There is one thing that really grates me as a fire fighter and it will illicit a pretty harsh response from me if I hear it. It's when one Fire Department starts verbally bashing another. I am not talking about the healthy competitive ribbing we all give each other from time to time. What I am talking about is the bad mouthing area departments/personnel to other area departments. If you have an issue with a certain department, don't run them down. Instead, talk with your officers and see about setting up joint training. Work with the departments, share constructive criticism. You see something wrong, tell them as your a fellow firefighter and brother/sister, because you care and don't want to see them hurt or someone else hurt because of something they did wrong.
If instead you being on Department A tells Department C how you "cringe" every time you see Department B doing anything, the only thing you did was help create a rift between all the departments. You can guarantee what was said and who said it is going to get to the members of Department B. Hopefully, the members their are more professional than to trash talk back, and use it to fuel their desire to be the best firefighters that they can be. Hopefully those frustrations get taken out in their training.
Remember we all are here to do the same thing. To protect life and property! We do the same job! Let's work together and do this together so we can all go home with our heads held high when the job is done!
