By Ray McCormack
We hear a lot of blame being placed on fire servicetraditions. Get rid of the traditions and everything will be better!
Some don’t even have to betraditions真正意义上的;他们可以be statements, such as “Firefighting is a dangerous profession.” This one is bad to some because if you think it is dangerous it will be. I wonder what fires they are attending?
Another tradition of having large, well-attended firefighter funerals and referring to all firefighters as heroes is bad. Some believe not all firefighters are heroes and their death should reflect that and young firefighters may see glory in death and take unnecessary risk. Have the courage to tell their families they were not heroes.
And that peskytraditionof saving lives and property–some think that needs the boot, too. How has that one stayed around so long? Oh that’s right, that’s at the core of what firefighters do, but you know, to some the core is rotten.
If you run a department and this is how you feel, don’t lie to the public; tell them you no longer provide life- or property-saving services. It will make your department’s renaming or dismantling that much easier.
Keep Fire in Your Life
RAY McCORMACKis a 30-year veteran and a lieutenant with FDNY. He is the publisher and editor of UrbanFirefighterMagazine. He delivered the keynote address at FDIC in 2009 and he is on the Editorial Board of188金宝搏是正规吗Magazine. For more on UrbanFirefighter, visit//www.sacthai.com/urbanfirefighter.html.
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