‘I went back to the station and quit’: Senior firefighter quits after 7 years after being written up by demanding manager

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
Jan 14, 2024 1:00 PM EST

Paid or unpaid, it seems like the best workers always get terminated.

I see this a lot in my line of work… People who work hard don't get a return on their endless commitment. Why bother putting in lots of effort if it goes unappreciated? It seems as though managers don't know how to keep their employees happy.

This firefighter was volunteering at a local fire station for seven years when he finally had enough of upper management and their ridiculous demands. From asking him to work 28 twelve-hour shifts out of a 30-day month, to writing him up for not being enthusiastic enough about the job, he was completely fed up. He had been working free of charge for people who just didn't deserve it. He decided to quit, but first, he knew just how to annoy them even further… Scroll down for the full story and to find how what happened in the end, and then when you are done, scroll through another flabbergasting story of a guest who showed up at a hotel without the means to pay for the room they had booked, leaving the front desk clerk in an uncomfortable position.

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  • 01
    "I gave 7 years to this place and this is what I get? I quit."
    via Canva
  • 02
    "You should think about what you want." "Okay." M OC
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 03
    I used to be a firefighter for a volunteer department. The town was small and nothing happened on most days. But I was young and single and I loved the job. I showed up every single time I could. The only person who was there more than me was the chief. As many volunteer firefighters know, when Grandma falls down at 3am, you get one or two people. But if there's a fire? People you haven't seen in months suddenly have enough time to show up!
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 04
    Anyway, that department was a mess. People were always sl t talking and backstabbing. Training was a joke- you were lucky to get a PowerPoint once a week. Stuff was stolen often. There was once a whole political coup for some reason. Somebody really wanted power in a small town department in the middle of nowhere. I learned it was best to just stay quiet and do my job, and that was helped when I went to night shifts at my real job. I was working 12+ hours shifts,
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 05
    sometimes 5 or 6 days a week. I still showed up to every run I could, but after seven years there, I was just done with it all. Everything came to a head when I was scheduled 28 twelve hour shifts out of a 30 day month. I was still the second most active member out of thirty people, but I wasn't kissing the appropriate astes, and the management kept trying to get me in trouble. They once threatened to fire me for not turning in some paperwork, and I had to point out that paperwork had been sitti
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 06
    They eventually decided to add a stupid new rule. You were now required to sit at the station for 40 unpaid hours a month. Not doing so could lead to discipline and termination. I didn't bother. I was about 24 shifts into the month and I did not care about their dumb rule. But I realized that I could make it, so I left work, grabbed a change of clothes, and I went to the department. It was about noon, which was midnight to me since I worked nights. I tried to sleep on the rock hard beds they pro
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 07
    Not 30 minutes went by when the training officer kicked the door in and demanded that I get up and help with "training." My role? I sat on a hose so it didn't move while somebody else practiced the pump controls. A sandbag could have done just as well. An hour later, training finished and I tried to go back to sleep. I was told off again. I ended up hiding in the TV room so I could have some peace and quiet. They found me again and wrote me up (first time in years) for what
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 08
    amounted to not being enthusiastic enough about the job. I endured a lecture while trying not to fall asleep where I stood. I finally got to go sit down, when I got a text from the boss at my real job. They wanted me to work that night and wandered if I was available. I thought, "you know what? I am available." And I left.
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 09
    A few days later, I got a nasty email from one of the guys who wrote me up, telling me they didn't like my attitude and that I needed to think about what I wanted. I thought about it and I realized- I didn't want to deal with their sh: anymore. So I wrote my resignation letter, went back to the station, gathered my personal effects, and I never went back.
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 10
    chaingun_samurai - 1 day ago the training officer kicked the door in and demanded that I get up and help with "training." "No. I'm here because I have to be present and accounted for. That's it. That's all. Unless there's a real emergency, I'm gonna sit here and do exactly what I'm not being paid to do." Reply Share 499
    via u/chaingun_samurai
  • 11
    JasontheFuzz OP. 1 day ago Honestly, I wish I had said something like that. I was there to fulfill a time requirement, not hold down a hose. Reply Share 227 chaingun_samurai 1 day ago Yup. "You want enthusiasm, I want to get paid. Maybe we can work something out." 118 Reply Share
    via u/JasontheFuzz, u/chaingun_samurai
  • 12
    TJamesV 1 day ago You were there more than anyone for 7 years and suddenly you're enemy number one? How did that happen? Plus, how enthusiastic are you supposed to act for an unpaid job? It's a shame, but good thing you got out. Kinda weak on the MC but the spirit is there. Reply Share 360
    via u/TJamesV
  • 13
    JasontheFuzz OP 1 day ago edited 1 day ago I consistently annoyed the leadership a little every day because I didn't fit the stereotype of a firefighter in a redneck town. I don't drink, I didn't have a bunch of gins or a big truck, I didn't sleep with random women, and I preferred to talk about books and video games rather than sports.
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 14
    There was a rotating position that I called the "Department Punching Bag." Whoever it was would get tons of from everyone and would be given the craiest jobs and would be excluded from any social events. I made it my job to befriend these people, but after 7 years, I was the lucky winner. Reply Share 4 383
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 15
    Imaginary_Poetry_233 1 day ago Paid or unpaid, it seems like the best workers always get harassed or terminated. This reminds me of the time a library lost almost all of their volunteer workers for demanding a d test. Reply Share 60 Blue Veritas 731 - 1 day ago I used to work for a year 'round, mtn top resort, with 5 restaurants, numerous retail shops, etc., and I rented the bottom floor of a house from one of the onsite property owners who was also a Director for the maintenance crew, which was
    via u/Imaginary_Poetry_233, u/Blue_Veritas731
  • 16
    During a talk one day, he mentioned that the Executive Board of the resort was thinking about instituting dig tests for the employees. He said that several Directors and other high level staff strongly recommended the resort not do that, as they would very likely stand to loose at least 50% of their employees! (Including my landlord/Director!) The Executive Board wisely opted not to institute dug testing. Reply Share 54
    via u/Blue_Veritas731
  • 17
    neverenoughpurple. 1 day ago That sounds like such a strange volunteer fire department setup to me. The politics mention momentarily made me wonder if you were in a certain town I'm familiar with, but no - you describe WAY too many people for the small department I was thinking of, and scheduling shifts is not done at all for volunteer departments in my area. It's simply - tone out and whoever can shows up at the department and rolls out, or arrives in their personal if necessary equipment is al
    via u/neverenoughpurple
  • 18
    JasontheFuzz OP 1 day ago . The stuff I described is pretty common in both small towns and fire departments. Lots of type A personalities who never grew up or got past their high school jock phase. 36 Reply Share neverenoughpurple. 1 day ago It's the scheduling and having shifts that I find strange - volunteer departments in my region don't do it. Only paid staff is scheduled. Some departments might have both paid and volunteer, but the volunteers are on-call only.
    via u/JasontheFuzz, u/neverenoughpurple
  • 19
    Scheduling like that might drop the number of volunteers down to pretty much zero around here, in all honesty. These small, rural departments are understaffed these days as it is, especially among the younger generation. My now-late-20s son was appalled when he started (at 18) that about 90% of his department was older than 40. Don't know what's going to happen as they dwindle. There's been a lot of discussion and no real answers, because while smokejumpers are great for the big fires, that does
    via u/neverenoughpurple
  • 20
    Jasonthe Fuzz OP. 1 day ago I volunteered back when I was able to pay my bills with a job and still have the spare time to dedicate to the department. But as my bills got higher, I needed to work more. I don't see how anyone can do it with inflation as it is. 10 Reply Share
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 21
    Wonderful-Seesaw6214 1 day ago I realize you said this was a volunteer position, but then you said You were now required to sit at the station for 40 unpaid hours a month. Not doing so could lead to discipline and termination. This sounds very illegal to me. You cannot be required to put time into a job and not get paid for it. Reply Share 28
    via u/Wonderful-Seesaw6214
  • 22
    JasontheFuzz OP. 1 day ago The requirement was to be considered Active, which carried benefits like having a vote for the officer positions, getting a higher uniform allowance, and being eligible for leadership roles. It was formerly based on your actual time on runs, which is where I exceeded everyone else by a wide margin 26 Reply Share
    via u/JasontheFuzz
  • 23
    MajorNoodles - 1 day ago My hometown's department only required you to respond to a certain percentage of calls, plus the occasional shift with the chase car. They didn't care if you hung out at home or at the station before them. That seemed reasonable to me. Vote Reply Share JasontheFuzz OP - 20 hr. ago We were that way for years before they changed it. I fought against the change but I was overruled Vote Reply Share
    via u/MajorNoodles, u/JasontheFuzz

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resignation letter local town fire station demanding hard working fire hose fire fighter write up Horrible Bosses training volunteering work shifts malicious compliance reddit senior employee quitting
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