There were no seaT belTs in The Trucks, or pole covers in The dorm. There was no air condiTioning and we used smoke ejecTors off The Trucks To circulaTe The sTifling air upsTairs during The summer monThs. dorm. There was no air conditioning and we used smoke ejectors off the trucks to circulate the stifling air upstairs during the summer months. We raced out of the hall on all calls and had to get dressed enroute, hanging on to a leather strap. There were times when fire fighters fell of the trucks and some were badly injured. There were only two air masks on the pumpers and the junior man didn’t get one. The masks were not positive pressure and it was extremely difficult to breathe without cracking the by-pass valve. Even when the younger fire fighters did wear a mask they were ridiculed and laughed at and called a sissy by the senior personnel. Many of those old smoke eaters died of different types of cancers. There was no compensation for the families as there is now, as exposure to toxins was not a recognized work related death. There was no physical fitness equipment in any of the stations. It first started to come on the scene by applying for an Ontario Lottery Corporation grant. Anyone using the equipment was ridiculed and considered lazy and trying to evade training. When it came to relieving, they could send you to as many stations as they wanted. There was no mileage compensation and the junior man did all of the relieving. When relieving the other shift at fires, you had to use your own vehicle and apply for street car tickets. When arriving at a major fire, the first truck in was the last to leave. It didn’t matter how cold it was or how long the fire lasted, you were only relieved for an hour for meals. Many of the fire officers were very aggressive and forced fire fighters into fires, sometimes it seemed, with little regard for safety. I can personally remember being sent in alone, wearing a mask, to secure an eight story building which was being fumigated, all because the senior officer didn’t like me. That would never happen today. Today, anyone wearing a mask must have a buddy. There was no WHIMIS, workplace harassment, or other government policies in my early days, to protect the fire fighter. On Monday day shift, each driver had to spend the entire morning on a mechanics creeper underneath the truck cleaning the entire undercarriage with varsol. After we finished, our assignment was inspected by the Captain. Exposed skin would sting from the varsol and goggles were worn to protect the eyes. The filthy solution of water and varsol was eventually poured down the drain into the drinking water supply of Lake Ontario. This practice came to an abrupt end when one of the new group of educated fire fighters notified the Ministry Of Environment. We shoveled snow, sometimes every hour, at all hours - even 3, 4, and 5 A.M. and we cut the grass every week. Every window in all of the stations were cleaned every Monday and all floors were stripped and re-polished. We did floor watch all through the night
and wouldn’t dare go to sleep - even going to the toilet was stressful. We even had to notify the switchboard when we went to get our relief. Our Unions fought and an negotiated aggressively for many years to get fire fighters the benefits they now enjoy and deserve. During my first year, I was entitled to two weeks holiday in July. It was taken away from me and I was told that I hadn’t been on long enough. I was given April instead. That would never happen today. We loved our jobs and were a very close knit bunch. We believed that no one had it better than we did. We socialized both on and off-duty. When someone moved, everyone pitched in and it was party time. We also had, what we felt were great meals at work, however, they were actually destroying our general health. We never had salads, baked salmon, or fresh fruit with non-fat yogurt and whole wheat bread. Rather, it was burgers, fries, pasta with tons of meat sauce and thick slabs of French stick plastered with butter. Ice cream with apple pie and a cold pepsi was a favourite for dessert. I was quite satisfied after my first year, that I had only gained two pounds. I was a glutton, just like most of the guys, and I always got my money’s worth. Little did I know that I would gain two pounds each year for the next thirty one years. I overheard a mean comment by one of my younger crew members that I looked like a beach ball with legs. It was the biggest favour that he ever did for me; if I hadn’t lost those 62 lbs., I probably wouldn’t be around today. One of the most intelligent decisions that I ever made was to not start smoking. I have watched so many of my friends die of lung, oral, and other smoking related cancers. I hate to even hazard a guess of how many cigarettes a regular smoker would consume over a 35 year career. I can remember one of the old Chiefs, who was referring to smoking, remark that you can walk up the stairs once and you probably won’t fall but if you do it twenty thousand times, you likely will. Another said, “Those who play must pay.” We watched a lot of changes which improved health, safety and working conditions. All of these changes were for the better and would not have happened without the efforts of our Unions. We have a lot to be thankful for, as we all still believe that the Fire Services is one of the best, most gratifying, honourable and rewarding professions that we could ever have chosen. I greatly appreciate the efforts of our dedicated union members, who intelligently negotiated for so many improvements that the active and retired fire fighters now enjoy and deserve. It wouldn’t have happened without them. As they say, “You have come a long way baby…It doesn’t get much better than this!”
our unions foughT and an negoTiaTed aggressively for many years To geT fire fighTers The benefiTs They now enjoy and deserve. FA LL 2 0 1 0 | F I R E WAT CH 31