Oh wait, I know! To keep warm they could just start a ...

Oh. Wait.

Stupid Yinzers.

The easiest way to get this rule repealed is wait until there are two back to back fires, and don't respond to the second until the four hours are up.

ThisIsNotSubtle: Oh wait, I know! To keep warm they could just start a ...

Oh. Wait.

A win on the very Boobies.

That should say Boobies

Or it should say the post that is before second.

just use a heat detecting thingamajig


ya know?
they must have those.

StormnMormon: That should say Boobies

Fark, now with double filter pwnage.

labman: The easiest way to get this rule repealed is wait until there are two back to back fires, and don't respond to the second until the four hours are up.

This has "good idea" ingrained deep into its soul.

They should move to Alaska. Then they could leave some fires while they're still going.

Firefighter trifecta in play?

Gotta love the hose jockeys. They live off the excitement of fighting the blaze, but don't wanna stick around when it gets boring. Damn that little thing called responsibility.

/they also hate paperwork

Firefighting fail trifecta in play?

SuperDuper28: Firefighter trifecta in play?

Forgot to quote you.

Torn on this policy on one hand it sounds like it'll cost the city a ton in overtime

On the other I've done a lot of structure protection on a single house multiple times during wildfires and can see how this would benefit even a structure fire.

What's the big deal? Don't the police have to wait for 4 hours at the scene of the crime to see if the killer returns?

The Grinch: Gotta love the hose jockeys. They live off the excitement of fighting the blaze, but don't wanna stick around when it gets boring. Damn that little thing called responsibility.

/they also hate paperwork

Hey now, don't lump us all in together now....

The Grinch: Gotta love the hose jockeys. They live off the excitement of fighting the blaze, but don't wanna stick around when it gets boring. Damn that little thing called responsibility.

I'm trying to decide if you're trolling. If you are, 8/10, well done.

A couple 4th of Julys ago, I saw the fire dept, put out a brush fire started my a firework. They dumped so much water on that fire, that I was sure nothing would ever burn there again. Waiting 4 hours would be ridiculous.

/and no, I didn't RTFA

wait what? In two and a half years of fighting fire Ive onlyy seen one rekindle and that was at a log cabin that had burned to the ground. We fought the fire for three hours including mop up of hotsppts and then it started to rain as we left. Still dont know how it happened.

Why waste the manpower waiting for something that most likely wont happen?

Seacop:

Hey now, don't lump us all in together now....

Sorry, I've just never met a firefighter that liked to do paperwork or was willing to put out any effort on a non-emergency call. And I was an EMT and then a dispatcher (and now back in the rigs), so I've met a good few firefighters. If you're a responsible, well-rounded fireman, then you're a credit to your profession.

that should have read "brush fire started BY a firework." I always launch my highly illegal fireworks in a safe manner

Sitting around watching the property kinda keeps the arsonist from resetting the fire and then claiming that the fire rekindled from a hot spot.

I've seen more than a few done that way. You get a minor fire extinguished by the fire department only to have the home burned to the ground after the fire department leaves the scene.

/it also keeps the F.D. from fighting a second fire in the same home.

The Grinch: Gotta love the hose jockeys.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

There's no such thing as a "rekindle". It only means you didn't put it out right the first time.

/10 years as a volunteer FF.
//Always emptied the tanks onto the fire
///Driving a firetruck with a half-full water tank will scare the snot out of you.

wait what? In two and a half years of fighting fire Ive onlyy seen one rekindle and that was at a log cabin that had burned to the ground. We fought the fire for three hours including mop up of hotsppts and then it started to rain as we left. Still dont know how it happened.

Why waste the manpower waiting for something that most likely wont happen?

Down at the Witch fire (I know structure vs. wildland) the main fire burned through a small community, we hit a house and must have dumped 3 tenders on it, almost a total loss. During roaming patrol that night we had to hit it three more times as it kept reflaring and threatening the structure next to it which had been saved.

Magnanimous_J

Nope, not a troll. I just call 'em like I see 'em. Firefighters tend to be adrenaline junkies that don't like to hang around after the fun's over. I've met a bunch, and I'd have to say that characterizes about 80-90% of them.

Having NRTFA, I'd have to say this headline is just a bit 'ignorant,' in the dictionary sense of the word. There is no reason to think that a thoroughly doused fire would rekindle, as per, you know, the laws of physics

/off to rtfa

Regardless of firefighter concerns, city leaders argue they set up the policy to protect the firefighters themselves.

"With the vacant buildings and things that we face a lot of times here in the city, we do not want our firefighters to enter those structures and get themselves injured," Huss said.


Huh?
HowTF is watching that the fire doesn't rekindle related to firemen being in danger by entering empty buildings instead?
Do they save money by not having fire department buildings and so having firefighters hang out in vacant buildings between emergencies?

Yeah...they may have learned this from Oakland, back in 1991.

3000 houses burned when the wind whipped up and rekindled the fire

/Actually, Oakland FD didn't fully put out the fire
//Because the city didn't want to pay overtime
///So they lost a billion in tax base

The Grinch: Sorry, I've just never met a firefighter that liked to do paperwork or was willing to put out any effort on a non-emergency call. And I was an EMT and then a dispatcher (and now back in the rigs), so I've met a good few firefighters. If you're a responsible, well-rounded fireman, then you're a credit to your profession

I don't know of anyone that LIKES to do paperwork, but you do what ya gotta do. As far as non emergencies I spent all Friday morning here in Northern California on power lines down and trees in the roadway, yeah it's tedious, but you do your job and move on. Auxilary firefighter with Coast Guard fire.

So was 07 the year to bash cops, and 08 now the year to bash firemen?

they should have to do push ups for 4 hours.

DarthBart: 10 years as a volunteer FF.

I've been considering this myself. I'm a big time thrill seeker, but I also want to do something for the community. Do you think Volunteer firefighting might be a good fit for me?

Seacop

Wow, Coast Guard fire, and in Northern CA. Rough stuff. Thanks for sticking your neck out and being in the service; you guys don't hear that often enough.

It's called fire watch, and it sucks a whole bunch. Our department leaves one or two guys in a pickup truck with a radio if we've had a significant fire, to look out for rekindles.
We've got a thermal imager to check hot spots, a radio to yell for help, and if another major incident takes place, we can radio Battalion to see if they want us to abandon the scene.

We try to rotate in a fresh pair every two hours, but it still sucks when you were at a scene for 3 hours fighting the fire and doing overhaul and getting the equipment put back together. And then you have to get up at 3am to stay out there until 5am.

My understanding is that it also helps in terms of chain-of-custody for fires that are under investigation. But taking an entire crew off the line for 4 hours seems excessive.

Story time:

Did one all-nighter, and had to work the next day, too. That sure as hell wasn't worth the overtime.

Turned the corner on my first walk-through as a rookie and in the darkness my flashlight illuminated an eerily half-melted deerhead trophy from less than 2 feet away. Looked freaky as hell, like something out of Stephen King's nightmares. There were a whole bunch of them in that room, too; guy must have been an avid hunter. I was surrounded by these macabrely distorted forms. The guy I was with was back in the truck, but swears he heard me scream like a little girl.

Also, one of the low points of one of my buddies' career was squatting over a cardboard box beside a burned out rubble to take a shiat in the middle of January. It's blowing freezing rain, and the building isn't stable enough to take shelter in, so he has to go around back and hide near the bushes, and use a soaking wet newspaper to wipe. We're talking the soft-serve shiats, from the way he tells it. Said that between the cold wet paper and the massive blowout, his asshole was numb for two days. So I guess he was more popular with the guys at the gym.

The beer has taken this comment into such a bad place, I apologize in advance.

Nice use of public resources. I don't know about their city, but it costs ours about $1000.00/hr for our responses...

Anyway, that's what the rookies are for.

And yes, we do hate paperwork.

Firefighter/Paramedic - 23 years

This, as far as I'm concerned, is a non-issue, and shouldn't even be a legislative matter:

Fires, by default, should be battled with everything within the legislative authority. Beyond that, after the fire is 'battled,' what difference does it make if 1 or 2 fire trucks remain to make sure the fire doesn't rekindle? How difficult is it to spray the remaining site with water to make sure it doesn't rekindle?

Seriously, what is the matter with these farking people? how many fires a night are there that they need to 'spread their resources thin'?

Do they not have enough fire trucks to maintain a certain area? Then if so, why do they not have more fire trucks?

Honestly, manpower should be easy. (No, I'm not a firefighter, but it's stories like these that make me want to volunteer for my local firefighting dept. Maybe I'm inept, maybe I don't know what I'm bargaining for, but I have to say, honestly, 90%? 85% of fires are easily contained?)

Anyway, yeah, i AM talking out of my ass, but seriously, why aren't more poeple concerned for the common good?

/may be just be the alcohol talkin'
//but how many '08 presidential candidates do you think would selflessly volunteer themselves for fire duty?

The Grinch: Seacop

Wow, Coast Guard fire, and in Northern CA. Rough stuff. Thanks for sticking your neck out and being in the service; you guys don't hear that often enough

Thanks Grinch, it is appreciated.

phillydrifter: Maybe I'm inept, maybe I don't know what I'm bargaining for, but I have to say, honestly, 90%? 85% of fires are easily contained?)

Not in my experience, of course weather, fuel type, natural barriers, ect. play a large part so a lot of getting an easily contained fire is luck. I'd say 30-40% of small veg fires are easily contained. Stucture fires are a whole 'nother beast entirely.

Just turn around, head back to the firehouse and let them burn. Ashes don't burn again. Alaska figured this one out. Besides, they should be insured anyway.

The Grinch: Sorry, I've just never met a firefighter that liked to do paperwork or was willing to put out any effort on a non-emergency call. And I was an EMT and then a dispatcher (and now back in the rigs), so I've met a good few firefighters. If you're a responsible, well-rounded fireman, then you're a credit to your profession.

As opposed to those thousands of folks in other professions who jump for joy at the chance to fill out forms in triplicate?

Put it this way; everyone has a relative scale for the importance of things. If your job is full of people dying and getting mangled and homes burning down and car wrecks, your whole perspective shifts. And if your an EMT, good for you, we do much the same job. But if homeboy just needs a taxi ride, we're not particularly eager to break our back for him. As opposed to if he's truly in danger of dying, I've never seen men in their fifties move as quickly and competently.

Actually, in my line of work, on medical calls, I've actually been trying to learn to be less intense, slow down, and take my cues from the senior firefighters.

Not excusing the truly lazy jakes we have out there, but most firefighters, cops, and EMTs have a pretty good handle on what does, and what doesn't constitute a true emergency. So just because your crisis of the day doesn't make their pulses race, doesn't mean they are not solid, dependable workers. They just might want to get a second cup of coffee first, because they have another 23 hours to work before they can go home again.

DarthBart: There's no such thing as a "rekindle". It only means you didn't put it out right the first time.

/10 years as a volunteer FF.
//Always emptied the tanks onto the fire
///Driving a firetruck with a half-full water tank will scare the snot out of you.

Hey, buddy. Much props to the volly boys -- Kurt Vonnegut said it best, they're the only true, sincere heroes we have left.

I was surprised how sad I was when it came time to turn in my volunteer gear.

Seacop: Auxilary firefighter with Coast Guard fire.

Howdy. One of our guys used to be a rescue swimmer with the Coast Guard. Came to the fire service full time because the retirement plan was better, or something like that.

Mad props to you guys. My roommate is a wildland firefighter, he's got some insane stories. I still might try to get certified, the problem is getting time from my department to get out there.

Best of luck.

werekoala: Howdy. One of our guys used to be a rescue swimmer with the Coast Guard. Came to the fire service full time because the retirement plan was better, or something like that.

Mad props to you guys. My roommate is a wildland firefighter, he's got some insane stories. I still might try to get certified, the problem is getting time from my department to get out there.

Best of luck.

Our dept. makes us get wildland certed every year to make sure we have our redcards for striketeams. As far as retirement I believe they are pretty comparable. Where are you?

Magnanimous_J: DarthBart: 10 years as a volunteer FF.

I've been considering this myself. I'm a big time thrill seeker, but I also want to do something for the community. Do you think Volunteer firefighting might be a good fit for me?

Army reserves?

"In this type of weather, you look like a popsicle before you go back to your engine company"

A meat popsicle?

DarthBart, you're now the second farker in my quotes section. Thanks. :)
StormnMormon, honorable mention.

Thanks for the fun stories and the somber ones, fire-fightin-farkers.

Once, lighting hit a tree on my family's farm (on a fenceline near the house)...it apparently rekindled a time or two.

green82000: wait what? In two and a half years of fighting fire Ive onlyy seen one rekindle and that was at a log cabin that had burned to the ground.

Strong work there...

FTFA "It's never happened. It's never happened," Pittsburgh Firefighters Union President Joe King said

Never say never. While I agree that having a entire engine crew 'babysitting' is overkill, I can kind of see the point. Nothing wrong with having a Utility crew with a couple of guys, a radio, a couple of extinguishers, and plenty of hot coffee. Isn't that what the rookies are for???

/16 years Paramedic/Firefighter
//Done my share of fire watch
///and yes, paperworks still sucks

camelclub: Sitting around watching the property kinda keeps the arsonist from resetting the fire and then claiming that the fire rekindled from a hot spot.

I've seen more than a few done that way. You get a minor fire extinguished by the fire department only to have the home burned to the ground after the fire department leaves the scene.

/it also keeps the F.D. from fighting a second fire in the same home.

Couldn't the arsonist just wait four hours? I mean after all, he's an ARSONIST. I don't think he needs the "hot spot" theory in order to start a fire.

phillydrifter: Seriously, what is the matter with these farking people? how many fires a night are there that they need to 'spread their resources thin'?


It's Pittsburgh, they just lost to Jacksonville.

There will be a lot of terrible towels burnt tonight once the terrible tears are dried out of them.