What is it about today's generation? Is it REALLY that hard to clean up after yourself? I know I'm not the neatest person around... I've got the organizational skills of a bipolar squirrel with ADD... but I know how to wipe down a sink when I finish shaving or brushing my teeth. I know how to wipe down the counters next to the coffee pot when they're dirty. Christ, I even know how to put toilet paper back on the spindle when I use the last of a roll, not just leave the new roll on the floor next to the toilet. Not to be too gross here, but how good is your coworkers' aim at three in the morning when they're whizzing on their way to the engine for a fire alarm??? And you're willing to set a new roll of TP down on that same floor with plans to come back later and touch it? And touch it to your nether-regions? And then not wash your hands before leaving the bathroom?
People wonder why I complain.
It goes to the basic core of our professionalism. If I can't trust you to take care of our 'home', to take care of yourself, to look out for all of us in the most simple of ways, how am I really supposed to trust you to check the engine properly in the morning? If you're so preoccupied that you can't replace the toilet paper, what shortcuts are you going to take inspecting the SCBAs? Are you actually going to start the saw and let it run, and if so did you shake it a bit to mix the fuel first??? (yes, you need to do that. That fuel-oil mix settles overnight, so every time you start the saw you need to shake it up. Otherwise the oil goes straight into the filter, clogging it and choking it out.) I used to work opposite a 'firefighter/driver' who's idea of doing morning checkouts was to start the truck, pull it out onto the ramp, and let it run for 30 minutes while he went inside to watch CNBC and check email. That means it was up to me to find anything wrong with the truck, every other day, on my shift. When the pump packing began leaking excessively, he continued to leave the tank-to-pump and tank-fill valves open. I'd come in and find the truck at 3/4 tank, or less. God looked down on him, that he never needed that water. We confronted him about it, to no avail. The guy just didn't care. Joe Schmoe is right, disciplinary actions need to be enforced. I tried dealing with the issue, got nowhere, went to the Captain. The Captain got nowhere and went upwards. Nothing...Nada...Zilch. The guy should have gotten a vacation, two weeks on the beach unpaid, to think about it. Didn't happen. He's a senior guy on his shift, so what message do the probies get? It's ok to half-ass your job, do nothing, not care. That's how their shift acts, at least in the opinion of my shift. Ever read Nick Brunacini's "B Shifter"?? I highly recommend it.
Where the hell was this rant going? Oh, yeah. Why can't these damn kids clean up after themselves? The going theory is that the generation of Helicopter Parents who raised them never made them responsible for their own actions, therefore they never learned to do it themselves. I maintain this is true, but that's not all. We, the seasoned vets of the service, bear the responsibility too. If we aren't motivated, every day, to show them the right way of doing it, how are they going to learn? WE need to be the parents, the disciplinarians, the mentors to these new firefighters. After all, we're trusting them with our lives, and the future of the profession we love so dearly. How do we expect them to learn the ropes if we aren't doing it ourselves? Monkey see-monkey do, right? If we linger a bit, getting that next cuppa joe, what message does that send? Truck checks aren't really that big a deal... cleanliness is important, in an abstract way- it's important for someone else to do it.
If that's what they see, that's how they'll act. Want them to take it seriously? Do it yourself, and make them feel 'guilty' that a veteran is doing something they should be doing. Don't just bitch that no one emptied the dishwasher; instead, either do it yourself or go get the person whose job it was and hold them accountable. Mostly, just do it yourself. After all, it's your house too.
Enough for now... I have dishes to do.
Stay safe, take care of each other, and take care of the job.
In that order.
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