PolicePosers.com

Across the internet, this day, as every day with the date of 09/11 people are recollecting what they did that day.

Some recount where they were, some recount how they heard the news, and some recount how it affected them. Anyone alive at that time in the USA could probably tell you details of that day regarding their personal lives that they couldn’t if it was just any other normal day.

On several forums people have been going over that day. A lot were in the public safety field at the time, but a lot weren’t. A lot were in school or not even remotely involved in the field. While we all agree that age doesn’t make a difference and experience does, but this is something different. Those who weren’t involved in the public safety field that day will never know what that day felt like to those who were in the field. Although some of those now in the field lost someone they knew, being in the field at the time gave a certain understanding that is hard to describe. Now before you take offense, we are not saying “those not in the field that day don’t care”, but we are finding a growing trend with this group of people talking about that day as if they were first responders that day.

Hearing younger FF or EMS workers who where still in school, or otherwise not members of emergency services, at the time talk about 9-11 as though they were active responders bothers us. They were in school or whatever, and while they may have been scared, they didn’t just witness hundreds of people who where doing the same job as them die in an act of cowardice, we did, along with every other active emergency responder on that day.

We ask everyone to remember ALL of those who lost their lives that day and those who continue to fight for our safety and freedom.

This is another one of those subjects popping up more and more on message boards: volunteers who quit or resign from their departments, but refuse to give up their lighting on their POV. While this is a small topic, it is an interesting one that has our interest.

The story starts with someone who has invested a lot of time and money into their lighting setup, the lights more than likely conform to their state laws for volunteer POV lights and their permits, although for one reason or another they have to move on from their volunteering hobby. Then the dreaded fact of life comes up, that the lights must go. The former volunteer fights this choice for awhile, and ends up deciding for some reason or another, they are just going to keep them.

What is their motivation? Mainly it is whackeristic intentions; excuses we heard so far stretch from “I am a trained fire fighter/EMT/whatever and might need them” to “you know, because I can.” As we say, we aren’t against people using lights when it is needed and lawful; however people who think they are entitled or it is their right to do so due to their past we are against. Either these types are cast out of their department due to their behavior or they are moving, and don’t want to move on from their flashy light show to live the life of a “normal” civilian. They evolve from a legitimate lighting user, to a whacker, the moment they leave their respective department. Just like a former police officer doesn’t wear his populated duty belt or a former member of the military wearing their class A uniform everywhere they go.

So to wrap up this week’s update, know when to call it quits and to leave behind the dream. Lights are tools that should only be used by those trained, certified, and who use them lawfully and ethically.

One classic phenomenon we see every once in awhile is the whacker or wannabe who can’t get onto a legitimate volunteer public safety department, no matter what they do. This type of conversation pops up on public safety forums from time to time. Usually someone that has enough gear to start their own department tries applying and failing to get on a volunteer department even when other people with less talent (according to the complaining party) gets on without any issues.

In more cases than not, this person complaining about their “bad luck” experiences this with more than one volunteer department and often enough, writes it off as they were “too good to be there anyways.” In the past when volunteering was a popular hobby practiced by many, this was a non-issue and the rejected wannabes believed they weren’t good enough for the respective department. Now days, volunteering in society as a whole is declining so it is hard for some departments to hide the fact they need help and this works to the benefit of wannabes and whackers with a different agenda other than helping the public.

Sometimes these wannabes and whackers will have to move 2-3 times to find a volunteer department that will accept them. Usually within a given area, a wannabe or whacker will get a reputation as information spreads between volunteer departments and the applicant will be black listed before they can get their first POV lighting setup picked out of their favorite Gall’s catalog.

So in the end, these are the signs to look for to see if you found someone we are discussing:

• The applicant has been rejected for more than two volunteer departments that are in need of manpower
• The applicant had to move to find a volunteer department that would accept them.
• The applicant brags up their current lighting setup and/or their gear they already have to support how much they are qualified.
• The applicant downplays the abilities or qualifications of people who got on the volunteer department before them.

A phenomenon our forums members have been viewing lately is the mixing of legitimate vehicle lighting permits with a hobby or interest. We don’t mean those have an interesting in lighting and have the privilege to use them. We mean those who get the privilege to use lights then use that privilege to outfit their personal vehicle to live a fantasy. Case in this article, Ghost Buster wannabes.

A member of our forum is a Ghost Buster fan and has even outfitted a vehicle to look like the original ECTO-1. He originally brought to our attention of people (mainly volunteer fire fighters and EMS members) who take advantage of their POV lighting privileges to make their vehicles look like ghost busting vehicles and still use emergency colored lights legally. While this isn’t a bad thing in itself, a lot of these “GB Whackers” start to blur the line on when and where their lights should be used and what they really have the lights for.

We have seen and have archived films of the GB whackers running lights and sirens on public roadways to cater to other GB fans. Most lighting permits only allow you to run your lights and/or sirens while to or from a pre-determined emergency. I doubt they have a “Show off you self titled GB replica” anywhere in the permit’s fine print. One of these GB whackers even went as far as to try to find the ECTO-1 siren to use while running to real emergencies. This is only taking into the account on cool it sounds to the GB fan and not any SAE or state level certifications and requirements required for running such equipment.

So what needs to be changed? Keep the ECTO-1 creations and volunteer response vehicles separate. Don’t turn the privilege of running lights and/or sirens on your personal vehicles into a mockery of a sci-fi fantasy. Like other lighting abuse, turning a serious tool (lights and sirens) into a toy as viewed by the public hurts their effectiveness for everyone else. If you join a volunteer department for the sole fact to get a lighting permit for your ECTO-1 copy, then maybe you should reconsider your choices as not to put any volunteers or other lives in danger.

Also we will be taking a hiatus to take a break from bi-weekly editorial updates and staff blog entries. We will be back after the first of the year to bring you more coverage on the epidemic of wannabes, whackers, and impostors so stay tuned. We will still be having updates featuring news articles so don’t think we have forgot about our readers. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Across the internet, this day, as every day with the date of 09/11 people are recollecting what they did that day.

Some recount where they were, some recount how they heard the news, and some recount how it affected them. Anyone alive at that time in the USA could probably tell you details of that day regarding their personal lives that they couldn’t if it was just any other normal day.

On several forums people have been going over that day. A lot were in the public safety field at the time, but a lot weren’t. A lot were in school or not even remotely involved in the field. While we all agree that age doesn’t make a difference and experience does, but this is something different. Those who weren’t involved in the public safety field that day will never know what that day felt like to those who were in the field. Although some of those now in the field lost someone they knew, being in the field at the time gave a certain understanding that is hard to describe. Now before you take offense, we are not saying “those not in the field that day don’t care”, but we are finding a growing trend with this group of people talking about that day as if they were first responders that day.

Hearing younger FF or EMS workers who where still in school, or otherwise not members of emergency services, at the time talk about 9-11 as though they were active responders bothers us. They were in school or whatever, and while they may have been scared, they didn’t just witness hundreds of people who where doing the same job as them die in an act of cowardice, we did, along with every other active emergency responder on that day.

We ask everyone to remember ALL of those who lost their lives that day and those who continue to fight for our safety and freedom.

This week we will cover a very controversial, yet growing problem in the volunteer emergency services sector. There appears to be a growing number of whackers, wannabes, & impersonators joining legitimate fire & EMS departments to justify their POV Emergency lighting. Most worrisome are those members who both drive police style vehicles and add police equipment in an attempt to make them appear to be in-service law enforcement vehicles. Some examples of the equipment added to these vehicles are:

• Push bumpers
• Spot lights
• Multiple antennas
• Black-out tint
• Thin Blue Line stickers or plates
• Police Interceptor badges
• Emergency lights with clear lenses
• Laptops

Unless the member is also a law enforcement officer, why do they need such equipment? We have been watching and have noticed this is a growing trend for those who own police style vehicles and have run out of options for impersonation. They will join a volunteer fire or EMS department for the sole purpose of gaining a light permit to legally allow them to possess emergency lights. These members then either contribute nothing to the department or do only the bare minimum required. The actions of these members taints the public image of volunteer agencies as a whole. When the public sees these vehicles driving around they either believe they are police vehicles, and so attribute any bad acts to police officers in general, or realize that they are POVs and lose respect for the professionalism of volunteer services. In many areas the use of emergency lighting by legitimate responders is already viewed negatively, and so having whackers, wannabes, & impersonators riding the coat tails of the volunteer community does nothing to help this image.

Now some people will jump to the conclusion that because we are commenting on the abuse of emergency lights by members of volunteer fire & EMS departments that joined those agencies with ulterior motives, that we are bashing all volunteer responders who use emergency lights. This is not true. We here at Policeposers.com have no problem with the responsible use of emergency lighting by legitimate volunteer responders. In fact many of the members of this site are active emergency personnel who use emergency lights, either on department vehicles or POVs, on a daily basis. As such we have come to rely on those lights to help keep us safe while performing our duties and do not wish to see their message diluted by inappropriate use.

1. Has a complete FD “personalized” wardrobe before getting off of probation.

2. Drives in a dangerous manner to any call because it might be “the one.”

3. Loses focus and common sense when something exciting happens or they think something exciting happens.

4. Gets a fire fighter tattoo within 1 year of joining the department.

5. Tries to make their POV look official to increase the intimidation factor while responding.

6. Owns a full fire fighter tool kit but doesn’t know how to use half of it.

7. Rarely mentions their true occupation to anyone and boasts that their occupation is “fire fighter.”

8. Wears a random department t-shirt every day of the week or has a custom jacket made with their “achievements” listed somewhere such as FF1, FF2, EMT-A,B,I,P (not department issued or endorsed and usually from Galls).

9. Touts the terms like “I fight what you fear” and “Find them hot, leave them wet” on anything/where ever they can apply it to.

10. Carries their fire pager/radio everywhere they go including vacations and other out of the district trips not out of habit but as a pseudo-badge.

11. Spends more time at the station than anywhere else hoping to be on the first truck out to the next big fire.

12. Has more photos posing in front of the fire trucks inside the station than any other photos.

13. Lies about their fire fighting experience/seniority to pick up women or impress friends.

14. Makes a scene whenever 09/11 is mentioned and gloats about the “connection” they have with it since they are a volunteer now.

15. Compares the coolness of their fire responses to scenes out of movies such as “Backdraft” and “Ladder 49.”

Now before I start getting hate mail for picking on volunteers, this list doesn’t cover all volunteers, just a small minority. If you are offended because I am picking on you or someone you consider a “brother” simply because they are in the field, I can’t help you.

Most times experience and maturity can help a rookie or probbie grow out of the phase and they develop into a dependable, experienced fire fighter. Other times they grow into an annoying wannabe more focused on the image than the fire fighting and are shooed off the department when they have done something to most people that is unforgettable.

We encourage you to check out these blog entries regarding Donna Clark/Fred Cross.

http://firegeezer.com/category/donna/