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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I find this post very interesting, especially the comment about dating/marrying a firefighter.  I work as a firefighter (Captain) with Washington DC Fire Department.  I feel as if I'm a combination of blue and white collar.  I manage dozens of people, make decisions under the most stressful circumstances (literally life and death decisions), I manage inputting time for payroll, discipline, training, public relations, and dozens of other activities.  However, at any time I can be in side of a burning building or working a shooting with blood everywhere.  Sounds horrible, but I love thy job.  I also wonder if most people realize what firefighters earn here in DC and I wonder if it would make a difference in the minds of everyone when it comes to viewing our "social status".  Most young firemen make in the neighborhood of $80 to $90,000 per year before overtime and holidays.  As a Captain I bring in around $150,000 base and around $200,000 after overtime.   To be honest I don't even know how this stacks up against most of you...is it a decent salary for a "white collar" worker?  Also, I know many, many other firemen who own businesses.  Our unique schedule give us that opportunity that few other professions provide.  We work for 24 hours straight, followed by 3 days off.  In other words I work 2 days a week, allowing me 5 days a week to build my business. (We sleep at night between runs, so I may start the day a bit tired, but I'm functioning).  I know more millionaire firemen than you would ever imagine.  So does this put us in parity with other men in the potential dating pool for the average DC area female?  Granted, most of the guys I work with are more into beer, football, hunting and fishing than many in the white collar world (I personally love fishing but don't get the chance to do it much), many of us enjoy the arts, history, dressing up and going to nice restaurants and the such.  I personally love these kinds of activities.  I have a bachelor's degree from a major university, speak another language and learning a third, just in the middle of starting my own company with several big contracts already in the pipeline.  Now both of those things are independent of the other.  My income and my interests.  Many people have higher income and no interest in the arts, and many make much less and probably love these things even more than I do.  I think you have to ask yourself which one of these are more important to you.  I personally think the most important thing is finding a person who shares the same interests (and has others as well), whom you become best friends with.  I also believe another thing about the guys you might choose to date in this area.  It seems to me that although nice, many of the guys here can't even change a tire or do anything remotely mechanical.  Many seem kind of feminized and have forgotten or never knew what it was like to me a man.  
Why am I writing this?  I'm not entirely sure, but I've been trying to figure out the dating scene around here.  I've been divorced for about a year, so this is all new to me.  I guess I'm just trying to figure out how I rank when it comes to other DC guys.  [/quote]

I'd date you if I wasn't already married! Also, your post kind of makes me want to be a firefighter...[/quote]

Firefighters and cops are literally raping local government budgets.  Why the f$$$k they need to work so much overtime.  I had a fried who performed an internal audit at Fairfax and exposed all of the looting that goes on.  Don't get me wrong...I appreciate public safety staff but I also know most hire under the "public safety" BS and just steal $$ from tax payers.   Now...does this enhance your reputation?[/quote]

Ok, I'll try to give an intelligent response to your opinion that I'm raping local government budgets.  First of all I will address my overtime hours.  The fact is that we have a difficult time maintaining the needed number of employees to cover minimus staffing.  (minimum staffing is extremely important.  when we don't have enough people on apparatus our mortality rate increases...firemen die.  That is simply a fact.  If you doubt it then I can back it up with facts. Also, the public suffers even greater.  It wasn't very long ago that our poor staffing issues resulted in us not always being available to respond in a timely manner.  I remember transporting a dying child in my arms in the back of a fire engine because an ambulance wasn't available.)  So as a result I work a tremendous amount of overtime.  Sure, it's at time-and-a-half, but you the citizen are saving because now your not paying for the extra insurance and benefits that the city would pay if we had more personnel.  The higher than average salary I earn is also because of the high cost of living in the area.  If you want to hire, train and retain qualified personnel then that is necessary as well.  Otherwise, you'll be hiring, training...and loosing...the best personnel.  They would start here and quickly move to a higher paying area where they aren't getting crushed on emergency runs all day and all night.  And believe me, DC is busy as hell.  We have one of the highest per capita run volumes in the entire nation.  It's not uncommon for a fire engine or ambulance to make 30 emergency responses per 24 hour shift.  At $90,000 per year I would say you're getting one hell of a bargain.  My salary of nearly $150,000 is also a bargain.  It's taken years for me to work up to the rank of Captain and the amount of responsibility I bare, coupled with the decisions I have to make are doubtfully equaled by any of your professions.  Not to mention the personal sacrifices we make.  I remember being off (paid of course) all summer while I healed from getting my forearms and hands burned in a pretty intense house fire.  I have also worked countless Christmas Eves, birthdays and other holidays when I would have loved to have been home.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm actually not complaining, I love my job and feel blessed.  I am just pointing out that a salary where I can raise a family, put my kids through college and not live in a really bad neighborhood....is not "raping" local government budgets.  Please, show me where I am wrong.[/quote]

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