FBU and posties Age 60

[OnAFlyer]

The FBU are taking the piss. It's hardly the case that a firefighter does strenuous physical work every day, they spend most of their time doing nothing. And that's not a guess, my grandfather-in law spent 37 years as one and laughs at how easy it was. He said he did extra shifts all the time as 90% of the time it consisted of sitting in the station for another 8 hours.

Yes there is some difficult, physical training and potentially dangerous situations, but those don't exactly happen every day and there's no reason to think a firefighter will be physically ruined by 55 and should retire at least 10 years before everyone else.

[wacko74]

The FBU are taking the piss. It's hardly the case that a firefighter does strenuous physical work every day, they spend most of their time doing nothing. And that's not a guess, my grandfather-in law spent 37 years as one and laughs at how easy it was. He said he did extra shifts all the time as 90% of the time it consisted of sitting in the station for another 8 hours.

Yes there is some difficult, physical training and potentially dangerous situations, but those don't exactly happen every day and there's no reason to think a firefighter will be physically ruined by 55 and should retire at least 10 years before everyone else.

Fully agree, I do believe this is the same FBU that went out on strike because the beds in their stations were being replaced with reclining easy-chairs.

[janitor]

So if your house caught fire with your family still inside, you would be quite happy to leave their rescue to a pair of 60 year olds, if they were not able to do so you would be happy in the knowledge that someone younger could have achieved the rescue. I work next to a fire station and live quite near another, and sitting around for hours on end isn't what I see on a daily or nightly basis. Dingo was right some people do need a reality check.

[DB1100]

So if your house caught fire with your family still inside, you would be quite happy to leave their rescue to a pair of 60 year olds, if they were not able to do so you would be happy in the knowledge that someone younger could have achieved the rescue. I work next to a fire station and live quite near another, and sitting around for hours on end isn't what I see on a daily or nightly basis. Dingo was right some people do need a reality check.

Scaremongering,I've lived in my town for 40= years and there has never been a house fire where someone has had to be rescued,there has been house fires but the people have always been outside when the fire brigade finally get there,they have had it easy for too long,I did the firemans strike in 1977 and despite using ancient equipment we did a great job,thats what helped end the strike the reality that a bunch of squaddies could pick their job up in a couple of weeks and if we had been allowed to use their equipment we would have been as good as them within 2 months.

[fishtank]

A thread undermining firefighters now?
f**k me you lot are definitely made of the right stuff.

[wacko74]

No it's not a thread undermining firefighters at all, it's a thread comparing the daily physical demands and long term toll on the body of the 2 jobs.

[clashcityrocker]

No it's not a thread undermining firefighters at all, it's a thread comparing the daily physical demands and long term toll on the body of the 2 jobs.

Is it?
Fully agree, I do believe this is the same FBU that went out on strike because the beds in their stations were being replaced with reclining easy-chairs.

[fishtank]

No it's not a thread undermining firefighters at all, it's a thread comparing the daily physical demands and long term toll on the body of the 2 jobs.

It started out like that.
It seems to have been hijacked by a bunch of armchair heroes.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

No it's not a thread undermining firefighters at all, it's a thread comparing the daily physical demands and long term toll on the body of the 2 jobs.

which ignores 1 important point.

We don't have a physical test that we have to pass to keep the job they do. The fitness levels required to meet those physical tests and demands are far greater for the FBU, and therefore have a higher impact on the bodies condition.

http://www.fireservice.co.uk/recruitment/physical" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dvbuk55]

I think many on here are under the same misconception the union is on deliveries. There was many more firefighters in the past than there are now and the world has moved on a pace, accidents are dealt with in the same way that fires are. Despite my history I would not like to attend a car crash where children had been killed and maimed. I have been on my roof at 60 and often get up to the bedroom window now, my own I might add, but it certainly takes me a while and I have a job getting myself down a ladder without carrying some 15 stone plumper down as well.

[Postaltony]

I think a good point was raised earlier in regards to what the union are doing or plan to do to safeguard the health and well being.
I'm in my early 40s and consider myself reasonably fit and healthy. However the job is getting harder. Lads in their 20s 30s rushing round just like we all used to. Problem here is that we did it with lighter pouches and smaller rounds. These young lads will suffer later on but they wont listen and management will just allow it to continue whilst making the job more difficult. In the end there will likely be a broken workforce on shorter hours. While us full timers will have been dismissed on ill health or a lack of capability due to the design of the job.

Is this ringing bells of how amazon work as well. They were portrayed as having a high turnover of staff due to the design of how their staff are expected to work.

I wonder how much money the businesses save by operating in this way.

I just hope for the sake of posties far and wide that thing improve at the sharp end (deliveries).

[wacko74]

No it's not a thread undermining firefighters at all, it's a thread comparing the daily physical demands and long term toll on the body of the 2 jobs.

It started out like that.
It seems to have been hijacked by a bunch of armchair heroes.

Whilst I knew my original comment would have the effect of getting the usual clique of bleeding-heart liberals on here foaming at the mouth and wailing I stand by the point I was making... the day to day job of a fire fighter requires them to be physically fit and mentally strong in order for them to deal with some of the more extreme situations that occasionally come with their job and it's not a job I would be capable of doing.

HOWEVER, their typical daily routine is no where near as physically demanding and punishing in the long term as that of a delivery postman, that is an undisputable fact and the ONLY point I was attempting to make.

[Tman]

You made the simple mistake of criticising the "nation's heroes" Wacko. Firemen have to deal with distressing situations (and thankfully they do that very professionally) but the days of rushing into burning buildings to rescue the widow and her ten kids are long gone.
The real heroes were the poor sods up a ladder in the Blitz pouring water from one hose on a blazing building and often they were reservists doing a day job too. These days they let some poor epileptic drown in a three foot deep boating lake as they didn't want to risk wading in to get him.
Just like the police, another self-serving bunch of careerists whose myths are sustained by the misty-eyed...

[janitor]

Believe that if you will, yes the firemen of yesteryear are true heroes, but recently have seen locals carrying kids out of a burning house, and cutting injured from cars, luckily the only cause I've had to have the fire service do was rescue me from a stuck lift.

[janitor]

The FBU is trying to defend a pension that they signed up to, may be if the CWU had the balls to try and defend our pension, posties would still be on final salary, rather than the mess of pensions you have now, I personally would have gone on strike given the chance to try, and defend our pension, but as usual the union had no balls for the fight.