Beer and food for the fireworkers?

[kgcayenne]

I'm not a fan of beer on the job either. Whose liability is at stake if one of these fellows has one too many and....

After all, wasn't it fairly recently that a FD assistant chief was released from his duties for getting a DUI in a District vehicle?

[judgejudy]

Who was drinking beer on the job here? Being given beer vs drinking it on the job are significantly different.
They do pack food, but getting time to get to their lunch box is often impossible... So is determining whether to pack for a 8 hour shift or an 18 hour shift...
BoB76, you are out of line and misinformed. And as others have said, attacking the wrong group here.

[sobrohusfat]

...
I'm assuming they go to work because they get paid and love what they do (and likely don't expect above)

so why do we feel the need to do this? .....

Doesn't sound like he's disrespecting the well paid, well fed, well taken care of firefighters to me.

They still should pack their own lunch like big boys do... The salvation army is there for people in need not people who couldn't be botherer to pack a lunch.

In regards to Forest Service firefighters, they are big boys (and girls) and usually, unless things have dramatically changed recently, a personal lunch box isn't packed up the mountain (other than a few snacks & water) - proper food and drink is provided to the crews by being driven or flown onto the fire-line.

- no beer til later.

[oneh2obabe]

The salvation army is feeding them? Give me a break. Aren't donations supposed to be for the needy? PACK a LUNCH when you go to work like the rest of the world!

Did you ever stop and wonder why the Salvation Army is one of the first agencies at the scene of a disaster be it hurricane, flood, tornado, wildfire, etc.?

The Salvation Army has developed a National Disaster Training Program (NDTP), a very detailed emergency response training program whereby volunteers are trained in every aspect of Salvation Army emergency response. Only pre-trained, pre-registered volunteers are called on during an emergency or disaster response.

The Army’s established and well-rehearsed emergency protocol allows the organization to deliver fast, efficient service to first responders and disaster survivors. And while the Army is often first at the scene, it is the last to leave when tragedy strikes.

http://www.salvationarmy.ca/about/eds/

[maggiedoon]

Can someone please post a link to where the crews are being fed and provided with beer? I'm obviously looking in the wrong places because I can't find anything.

[Bsuds]

*removed*

[TreeGuy]

Here is where I think the whole beer thing came from:

Sounds like it was for those evacuated not the firemen.

As for the Sally Ann providing meals, that is part of their services where they provide support to the front line workers. I love the "pack a lunch" comment. I was a volunteer when Rose Valley lit up a number of years ago. Pagers went off at 11pm, we went in and fought the fire until we were relieved around 2am by another crew (roughly). I came home exhausted and went to sleep. Pager went off again at 6am telling us to return to the hall. So tell me OP, where in all that is the time to make a sandwich?

These guys and gals work hard to protect our community, the last thing they should have to be worried about is packing a lunch. And I wouldn't worry about the money for this coming from donations, as I am sure you are a big contributor, our Provincial and Federal government probably make sure to fund their program adequately.

[willmath]

Of course the firefighters should pack a lunch ... then book off for an hour break, of course going back to the fire hall to get that sandwich out of the fridge, and just chill out ! Cause everyone knows that you get all your breaks when you're fighting a rank 4/5 fire !

REALLY - how do you think the real world works ! They break their backs battling a fire for hours, in heat, on terrain you couldn't hike to, and you're upset that they're getting lunch ! Under your rules ... Are they allowed water - or should they carry that too !
And as for beer - STOP reading unsubstantiated material. There is NO beer on the job ... they've got other things to do. Like saving lives, homes and our city.

If you've got a lot of time on your hands for ranting - how about volunteering !

[FSmith59]

Back in '03, the first fire crew at my house were HAMMERED...but because they had drank so much of that free beer, they just unleashed their personal hoses, and peed the fire out. Saved my home. I forever owe them my gratitude.


*True story*

[Always Sunny]

Believe me, I've been involved in having to send OOP (out of province) fire fighters back home being caught with alcohol on a fire. If the higher ups gain any knowledge of this going on within the basecamps there is a very clear zero tolerance policy in place.

That said, it's a different story if they're in town or have access to it. While we're all supposed to be on our best behaviours, no one is being paid 24 hours a day and are able to part take in whatever beverages they like as long as they're back by curfew and up and able to work when required. Hell, I still have friends who can visit town and go into certain bars and still get free drinks after the 2009 fires.

With fires like these it's pretty unlikely anyone is brining their own food to work. Even BC crews are spending the day/night away from home. Kelowna doesn't even have a wildfire base. Everyone here is trucked in from elsewhere in BC or OOP. Overhead/logistic staff often stay in hotels and are given a food budget (with alcohol specifically NOT being reimbursed). Most firefighters are likely at basecamps which are "catered" by special outfits that are setup for these situations. Bagged lunches are probably provided. Only the initial response crews really ever get the chance to bring anything to prepare in the bush.

[canuck500]

If there is a fire camp set up the company in charge of feeding the crews will provide bagged lunches. As far as the initial attack crews the food they carry is pretty basic, a lot of times it's just energy bars and water. If they are overnighting it's a bit more elaborate but not by much.

[Lerfy]

It's posts like this thread that cause me to lose faith in humanity. Are you going to complain next about the thank you cards that were recently left on a number of police cruisers. It would be ironic if someday the OP was displaced from his home for a fire and he watched all of the firefighters take nice leisurely lunch breaks at the firehall while a forest fire crept in.

[trapp]

There is absolutely no alcohol or drugs permitted on the fireline or in fire camps. Immediate dismissal for any infraction. I have seen crews both provincial and out of province crews sent home for violations.

Out of town crews have allowance for or are provided lunches. Having said that when you are on the fire line for 14 or 16 hours carrying limited supplies it is nice to see, as well as a pick-me-up to see a piece of pizza, an energy drink or cup of coffee that has been donated. Thank you very much to the businesses that make that effort to support us on the fire line.

[Boda]

*removed*

[bob vernon]

Management of the BC Wildfire Management Branch would never allow beer, or any alcohol, in any fire camp, or at lunch. People fighting fires are provided with lunch but there is never any alcohol. Imagine a death of a firefighter from a wildfire. And the wife of the firefighter sues for negligence. If there was any evidence of alcohol being consumed by his fellow workers the legal consequences would be huge. "I only had one...... well, maybe two." This kind of stuff might have happened years ago, but not now. We live in a much more litigious and polarized society now.

They used to go into bars in the hotels years ago and round up people and tell them that they were being taken out to a fire camp and they'd be fire fighters. No training, no equipment. As recently as the late 70s it was done in the NWT and I nearly got snagged and had to do some quick talking. Those days are long gone.