firechief46
09-23-2005, 11:44 PM
:eek:
In the old days there where certain things that you where forbidden to do at the ole’ USNAFD. If you committed any violation of these you would be severely punished and a mark would be placed in your permanent record for all eternity. This period of Chastisement could last as short as a few minutes, hours, shifts or the rest of your natural life. No matter the case or event you would be forever seen as damaged goods regardless if it was accidental or on purpose. And ignorance, you had better come up with a better excuse than that.
1. Daily box test: This was conducted at 12 pm and 1230 pm. At 12pm #2 station would conduct there test and at 1230 one station would have the duty. God forbid if you where one minute or in some cases one second late testing that F’in box. If you where not exactly on time the dispatcher would start calling incessantly on the radio that it was 1230 hours. Upon returning the A/C would be waiting for you (Jack Shelton) and the first thing he would say was that you were a little late with that test, weren’t you? Just what I needed to hear. The funny thing was, if the box was struck at 1232 the crew (who in most cases was taking an after lunch snooze) would start for the engines like something was going on. That’s what a little brainwashing will do to you if the box wasn’t right at 1230. What they really wanted was for you to get to the box 5 minutes early and hit that sucker right on time. And if the A/C had to come back to the TV room to awaken you from a power nap you would get the evil eye and a mark in the permanent record would surely be applied.
2. Radio it in: Don’t pull that damn box without notifying the dispatcher first or else they would have a sh!t conniption. Imaging that, they would almost grab their chest and have a heart attack even when they just saw you just walk out the door and you had told them what box you where testing.
3. Shunting the Box: If you were putting in or shutting a system down for maintenance you had better shunt the box. If you forgot to put a shunt in and the box rang in your testicles would be subject to removal from your scrotum. This may have been the ultimate sin (sometimes). It was better to lie that it “jumped the shunt.” In my 17 years I never saw the shunt jumped, that does not mean it did not happen I am saying that I never saw it.
4. Bells: The person assigned to the daily box test was also responsible for winding up the in-house bell springs. You would be held under direct and strict scrutiny by the A/C if you forgot to wind the bells and a box came in. Because they would not BANG correctly and not at all. The old tongue lashing would consist of an oldie but goody, and that was “what if we missed a box because you forgot to wind the bells up?”
5. Asking about riding assignments: In the morning the A/C would post all riding assignments on the assignment board with an F’in grease pencil. Later on the captains where assigned this most important and difficult task. If you asked about where you were riding you would not get an answer but rather a blank stare like you were asking a question concerning a guarded national secret. Instead you waited patiently until it was written on the board with that black grease pencil. I ask you, would it make a difference if I was told prior to being on the board? Not really because you would be on the ambulance anyway and you better not be b!tching about it either.
6. T-shirts: To wear a T-shirt outside of the firehouse was a big no-no. You would never consider going out on inspections or the dreaded daily box test without the approved dress shirt. For sure a d!ckhead naval officer, Tommy or a @sswipe civilian within the academy would call Randy to complain that the men’zus were wearing T-shirts while in the yard. I cannot believe that these morons thought that the national security or the academy’s reputation would be jeopardized if firefighters had on a T-shirt in the yard. Also I cannot fathom why anyone would waste even a minute’s time concerning themselves with BS like this. But this is the type of the silly stuff that makes this place what it is today, one of the most God-awful federal establishments I have ever seen. God forbid if you went on a firebox and under your gear you had a T-shirt on without a dress shirt. Now do you understand some of the reasons why the three stooges and shemp was so F’ed up at times? All of them wore those uniforms to cover up a lack of knowledge and a high degree of incompetence, and you know what it? It worked! Too bad it did not last forever. LMAO.
7. TV Hell: Before Chief Sack and 9/11 happened having a TV set on during work hours was like being Catholic and eating meat on Fridays. This was considered a mortal sin. At 0705 the TV’s were shutdown. How dare the men want to watch the news or the price is right before their time! At lunchtime (1130) the switch was thrown to the price is right, and then we would have a little NEWS the a little loving (years later). At 1 pm the TV’s were once again cooled off, I believe the theory was that constant use would burn the tubes out (even if they were solid state TV’s) of them but why did management have to worry? The union was paying for them. If left up to USNAFD management we would have had 13” B&W TV’s. At 3:30pm they once again saw action after the apparatus was cleansed. Boy those were the “good ole days” and I am glad they are over with.
8. The 3pm wash up: At 3 pm everyone would report to the engine bays. And every day possible we would have to wash the apparatus (unless you were on A shift.) No wonder our engines always looked like rusted pieces of sh!t, because they incessantly washed they began to rust.
9. Where’s Tommy? One Mondays you would never ask where this prick was because he was the chosen one. We know where he was, having dinner at home. To ask such a question like this would label you a trouble maker and you could not let that happen.
10. Separation sick leave usage: Every once in a while someone would gain employment elsewhere like AACOFD. If you had accumulated sick leave and decided you would like to take it before leaving due to them not having to pay you for it you where despised and hated for taking advantage of the system. Just ask Kenny Ladd at AACOFD co.40. Man, did he piss ole Randy off royally.
In the old days there where certain things that you where forbidden to do at the ole’ USNAFD. If you committed any violation of these you would be severely punished and a mark would be placed in your permanent record for all eternity. This period of Chastisement could last as short as a few minutes, hours, shifts or the rest of your natural life. No matter the case or event you would be forever seen as damaged goods regardless if it was accidental or on purpose. And ignorance, you had better come up with a better excuse than that.
1. Daily box test: This was conducted at 12 pm and 1230 pm. At 12pm #2 station would conduct there test and at 1230 one station would have the duty. God forbid if you where one minute or in some cases one second late testing that F’in box. If you where not exactly on time the dispatcher would start calling incessantly on the radio that it was 1230 hours. Upon returning the A/C would be waiting for you (Jack Shelton) and the first thing he would say was that you were a little late with that test, weren’t you? Just what I needed to hear. The funny thing was, if the box was struck at 1232 the crew (who in most cases was taking an after lunch snooze) would start for the engines like something was going on. That’s what a little brainwashing will do to you if the box wasn’t right at 1230. What they really wanted was for you to get to the box 5 minutes early and hit that sucker right on time. And if the A/C had to come back to the TV room to awaken you from a power nap you would get the evil eye and a mark in the permanent record would surely be applied.
2. Radio it in: Don’t pull that damn box without notifying the dispatcher first or else they would have a sh!t conniption. Imaging that, they would almost grab their chest and have a heart attack even when they just saw you just walk out the door and you had told them what box you where testing.
3. Shunting the Box: If you were putting in or shutting a system down for maintenance you had better shunt the box. If you forgot to put a shunt in and the box rang in your testicles would be subject to removal from your scrotum. This may have been the ultimate sin (sometimes). It was better to lie that it “jumped the shunt.” In my 17 years I never saw the shunt jumped, that does not mean it did not happen I am saying that I never saw it.
4. Bells: The person assigned to the daily box test was also responsible for winding up the in-house bell springs. You would be held under direct and strict scrutiny by the A/C if you forgot to wind the bells and a box came in. Because they would not BANG correctly and not at all. The old tongue lashing would consist of an oldie but goody, and that was “what if we missed a box because you forgot to wind the bells up?”
5. Asking about riding assignments: In the morning the A/C would post all riding assignments on the assignment board with an F’in grease pencil. Later on the captains where assigned this most important and difficult task. If you asked about where you were riding you would not get an answer but rather a blank stare like you were asking a question concerning a guarded national secret. Instead you waited patiently until it was written on the board with that black grease pencil. I ask you, would it make a difference if I was told prior to being on the board? Not really because you would be on the ambulance anyway and you better not be b!tching about it either.
6. T-shirts: To wear a T-shirt outside of the firehouse was a big no-no. You would never consider going out on inspections or the dreaded daily box test without the approved dress shirt. For sure a d!ckhead naval officer, Tommy or a @sswipe civilian within the academy would call Randy to complain that the men’zus were wearing T-shirts while in the yard. I cannot believe that these morons thought that the national security or the academy’s reputation would be jeopardized if firefighters had on a T-shirt in the yard. Also I cannot fathom why anyone would waste even a minute’s time concerning themselves with BS like this. But this is the type of the silly stuff that makes this place what it is today, one of the most God-awful federal establishments I have ever seen. God forbid if you went on a firebox and under your gear you had a T-shirt on without a dress shirt. Now do you understand some of the reasons why the three stooges and shemp was so F’ed up at times? All of them wore those uniforms to cover up a lack of knowledge and a high degree of incompetence, and you know what it? It worked! Too bad it did not last forever. LMAO.
7. TV Hell: Before Chief Sack and 9/11 happened having a TV set on during work hours was like being Catholic and eating meat on Fridays. This was considered a mortal sin. At 0705 the TV’s were shutdown. How dare the men want to watch the news or the price is right before their time! At lunchtime (1130) the switch was thrown to the price is right, and then we would have a little NEWS the a little loving (years later). At 1 pm the TV’s were once again cooled off, I believe the theory was that constant use would burn the tubes out (even if they were solid state TV’s) of them but why did management have to worry? The union was paying for them. If left up to USNAFD management we would have had 13” B&W TV’s. At 3:30pm they once again saw action after the apparatus was cleansed. Boy those were the “good ole days” and I am glad they are over with.
8. The 3pm wash up: At 3 pm everyone would report to the engine bays. And every day possible we would have to wash the apparatus (unless you were on A shift.) No wonder our engines always looked like rusted pieces of sh!t, because they incessantly washed they began to rust.
9. Where’s Tommy? One Mondays you would never ask where this prick was because he was the chosen one. We know where he was, having dinner at home. To ask such a question like this would label you a trouble maker and you could not let that happen.
10. Separation sick leave usage: Every once in a while someone would gain employment elsewhere like AACOFD. If you had accumulated sick leave and decided you would like to take it before leaving due to them not having to pay you for it you where despised and hated for taking advantage of the system. Just ask Kenny Ladd at AACOFD co.40. Man, did he piss ole Randy off royally.