Firefighting, as we all know, is a dangerous job that requires bravery and courage, and very often, a sense of humor. As dangerous as being on the scene can be, it can also be the best time for an unexpected laugh.
We took to Facebook to ask our fans to take a second and laugh at themselves and share with us their funniest moment/mistake as a firefighter. If you think you can top these, comment below!
Here are the top baker’s dozen of our answers:
1.When I was 18 I joined my local fire department. I thought I was going to be the greatest firefighter ever. One afternoon we got called to a natural gas main that had been broken open by a backhoe. We just stood around for what seemed like hours waiting for the gas company to respond. I got bored — real bored — and thought this would be a perfect time to light a cigarette. Without missing a beat my 67 year-old chief tackled my ass and sent me to the truck where I could do no damage. I learned two lessons that day: smoking can kill and my chief could have played for the NFL. —Scott Washburn
2.On my very first call, we responded to a possible gas leak at a propane company and I jumped off the engine and somebody yelled, “Hey Buddy, your helmet is on backwards.” I have not made that mistake since. —Jimmy Rodgers II
3.Going on a structure fire and having the stomach flu at the same time is a mixture for disaster ... that’s as far as I’m going for this story. I’m sure you can figure out the rest. —Nicholas Podell
4.Ha! I didn’t tell the Board of Inquiry, I’m sure as hell ain’t going to tell you. —Fredric L. Rice
5.Going to a fire one night I was dragging about 100 feet of hose behind the engine right through the middle of town. It didn’t hit anyone or any cars but it did rip down some signs and mail boxes. —David Short
6.While trying to vent the house, I couldn’t bust the window. So I gave it a pretty good whack and wound up throwing the ax into the house. It came out cleaner than it was going in, though. —Tim Whitlock
7.There was a basement fire and we couldn’t get to the stairs. The Chief comes over the radio and says he found a window. We make it to it and it’s little. I ask for butter and Slimfast so I can lose some weight and butter my fat ass up to get through. Two weeks later we had a talk from the county on radio etiquette. —Curtis Flax
8. I was not a rookie but a Lt. Now using that abbreviation, my Asst. Chief called me “Little Turd.” One day on a call I put our pumper tanker in a septic tank, my Asst. Chief said I was trying to get back home.—Anthony Hardison Jr.
9.Assist PD called to tell me to check the well-being of an elderly lady. I put the ladder to second floor window for access and the woman was still in bed. I asked my partner if he checked for a pulse. He replied, “Are you kidding? Do you smell it in here, she’s been dead for days!” At that she sat up, screaming, wondering why we were in her bedroom! —Keith Yashin
10.We were on a motor vehicle crash and my chief told me to pick up all the big pieces from the crash and give them to the tow driver because they will glue them back onto the car when they fixed it. Yep, I believed him. —Amy Williams Britain
11.Was in a heavy smoke-filled dining room looking for help and yelling at another firefighter to come over and give me a hand. I then realized the “other guy” was me and I was looking at a mirrored wall.—Charlie Bradley
12.As a new medic,
13.I dispatched a full assignment to a report of a man struck by a car, pinned underneath. There was a bit of a language barrier. I repeatedly questioned the caller who stated it was her husband. She kept saying, “he’s dead, he’s dead!” I asked how she knew and she said his tongue was hanging out of his mouth. I asked her if she could begin CPR and she said very matter-of-factly “no.” It was about that time the DC arrived on scene and canceled the assignment that was enroute to the dog struck by a car! To be fair, we played the tape back, and did hear her say it was her husband under the car. —Alton Golden