispatching. We hear all the tones all the time. Only after the initial tone and dispatch is the tone channel unlocked from the main dispatch channel.
So we're awakened for every call but fall right back asleep when we know it is another station.

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u/BenThereNDunnThat 6d ago

We have the same, but it's still better than running to the bays to be told to go back to bed.

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u/fish1552 FF/EMT who thankfully doesn't have to do medical 6d ago

Definitely. They keep talking about station dispatching, but I retire in maybe 3-4 yrs and I doubt it will happen before then.

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u/username67432 6d ago

Yeah you missed the point, what we actually do is ring a certain number of bells for each rig, we have an engine truck ambo and chief, if we all had to report to the floor for every single run that would be like 50 times a shift. Also no one actually stands floor watch, someone just runs up to the stand to acknowledge the run and ring the bells.