Like it or not all of us cops, at one point or another in our careers, have discussed how good the firefighters must have it. Being the curious type, I decided that in order for me to be able to write an article with some actual truth and experience, I would need to swallow my pride, put my gun in my purse, and do a ride-along with the fire department. I went on my ride along, played firefighter for the day, and I am here to confirm that it’s true, yes, they do have it better than all of us. I found a Fire Department that agreed to let me write about my ride along so I signed up. Unlike the police ride along process (back ground/criminal history checks, approvals from the command staff all the way up to the Chief level in some instances, and a lot of rules to abide by during the ride along) it was very easy to sign up. Score one for the firefighters, it was already easier being a hose jokey!
After a day of living the life I found three of the biggest ways that firefighters really do have it better than cops!
I WANT TO SLEEP AND GET PAID TOO!
Have you ever wanted to sleep and get paid at the same time? I’m not talking about the “I was at court all day will you please car up with me and wake me up if I get a call” type of getting paid while sleeping. I’m saying the “No joke… I won’t get into trouble if I sleep in a bed!” kind. Well, we signed up for the wrong job, brothers and sisters. Do you know why, when we call out the fire department in the middle of the night, they appear disheveled and grumpy? That, my friends, is because they were actually in the middle of a deep sleep, and still getting paid for it. They really really don’t LIKE waking up to deal with our “I promise I’ve only had two drinks" type of customers. They don’t like it. Hey, firefighters, I totally get it.
EVERYONE LOVES THEM!
During my ride along I noticed something that nearly caused me to go in to shock. No, it wasn’t a deceased person or a horrible traffic crash… oh, no, this was much more intense. I observed that when the firefighters arrived on scene, no one, I mean not one single person, was angry at their presence. Everyone we came in contact with even WELCOMED them to the scene. What is this? No hate spewing, no nasty “You aren’t allowed to (fill in the blank with the -I just watched YouTube and became a lawyer wisdom.)” and “I pay your salary (even though I haven’t had a job in three years).” I was intrigued at the pure admiration they received not only from patients on calls, but the public in general. One 82 year old lady that was having seizures looked up at one of the firefighters, lovingly touched his arm, and said she wanted to dance with him. I don’t know about you all, but the last time I was in uniform and someone said they would like to “dance” with me, I am pretty sure it meant they would like to brawl. At least I took it that way, considering the circumstances.
GET PAID TO EXERCISE… AND PLAY BASEBALL!
I am not sure about where you work, but we don’t get a lot of on duty time to exercise. Recently we were given 15 extra minutes to be able to complete a decent workout (Thanks Chief!). This is not a problem for the firefighter. Long before my ride along I had witnessed the firefighters where I work playing catch with the football in the police parking lot… Yep… tossing their balls right over my head (that’s what she said). On one particularly bad day, I might have considered stabbing the life out of their football, simply because I was jealous at the fun they were having, but in the end I realized this would not be a career enhancing move.
Back to my ride along, I had the opportunity to watch an in-service class where firefighters practiced “forced entry” in to doors with their sledgy hammery things. Secretly I wanted to do it, just to feel cool like the firefighters for a couple of minutes, beating away on that door... Wow, just lost my train of thought dreaming about that. I snapped out of my day dream and went right into recalling the nightmare of paperwork and explanations as to why we had to kick in a door on the last domestic call we were on. Anyway - after door ass-kicking class was completed, the entire shift played “Yardball”. For the sheltered, this is baseball with a stick and a tennis ball. It was team building at its best. I saw firefighters and fire admins laughing and talking together and couldn’t help but thinking “Am I on another freaking planet?!” My mind drifted to the police in-service classes that I had recently attended. We would leave OUR classes grumpy and fussy due to constant bitching about our jobs, instructors showing us endless video examples of what will get us sued or fired, and repeated reminders of why it would be better to just quit now and go do something else so we don’t get in trouble for simply doing our job.
Ride along complete, on the greener grass side of the fence, I spent the next few days contemplating the world as I know it. I thought about why I had made the career choices I had made and why, oh, why did I not become a firefighter??? Then it flashed across my mind like gas on an open flame: I’m terrified of FIRE. Much respect to my brothers and sisters in red but I’ll take my bullet proof vest, Sam Brown and see you on the streets.
Hey, even firefighters need heroes.
Kayla Walker | Fitness Contributor
KP is a veteran police officer, mom, wife and fitness competitor. Having faced the challenges of being a small (5'-3") woman on the street and all the negativity that faced her as she entered the fitness competition realm, KP started an online community via Facebook (facebook.com/fitcops) and Twitter (@fitcops) and Instagram (@fitcops and @kpatfitcops) to support fitness oriented officers. That online community has grown and she's started a third career as a writer to help share the fitness message and to focus on challenges that face female police officers in today's world.
