r/Firefighting 3h ago

Videos Major fire in Hamburg, Germany

51 Upvotes

After five days the fire department of Hamburg finally managed to control the fire of a fabric-hall full of gas bottles. With help of the fire department of Hamburg Airport, the Police and a special robotic Unit from the Vechta Fire Department. Source: Polizeireporter_Hamburg


r/Firefighting 1h ago

Videos Been grinding to get better at the job

Upvotes

Took a big L This year because I wasn't prepared. I'll never fail to prepare again, passion is back for first time since academy in 2013.


r/Firefighting 2h ago

General Discussion Volunteer department wishes to merge with us.

10 Upvotes

Good day all, recently a volunteer department (at least their trustees) have approached our fire board about them merging into our fire district. We are just solving our own problems with full time staffing, better pay/benefits, equipment, etc.

This department in question is WILDLY unprofessional. When we show up to their fires they won’t go interior as they will literally hand you their hose line even though they’ve been on scene for 10-15 minutes. Not to mention they have a sexual predator and several other members who protect said predator.

I feel like all of this and other unknown things should be made known to the public and/or our fire board. However I’m not comfortable with doing so due to us not being unionized. Nor do the majority of our guys want to become unionized.

To me it seems like a recipe for disaster and I want to look out for the great guys we already have. Currently I’m the most senior full time firefighter and I feel like it’s my responsibility to do what’s right but we don’t have protection from a union. Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.


r/Firefighting 17h ago

Photos Cambridge, MA - What are these signs?

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59 Upvotes

What do the circled signs mean? I know FDC is the fire department connection. The sign under that is max pump in pressure.

Someone said it means you guys aren't supposed to enter the building to fight a fire. If that's the case, doesn't it completely defeat the purpose of the FDC and standpipe being live?


r/Firefighting 9h ago

General Discussion What type of watch do you use?

13 Upvotes

I've seen people where Fitbits to G-Shocks to Garmin's. Even saw a provide where a Rolex, which didn't last long.


r/Firefighting 18h ago

News Maine FFs avoid booby traps while fighting brush fire at homeless encampment

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50 Upvotes

r/Firefighting 11h ago

General Discussion Week 4 of recruit school completed! Love my class and the training, you have to want this mentally, I look forward to staying focused and graduating.

9 Upvotes

Just completed confined space and aced a test 💪🏾


r/Firefighting 19h ago

General Discussion Sleep aids and weighted blankets

35 Upvotes

So not to long ago I made a post about how terrible I slept at the fire station and have tried multiple different things to try and make my sleep better. I recently tried a weighted blanket for one night. We woke up for a call at 3 am and I decided to to try out the blanket that night. Usually most of us cant go back to sleep after waking up from a call like that later in the morning. It took me a while but when I finally did go back to sleep I slept past shift change and that has never happened. Years of searching just to discover a weighted bink bink would solve it.


r/Firefighting 1h ago

General Discussion Apartment complex heavy firefighter and police presence. Don’t know why

Upvotes

Maybe about a week ago something happened at my apartment complex but the leasing office never told us what it was. I was leaving my building and suddenly like 3 or 4 fire trucks show up along with several police cars. They block everything off. They go to the top of the roof of my building but we don’t know why. No fire alarm went off either. Does anybody have a clue/guess on what they might have been doing?


r/Firefighting 1d ago

General Discussion Border Patrol agents arrested firefighters fighting Washington wildfire after they asked the fire crew to line up to check their IDs.

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3.7k Upvotes

What do we all think of this? Seems pretty nuts to me. They are actively getting in the way of wildlands guys as they do their job out there. I dont think this should be allowed or encouraged. Firefighting is a lot more important than .... risking 20 guys dressed exactly like firefighters crossing the Canadian border?


r/Firefighting 7h ago

Ask A Firefighter What’s the merit of one or the other?

3 Upvotes

Hi all. I’m currently in the process of looking at making the jump from my current job of industrial firefighting to an actual department. Right now I’m in the process of looking between two big departments while I finish up my paramedic school and finishing some other fire classes. I’m looking between south metro Fire Rescue and working as a civilian for the U.S. Air Force as a firefighter. If anyone has worked for either one I’d appreciate a comparative. I’ve tossed both for over a year and would like to hear form the people who work their


r/Firefighting 22h ago

General Discussion Hose testing this week. When does your dept normally do it?

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36 Upvotes

For my dept the Chief designated August to test the hoses. He also designated Sept to Nov for hydrant testing. Some of the guys don't like testing hoses because of the heat but at the end of the day, its part of our job. We start early right after morning check offs so the weather is tolerable.


r/Firefighting 9h ago

General Discussion Japanese Firefighters - Probation?

2 Upvotes

Hello! I myself am Not a Firefighter, but am Curious about it. Although I was born and raised in Canada, I'm curious about other countries Firefighting. So, my question is for Japanese Firefighters -

How long did your probation period last, if you had one? And when did you start getting to do more Serious Calls?


r/Firefighting 8h ago

Photos Hong kong fire services department mini fire van

0 Upvotes

The mini fire van is a vehicle of the HKFSD for firefighting in the outlying islands(e.g. cheung chau or lamma island) where the roads are narrow;

it's really cute honestly

Source

https://www.hkfsd.gov.hk/eng/gallery/fireappliances/MT-PM.html


r/Firefighting 23h ago

General Discussion Jobs before I can get before getting hired on

9 Upvotes

I’m 18 right now soon to be 19 and I have my pre service firefighting degree.

What’s a good job to work before I get hired on? For example I recently put in a request to work with St. John Ambulance.

Any suggestions on jobs I can get with an EMR licence as well? What jobs did you have before you became a firefighter?


r/Firefighting 1d ago

Ask A Firefighter Question about Radio Strap

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77 Upvotes

Hello there folks, I’m a 15yo Explorer and was recently able to pickup a radio strap for free through my program and was just wondering one thing, what is this extra strap/ piece and what does it do, I don’t know what it’s called so I wasn’t able to research it so I turned here for help! (I’m holding it in the picture)


r/Firefighting 1d ago

Ask A Firefighter stupid question but uh does ‘class 1’ or ‘class 2’ on a fire truck’s livery mean something

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134 Upvotes

r/Firefighting 1d ago

General Discussion Looking for 48/96 guys who can help me out

22 Upvotes

Looking for guys who work on 48/96 departments. Our department is researching it and would love people to talk to. Please pm me if you can!


r/Firefighting 1d ago

General Discussion Medic joining a volunteer department - what should I expect? Any tips for new guys?

7 Upvotes

Hey there. Paramedic here. I have a fitness test at the volly station I'm joining tomorrow. I have very minimal experience working at a fire department. I'm joining to gain more certs and to see if I enjoy the other side of public safety. Any tips on being the new guy? Things that can help me be a good member of my station? The service I'm joining does QRS- but I'm under the impression that I'll be there only paramedic there. Any good ideas for QRS?

I know it's a super broad question. Thanks everyone.


r/Firefighting 1d ago

Ask A Firefighter Problems raising the Spartan Gladiator cabin

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19 Upvotes

Good afternoon, at my base we have a 2004 Spartan Gladiator Classi truck. The cabin won't rise. Is there any support for where the air relay is? Does it have a spacer? Does it have something to do with it since a nut is lost? Any help is appreciated.


r/Firefighting 1d ago

General Discussion I want to be better on the fireground

17 Upvotes

I come from a fire department that went full time only pretty recently which in turn lost a lot of the experienced part timers and variety with experience. Now i dont have much issue with the department itself or my peers. But i feel i cannot rely on shift training being sufficient to train me to be on par with conduct unbecoming/get after it firemen.

Im really ready to become that and can identify several weaknesses i need to improve on.

Fitness is something im getting in order, and honestly i feel i have come up to par with fitness. I swim and i weight lift regularly. To heat train ive picked up running and its pretty damn hot where im at. Its mostly nutrition i am very lacking in. I drink about a gallon of water a day but im struggling eating simple things at work because i simply dont know/think about what to bring to work. I can tell if i eat better i will gain some more weight and be less of a string bean.

I can recognize i am the new guy who hasnt had a lot of life experience prior to this job when it comes to cooking/house life. I came from a pretty harsh family which made cooking a problem haha. But it also translates to me not having a lot of role model figures to teach me how to take things apart and put things back together. Which is something im having a hard time trying to keep up with with my limited experience on the job.

Fundamentals are not hammered in for me. My department is very big on doing trainings on things that dont happen often and it is expected of crews to take advantage of training fundamentals together. Ive been moved stations and a platoon a couple times since starting and my crew i think has a good base at this point where i am and we do trainings on those fundamentals way more than my other crews did which has bitten me in the ass. Im using every resource i can at work and its working out well my crews been amazing. But i really want to become a true fireman and i am struggling to feel like im adequately trained at this stage of my career because i find myself slipping up on those basic fundamental things.

To cut to the chase i really want to know what things you do on your own to become confident you can perform on the fire ground with your crew no matter the task such as podcasts, Youtube channels, specific workout splits/focuses, health advice etc.

I would love to hear some advice from all around the board right now.


r/Firefighting 2d ago

General Discussion Mississippi Firefighters- 35 Years and no COLA

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101 Upvotes

A new Mississippi law is making all new people hired on for police/fire to put in 35 years of service before they are eligible for their retirement, and no cost of living adjustment.

When a state senator was asked about how it’ll affect recruiting “They can do something else.”

Their state usually ranks at the bottom of rankings, so residents of other states near the bottom can still say, "Thank God for Mississippi.”


r/Firefighting 2d ago

Videos What are your thoughts on this?

504 Upvotes

Curios.


r/Firefighting 23h ago

Photos Would you as a firefighter wear these?

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0 Upvotes

I'm hoping to become a firefighter. In situations where I'm not wearing a SCBA, but there's still smoke or ash around, I think something like this would be a good idea to wear to help prevent inhaling some of the toxic shit in the air. Has anyone tried this before?


r/Firefighting 2d ago

General Discussion Is this normal/acceptable?

68 Upvotes

A little context to start. It might be a long read. I am a “probie” currently going through an online EMT program. Me and the 4 other probies spend M-F 8-5 at the training center/station doing our course work and helping as needed/asked. Our training chief (who is currently in charge of us) told us our only job is to continue like that, and clean the building we are in. We understand this to also mean the training bay and tower.

One firefighter came in one Saturday off shift to get a workout in. This guy is known to be pretty hard on probies and sometimes a bit too much. He noticed the trash cans were full in the training bay. Trash cans that we emptied on Friday and got filled from a large police training that took place Friday night (it’s a shared FD/PD facility). On Monday at 0815, he storms into our classroom and yells at us about the trash being full and he tells us he “took care of it.” Knowing the guy, we go out and investigate to find he dumped the trash cans all over the ground and stuffed some in our lockers in the training bay. He was again off shift this morning and was there for an OT recruiting event, so he came in just before he left.

Cleaning has always been an end of day task for us for the past 6 months, including during our time in the academy.

Is this behavior normal? Is this seen as a normal way to address such a small issue that we weren’t even aware of? Most people in our department (~130 people) don’t act this way.