sense of entilement

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Permalink Reply by Captain703 on March 25, 2009 at 8:01pm

Well said.... I think it gets to us all to one degree or another. Sounds like you have a good attitiude about what you can and can't do on a call. Keep it up and you will do just fine!!!
Stay safe

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Permalink Reply by Thomas A. Barrett on March 25, 2009 at 8:26pm

Entitlement is a growing problem nation wide, not only in Fire Departments. Everyone thinks that they are Entitled to whatever they desire, instead of earning the right or privilege. Remember also lead from the front not the rear. I like your attitude good luck and best wishes..TCSS

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Permalink Reply by Paul Young on March 25, 2009 at 8:33pm

It sounds like some of the leadership has missed addressing this problem.....and it is nationwide. It does sound like you are providing the example. Hopefully they will take heed. Keep up the good work.

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Permalink Reply by John on March 25, 2009 at 9:51pm

Well said it is nationwide and its not just in the fire service either, I have seen it in the auto repair field as well, guys come out of trade scholl and immeadiately think they should be the main tech of the shop.

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Permalink Reply by Lt. Caleb French on March 25, 2009 at 11:38pm

Lauren,
It bugs the phuck out of me when they pull that crap.

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Permalink Reply by Dustin J. Millis on March 26, 2009 at 4:35am

Lauren... You are the first probie on this site that has given me the slightest bit of hope for the future of the fire service. After reading some of the discussions posted by a certain "cody baker" and his sidekick/boyfriend "brandon," I've really started to worry about the new generation of FF's.

This sense of entitlement is nationwide. I blame the media!!! LOL yeah i know its a little cliche but think about it and you will realize its true. Every commercial on tv tells us how we deserve this and that. That we work hard for our money and we earned the right to buy that brand new suv. WE DESERVE IT!!!! We deserve that five dollar latte from starbucks, that brand new Garmin GPS for the car, and that new Dell Laptop. All this telling us what we deserve and we start to believe it.

It sounds like you have a great attitude and a true desire to learn. Keep listening to your officers and senior FF's, work hard, and just keep doing what your doing. You will earn a great respect from your peers and elders!!!

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Permalink Reply by Lt. Caleb French on March 26, 2009 at 10:48am

Dustin,
You have noticed that about those two also huh? : )

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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on March 26, 2009 at 8:38am

Lauren:
You have a very keen eye and a great attitude.
But, the funny thing about a sense of entitlement is that it goes FULL CIRCLE.
That is, it can be seen in the veterans as well.
Watch for it in training. You will notice some of them not doing an evolution and when asked why, they will say something like "I have done this before; I'm taking the night off" or a similar weak excuse.
But I like the cut of your jib.
TCSS.
Art

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Permalink Reply by Lt. Caleb French on March 26, 2009 at 10:52am

Art,
You are 100% correct about it being the veterans also. I am the training officer for our department, and when they pull that crap it drives me coo coo for cocoa puffs. I just tell them they can go home if they aren't going to do anything that night, and they won't get credit for training that night.

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Permalink Reply by Some Irish Guy on March 26, 2009 at 10:24am

Great point, Lauren. I agree with all the above posts-this is a national problem in our generation, and it's not something limited to the fire service. There are at least a few young members who refer to themselves as "firefighters", while rarely making calls and being the first to leave the firehouse after a call, and never showing up to drill. Fortunately though, there are many young guys in my department who are dedicated and eager to learn, who are always willing to drill and even just study the truck.

This mentality of entitlement isn't something that changes easily. You're probably just going to have to tough it out and be the example, and hope that some more members like yourself join. What people don't realize is that the title of "firefighter" is something earned through years of practice and experience. You don't just join and become one, or pass a class where you read a textbook the whole time. I'm a rookie ff, FF1 passed and I've seen a decent amount of fire, but I'm still reluctant to call myself a "firefighter" and put myself on the same level as the guys who've been doing this job for decades. As far as I'm concerned, it's up to them when I'm considered a full firefighter-not me.

Keep up your attitude, and try to get friends you know who have the same attitude to join-the entire atmosphere in a firehouse can change if there are even a few young people with a positive attitude who want to drill, train, and even do things like clean the firehouse and wash the truck.

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Permalink Reply by Jake Fireman on March 26, 2009 at 11:27am

Ahhhhhhhhh a good jake indeed. Sounds like your head is "screwed "on and you have a good attitude. As far as the "entitlement" issue. It runs a lot deeper then the fire service. This is the "I deserve it" generation. They have nop thought other then THEY DESERVE it...afterall they want it, they should get it. Mom and Dad (thats us in some cases) told them they were special and they could do anything. many have NO concept of work...let alone work ethic. Maybe we can change it, maybe we can't. That's why in some ways it does US best to stick by our guns and do it "our way".

I had a kid (19) come in the other day and tell me he wanted to be a firefighter and asked if I could sit down and discuss it with him. It was great and so was he. The next shift I had a 45 year old woman come in and ask the same questions. While her son sat there and watched...well looked out my window. As she was telling me how much "Billy" wanted to be a fireman and how good "Billy" will be on the job, all I could imagine was "Billy" looking out my window and turning and saying "mommy look at da biiiiiiiiiiig rewd fiore truck, I wanna be a fireman mommy" !!!!!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Devon on March 26, 2009 at 8:10pm

well, I am not so sure about that. Perhaps it is different where you are, but I have to say all my friends are very hard workers, they don't believe they "deserve" anything until they work their asses off for it and even then are hard on themselves whether or not they really deserve something. I don't have any friends who are FF's or want to become a FF that are my age, but they all have their passion and work VERY hard for it, and are very dedicated. So I don't think it is quite right to stereotype the entire generation, cuz I know from experience that the hard workers of this generation take offense to that. Your not the only one who does it.

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