I didn’t see a recent FQ topic on this, but wanted to better understand the below quote (assuming my ability to quote from another topic exists)
In this case, the “on” duty time is time spent at the fire station (presumably with further divisions work like preventative maintenance, training, fire station chores like cleaning, meal preparation, etc.) and the “off” duty time has no obligation to assist in even an extraordinary event?
The equipment being used is presumably fully staffed with one shift. Calling off-shift firefighters in, IMH and non-firefighter opinion, will just be too much of a crowd.
You forget sleeping. Lots and lots of sleeping. I like to kid our second responders.
For all paid emergency response there tends to be contract language to the effect they can be called in for some sort of exigent circumstances like disasters. Those emergencies are few and far between. If the emergency is something that can be planned for (like a hurricane in three days) people can be ordered in. If it is an unforeseen emergency it can be negated by words like “I’m out of state”, “I was asleep with my phone off” or “I was drunk when you called.” It effectively impossible to get 100% response for a sudden emergency. If you are on call in some capacity there is generally some sort of compensation.
For extra events that are planned in advance there are always some that want the overtime. Forcing people to work isn’t always needed. However mandatory overtime does exist for a reason.
All of your answers are going to depend upon the specific dept & their rules/procedures/union contracts. - Is the firefighter allowed do simple maintenance like change the blade/chain on a saw or does a qualified mechanic have to do that? For things like an oil change does the fleet mechanic come to the station; does he come to the station with a reserve piece of apparatus so the engine doesn’t need to go out of service during said maintenance, or does the crew drive to the fleet garage for that to be done? If the latter, does only the driver go or does the whole crew go for the ride so they can respond to calls within the first/last 2/3/5 miles from their station?
I answered the off-duty call in piece over in that thread.
For things like training/recertificaiton, that’s usually scheduled at other times so that the firefighters can go to the academy & sit & take the class w/o being toned out for a call but just because I said that, I’m sure there’s some dept that has a trainer go to each station, multiple times to get all of the crews & trains them there & if they get a call, he just sits there until they come back.
Probably give the truck a once-over at the beginning of a shift to make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be & at some interval - daily, once or twice a week, again varying by dept start all of the tools up & make sure the gas tank is full or battery is fully charged; it’s not unheard of for something to look like it’s there but not be sitting properly in the trickle charger so it’s not really charging.
& yes, if you get a quiet night, you get paid to sleep. OTOH, you may be a hurtin’ pup some mornings.
Don’t forget that mutual aid is a thing (at least around here, where there’s a lot of municipalities close together each with their own FD). It makes a lot more sense to bring in help from a neighboring community that is all staffed and ready to go with their own gear, than to get the rest of your department suited up and in a truck you don’t have when they are on their day off.
I submit that, if you are a cop or firefighter and you don’t want to come in during a disaster (ordered or not), you’re probably the wrong person for the job. My firefighter friends tell me that cops chose a headrest and firefighters chose a pillow. They may have a point. Who got in the wrong line at the test is the source of endless debate. I had a shirt that said “God made cops so firefighters could have heroes, too.”
9/11 was a disaster. An airliner crashing into a residential neighborhood is a disaster. Tornados, hurricanes and Earthquakes are disasters. But things like that rarely happen.
You know what’s not a disaster? Supervisors not assigning enough officers to a particular shift. That’s not a disaster. Running a skeleton crew because the Sergeant let too many officers take vacation at the same time. That’s not a disaster. Failing to adequately staff a parade, sporting event, or fair. That is not a disaster. None of these things are disasters but are results of poor management.
I bring them up because 99% of the time that is why they call you to come in on your off time. I refuse to allow mismanagement to interfere with my personal life. And that does not make me a bad cop, undedicated, or the wrong person for the job.
In fact, I submit that responding when they call due to things like that it makes the matter worse because it doesn’t force management to look at it’s dynamics and the causes to why they are short staffed.
If I get called because of a terrorist attack, an airline crash, tornado/hurricane/Earthquake, I will respond if I am able.
Yes hurricane, earthquake, major fire etc. Is what I’m talking about. Unpredictable (or limited time to prepare) things. Whole heartedly believe in “Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part”. You made that bed. I’m not laying in it.