No, I would not take any criticism personally as this is not the same fire service I worked in
The fire service been getting more and more cuddly (as opposed to a disciplined service) for many years.
Once upon a time you could fail a fire service exam (trust me, I did too many times!). Now you don't pass or fail, you 'pass' or 'have training needs identified'.
Once, the Guv'nor made the decisions and ordered people to do things, now anyone can ignore an order if they assess that their H&S is being compromised.
Once, you marched (never walked) around training school and were shouted at by nasty training officers if you got anything wrong. Now long haired and undisciplined 'trainees' wander around training school chewing gum + with their hands in the pockets of their unironed jogger bottoms and carry a 'yellow card' which they issue to any instructor who they feel has been unfair to them (this launches a local inquiry)
Let me close by sharing this news hot off the press today. A senior manager discovered via an internal LFB e-mail, that some armed robbers were using firefighting uniforms as part of their MO, but thankfully the Police were onto them. Somehow he sent a text to the gang, warning them they were being watched. They and he were subsequently nicked.
In my day, any mere hint of dishonesty and you were sacked and this guy would have been on the dole within minutes. Not any more. The world's most senior female fire officer (a LFB Assistant Commissioner) sent a letter to the judge saying how lovely this idiot had been, and she would be keen to let him keep his job if possible. Partly on the strength of this letter, the firefighter/armed robber has received a suspended sentence & kept his job. It's incredible and a bloody disgrace, but true
http://www.london24.com/news/court/disg ... _1_1210346Think about it. This bloke has unrivalled legal powers of entry to enter your house, unescorted and without your permission, even using force (via the Police) to do so. Would you trust him scrambling around in your house and looking thru your possessions? I really don't know what you have to do to get sacked from the LFB any more.
The lunatics have really taken over the LFB asylum