You know you're a buff when....

[JBE 328]

This is something I kinda came up with after listening to some comments passed at my job and on a few other messageboards.

You know you're a buff when....

You have more radios tuned to the local fire/ems/police frequencies than you have to your favorite music station.

You can rattle off assignments to locations faster than the crustiest dispatcher. And you're not a dispatcher.

You're on a first name basis with most of the chiefs and 1/3 of the firefighters in your town/city.

You've got more antennas sticking out of your house/car than the local radio station.

75% of the shirts you own are FD/PD/EMS shirts.

You've got a scanner in at least one room in your house, and it's on 24/7.

Your favorite book is published by Hagstrom.

Any portion of your paycheck goes to donuts/food for your local firehouse.

***DISPATCHERS ONLY**** You argue about who should be first due to that location and why. (Usually because you know someone in that firehouse or you buff there)

You can barely get out of your car because the weight of your radios, pagers, cell phone, camera, and video equipment is weighing you down.

Your idea of a fun night out is taking in 3 or 4 fires in a 6 hour period.

Your clothes and your cars interior reek of smoke.

You remember incidents that most Emergency personnel you know have totally forgotten about.

You hear certain dispatchers on the radio and you know who they are just by their voice.

To add to the above, you know it's going to be a good tour when you hear a certain dispatcher on the radio.

You tell non buffs to get out of the way so you can get some better photos/video footage.

You happen to show up on a scene without a camera and the firefighters break your chops about it.

You're taking your kids along, and they're taking pictures, too!!

You try to talk to non-buffs about an incident, using job related slang. They all nod their heads and sort of smile, and then they slowly back up a step or two.

You covet memorabilia like it was a Honus Wagner Rookie Card

****BUFF DISPATCHERS ONLY***** You show up at a fire scene to take pictures and you get your chops broken for a company getting relocated or asked why they were given a certain assignment.(I can attest to this because it happened to me)

And the biggest way you can tell if you're a buff....

You have a riding list and seat assignments for your personal car, and you're only going food shopping.

If anyone wants to add to this please feel free.

[PVFD113 6]

I dunno--I think you covered it pretty well!!!

[JBE 328]

I forgot one, and I know you'll get a kick out of this one.

You end up taking in a fire in the middle of a date.(March 1999, 3rd Alarm Bronx Box 4147 for a row of taxpayers,E. Tremont Avenue and Lafayette Avenue. Believe it or not, we went out on about three more dates after that and I helped paint her apartment!!!!)