What Do Your Call Your Apparatus Operator?

[x635 4,066]

I'm just curious, it seems many departments have various terminology for designating their apparatus operators.

Some of the terms that come to mind are chaffeur, MPO, driver, etc.

What do you call your apparatus operators in your department?

Personally, I like the term "Apparatus Operator". (Yes, that's what it is called in LA)

I feel it throws more responsibilty into the title, and really reflects that the driver isn't just that.

[res6cue 67]

We call ourselves "Drivers" and that's what we're referred to as in the bylaws and SOPs. In our dept, "Engineers" are the six line officer positions below the three Chiefs, the Captain and the two Lieutenants. Actually, the Lt. is also referred to as the "Chief Engineer", the 1st Lt. is the "Assistant Chief Engineer", with the six Engineers below him being the 1st through 6th "Assistant Engineer". "Chauffeurs" are appointed line officers that have little to no authority on the fireground. What it is is that we have too many trucks (8) for the amount of Engineers we have (6), so we have Chauffeurs in charge of them for maintenance/drill night. There are three Chauffeurs, two assigned to the extra trucks and the third a floater who fills in when an Engineer or Chauffeur is absent. Then we have "Flyers", which are non-drivers who are qualified to operate the aerial ladders.

Umm, yeah so.

We sometimes do refer to ourselves as "Aerial Operator" or "Apparatus Operator", but that's only if we want to sound more official or take ourselves too seriously. Not that we don't take the responsibility seriously! We do, but you get what I mean. We like to keep it real, yo.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Res6cue,

Man that is a mouthful brother. lol. Thanks for taking the time to type all that out. Was interesting.

I've been called everything under the sun in that postion, in fact I've been called just about everything at some point in my life/career, lol. Then again you know that x635. I've always like MPO. Plus many know that some like to use the term "driver" as a derogatory remark about certain firefighters. For whatever reason it may be. I know down south it was common for me to hear them referred to as MPO or engineer. I kept asking many of the engineers where their striped hats were but they could never find them.

[HFD23 37]

170 Chauffeur

[res6cue 67]

Res6cue,

Man that is a mouthful brother. lol.  Thanks for taking the time to type all that out.  Was interesting.

←

I know, as I was typing it all out I was thinking "man this is getting longwinded and boring, I should just post "Driver" and be done with it". I was also realizing just how many of the terms we use are holdovers from decades and centuries past. It used to be at one time that the head of the fire company might've been the "Foreman" or "Chief Engineer". I suppose the "Engineer" part was shortened to just "Chief" over the years. Which makes it interesting when I think about our dept which has three Chiefs, but still has a Chief Engineer! We also don't have "Deputy" or "Battalion" Chiefs, instead we have "1st Assistant Chief" and "2nd Assistant Chief". Oh wait, hang on...we DO have "Deputy" Chiefs, but they're appointed not elected, and you must be an ex-Chief to hold that rank. This is a fairly recent thing for our dept, although I know some neighboring depts have done it for years (New City comes to mind). A Deputy Chief can assume the authority of Chief of Department in the absence of a line officer.

Oh boy, another mouthful. I think I'll stop posting now, I'm out of control!

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Tactical breathing brother. Either that or they make meds for that. lol. Either that or you can start drinking herbal tea, hugging trees, taking yoga and go against any common sense thought of how to run our country, civil rights etc. Oh damn..now I'm out of control.... In 1,2,3,4 hold 1,2,3,4.....out 1,2,3,4 hold 1,2,3,4 in....lol.

[IzzyEng4 427]

Driver

[RescueKujo 130]

Out here on the left coast the departments here in San Diego County all refer to the "driver" as the Engineer.

[Guest aussiegeorge]

down here at the bottom of the planet we call them motor driver a throw back to when pumpers were called motors,every one gets trained to do the job and gets rostered in the position,we used to get a allowance when you where rostered in the position but during our last pay claim it was all built into the new pay rates,sucks really because when you are the motor driver you are responsible for the rig and every thing on it except the SCABA's which are checked by the person wearing them.Those on the ladders are called aerial operators and they still get a allowance for both if you are driving and one for riding the aerials,these are special positions and you apply for transfer to a ladder station.A sore point for some as the ladders don't get near the runs of pumpers but then it does take a certain skill to operate a aerial applaince.

[hawkbase 21]

Driver.

[DOC22 1]

I have called the MPO or chauffer a number of things recently, none of which can be typed here

←

Yeah We have a couple of them too!

[Remember585 815]

If you're driving to an actual fire, most guys call the one driving / pumping, "assed out."

In all seriousness, the term Engineer in our Department is the person elected annually that is responsible for that rig and it's equipment. It's not a bad job, I took it after my 3 years as Captain and am doing a 2nd year next year.

Driver & Chauffer are the two most common names we seem to use.

[wcr20 17]

"Fred"?

[Scottyk107 9]

MPO on engine

Chauffeur on Ladder

And Driver on the bus/ambulance or rescue

Aide on DC or chief cars

[Oswegowind 17]

I never used to drive the ambulance but my partner, x901 and I were both called ambulance drivers by our friends from the fire dept. He was just my *itch...

[RWC130 594]

I mean this in NO disrespect to ANY Firefighter

Career or Volunteer

You can call a Gas Attendant a Gas Attendant or a Petroleum Transfer Engineer.

He still pumps gas, Right?

-MPO

-Chauffeur

-Driver

-Operator

You drive the Fire Apparatus = Driver

Yes, Chauffeur sounds nice and so does MPO.

Titles, Titles, Titles!

GET-R-DONE!