I don’t know were you’re from, but were I’m from they’re the most humble people you’ll ever meet and are required to keep their skills at the highest level.

They have the complex but don't have the ability to shoot someone and their dog and get off with paid vacation

Oooh, did someone get told to move his car blocking the fire hydrant in front of the burning orphanage?

They have so much different missions that I would not be able to put any overlap between the 2 functions beside who eventually pays for them… What kind of shitty experience has led to such a take? Care to share some?

I grew up with my father being an officer in firefighting in Europe (not France though) and my perception is way different. Among other things he escaped death quite a couple of times just to extract some poor souls from certain death situations, helped the community avoid disasters and generally be super kind about risk prevention visits…

He was a totally absent father though but I chalk that to his commitment to the local community.

Fire fighting in much of the US is intertwined with religion and a weird brotherhood like the freemasons. They don't have to be douches, it seems to be a culture thing from McChristianity.

I live close to a major regional hospital and I mostly see firefighters in an emergency medical services capacity. They do not fuck around because they are literally in the middle of a fucking medical emergency. Yeah they zoom around in their ambulances all sirens blaring like "assholes", but for all we know there's someone bleeding to death inside.

Wow. Yeah... Salient observation regarding the hose monkeys. Although, in my experience, more training than the police department.

Biggest difference is most firefighters generally don't even get paid, it's volunteers waking up in the middle of the night, driving to the station, putting on gear and responding for the love of the game.

Gruff assholes yeah, but everyone I know trains two hours every week on top of a few classes a year. Also the whole point is the expectation that you're responding to a dangerous situation. Too many times I've seen bystanders do dangerous stuff and yelling at them is the fastest way to notify that they are walking into danger.

hmm

granted a couple of them look like department ads but most look legit