M. Rawlins has left a new comment on your post "The New Fire Station Tour":
I'm honestly tired of listening to the firemen and women bitch about how they disserve all this because they risk their lives on a daily basis. I spent 6 years in the Army (2nd Ranger Battalion 11B) two of those overseas defending our country sleeping in the dirt. I was not pampered, I didn't have plasma TV’s nor access to a gym that puts a commercial gym to shame. Push up, sit-ups pull ups, and ruck runs kept us in shape. Eating an mre or heater meal on a cold Afghanistan morning before getting shot at was a luxury. I wish these pansies would grow up and learn what risking your life means. They make it sound like there running in a burning building nonstop every single day and carrying out a kid.
My point is there are a quiet a few dangerous professions that go unrecognized, and we don't care. A silent professional is the true meaning of pride. I'd have much more respect for fire fighters around here if they didn't gloat and talk themselves up like it signifies the level of man they are. Not once have I whined about not being treated right, or gripped about not getting recognition that I disserved or needing more things because of what I've done or do. This is actually the first time I've referenced it in this fashion since I was discharged. I felt it would make a few of you fire fighters maybe come back down to earth.
And thank you Joe for all you’ve done with your blog. I’ve been reading for a while now, this is the first time I’ve posted. This fire fighter stuff has just finally made me sick after seeing this fire house.
M. Rawlins
2nd Ranger Battalion
2000-2006
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
38 comments:
God Bless You, M. Rawlins!!!!
Same here.
Amen! God Bless You, M. Rawlins.
The sad thing is, most firefighters aren't whining -- it's their so-called sorry leadership that wanted the plasma tv's, the best of everything. All the firefighters wanted decent staffing so they don't burn out and decent salaries.
All the luxury right there in the midst of the ghetto. Yet it's supposed to show that neighborhood they care?
"Let 'em eat cake."
My thanks to M. Rawlins for his service AND for his no-nonsense commentary! Happy Easter! I am glad you are home safely.
The "first responder" mantra as an excuse of all kinds of wasteful spending is a fact of life in Sprawlsbury. How about a big new fireboat while we're at it??? They use the fire engines like toys and then wonder why the have so much wear & tear.
Your hatred of firefighters is disgusting, Joe. Did a firefighter steal away your first wife (or second, for that matter)or something???? You forget that most firefighters are also military veterans. Remember Mike McMullen? He's the guy you bitched about SFD having a fundraiser for.
Rangers lead the way!! Mail this to the OCVFD who don't even have the balls to stay in the foxhole with their own community.
I certainly appreciate everything that all of the men and women in the armed forces do each and everyday. I can not imagine living in the conditions in which you have done and others continue to do.
Joe is the one making a big deal out of the new firehouse. I don't hear firemen going around bragging about the new gym, kitchen, etc. I think comments that are made in reference to them risking their lives are said in defense to what Joe posts.
Most farmin, especially the local ones are nothing but wannabe's living in a fantasy world. Their favorit movie is Backdraft and they try to emulate the firefighters of FDNY. These guys are nothing more than a legend in their own minds and may never in their lifetime run into a burning building risking their lives to say a child. That only happens in the movies.
Mr. Rawlins thank you for your service to our country you and your colleagues are the real heroes.
*deserve, deserved
*griped
I agree with you 100 percent. I have never been in the military and respect you for a job that I could not do. I am however a firefighter and I truly get tired of some of my fellow "brothers & sisters" bitching and crying. We all need to suck it up and be fortunate for what we do have. excuse the spelling errors im not the greatest.
Kudos on your post Mr. Rawlins. And thank you for your service to defend our county. You are absolutely right, you can stay in shape without all that state of the art gym equiptment.
Most of the people I know with home weight gyms, the bikes, stairmasters and ski machines have them in a closet somewhere or out in the shed after the novelty wears off.
Amen!!! I'm with you - alot of these cops and nearly all of the firemen have destroyed the meaning of "Hero." Hell, to listen to them if you wear a uniform you're a "Hero!" Most of them wouldn't make a pimple on a Hero ass!
Mr. Rawlins,
I agree, ridiculous, I am tired of it too. I can relate to your experience, my husband is out there now, and although not directly in the line of fire, he says “When he sits and eats he feels the bombing as if it had hit the building he was in. He came home for 6 months last year, and when he did was in great shape no luxury equipment just good old Push up, sit-ups, pull ups, and what ever chance he had to run.
Mr. Rawlins,
Sir here goes to you, my husband and all our service men and women! THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE!
You are all OUR TRUE HEROS.
Respectfully,
Livette Sims
Welcome home, soldier.
Hooah!! No Police Dept on the shore has a facility that could compare to the new Fire Station, and I don't hear cops bitching or whining about a need for a facility like this.
Former 82nd ABN Diviision paratrooper and current Police Officer
No Police Dept on the shore has a facility that could compare to the new Fire Station
--------
How do you know dipshit?
Better check the spd station before you shit out of your mouth again
Thank you M Rawlins for helping clarify what the true meaning is for volunteerism, service to neighborhood and country and the responsibilities of all citizens is. I am sure that Mayor Barrie, Chief Sea and other community leaders will respond with apologies for their selfishness and loss of direction to separate their needs from their wants.When we spend someone elses money we forget what our basic needs are. The other side of the coin is this. If you have to buy volunteers and coax them with luxuries, you don't have much do you? Thank you again Soldier Rawlins for risking your life for us and protecting America's interest in our overseas conflicts. You are one of the greatest volunteers and thank God for keeping you safe.
Welcome Home Mr. Rawlins.
To all our Armed Forces, you are the true heroes of the day.
82nd Abn Charlie Co 3rd 325 AA All the Way.
Well, it,s a little late to complain. The station is built and yes, We all have to eat it! Have a nice day!
FF said...
Your hatred of firefighters is disgusting, Joe. Did a firefighter steal away your first wife (or second, for that matter)or something???? You forget that most firefighters are also military veterans. Remember Mike McMullen? He's the guy you bitched about SFD having a fundraiser for.
8:55 PM
"You forget that most firefighters are also military veterans."
Prove it? Give us some facts. I bet you can't do it.
You are a sick mother fucker to bring up a real hero and compare him to the majority of losers in the fire service. You need to go to hell. I hope you pay for your remarks.
What a great response from M. Rawlins. True, ever since I moved to the Eastern Shore, for some reason the "firemen" seem to come though as being "more superior" than a lot of other professionals. Like they are more important....what other places of business have a full fledged gym for their employees, a kitchen that makes Rachel Ray's kitchen look like a beginners cook, Plasma TV's, etc etc. The Hyatt hotel comes in pretty close!
The fireman are not doing the complaining, Joe is.
Where were we when this firehouse was being built? I for one, am sorry for this mess and we the tax payers let it happen. We are to blame. Tax payers need to take a more active role in our city and county government. I go to NYC several times a year and am protected by the NYC fire dept. when I stay in those "high rise" hotels. I think firefighters deserve the best of accommodations at their firehouses to protect those high rises, but I would bet the farm their firehouses are just normal barracks. And thanks M. Rawlins. You are a true hero.
I can now expect to see the fittest Fire Department personnel in Maryland. If not they should be made to leave the Department. I would expect the Fire Deparmtent administrative staff to now make this a requirement.
M. Rawlins, you are an asset to our community and our country. I have several members of my family who are veterans and a few who are still active duty. Yes, by far, our service men and women are the true heros of today and for many years to come who fight and die or are handicapped for life, either mentally and/or physically. That being said, I still have much respect for our fightfighters here on the shore. For I know, someday, they may be at my home, saving me, my children and my home. I truly believe it is only a select group of these firefighters who have a narcissistic view of the world around them..in fact, look around you, this is a self-centered world we live in. My hats off to Joe for bringing to light all the wasted money being spent on this firehouse. I think of all the money that we could have sent to our servicemen and women overseas that could have been provided with that money to supply the basic human needs that they go without.
anom 9:25 PM
YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!! IN SBY FD you have more of a chance because you have no back up! And yes I did and so did my late friend...Who was a hero in all our eyes.
We all should support each other rather than fight. You join because you like the risk, you join the service because of the risk.
You are an adrenaline junky, but you also like helping people. In the end it burns all of us out.
That comment, sucked and I hope you eat your words sir one day.
BC
BC, man up and put your name up and quit being a pussy!
Our Soliders currently serving can do the same as I did, choose to leave the military, go through FF training and then make a choice to become a Volunteer or Career Firefighter.
Joe: I like the comment about the fittest fire department. Why don't you take some before pictures now, and take some more of the same firemen in three months. Let's see what our money bought in this fitness room at the Fire Department mansion!!!!
I couldn't hope to add to the post by M. Rawlings, because it was well-stated. What I WOULD like to add is that the whole issue raised was about the extreme amount of tax dollars spent on this project, and how no one would have been so cavalier about spending this money had it been their own. I would never have accepted, for instance, the cracked concrete floors if it had been my property. Same thing for some of the other poor choices of materials and design decisions.
The criticism, as I see it, goes to those who were in charge of this project. The construction company answers to them.
Somehow this discussion got off on a tangent.
I would never have known about these poor choices if not for this venue.
If you peeing Calvins are such adrenaline junkies go climb Everest....and pay for it yourself.
You could make a case for either of the groups mentioned as having dangerous jobs. A soldier is at severe risk of being killed intentionally by the enemy. It may be a week or six months, depending on his tour of duty. A police officer could be killed by the criminal during his 8 to 12 hour shift over 20 plus years. He could be hit by a motorist while writing a ticket. A fireman could be killed by collapsed building, fire, lost in smoke or a crash during his service time. Similar to police officers schedule.
They all have risk factors and do their best to stay alive and safe. They know the risk going in and often think nothing of what they do until they look back at what has happened in their chosen profession. A hero is a perception of the public that is never self proclaimed by public servant.
I have a high regard for the armed forces and their contributions. I do not know if I could do their job. My chosen profession is dangerous, but I seldom if ever think about it. The men and women in these jobs only request your support to help them do their jobs with proper training and equipment. No matter what your perception may be. They will always be there to help.
“ Rangers lead the way!! Mail this to the OCVFD who don't even have the balls to stay in the foxhole with their own community.”
For starters it is OCVFC J*** A**! Furthermore, the issues surrounding the OCVFC have nothing to do with this. The OCVFC’s issues revolve around distrust within city government. This was proven at the last city council meeting. After the City Council apologized the problem it more or less went away (at least temporarily).
M. Rawlins thank you for your service.
Mr Rawlins...YOU ARE A TRUE HERO!!
These crybaby fireBOYS make me ill with all of their wants. They chose to be a fireBOY due to all of the down time watching TV, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, playing pool, working out, sitting outside having a cook out and other FRINGE benefits.I would be fired for doing any of the above while I was working. If you call them HERO'S you have lost your mind. They are LAZY!!!! Most of them love to see blood and guts so they sit around and wait for those tragic moments. I don,t know why they think Joe is the only intelligent one out there. Most of the tax payers can see it too.
Thank you, Mr. Rawlings for your service to our country and thank you, anon 9:49, for your service to our communities.
Bob Pinto
Can I just say one thing. You people sound as if the members of the fire department demanded there be another fire station. I dont think so. I do believe that they asked for more space and more room to living space. This is what they got. But I dont believe they were going to go on strike. Never to work again if this building wasnt built.
If you think the station was not needed you need to take it up with the city. Don't degrade the rank and file membership that run the calls. You're not getting anywhere. Actually you sound more imature then the firefighters.
Take the fight up with the management of the fire department and the city. The the people that actually do the work. They will live in and make do with whatever they have.
As for the soldier. I respect what you do for our country. But just like them. It was the career you chose. It makes no one no more a hero. And everyone that puts in a 40 hour week to make this country stronger is a hero. The term hero is used way to much these days.
Now everyone grow up and take the fight to city hall. Not here. Nothing will get accomplished here but create bad blood.
M. Rawlins, thank you. To comment on a few things about the fire station and its costs: There are 2 members of the City Council who tried to fight the add-ons and extra expenses, for example, the infamous doors that noone sees or cares about anyway. But as long as you have the powers that be in office, you will continue to have the overspending and luxury at taxpayers' expense. And to comment on a question from another post, the Tilghman Times didn't mention the budget vote because it would draw attention to the overspending and that would not be on the mare's or weasel's agenda! Let us pray that neither of the ladies who would give them vote 4 caves. I think they are stronger than that.
I think that the Salisbury firefighters do a fine job and I respect that. I also think that since 9-11-2001 they all have an inflated ego. They say they put their life on the line and they do on occasion but that is only when they are actually fighting a fire.
This is not a continuous thing. They do have down time in the station. They should realize there are other professions that put their life on the line even more than the firefighters. Two I can think of is the Police Officer and also the Correctional Officer. I have been in both professions. But I believe of all of them the correctional officer is in the most dangerous. The police put their life on the line every time they answer a call. But that too is not continuous. They have down time just cruising and patoling. However the correctional officer is locked in a prison with over 3000 inmates his whole eight hours of his shift. These guys are murderers, rapists, and child molesters to name a few. Some of them will remain in prison for life. Therefore they have nothing to lose. It would not matter if they kill a correctional officer because what would the state do? Give them the death penalty. Huh thats is a joke with the liberal bleeding heart politicians trying to abolish it as we speak. So they will get another life sentence along with the one or two they are already doing. Like I said they have nothing to lose by doing that.
That point being made. I would also like to tell you there is no gym or workout room at ECI for officers just for the inmates. They also need to stay in shape. So they spend their own money to join a gym or the YMCA. And they workout on their off time, not during their shift as the firefighters have the luxury of doing. So Salisbury firefighters you have a lot of fringes that most people don't have. So just do your job like everyone else and lose the holier than thou attitude
and the inflated ego.
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