Paid Firefighters Who Drive?

[Guest]

Just doing a quick survey....Can somebody explain the difference between a PAID DRIVER and a PAID FIREFIGHTER

Do they get paid the same as paid firefighters even though they do not actively fight the fire? It might help me with a decision when i take the firefighter exam ...thank you

[27east 19]

Those municipalities do NOT have paid drivers. They are CAREER FIREFIGHTERS.

Edited December 6, 2005 by 23piraf

[Guest]

If you want to take the FIREFIGHTERS exam in Westchester County and get on the job you better change you thinking about the people you want to work with.

ALL CAREER FIREFIGHTERS in West. Co. are just that - FIREFIGHTERS !

They all go to the Fire Academy for training.

The Combination Departments that were mentioned assign their FIREFIGHTERS to the DRIVING position. They are and always will be FIREFIGHTERS.

In these days more and more are leaving the rigs and going in to investigate and work.

Example: City of Rye had a call at Midland Elementary School on 11/30. Inside odor investigation, turned out to be a burnt out fan in ventilation system. Only people at scene more than 2/3's of the call: 2nd Asst. Chief, one older H&L member and 4 CAREER FIREFIGHTERS ( who were not just sitting or standing by their apparatus).

Welcome to the 2005 Fire Service- Doing More With Less!

[25truck26 29]

TEN75 is correct. there are no Paid Drivers, haven't heard that term used once in my couple of years in. There are only career firefighters. Drivers do not just drive the rigs to the scene they are and always will be active on the fire scene going inside the building to investigate or fight fires.

[foreman1923 22]

So in mohegans case dont the Career firefighters pump the truck more at fires then the volunteers.

[x648eng119 2]

So in mohegans case dont the Career firefighters pump the truck more at fires then the volunteers.

←

You are correct, in fact, i think in mohegan, the vollies aren't allowed to go near the pump panel. But that doesn't mean anything. Take Peekskill for example. The intial assignment for a structural call is 3 engines and the TL. Thats 4 pieces of apparatus with a pump. The first unit in can pump, and that frees up the other CARRER FIREFIGHTERS, so they can go to work.

And yes, as pudd1 said, calling a firefigher a paid driver is a GREAT way to irritate someone. I reccomend saying it to friends only!

[Guest]

Paid drivers -Try Super FF's

The little secret in "some municipalities" in Westchester with combo departments is that the paid guys often arrive at a call with little or no support from the volunteers. Even though these towns boast numerous members on paper, the number of active vollies is far less. So these paid ff's now

have to become "super ff's " and handle numerous tasks to make up for the lack of manpower.

The fact that the vollie chiefs and politicians don't report accurate manpower

numbers is a disgrace.

[TBarnum 2]

giants, Amen to that !

You are right on the money.

[Guest Truckie 1075]

it's a shame these jobs just can't hire more guys to have more than one guy showing up on a rig. it's a joke, and it's going to get someone hurt one day. Having paid firefighters with volly officers is bad news.

[ryefd192 2]

It is very true that the volunteer numbers are no where near sufficient. And the paid firefighters do a great job. The only problem comes when the paid guys, who are trained on the rigs are inside, and the rigs have to be operated by the inexperienced volunteers. Im not placing blame on either the paid guys or the volunteers, because in department, things have been done to correct this, however it is at the county training level that I have failed to see many beggining operators classes..i may be wrong, if so correct me

[Remember585 815]

Having volunteer officers tell paid firefighters is bad?!

How so? I know plenty of volunteer Fire Officers in the area that are better then people give them credit for. There is no such thing as a paid driver in Westchester. Career firefighters in combo departments - as far as I know - are mainly responsible for bringing apparatus to the scene. What happens after this point is entirely up to each agency.

Who cares if someone is a career or volunteer firefighter on the knob or making the search. Get the job done, get it done quick, and go home without anyone being hurt!

Someone lock this topic now, because it is going downhill quick. No paid vs. volly fights, keep the bickering over more important things, like who makes the best hot dog.

Edited December 6, 2005 by Remember585

[BFD1054 1,552]

Remember585...And thats why i love your posts bro! You hit the nail on the head and added a little comedy to it lol! I totally agree, i didn't respond to this post based on the fact that its gonna get nasty soon!

[EMTbravo 312]

This topic will be closed if further comments are likely or do deteriorate.

There is no such thing as "Paid Drivers". There are fully-trained, fully-capable career firefighters, whos primary emergency responsiblity is the same as a regular firefighter. In the departments where firefighters are assigned, just like the nozzleman-as part of the team, to operate the apparatus, that may be the very important role they are needed in at that moment. In addition to many other duties as assigned by the indiviudal departments, such as fire suppresion, EMS calls and filling out manpower as needed that goes along with the training and physical fitness that they also have to keep up with. At one time, way back, departments did hire drivers to drive the rigs and thats where the term "paid driver" originated. In case some people haven't realized it, it's 2005 now and things have changed. Paid driivers may exist elsewhere, but they DO NOT exist in Westchester County. There is also no such term as "Paid Firefighter", it's "Career Firefighter....since being a firefighter are these men and womens professional career, something they have earned, NOT just something they get paid to do.

Therefore for future reference, I view the term "Paid Driver" as a derragatory comment, and one that won't be tolerated on this board. There is no need to be throwing those types of comments out.

If anyone uses this forum to grandstand and incite conflict between the two sides (P vs. V), please don't. If you have something constructive to add, please feel free to add your comments.

Issues/Questions/Comments/Concerns with the above statement??? I take emails..... EMTBravo@EMTBravo.com

[Guest WolfEMT]

..

Edited December 7, 2005 by WolfEMT

[Guest]

"Career firefighters in combo departments - as far as I know - are mainly responsible for bringing apparatus to the scene. What happens after this point is entirely up to each agency. "

Just a quick correction on that:

Eastchester is supposedly a "combo" department. yet they run with 2 or 3 firefighters on 4 engines and 2 trucks, plus an officer on each truck. Not to mention a Capt. with an aide as the shift commander.

Edited December 7, 2005 by Get the roof

[HFD23 37]

OK here is my best advice about taking the westchester county fire test if you take the test and are "LUCKY ENUFF" to score a high enuff grade to be offered a job YOU TAKE it no MATTER where, this is a extremely hard job to get so many people in westchester want to be career FF's... and no matter if your dept that may hire you has 1 career FF on a rig on 6 the fact is that all of those career FF"s went through the same 229 hours minimum and 14 weeks at the career achademy.

Also once your on the job there are always options to transfer form one dept to another.

[Guest]

i can tell u one thing for sure , call a paid firefighter a paid driver and and youll see him flip out for sure!!right in front of you !!

[Guest BrotherFF]

It's not necessarily a derogatory term; it's a legitimate job. Golie probably heard the term somewhere and came here to ask; if it's an archaeic term which describes something that the Westchester fire service does not use, then fine, but cut the guy a break...

←

It is a derogatory, archaeic term. That's the point.

pudd1, can you elaborate? It's the same thing as calling a medic an "ambulance driver".