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[linnea]

Holy shit, dude. Just when I thought that you are the antithesis of everything for which I stand...and you're a volunteer firefighter too?? Weird. I agree with lfm, I figured that you would rail against fire protection as evil government subsidies for the poor and weak, and that if they weren't morally inferior then they wouldn't choose to live in crowded tenement firetraps.

I became a Firefighter-1 in the state of Alaska in early 2005. Our service is mostly volunteer with 4 paid staff. I just got certified as an EMT-II in November 2006.

But your suggestion about decreasing response times... WTF? Become a paid firefighter, then. If you ain't man enough to be roused to full badass capacity when the tone goes out that there's a fire, then no amount of money is gonna pull your mollycoddled ass into those bunkers fast enough or whittle down that response time one iota. That's just crass. Way to get pure satisfaction out of helping your fellow humans.

[Arachno-capitalist]

But your suggestion about decreasing response times... WTF? Become a paid firefighter, then. If you ain't man enough to be roused to full badass capacity when the tone goes out that there's a fire, then no amount of money is gonna pull your mollycoddled ass into those bunkers fast enough or whittle down that response time one iota. That's just crass. Way to get pure satisfaction out of helping your fellow humans.

Believe what we will about the good graces of volunteer firefighters - I have found concretely that when it gets closer to house elections for line officers that those who plan on running dramatically cut their response times and increase their response rates. These people were presented with a perceived incentive and responded.
Ask a group of medical students why they want to become doctors and many will respond "To help people". Then ask them if they would still be in medical school if doctors were paid the same as say public school teachers. You'll find that suddenly there much fewer students willing "to help people".
If I was sober and within range of the station I responded as swiftly and safely as possible to the call and usually made first out apparatus.

[AugustWest]

You know who loves volunteer firemen? 

Kurt Vonnegut, that's who.

[V-Adore]

I believe that D&D adequately covered arachno-capitalism some time ago.

[linnea]

You know who loves volunteer firemen firefighters? 

Kurt Vonnegut, that's who.

Fixed that for you since it's my thread, and I ain't a fireman. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.

Also, AW is still pissed about the Kentuckians/Yokel comment I made.

[theinevitable]

Watch how Linnea's avatar cats open their mouths. It's kind of gross.

[Arachno-capitalist]

I thought they were mutant loaves of bread

[AugustWest]

Fixed that for you since it's my thread, and I ain't a fireman. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.

I knew I'd get called out on that, but I think KV used the term firemen back in the day.  I would never accuse you of being anything so low and vulgar as a man.

Also, AW is still pissed about the Kentuckians/Yokel comment I made.

Nah, you're forgiven.

[jaydub]

aside from your boots (we dont wear steel toes as they can collapse and slice your toes off)

You know that's a myth, right?

[Arachno-capitalist]

You know that's a myth, right?

It sounded giraffey when they told us that. Makes sense to me that it would be a myth. For me I guess its a psychological aversion to a red hot piece of metal a tenth of an inch from my little toes. And that if that hot piece of metal were to collapse it would me much harder to unbend it than it was to bend it.

[theinevitable]

goddamn, I love the internet so much. The information out there is... goddamn.

people, today I have learned:
-why "kosher" pickles are called that (hint: not because they're kosher)
and thus:
why "kosher" salt is called that (again, not because it's kosher)
and thus:
why the ocean is salty
and thus
why the ocean is blue (I kind of already knew, but I read it anyway.)

and now:
steel-toed boots won't cut off your toes.

[Nabubrush]

I left the steel-toed boot thing unmolested, because sometimes it's just not worth disabusing someone of a wrong-headed notion.

[Sub_Topical]

Had a forklift run over one of my feet a while back. The steel toe saved all of my toes except for the pinky, which was back just enough to be outside the toe and thus get smashed all sorts of spectacular dickens.

The lesson is: steel toes won't collapse, but you sure should wear the proper size.

[slink]

The lesson is: steel toes won't collapse, but you sure should wear the proper size.

Can'd for learning the hard way, 'cause as we all know, a tiny can of filthy soda makes up for the lost toe...

[AugustWest]

Had a forklift run over one of my feet a while back. The steel toe saved all of my toes except for the pinky, which was back just enough to be outside the toe and thus get smashed all sorts of spectacular dickens.

The lesson is: steel toes won't collapse, but you sure should wear the proper size.

Some folks will never lose a toe
And then again some folk'll...