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    Surviving the Firehouse: A Rookies Guide to "Surviving the Firehouse and Fire Department Life"
    Surviving the Firehouse: A Rookies Guide to "Surviving the Firehouse and Fire Department Life"
    Surviving the Firehouse: A Rookies Guide to "Surviving the Firehouse and Fire Department Life"
    Ebook165 pages2 hours

    Surviving the Firehouse: A Rookies Guide to "Surviving the Firehouse and Fire Department Life"

    By Mauro Porcelli

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    About this ebook

    Rookie mistakes can ruin anyone's career, especially a fireman's. Aspiring firefighters prepare for fire college coursework, train to improve fitness, graduate, but draw a blank at the next step. Where should they apply to work? Should they become a paramedic? How do they get along with other firefighters, especially those they don't like? What should they cook? What is expected of them?

    Unfortunately, no one takes the rookie aside to explain the previously unwritten guide on how to survive life in the firehouse. This book provides the subtle, and not so subtle, strategies every firefighter needs to succeed in this challenging career. It advises the rookie just trying to survive, as well as the career veteran who may be considering promotion or other career options. Don't make a mistake you will regret.

    Read this book. It offers the best guidance and career advice available for firefighters by someone who has been there. A must read.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateOct 31, 2018
    ISBN9781543943610
    Surviving the Firehouse: A Rookies Guide to "Surviving the Firehouse and Fire Department Life"

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      Book preview

      Surviving the Firehouse - Mauro Porcelli

      Copyright © 2018 by Mauro Porcelli

      All rights reserved.

      This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

      Printed in the United States of America

      First Printing, 2018

      Print ISBN: 978-1-54394-360-3

      eBook ISBN: 978-1-54394-361-0

      Ordering Information and Speaking Appearances

      For details, contact the publisher at survivingthefirehouse@gmail.com

      (352) 362-0487

      Table of Contents

      Acknowledgements

      Introduction

      Chapter 1 - The Firehouse Culture

      Chapter 2 - Word of Warning: Attitude

      Chapter 3 - How 9/11 Changed Everything.

      Chapter 4 - Fire School Preparation and Challenges

      Chapter 5 - Graduation: Before the Interview

      Chapter 6 - Choosing the Right Fire Department Fit

      Chapter 7 - Pros and Cons of a Small Fire Department

      Chapter 8 - The Pros and Cons of a Big Department

      Chapter 9 - Preparing for Your Department Test

      Chapter 10 - Should I be a Paramedic?

      Chapter 11 - Orientation and Probation

      Chapter 12 - Rookie in the Firehouse

      Chapter 13 - It’s Your Turn to Cook

      Chapter 14 - Complain or Remain Silent: Choose Your Battles

      Chapter 15 - How to Get Special Assignments

      Chapter 16 - Assigned to a Station You Don’t Like and Other Station Issues

      Chapter 17 - You Hate Your Department and Other Burning Issues

      Chapter 18 - Four Kinds of Firehouse Associates.

      Chapter 19 - Off-Duty Time--Don’t Be an Idiot

      Chapter 20 - Female Co-Workers

      Chapter 21 - Don’t Lose the Job You Love

      Chapter 22 - Being a Team Player

      Chapter 23 - Sick Time/Injured on the Job

      Chapter 24 - Career Time Management: Short and Long-Term Plans

      Chapter 25 - Now That You’re Promoted

      Chapter 26 - Career Finances and Retirement Planning

      Chapter 27 - Your Legacy

      Conclusion

      Quick Reference Guide

      About the Author

      Greater love hath no man than this,

      that a man lay down his life for his friends.

      John 15:13

      Acknowledgements

      There is no doubt this book could not have been written if it were not for the patience and support of my wife Claudia and three children, Rachel, Nicholas and Andrew. My wife and I have been married for 25 years while raising our three beautiful children. Our kids have successful careers of their own. Nick works as a firefighter for the City of Orlando Fire department; Andrew is currently in firefighter training with Marion County Fire/Rescue, and Rachel works in the automotive industry. Thank you to my incredible family. They mean the world to me. In a way, I wrote this book with them in mind.

      To all the wonderful firefighters I have had the honor to work with for so many years--you know who you are—I thank them for their guidance and encouragement throughout my career.

      To all the firemen who constantly gave me life advice and tips on how to handle the obstacles in our way, but whose own lives were disasters, I know they meant well. I thank them for their efforts.

      To all the firemen who said my dinners sucked and were too expensive, yet went back for seconds, and then asked me for the recipe, thanks for reminding me that actions speak louder than words.

      To the several firefighters who had their Klondike Bars missing, didn’t know who it was, and wanted an investigation, I confess. It was me.

      To Orlando Local 1365, we wouldn’t have what we have if it weren’t for all their countless hours of hard work and dedication. Thank You.

      To all the lieutenants and chief officers that I had the honor to work with and that took care of me, they are the best. Thank You.

      To my editor, Gwenda Ward, for editing out my grammatical disasters in the editing process and making me sound like an academic genius, I thank her for her time and interest in this project.

      Introduction

      My reason for writing this book is to fill a void--to provide a blueprint or a road map to help the rookie or seasoned firefighter succeed in this career. The camaraderie among firefighters and the life-long friendships formed have no parallel, except maybe the Armed Forces. Sure, other co-workers bond over the course of their time together, but firefighters spend considerably more time in a twenty-four -hour span than most other professions. Much like the military, they also face life and death situations. Firehouse bonds are lasting. On the flip side, unfortunately, personality conflicts do arise. Sometimes you make life-long enemies--guys you never want to work with or see again--but that’s life in the firehouse.

      The advice in this book pertains to all firehouses around the world, not just Florida and other states. There are thousands of professional firefighters and firehouses around the world with various resources, manpower, and Standard Operating Procedures. The one constant for all of them is human nature. No matter where a firefighter works, firefighters are the same everywhere. They respond to calls and work together to assist citizens with emergencies. On those calls, they function as a single unit. Over time, they bond. When they aren’t on a call, they spend a lot of casual time together. During the down time, personalities can clash and egos take over. This book will guide you through the conflicts—dinner table conversations, workload sharing, clean-up duties, everything you will need to succeed.

      This book is not just for rookies or someone thinking about getting into the fire department, but also for current firefighters as well. I will share my mistakes and career-enhancing decisions. I can’t promise that you will get promoted to Chief or rise in rank, but I can guarantee that you will avoid the pitfalls most new firefighters make. You will have a greater understanding of how the fire department works and what makes it tick. Everything you need, you learn on the job; that’s the way it’s always been.

      However, you can easily ruin your career and reputation if you do not know firehouse expectations. Hopefully, this book will help you significantly reduce the learning curve, give you a head start, or finely tune what you already know. It will guide you through your entire career, from rookie to retirement. It will give you a heads up on what to expect and advise you on how to deal with personality conflicts or work-related challenges.

      I recently retired after twenty-five years as a professional firefighter. As I reflected on the career I loved and the many individuals I met along the way, I was struck by one question: why do some firefighters make it and others don’t? I thought about why and how I survived life in the firehouse and others didn’t. I thought about those who helped me succeed. I noticed others failed miserably. Why do so many individuals not bring good attitudes to the workplace? Often in the firehouse, I would see the new guys make serious mistakes. They wanted to do a good job but didn’t have a proper guide. The profession lost many potentially good firefighters because of the absence of the right kind of leadership and guidance.

      So, why am I writing this book to help people I don’t even know? The answer is simple. Rookies need help. In the firehouse, getting along with your peers is critical; it will make or break your career. When I first started in the fire department back in 1988, I was asked, What will you contribute to the fire department? What will you do to make a difference? Will you make the fire department a better place when you leave, than when you started? Most of the time, firefighters are judged not by the lives they have saved or fires they’ve extinguished, but how they work with others in their down time. But no one stresses the importance of the interactions between the men and women with whom they work.

      Throughout your career, you will be asked to pass your knowledge on to new firefighters. This could be to tell them about a certain call you were on, or, more simply, how to stretch a hose line effectively into a burning building. Whatever you want to pass on, is up to you, but these are the moments that contribute to your legacy. Your impact on your fellow firefighters is subtle but important.

      Don’t feel bad or depressed if your mistakes get rehashed as dinner time entertainment. This is the norm. You need to just suck it up. This is where personality and human nature take over. Will you laugh it off, or pout in a corner like a cry baby? I was always told, when you’re working, you may have five hundred co-workers but only five true friends you can count on. Once you retire, your true friends might be only a few. My motive for this book is primarily to help others, especially those with whom I did not work with or that new person that is a lost soul who hasn’t figured it out yet. It’s natural to think that, upon retirement, the station will honor you and your contribution with a bronze statue in front of Fire Station 1. In reality, you are often forgotten by the time you clean out your locker. You really weren’t as important as you thought.

      As you read this book, you must keep an open mind about what you want to accomplish. Some people are fine being indifferent. Most of the time this will get you by. Since you are reading this book, you obviously want to improve yourself, be successful, and achieve your dream. What’s important to remember is, most firefighters don’t get fired from their job for lack of job performance; they get fired because of a bad attitude--not dealing well with coworkers, officers or the everyday firehouse routine. They take things personally, develop a bad attitude, and too soon, are up for a termination hearing.

      Seriously, it’s that sudden. One minute you’re on top of the world getting your dream job, just bought a $50,000 truck that you really can’t afford and married your prom date after moving out

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