A question posted recently on Quora asked “What are some cultural faux pas in fire departments?"Fire Captain Daniel Russgave his opinion on the topic. Read his response, and add your own to the comments.
Touching or tampering with any firefighter’s turn-outs or safety gear is a definite no-no. Never move anything on a fire engine without a firefighter or the equipment operator present.
Walking into a firehouse, without knocking or announcing yourself could be a faux pas. Firefighters consider the firehouse as their house. They take pride in keeping it up and could be surprised if non-firefighters just walked in on their semi-private area. It’s also good to remember that firefighters usually work twenty-four hour, or longer, shifts. After the first night they may be a bit worn out. Firefighters have to go from zero to 90 when the alarm sounds. If you are in a fire station when the alarm sounds, most firefighters would expect that you leave or get out of the way so they can quickly lock up and go. For everything else, just use common courtesy.
