Does Hazing Go On In Your Department?

[Guest goldfrach]

I understand the tradition of initiation between the probies and senior members of a department. As stated in an earlier thread, its a form of welcoming into the "inner circle". But at what point does this initiation become hazing and harassment. Every person, regardless of profession in entitled to a safe work environment where h/she can feel free to work and not look over their shoulder every five minutes. One person's idea of clean, fun can be looked at by another as a form of harassment (which is against the law). Fire departments hold a lot of tradition..some good, and some bad... unfortunately, hazing is one tradition that needs to go-- in all forms. If you want to believe it or not, Police, Fire and EMS agencies are very much politically driven. If something happens during a hazing event, who knows what the consequences are and how high they will reach.

Is it really worth losing everything over? Just something to think about.

[gss131 212]

sssh,i think i hear the fun police

[AS702 0]

I never looked at it as hazing.. I saw it as TRADITION..

When you grow up around the fire dept you know what to expect..

[CAM502 6]

Unfortunatly not many grow up around it anymore. And it shows, when I was appointed the guy I came on with struggled at things that were second nature to me because I had seen it my entire life.

[gss131 212]

if you cant deal with the little s***, how in the hell are you gonna deal with the big s***.

[TimesUp 148]

Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

[ex-commish 490]

It was a belief when I first joined in 1980 that if your ba**s were not broken you were not liked/accepted. Pranks were pulled and jokes were abundant but most of the guys took it and ran. Very few didn't and usually didn't last. I do not believe in harasment but I do believe a little breaking is harmless. You have to laugh sometimes....

[BFD1054 1,552]

First, Mr. Benz has had some excellent remarks on this topic, hitting the nail on the head with alot of it.

I too was always told that if you're not getting your chops busted and having pranks pulled on you, than your fellow brothers aren't taking a liking to you. In any form of emergency services, you must, must, must have a thick skin and be able to take it, just as well as you dish it out! Its because of the ba** busting and joking around that we become closer as a brotherhood, if you will. Obviously, the actions of your brothers and yourselves on the fireground will ultimately bring you closer and help to gain one anothers respect/trust!

Just for a bit of advise.....aside from the firehouse, make every attempt to hang out with your fellow members in non-firehouse environments! Me and my buddies from my FD are into boating, so we like to go out as much as possible and just relax without all the firehouse bs to get in the way. This accomplishes 2 things, it allows you to get to truly know these people that may save your a** one day and it allows you to relax and leave all the fd-related (career or volly) bs behind!

Bottom line is this, you gotta have thick skin and if you can't take the heat, than the fire service isn't for you! Get to know the guys you "work" with, take the ba** busting with a grain of salt and don't be afraid to dish it out! That is the only way (off of the fireground) to earn your fellow brother's trust and respect!

[pjm1733 22]

shaving cream in boots throw buckets of water at probies. Whats next cow tipping?

Edited July 22, 2006 by pjm1733