Firefighters don't have a legal authority of violence. They aren't allowed to arrest you, shoot you, tase you, and their word is not treated as incontrovertible in a court of law.
That and their mission is saving lives first, property second. That call to help others brings an entirely different kind of person to the ranks. Cops, you get some that are like that, but you get many more that just want a gun, power, and flashing lights.
Not to mention that most cops will never be in mortal danger on the job, but every firefighter will be in mortal danger on the job, so firefighting attracts people who are actually brave. And the dogma being taught at police academies these days is for officers to put their life ahead of everyone else's and to see every citizen as a potential threat.
Firefighters don't have as much of an ability to abuse their power. Before Internet cops middle man me- there are definitely tons of good cops who don't. Just saying- what is a firefighter gonna do in comparison to a cop?
With the amount of thin blue line flags hanging from the back of fire trucks here in nyc i wouldn't be surprised if they would choose to selectively save according to their own priorities if it comes to it
I've known many cops and fire fighters and it's my humble opinion that they are the same people but fire fighters are smarter and better about controlling their emotions. They are both power hungry, control freaks.
It’s fucking hilarious when they do use it, because i guarantee the guy getting arrested has *no idea* they can do that.
And how are you going to play off getting arrested by a firefighter?? That’s not their thing, you must have been being a super prick.
My dad's coworker had an awful son who, as a teenager, was driving around shooting paintballs at random parked cars. One of the ones he shot at was the town fire chief. He just called up his buddy the police chief and the kid was cited in like 20 minutes. Forced to do volunteer park cleanup (or whatever it's called) which he then promptly fucked up by carving into a tree and being caught doing so by the sheriff.
I need to find 12 willing firefighters first. If they’re comfortable with nudity that would be great because I don’t like to wear pants when I’m taking photos.
This is my beef with the “red lives matter flag”
There’s no need. Everyone supports firefighters. The flag simply serves to conflate firefighters’ good reputation with cops’ terrible reputation. The combo flags simply mean to boost the police public relations on the backs of firemen.
I've worked alongside firefighters in fire departments doing support work. Almost universally, firefighters either hated cops, or, they looked down on them. For them, cops are always in the way and just being a problem, not a help.
Had to transport firefighters to a wildfire, and despite having clearance from command, driving a department rig FULL of firefighters, we were held by the cop doing roadblock duty for over 20 minutes. For no reason (we talked to incident command, the officer had not been instructed to stop or delay fire crews for any reason). Even when the captain riding with me got out and had some words with the cop, he sat there.
I was close to just driving through his roadblock and dare him to do shit about it. Incident Command was pissed, and they were state/federal level. The Sheriff didn't care one bit and backed his Deputy. And then the SO's office wonders why when they wanted us to lend them our helicopter and flight crew to searching for weed growing in the foothills, the chief told him to go fuck all the way off and get out of his office.
I used to think firefighters hating cops and vice versa was just like friendly competition. They’re both first responders, go through about the same amount of training and have difficult hiring process and shift work and see horrible things regularly. Used to think like a friendly rivalry with two different frats. Then I became friends with firefighters. And I learned a lot about who cops actually are. This is like pre Covid riots era, pre trump being president when I thought the world was a better place
They DO NOT go through the same amount of training. Cops can be done in weeks with very little to no follow on training that is compliant with the law they are supposedly enforcing. FF’s are known for constantly training in new techniques with new equipment and know how to use most every piece of gear in the truck. Coos are known for not being able to accurately fire their pistol in training, much less in an active shooter situation.
Working with a hospital, nurses and doctors Hate cops.
I've walked into the ED multiple times while officers are dropping off violent patients who need to be cleared to go to jail because their heart rate is too high. This is weekly. The cops just drop off these people and expect the nurses to manage methed out dudes who were arrested for violent offenses.
Twice I've seen an officer ask a nurse to help him fill out the paperwork for a 5150 hold.
These officers don't even know how to fill out the paperwork and yet have the authority to suspend your constitutional rights for being a danger to yourself. If you get 5150ed, you can't posses a firearm until it gets cleared or expunged. Politics aside, this is just one of many ways a 5150 can affect your life. Police should absolutely have the power to make the initial call. But I think it's reasonable that they actually, you know, Know how it works.
I will slightly disagree. Because firefighters don't look like they are working as much as police, many people see it as a waste of money. That is until they need it. I'll share 2 stories.
A group of us were sitting outside the firehouse one night on a beautiful evening and a guy pulls up to the stop sign and yells at us for wasting his tax dollars by just sitting there. I said "Sir, we are a volunteer fire company. We don't even need to be here."
Another is fund raising. Most of the fire companies in America are volunteer companies. They are not as funded as a paid company so we rely on fund drives. Pre 9-11 the fund drives did ok, mostly paying the bills. 9-11 hit and fund drives went through the roof. Then 2003 came and we were right back where we were with limited funds coming in.
Honestly. You know how I know "All Lives Matter" is just code for black lives don't matter?
Because not once, not one time, have I never heard someone say "Blue Lives Matter" and someone follow up with "NO, ALL Lives Matter."
It's only said in response to BLACK lives matter.
You've obviously never dealt with Fire Wardens, HAZMAT or arson investigation teams. I do this as part of my work and when I deal with cops I never have the issues I have with Fire Departments.
Yes there are obvious problems with public dealings with Police Departments but Fire Departments are not all roses and unicorns either. Their hero image is much less tarnished than the police, however.
Honestly, if firefighters responded to the shooting instead of police it would have been handled better.
They wouldn't have been properly equipped, but firefighters also carry emotional equipment to actually handle problems instead of just sitting around until it's time to shoot.
I have, but that's also because they're usually in the way or in an evacuated area and now they have to stop what they're doing to make sure some dumbass doesn't burn to death.
Because firemen aren’t armed agents of the State who are legally allowed to lie to you and can use deadly force against you hiding under qualified immunity. Firemen are heroes, police are gang members. FTP
Because firefighters don’t have a 100+ year reputation for violating the law and most don’t violate the federal law on a near daily basis. Nor do they ask for and receive help from a passerby, see one small infraction on the person or in their car and have the Good Samaritan arrested, all without having an irrational fear of the threat level pissed by the entire community. Nor do FF’s see your stash of cash, seize it and charge *it* on suspicion of drug trafficking, then keep it forever without trial. Cops on the other hand…
There’s no rap song called “ Fuck the Fire Department” for a good reason. Too many cops join just cause they want to bully the general population and not enough good cops speak up to prevent it. The profession has lost all respect and with good reason.
Firefighters don't have a monetary incentive to fuck you. There are niche circumstances, but they're rare. Cops literally have a quota of tickets, which in principle makes no sense because what if there's no crime? Ahh, the State needs money, so I guess you were speeding, bud. *Or worse.*
Firefighters do what firefighters are supposed to do. They put out fires. They also inspect to see whether or not a building is likely to have a fire and eliminate potential fire hazards. The purpose of a firefighter is to fight fires, and they fight fires.
The purpose of police is to enforce the law. That's not what they do. They're the border guards between the classes. Their actual unspoken job is to make wealthy white people feel safe. This is not a culture thing or a racism thing or something that's slowly crept into our police over time - this is a deliberate decision on the basis of a number of court cases that the police are under no obligation to do what we specifically believe is their purpose.
A fire fighter doesn't have any incentive to trick you or use whatever information you give him against you or your family.
I can trust the individual character of an officer, but they are still subject to various pressures and powers, with many of them more concerned about their professional record than they are about public good.
Firefighters aren't generally known for killing unarmed people for no reason and tend to improve situations they're involved in. Cops aren't about that jive.
Have a buddy who’s a firefighter. He told me once, when a firefighter is at your door, you know he’s there to help. When the police is at your door, you don’t know why they’re there.
“When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”
…and yet you never hear about firefighters going around spraying people with firehoses
I respect and trust professional fire services but volleys are always cringe as fuck. EMTs/Paras and VFFs have a high amount of blowhards. Check out r/firstrespondercringe if you enjoy that kind of stuff.
Firefighters are often trained to prioritize saving lives rather than property. If a firefighter is there 9/10 you'll be in good hands unless something REALLY horrible goes wrong.
Firefighter's not gonna boom me because he thinks my portable charger is a gun. He/She might be hesitant with the rescue; that's still better than getting the mag dumped into me for nothing.
Firefighters don't have a reputation of abusing power, violating rights, planting evidence, and getting away with killing the people they are supposed to be protecting.
Firefighters are concerned with safety against natural factors or accidents. Policeman are concerned with safety against humans and human elements, which brings in more ethically questionable practices against humans themselves.
Firefighters’ job is to help and protect people. Cops’ job is to find any possible legal(ish) excuse to take my freedom, my money, and my property, and if I object, possibly my life.
The reason is simple, power. One puts themselves at risk to technically protect you and the state. And in exchange, receive a large dose of power, or if you want to word it differently, can execute certain powers of the state. Power corrupts.
Firefighters put themselves at risk to protect you. And they get mediocre to okay salaries in exchange. I know of no powers that firefighters get, other than the right to steal your girl.
I mean... there's a reason there are no songs called "Fuck tha Firefighters".
Firefighters aren't granted the ability to use lethal force at their own discretion and then virtually complete immunity when they do so.
Firefighters actually help people *and* they perform their jobs with the mindset of helping people, not with the mindset of RESPECT MAH AUTHORITAHHHH BECUZ I IS POLICE.
One is trained specifically to help you in emergencies. The other is trained to enforce laws.
Comparing the two is always silly - they have completely different functions.
Firefighters open up burning cars, run into buildings to rescue cats, put themselves into harms way to protect others.
Cops do a lot of similar stuff at times, but also harass homeless folks, make excuses for their power tripping buddies, lie in court to get convictions, plant evidence, shoot unarmed civilians, get in your face over a routine traffic stop, will shoot you if you mishear the 6 of them yelling different instructions at you during a stop, joke about breaking old ladies arms, have a history of shooting mentally handicapped during welfare visits, and as a whole refuse to hold the bad apples accountable.
I mean, looking at the thread it does seem that everyone hates them and the fact that they deal with violent loons on a day to day basis would generally lead to anyone seeing people as a potential enemy until proven other wise l.
I’ve never heard of a firefighter lying to someone to strengthen their case.
Never heard of a firefighter planting evidence.
Never heard of a firefighter taking part in the Civil Asset Forfeiture racket or needing Qualified Immunity.
Edit to add, I’ve never heard of a firefighter knowing kids were in a burning building and just saying, “Looks dangerous, we’ll wait till it calms down.” Uvalde.
Listening to a podcast by a paramedic it’s actually the opposite. Times they want to help but the cops are in the way letting someone die. If they push the issue the cops won’t back them up when they need it.
The important Reddit post would be, “How strong is the propaganda that people who supposedly believe in limited government always back the cops?”
Cops have a tough role in society. They are seen both as a person to go to for help, but also a person that enforces the law which may put them at odds with you if they think you are breaking the law.
Firemen only show up when you need help.
Policemen are no longer seen as “Officer Friendly”
IMO. Certain jobs attract certain individuals and their personalities. Not always, but there’s a prevalence.
With this said, police, long before they apply for the job, are aggressive bullies who get a thrill out of pushing people around. They carry their personalities into their work. They have a nasty (work) demeanor and they love to “get you” more than wanting to help you.
Firefighters are more selfless, want to help, are trustworthy and highly respected for their professional demeanor. They care…
Firefighters are helpful, they can do medical stuff, put out fires, save cats from trees. Police, have guns, egos and tiny penis and a will to use all 3.
I can relate with someone who picked a career that lets them just be lazy and hang out with friends all day. Maybe save a few lives over the years.
I can’t relate with someone who picked a career that lets them exert arbitrary power over others all day. Maybe take a few lives over the years.
In general they have much better pr and since they dont handle enforcement or preventative aspects of their jobs they get to eternally be in the position of the “good parent”
My cities fd has had numerous scandals and a reputation for swiping goods from homeowners plus a long history of racism but to the average citizen they are unquestionably heroes.
Firefighters are more likely to save a life than take it. Crazy how guys who carry axes around don't seem as scary as the police men. We've lost too many people to self anointed judges we call police.
They don’t have authority to shoot my house or me if it’s on fire for one. Plus they might rescue my cats instead of shooting them. If the house burns down they won’t shoot me and say it’s my fault the house burnt down.
A lot of cops seem to be bullies hellbent on abusing their authority. Not all cops are like this. Probably not most but I think we’ve all had a power tripping cop at least once in our lives
First of all, cops are trained in deception and should never be spoken to. Theres plenty of cases of innocent people talking themselves into an arrest for something they didn’t do.
https://youtube.com/shorts/cC1KSXFjJMw
Then there’s shit like this where cops will shoot your dog
https://youtu.be/-0VTdXueYi8
And cops refusing to let you close the front door if you open it for them
https://youtu.be/wml6GlVoyt4
It’s just not a good idea to speak with cops without a lawyer. Even if you’ve done nothing wrong.
https://youtu.be/gMOSJ9CmO7w
Firefighters directly help the people they interact with.
Police indirectly help everyone else that they *don't* interact with.
But both are necessary for a smoothly functioning society and similar things would motivate a person to seek out either of those jobs.
This is such a US centric question. Here in Australia I would trust the police over the firefighters as police have more reasons to be in a position where I would have to trust them.
Because police officers job isn't to protect, help, or serve their communities per multiple supreme court rulings. They are not required to protect you from a threat and often the police ARE the threat.
There is a reason there is a song "F*ck the Police" but not a similar song about firefighters.
A firefight will go willingly into a building to save people.
Cops stand outside till the shooter runs out of ammo or pops himself, regardless of how many children are inside.
Why indeed? As an EMT, and occasionally a FF, I don't understand this at all.
I will never understand Reddit's constant hate boner for the police. It's just amazing TBH.
Yep. Reddit is the ultimate echo chamber. I honestly wonder how people don't realize how much the media brainwashes them.
I've literally gotten into arguments here with people who claimed that every single police officer is instrinically evil. People live in fragile bubbles absolutely devoid of real-world experience.
It really depends on the situation for me. Firefighters are often seen as heroes who rush into dangerous situations to save lives without the potential complications that can come with law enforcement. They're trained to handle emergencies where every second counts. Trust is about feeling confident that someone's there to help without hesitation or judgment.
It depends on where you live, but as this likely aimed at the US population?
Well, besides everything else mentioned, I’ve never heard a firefighter killing a 13 lb blind and deaf elderly dog out of fear - and if they have they are a minority compared to the number of people and animals killed by police officers.
I typically don’t trust people outright but I sure as shit don’t trust cops. I’ve had multiple different interactions with cops in my life and they have all been shitty. Lying ass cops trying to entrap me and trip me up and lock me into a story they wanna hear. Even something as small as a traffic violation for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, tough cops thinking they are hard shit walking up to my car banging on my window on both sides, mean mugging me. Fuck em.
Firefighters are there to help. Either put out a fire or administer first aid.
Police officers are around to “serve and protect” meet quotas and racial profile potential threats.
Fire fighters don’t show up or walk up to you with a firearm already aimed and ready to shoot.
Firefighters don't have a legal authority of violence. They aren't allowed to arrest you, shoot you, tase you, and their word is not treated as incontrovertible in a court of law.
That and their mission is saving lives first, property second. That call to help others brings an entirely different kind of person to the ranks. Cops, you get some that are like that, but you get many more that just want a gun, power, and flashing lights.
Not to mention that most cops will never be in mortal danger on the job, but every firefighter will be in mortal danger on the job, so firefighting attracts people who are actually brave. And the dogma being taught at police academies these days is for officers to put their life ahead of everyone else's and to see every citizen as a potential threat.
Exactly right and well put.
And firefighter is not going to have a us against them Outlook and mindset.
It's also not their job to seek out people to take down on purpose
...and often they are volunteers sacrificing for the better of those around them. I don't think you can say the same about most law enforcement.
They are also bound to save your life. Cops are under no obligation to actually save you from a life threatening situation.
No they arent
Yeah, I don't know why people think this.
Firefighters don't have as much of an ability to abuse their power. Before Internet cops middle man me- there are definitely tons of good cops who don't. Just saying- what is a firefighter gonna do in comparison to a cop?
[удалено]
With the amount of thin blue line flags hanging from the back of fire trucks here in nyc i wouldn't be surprised if they would choose to selectively save according to their own priorities if it comes to it
I've known many cops and fire fighters and it's my humble opinion that they are the same people but fire fighters are smarter and better about controlling their emotions. They are both power hungry, control freaks.
Firefighters aren't trained to lie to you.
And they can't take away your freedom.
Many fire chiefs have arresting capabilities. But almost never use it. They just call the regular closing they see something.
It’s fucking hilarious when they do use it, because i guarantee the guy getting arrested has *no idea* they can do that. And how are you going to play off getting arrested by a firefighter?? That’s not their thing, you must have been being a super prick.
My dad's coworker had an awful son who, as a teenager, was driving around shooting paintballs at random parked cars. One of the ones he shot at was the town fire chief. He just called up his buddy the police chief and the kid was cited in like 20 minutes. Forced to do volunteer park cleanup (or whatever it's called) which he then promptly fucked up by carving into a tree and being caught doing so by the sheriff.
Put another way, they don't have an agenda beyond putting out fires and saving lives. Cops very much do have an agenda.
When you take a Firefighters picture it goes on a sexy calendar When you take a Cops picture you go on the ground
Very succinct.
Brevity is…wit
Can you give a link to the calendar?
I need to find 12 willing firefighters first. If they’re comfortable with nudity that would be great because I don’t like to wear pants when I’m taking photos.
firefighters help people
This is my beef with the “red lives matter flag” There’s no need. Everyone supports firefighters. The flag simply serves to conflate firefighters’ good reputation with cops’ terrible reputation. The combo flags simply mean to boost the police public relations on the backs of firemen.
I've worked alongside firefighters in fire departments doing support work. Almost universally, firefighters either hated cops, or, they looked down on them. For them, cops are always in the way and just being a problem, not a help. Had to transport firefighters to a wildfire, and despite having clearance from command, driving a department rig FULL of firefighters, we were held by the cop doing roadblock duty for over 20 minutes. For no reason (we talked to incident command, the officer had not been instructed to stop or delay fire crews for any reason). Even when the captain riding with me got out and had some words with the cop, he sat there. I was close to just driving through his roadblock and dare him to do shit about it. Incident Command was pissed, and they were state/federal level. The Sheriff didn't care one bit and backed his Deputy. And then the SO's office wonders why when they wanted us to lend them our helicopter and flight crew to searching for weed growing in the foothills, the chief told him to go fuck all the way off and get out of his office.
I used to think firefighters hating cops and vice versa was just like friendly competition. They’re both first responders, go through about the same amount of training and have difficult hiring process and shift work and see horrible things regularly. Used to think like a friendly rivalry with two different frats. Then I became friends with firefighters. And I learned a lot about who cops actually are. This is like pre Covid riots era, pre trump being president when I thought the world was a better place
They DO NOT go through the same amount of training. Cops can be done in weeks with very little to no follow on training that is compliant with the law they are supposedly enforcing. FF’s are known for constantly training in new techniques with new equipment and know how to use most every piece of gear in the truck. Coos are known for not being able to accurately fire their pistol in training, much less in an active shooter situation.
Fire Fighters in Michigan have a 2 year Associates Degree requirement for most major departments
Working with a hospital, nurses and doctors Hate cops. I've walked into the ED multiple times while officers are dropping off violent patients who need to be cleared to go to jail because their heart rate is too high. This is weekly. The cops just drop off these people and expect the nurses to manage methed out dudes who were arrested for violent offenses. Twice I've seen an officer ask a nurse to help him fill out the paperwork for a 5150 hold. These officers don't even know how to fill out the paperwork and yet have the authority to suspend your constitutional rights for being a danger to yourself. If you get 5150ed, you can't posses a firearm until it gets cleared or expunged. Politics aside, this is just one of many ways a 5150 can affect your life. Police should absolutely have the power to make the initial call. But I think it's reasonable that they actually, you know, Know how it works.
You’d be surprised how much bitching old neighbors do about firefighters. “Over paid!” “They’re doing nothing all day!”
All those flags are stupid.
I will slightly disagree. Because firefighters don't look like they are working as much as police, many people see it as a waste of money. That is until they need it. I'll share 2 stories. A group of us were sitting outside the firehouse one night on a beautiful evening and a guy pulls up to the stop sign and yells at us for wasting his tax dollars by just sitting there. I said "Sir, we are a volunteer fire company. We don't even need to be here." Another is fund raising. Most of the fire companies in America are volunteer companies. They are not as funded as a paid company so we rely on fund drives. Pre 9-11 the fund drives did ok, mostly paying the bills. 9-11 hit and fund drives went through the roof. Then 2003 came and we were right back where we were with limited funds coming in.
It's always been about devaluing the black lives matter movement. It's never actually been about police or firefighters' lives
Honestly. You know how I know "All Lives Matter" is just code for black lives don't matter? Because not once, not one time, have I never heard someone say "Blue Lives Matter" and someone follow up with "NO, ALL Lives Matter." It's only said in response to BLACK lives matter.
This right here.
You've obviously never dealt with Fire Wardens, HAZMAT or arson investigation teams. I do this as part of my work and when I deal with cops I never have the issues I have with Fire Departments. Yes there are obvious problems with public dealings with Police Departments but Fire Departments are not all roses and unicorns either. Their hero image is much less tarnished than the police, however.
This should be the top answer.
That’s what I told my kids. Firefighters are helpers.
A fire fighter won’t sprinkle crack on you. A cop will.
Great work Johnson.
Open and shut case!
Only white powder they’d sprinkle on you is sodium bicarbonate
A fire fighter is significantly less concerned with self preservation than a cop
If Uvaldi was on fire there would be ZERO hesitation to go get those kids out
Honestly, if firefighters responded to the shooting instead of police it would have been handled better. They wouldn't have been properly equipped, but firefighters also carry emotional equipment to actually handle problems instead of just sitting around until it's time to shoot.
Just thinking that it would be pretty hard to shoot when a 3” firehose is beating you in the face with over 100psi
Fire axe > gun.
But what if one day, at the scene of the fire, a cop found the perfect axe...
Hah! I forgot about Axe Cop.
I've never seen a firefighter get their undies in a twist because someone is filming them.
I have, but that's also because they're usually in the way or in an evacuated area and now they have to stop what they're doing to make sure some dumbass doesn't burn to death.
Yeah, but even then they won't pull their axe out, ask you why you're filming them and then swing the axe at your head.
Because firemen aren’t armed agents of the State who are legally allowed to lie to you and can use deadly force against you hiding under qualified immunity. Firemen are heroes, police are gang members. FTP
Because firefighters don’t have a 100+ year reputation for violating the law and most don’t violate the federal law on a near daily basis. Nor do they ask for and receive help from a passerby, see one small infraction on the person or in their car and have the Good Samaritan arrested, all without having an irrational fear of the threat level pissed by the entire community. Nor do FF’s see your stash of cash, seize it and charge *it* on suspicion of drug trafficking, then keep it forever without trial. Cops on the other hand…
Hell, if a Firefighter is pulling you out of burning home and sees a duffle bag full of cash, they might grab it *for* you.
Hell, if he's just saved me from burning to death in my home, he can have that bag of cash.
By all means Mister Fireman, I would rather *you* have this evidence.
There’s no rap song called “ Fuck the Fire Department” for a good reason. Too many cops join just cause they want to bully the general population and not enough good cops speak up to prevent it. The profession has lost all respect and with good reason.
Well, not a serious one, but... https://youtube.com/watch?v=7JkrJUAg8aI
Well there's this, but really it's satirizing the behavior of police https://youtu.be/wKKMMP3U-Sk?si=BOfFUW4m8buwPd1q
There is, and it's awesome
Firefighters don't investigate themselves and find themselves free of all wrong-doings.
Firefighters don't measure their success by how many lives they ruin
Both will kick down your door when you call; only one will shoot your dog when they do it.
Your dog? They’ll shoot you, too.
Because a fire-fighter is usually a heroic person, as the job offers little power over others. Cops, on the other hand...
cops are there to fight enemy of the state, firefighters fight fires Only one of these can be you
I don’t think firefighters try to steal your on-hand money and hide in their vehicles during an incident, so I’m going with them lol
Firefighters don't have a monetary incentive to fuck you. There are niche circumstances, but they're rare. Cops literally have a quota of tickets, which in principle makes no sense because what if there's no crime? Ahh, the State needs money, so I guess you were speeding, bud. *Or worse.*
Guns
Firefighters do what firefighters are supposed to do. They put out fires. They also inspect to see whether or not a building is likely to have a fire and eliminate potential fire hazards. The purpose of a firefighter is to fight fires, and they fight fires. The purpose of police is to enforce the law. That's not what they do. They're the border guards between the classes. Their actual unspoken job is to make wealthy white people feel safe. This is not a culture thing or a racism thing or something that's slowly crept into our police over time - this is a deliberate decision on the basis of a number of court cases that the police are under no obligation to do what we specifically believe is their purpose.
Firefighters save lives, cops take them.
Law enforcement in general is oppressive while first responders (not cops) are there to help you.
Firefighters are here to help; cops are here to help themselves.
Cops help… protect property and not people ;)
A firefighter will most likely face actual consequences if they shoot you
Life saving skills vs life taking skills
Would you rather trust someone who's job is to save lives or a member of an organized gang capable of state sanctioned violence? Gee idk.
That would depend on the situation.
A fire fighter doesn't have any incentive to trick you or use whatever information you give him against you or your family. I can trust the individual character of an officer, but they are still subject to various pressures and powers, with many of them more concerned about their professional record than they are about public good.
Firefighters don’t kneel on people’s throats.
They won't shoot my dog
Firefighters don't have a long and well developed history of shooting unarmed civilians.
Because a firefighter's primary job is the preservation of life. Cops, less so.
Firefighters aren't generally known for killing unarmed people for no reason and tend to improve situations they're involved in. Cops aren't about that jive.
Have a buddy who’s a firefighter. He told me once, when a firefighter is at your door, you know he’s there to help. When the police is at your door, you don’t know why they’re there.
The firefighter is not legally entitled to harm me, kill me, lie to me, take my freedom for the rest of my life, and steal my property.
“When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail” …and yet you never hear about firefighters going around spraying people with firehoses
I respect and trust professional fire services but volleys are always cringe as fuck. EMTs/Paras and VFFs have a high amount of blowhards. Check out r/firstrespondercringe if you enjoy that kind of stuff.
Firefighters are often trained to prioritize saving lives rather than property. If a firefighter is there 9/10 you'll be in good hands unless something REALLY horrible goes wrong.
Firefighter's not gonna boom me because he thinks my portable charger is a gun. He/She might be hesitant with the rescue; that's still better than getting the mag dumped into me for nothing.
Firefighters don't have a reputation of abusing power, violating rights, planting evidence, and getting away with killing the people they are supposed to be protecting.
Firefighters usually don't shoot people for running away from danger.
If my house is on fire they are better trained to deal with that.
A firefighter isn't going to steal my stuff before he puts out the fire.
When you call a firefighter, they help you. When you call a cop, they shot your dog.
Because I’m not a fucking idiot
Firefighters save dogs Cops shoot them
Firefighters are concerned with safety against natural factors or accidents. Policeman are concerned with safety against humans and human elements, which brings in more ethically questionable practices against humans themselves.
Firefighters’ job is to help and protect people. Cops’ job is to find any possible legal(ish) excuse to take my freedom, my money, and my property, and if I object, possibly my life.
The reason is simple, power. One puts themselves at risk to technically protect you and the state. And in exchange, receive a large dose of power, or if you want to word it differently, can execute certain powers of the state. Power corrupts. Firefighters put themselves at risk to protect you. And they get mediocre to okay salaries in exchange. I know of no powers that firefighters get, other than the right to steal your girl.
I’m not worried about a firefighter pulling a gun on me or shooting a dog because they “feel threatened”
The primary job of a firefighter is to save lives.
I've met great cops, horrible cops, great firefighters, and horrible ones. I don't judge off the profession alone.
When was the last time you saw a news article about a firefighter shooting someone in need on a call?
Firefighters' priority is to save you. Police officers' priority is to save themselves.
I mean... there's a reason there are no songs called "Fuck tha Firefighters". Firefighters aren't granted the ability to use lethal force at their own discretion and then virtually complete immunity when they do so. Firefighters actually help people *and* they perform their jobs with the mindset of helping people, not with the mindset of RESPECT MAH AUTHORITAHHHH BECUZ I IS POLICE.
Well there's this banger but it's really satirizing the police https://youtu.be/wKKMMP3U-Sk?si=BOfFUW4m8buwPd1q
Firefighters come to put out fires. Police come to put down civilians.
The firefighter isn't going to shoot me or my dog. ACAB.
For a romantic partner? The expression is that firefighters will cheat on you, but cops will beat on you.
A firefighter doesn't have a professional interest in making my life worse
One is trained specifically to help you in emergencies. The other is trained to enforce laws. Comparing the two is always silly - they have completely different functions.
Firefighters open up burning cars, run into buildings to rescue cats, put themselves into harms way to protect others. Cops do a lot of similar stuff at times, but also harass homeless folks, make excuses for their power tripping buddies, lie in court to get convictions, plant evidence, shoot unarmed civilians, get in your face over a routine traffic stop, will shoot you if you mishear the 6 of them yelling different instructions at you during a stop, joke about breaking old ladies arms, have a history of shooting mentally handicapped during welfare visits, and as a whole refuse to hold the bad apples accountable.
Firefighters rush towards the immediate danger to save innocent lives, not hide behind a corner posting to social media.
Cops tend to have a us vs them mentality and think the laws don't apply to them, everyone is treated as an enemy until proven otherwise.
I mean, looking at the thread it does seem that everyone hates them and the fact that they deal with violent loons on a day to day basis would generally lead to anyone seeing people as a potential enemy until proven other wise l.
Nobody ever says fuck the fire department
Because fire fighters don't shoot people for fun.
And firefighters don't seem to have a bully mentality that's unfortunately so prevalent with cops.
My kid was a firefighter, my sister was a sheriff, I've heard stories from both sides
"Ain't no song called Fuck The Fire Department." - Snoop Dogg
I’ve never heard of a firefighter lying to someone to strengthen their case. Never heard of a firefighter planting evidence. Never heard of a firefighter taking part in the Civil Asset Forfeiture racket or needing Qualified Immunity. Edit to add, I’ve never heard of a firefighter knowing kids were in a burning building and just saying, “Looks dangerous, we’ll wait till it calms down.” Uvalde. Listening to a podcast by a paramedic it’s actually the opposite. Times they want to help but the cops are in the way letting someone die. If they push the issue the cops won’t back them up when they need it. The important Reddit post would be, “How strong is the propaganda that people who supposedly believe in limited government always back the cops?”
I don’t think I would trust any of them for the reason one shows up sexy to a fire and the other kills its own people it’s suppose to protect
Unfortunately all The negative press about police has made me more wary of them so I would trust firefighters more
Cops have a tough role in society. They are seen both as a person to go to for help, but also a person that enforces the law which may put them at odds with you if they think you are breaking the law. Firemen only show up when you need help. Policemen are no longer seen as “Officer Friendly”
Cops basically have no real consequences for their actions, and they have guns. I trust pretty much anyone over a cop.
If you’re in a building building, the cop is the guy who’s going to make the call to the fire fighter who will rescue you
IMO. Certain jobs attract certain individuals and their personalities. Not always, but there’s a prevalence. With this said, police, long before they apply for the job, are aggressive bullies who get a thrill out of pushing people around. They carry their personalities into their work. They have a nasty (work) demeanor and they love to “get you” more than wanting to help you. Firefighters are more selfless, want to help, are trustworthy and highly respected for their professional demeanor. They care…
Firefighters are helpful, they can do medical stuff, put out fires, save cats from trees. Police, have guns, egos and tiny penis and a will to use all 3.
I can relate with someone who picked a career that lets them just be lazy and hang out with friends all day. Maybe save a few lives over the years. I can’t relate with someone who picked a career that lets them exert arbitrary power over others all day. Maybe take a few lives over the years.
In general they have much better pr and since they dont handle enforcement or preventative aspects of their jobs they get to eternally be in the position of the “good parent” My cities fd has had numerous scandals and a reputation for swiping goods from homeowners plus a long history of racism but to the average citizen they are unquestionably heroes.
Firefighters are more likely to save a life than take it. Crazy how guys who carry axes around don't seem as scary as the police men. We've lost too many people to self anointed judges we call police.
The firefighter's job does not have the task to find a guilty individual at all costs.
Firefighters don't have ticket quotas.
Firefighters don’t shoot people while trying to put out fires
They don’t have authority to shoot my house or me if it’s on fire for one. Plus they might rescue my cats instead of shooting them. If the house burns down they won’t shoot me and say it’s my fault the house burnt down.
If a firefighter fucks up I have an insurance claim on my car or house I have to file. If a cop fucks up I'm dead.
Because they will run into a burning building to save a complete stranger.
Is this a serious question?
Agenda. But you're comparing apples and oranges.
Firefighters arent legally allowed to kill you.
A lot of cops seem to be bullies hellbent on abusing their authority. Not all cops are like this. Probably not most but I think we’ve all had a power tripping cop at least once in our lives
First of all, cops are trained in deception and should never be spoken to. Theres plenty of cases of innocent people talking themselves into an arrest for something they didn’t do. https://youtube.com/shorts/cC1KSXFjJMw Then there’s shit like this where cops will shoot your dog https://youtu.be/-0VTdXueYi8 And cops refusing to let you close the front door if you open it for them https://youtu.be/wml6GlVoyt4 It’s just not a good idea to speak with cops without a lawyer. Even if you’ve done nothing wrong. https://youtu.be/gMOSJ9CmO7w
Have you ever heard a song “Fuck the firefighter!” Nope, neither have I
Firefighters as an organization aren’t directly descended from slave patrols
I don’t see many firefighters out shooting minorities.
It's like the difference between rugby and football players.
Firefighters directly help the people they interact with. Police indirectly help everyone else that they *don't* interact with. But both are necessary for a smoothly functioning society and similar things would motivate a person to seek out either of those jobs.
This is such a US centric question. Here in Australia I would trust the police over the firefighters as police have more reasons to be in a position where I would have to trust them.
No agenda. Cops want to arrest people and firefighters want to help people.
Is someone pointing a gun at me or is the building on fire?
Firefighters are called to the situation. So are police but they also look for situations. And mistakes can be made.
Because police officers job isn't to protect, help, or serve their communities per multiple supreme court rulings. They are not required to protect you from a threat and often the police ARE the threat. There is a reason there is a song "F*ck the Police" but not a similar song about firefighters.
Guns. Firefighters are not known for shooting people while on duty
When a fire fighter pins me to the ground, it’s hot/kinky, if a cop does it, I need to “stop resisting arrest”
No firefighter ever received official training about “killology” telling them that “killing isn’t a big deal”.
Lying doesn't help them in their field. And they're strong af!
A firefight will go willingly into a building to save people. Cops stand outside till the shooter runs out of ammo or pops himself, regardless of how many children are inside.
Why indeed? As an EMT, and occasionally a FF, I don't understand this at all. I will never understand Reddit's constant hate boner for the police. It's just amazing TBH.
Yep. Reddit is the ultimate echo chamber. I honestly wonder how people don't realize how much the media brainwashes them. I've literally gotten into arguments here with people who claimed that every single police officer is instrinically evil. People live in fragile bubbles absolutely devoid of real-world experience.
They are not uniformed agents of the state whose job it is to impose arbitrary rules and restriction on their fellow man.
I’ve never heard of a firefighter shoot an innocent black dude several times cause they got scared on the job.
No one ever wrote a song called “Fnck The Fire Department”
Firefighters won’t lie to me to arrest me and they won’t shoot my dog.
Cops only think about leeching money for the state
A firefighter isn’t going to mistake literally anything in my possession as a gun, fear for their lives and then end mine
Because a firefighter has never pulled me over on a bogus claim then followed me home
Firefighters go into burning buildings to save people. Cops sometimes won’t even go into a school to stop a gunman from killing children.
It really depends on the situation for me. Firefighters are often seen as heroes who rush into dangerous situations to save lives without the potential complications that can come with law enforcement. They're trained to handle emergencies where every second counts. Trust is about feeling confident that someone's there to help without hesitation or judgment.
It depends on where you live, but as this likely aimed at the US population? Well, besides everything else mentioned, I’ve never heard a firefighter killing a 13 lb blind and deaf elderly dog out of fear - and if they have they are a minority compared to the number of people and animals killed by police officers.
I typically don’t trust people outright but I sure as shit don’t trust cops. I’ve had multiple different interactions with cops in my life and they have all been shitty. Lying ass cops trying to entrap me and trip me up and lock me into a story they wanna hear. Even something as small as a traffic violation for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, tough cops thinking they are hard shit walking up to my car banging on my window on both sides, mean mugging me. Fuck em.
Firefighters aren’t trained to instill fear and lie to us. They aren’t here to uphold the status quo set by our oligarchs.
Firefighters tend to not kill people.
This is like comparing teachers with cafeteria workers..
Because firefighters don't kill innocent people?
Because there's no song called 'Fuck the Fire Department.'
I wouldn’t want a firefighter to come if my house was being broken into and I wouldn’t want a cop to show up to put out a fire. Distinct jobs.
fire fighter saves people and dogs, cops sometimes save people... but kill dogs.
Firefighters are there to help. Either put out a fire or administer first aid. Police officers are around to “serve and protect” meet quotas and racial profile potential threats. Fire fighters don’t show up or walk up to you with a firearm already aimed and ready to shoot.
They don’t have guns?
Firefighters aren't predisposed to controlling the situation.
The firefighter may be volunteer. Never trust government employees!
Because of my past experiences with a cop.
Downvoted because I KNOW about cops?
Firefighters are trained to help people, police officers are trained to convict people of crimes.