1. If they are even within 20 minutes of the station, they will always leave you to go on a call. No matter the circumstances, if you have a fireman on your hands, he will jet to the car and be on his way.
2. Meeting nights are not something you try and fight with them about. They are going to leave and you do not have to like it because it wasn't up to you anyway.
I have learned that these nights are not optional. Yes other people miss them, but not my firefighter.
3. No matter where you are or what you're doing the minute they hear a firetrucks horn, they're looking for it and hoping they're not missing anything good.
You will learn the lingo. Structures, fully involved (the good stuff) smoke alarms, cat in a tree (ehh I mean they are fireman soooo still good stuff).
4. They know the exact difference between an ambulance, cop, and, of course, a fire truck siren. Which means that you will have to learn, too.
5. You’ll have to accept that when he has to do hall rental cleanup, you're going with to help.
You fold the chairs and he stacks them:) And I'm talking at like 12 a.m.,1 a.m.
6. When you come around the firehouse, there will be jokes made and they'll mess with him about you or even you about him.
Honestly it's a giant bromance going on and they prey on this kinda stuff.
7. At first, you won't really have a name to the fire guys. Until you're around long enough. You'll just be Boyfriend's name girlfriend.
8. The fire pager goes where he goes. Next to the bed, in the car, next to your bed, your living room, EVERYWHERE. And even if it's not the real pager, it's the dog app that I can never remember the name of so dog app it is. (Say that really fast to get the full effect).
9. They will probably wear their station shirt / apparel at least 4-5 days a week.
AT LEAST.
10. If you've got a good one, you're always put first. The list will always go "You, the firehouse, me, everyone else."
But secretly they always want to put the firehouse first.
11. You will learn and know more stations, trucks, members, and chiefs than you will ever want to admit. Unbelievably true.
12. When you're driving and you see a fire station, you'll have to look at it.
If its an amazing building, you'll have to remember the name. And then you'll have to tell him about it. And then you've just proved number 11 correct. Add it to your list.
13. Never make plans while he's on a call. You can never know when he'll be back.
Even if the calls are short, they could stay at least another hour washing the trucks and being boys, of course.
14. In case you didn't understand the severity of the first one, if you are on the phone and you hear the pager go off in the background, just tell him you love him and hang up. Because if you don't, he will. "Got a call, Love you, bye." Mid-sentence is always what you want to hear.
15. You'll never want to watch "Ladder 49" again.
You will cry like a baby and then want to make him quit.
16. Outside of the stations, fireman tend to forget that fire isn't a toy and it's pretty damn hot. Playing with the lighter fluid or burning things on the stove*
"No it's alright, I'm a firefighter."
17. You will start your own station shirt collection. From NYFD memorial shirts, a station from where you're vacationing, even acquired old shirts of his, you will have started your own pile of station shirts.
18. You can't get angry or upset when he is unavailable because he's going to go to the firehouse for the fifth time that week, or if there's another fire prevention thing to do.
You can't be mad because he's doing what he loves and also because a man in a uniform isn't too shabby?
There are a lot more things to know before dating a fireman, but the rest you'll just have to learn along the way :)
By Logan MacIntosh
Yes I have been with a fireman for 16 year and he is no paid. It is something he loves. This is right now. I feel like a lot of times the fire dept or the fireman come before we do. But I still would not change him he has been a volunteer ever since before we got together. I am very proud of him for what he dose. But.sometimes it still just over take me and I want him home with us.
Totally accurate… you forgot to mention the amount of laundry you have to do. When he takes a shower and gets in bed for night, pager goes off they get on the truck get to the scene to get canceled but still come home smelling like smoke and have to shower again. It seems like he always gets a call right after he gets out of the shower. Also when u are going out to dinner with the entire family tones go off and we all have to sit in the truck while he does traffic control for an hr. Wouldn’t trade it for anything though:) love fire life!!!!
I’ve been a Volunteer for 11 years and I still love when you’re at the station and the tones go off, the room goes silent….even if you’re in the middle of other things, you stop and listen to see if it’s your department!
So accurate. Especially #15. I love Ladder 49, but I don’t get to watch it at home with the fiance anymore because he doesn’t want to see bad things happening to firefighters. If that’s the only give/take that we have with me being a volunteer, and him not? Then I’ll roll with it. ;-) He is also learning the difference between police / fire / ems haha.
I’m so glad my husband wasnt this way. He quit firefighting this year after almost 10 years of service. He was a career (paid) firefighter, advanced EMT, a Sargent in line to be promoted to lieutenant within few weeks…but we both hated it. The pay was horrible, and though it had good benefits, it didn’t make up for the terrible pay, awful people he had to deal with, and us missing out on each other’s lives. He became a better leader in the fire service, but he didn’t love it and couldn’t make himself love it. He didn’t get excited about work, he dreaded it. I hated it too because he was always so down when he got home because he was tired, had to go work a second job (because even with me working, he had to work two jobs to make ends meet!) and then he was dreading going back to work. That’s no life.