Jon B.

We just had an ice storm that dropped 4” of straight ice in Virginia that took weeks to clear. I’ve lived here all of my life, and I’ve never seen that. Now we’re being told we could potentially have multiple tornados tomorrow, some as strong as F3. Tornados don’t happen in Virginia. Maybe a wind funnel you can barely call a tornado, but not a legit Oklahoma /Kansas tornado. It’s never happened. Yeah, I can’t prove weather manipulation… …but, we know the government does it, so when you start seeing such irregular weather events happening in abundance, you’d be dumb not to consider it.

Smaller trucks are “impossible” in American fire departments, but let’s discuss something even more sacrosanct: the 24 hour shift. Plus how it’s another example of negative life safety that’s too common in US departments. Numerous countries operate on ~10-12 hour shifts, in line with police & EMS. This also allows demand-based staffing - i.e. higher staffing for daytime, lower for evening. No sleeping overnight in the station for most personnel. The 24 hour shift isn’t based on public safety, but instead on tradition. Worse it is actively harmful to both the public AND firefighters as FDs have become high-frequency emergency response. For firefighters, a number of studies have landed on the same negative findings: -Higher injury rates -Greater cardiovascular risk (hypertension, stroke, heart disease) -higher mortality from heart attacks compounded by a combination of sleep loss, sudden physical exertion, and circadian disruption from irregular sleep patterns -Metabolic & endocrine issues (impaired glucose regulation, type 2 diabetes, reduced testosterone, etc) -Negative mental health outcomes -Cognitive impairment -Immune system suppression (linked to elevated cancer risks over time) -Reduced muscle strength and bone loss, increasing fracture risks later in life This chronic sleep loss follows firefighters past their working career - resulting in elevated risks of injury and mortality rates across a range of categories. Meanwhile negatives for the public are obvious: -Fatigue increases error rates, accident risk, impairs judgment in high-risk situations, and slows reflexes. -Cognitive impairment after 24 hours of being awake (remember, day starts before shift starts) is roughly equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.10. No one wants their moment of greatest need to be met by a fatigued firefighter with poor concentration, impaired judgement and memory lapses while operating at the level of someone who has had a solid night of drinking. But that’s ~exactly~ what we design the system for if you’re on the tail end of a 24 hour shift at a busy station, every day, across the country.