[Courses] [Spineful Living, lesson 5: The Hardest Nos]

[Terry Hanson]

I have been a volunteer firefighter for six years. The only difference between 
us and paid firefighters is they get paychecks. We have to have all the same 
skills and training. We take our duties and public safety very seriously, and 
are proud to serve our communities. There is a lot of camaraderie and 
loyalty; it's like a family. So you can imagine how hard it was to leave my 
fire department and join a different one, because the good fire chief left 
and was replaced by an incompetent ass-kissing weasel. But I was afraid for 
my safety, and didn't want to waste my time on a department that would not 
invest in adequate training and recruiting. In fact Chief Weasel has a talent 
for attracting wife-beaters, thieves, and wannabe-felons. In a very short 
time, a first-class fire department has degenerated into a laughingstock, and 
a danger to public safety. Which don't seem to matter to the evil Ms. City 
Manager or Chief Weasel.

So I resigned last October, after being given an invitation by a neighboring 
fire department to join them.  I spend too much time considering my loyalty 
against my safety and friends on the department.  I apply at the other 
department, find out it's a "100% yes" vote to be a member, and get accepted.  
Since then, I have had training every week, I get to work with a first-class 
team, and I actually feel safe.

Meanwhile, back at the Chief Weasel ranch, conditions are dire. Two of my good 
friends, (husband and wife) that are still on the old dept., do nothing but 
complain to me and voice their concerns about safety and how the Weasel will 
not back them when they want any kind of professional training outside of the 
department, and they don't do any in-house either.  Boy do I remember this!  
I become a good sponge, listen to everything, let them vent.  I make 
suggestions,  nothing is done, I continue to listen and hold their hands.  
Finally, about two weeks ago, wife asks me to help them file a complaint to 
the right people.  She has a phone number to call, she and he are scared.  I 
say I will, I make the call, I'm referred to the proper people, I make 
complaint, get info, and get it back to H&W.  After all, I'm now an outsider, 
and it looks better coming from within the department.  Everything is 
guaranteed for confidentiality.

Is this a good time to mention that Weasel is also someone I have to work with 
on a professional level every day, and things are tense between us anyway 
because I quit his department, and he knows I think he sucks?  The same 
person I loaned money to to bring his son, wife, and baby over here from 
across the US, who skipped out, and I had to threaten with legal action to 
get paid back? (see lesson 5 for details)

OK, H & W now get scared of repercussions.  They own a business, small town, 
what will happen to them, what will happen to me since we work together, 
Weasel will know it's them, etc... I inform them that I'm still going through 
with it, w or w/o them, their safety issues also affect me and my department, 
I'm not worried about my job, and he will probably know anyway. I'm ready to 
drop them cold, ready to tell them not to make one more peeping complaint to 
me. They think it over a weekend.  On our next meeting, they inform me that 
they have taken first step and made the call. The person called is now on 
vacation for a week, but they have taken the first step. I let them know if 
they needed some support to let me know.  I feel something good will happen, 
some investigation into the problem of which neither Chief Weasel  nor evil 
Ms CM will listen to. I'm somewhat disappointed that nobody in the dept. was 
spineful enough to do something about it, but maybe, finally, the hose is  
starting to squirt some water.