Six Weeks Feels Way Longer

I am referring of course, to my new job which I started on September 21st. But it's not because the days drag, the work sucks, or my employer is shitty.... quite the opposite on all accounts. The amount of skills and knowledge I have acquired has been equated to drinking from a fire hose, but that's OK because I have kinda done that most of my work life. In my mind it is as though my time at the FD never happened because I don't even think about it... consciously or subconsciously. I drive by the firehouse twice a day and don't even glance over to see who is working or what activity is going on. I JUST DON'T FUCKING CARE!!! I am also no longer "accumulating" the bad stuff that leads to PTSD or other mental health issues. My "always simmering in the background" angry feeling has greatly subsided and I am kind of a happy go lucky guy lately. Don't get me wrong, I still carry 7/24/365 and have no qualms about having to defend my life as necessary. So it's not just sunshine, lollipops, rainbows, and unicorns.

At my position in the company, I am only responsible for completing my work assignments on time, which I always do, many times quicker than expected. Sometimes my manager has an urgent matter that requires me to stop what I am doing and do what he needs done. No problem and there is no stressing about it because whatever I was doing probably had no time frame. Wednesday he came to me with a box of 25 blank 4-pin connectors, male pins, weatherproof boots for each pin, a new crimping tool, and spool of wire. They needed to be made shorting pins 1 & 2, and pins 3 & 4. He needed them for a road trip to the midwest on Monday. In between waiting for paint to dry on resealed hydraulic cylinders (another new skill I've learned), I sat at the bench and knocked them out. I handed him the box of completed connectors yesterday before lunch. I told him not only were they assembled, but all tested good with an ohmmeter. He was very appreciative of my efforts. Huh, imagine that... an expression of appreciation. I have been set up with a company provided laptop, access to the software library, and provided a CAN-BUS cable in order to do software upgrades on our machines. I was shown the procedure and have been doing upgrades as necessary. Along with the laptop came a company email so I can start corresponding on an official basis. Monday I will be shown how to access and use the inventory software.

These are the positive and enjoyable things about the job to me:

• Putting my extensive skill set to good use. Mechanical, fabrication, disassembly/assembly, electrical, electronics, blueprint/schematic reading, shop math, etc.
• Working with my hands and seeing the end product of my work
•  I am still building out my toolbox; but using mostly my own hand tools every day is therapeutic for me. When I am done with a task, they are all cleaned and stowed and then the appropriate tools are pulled for the next task. I roll my tool chest around to be closer to my work area depending on what I am doing.
• Every day I am either learning new skills, or using those new skills to keep them fresh. I hate learning something once and then not seeing it again for a year.
• The job is VERY physical, but it is constant. I am on my feet all day long. Standing for long periods, lifting heavy stuff, getting under a machine on a creeper, climbing up and down, etc. At the FD I sat around all day waiting for a call.
• I had to set alarms on my cell phone to remind myself to go to lunch and to punch out. No clock watching or counting the hours and minutes to lunch or end of shift.
• I use my cell all day long to stream music using my Sirius/XM account on the app. At the FD I sat and watched news all day long and doom scrolled on X in our down time. I still like watching news but I don't watch for hours on end and need the fuel to the fire to piss me off more about politics, fucking commies, and terrorists in the world.
• I am pseudo site safety guy. I noticed the fire extinguishers were all out of date and one was partially discharged. They have all been professionally serviced and inspected and I will stay on top of monthly inspections for readiness and marking the tags. Just because. No one has asked me to. People have a habit of leaving the flammable liquid cabinet open. I am constantly closing it because it only works if it stays closed.

I am the last guy in an absolute parade of incompetent idiots or employees with shitty work ethic. Some only lasted a few weeks. A couple just stopped showing up. One guy used illegal drugs and stole a quantity of tools to sell for drugs. He was caught hiding tools for later retrieval and removal from the shop. It seems like every other day I hear yet another name of a previous jackass that claimed to know how to do something but had no clue or destroyed something by doing something totally wrong (like driving a hydraulic cylinder pin out by the threaded end or using a steel hammer on it dinging the shit out of it). Then there were a couple of millennials that spent most of their time finger-fucking their phone. My manager asked if I knew anyone that they could hire to work in the shop with us, especially one named XXXXX because the last one (meaning me) worked out so well. I do, and his name is also XXXXX, but he is enjoying his retirement and I doubt he wants to go back to work full time. He is also a member of the FD Board of Directors... the one that actually fired me and I have cut off all contact with, so there's that too. My manager will be away next week and then again in two weeks, leaving me with a to do list as well as the normal fill in work. We have new machines arriving by truck at some point this week and have a one hour window to get them unloaded without incurring extra time charges. He is depending on us to get it done and we will not disappoint.

 

I just wish I had heard about this place a couple of years ago so I could have left the FD on my own terms. But as the old Catholic saying goes.... "If wishes were fishes, we'd never eat meat on Friday."

This May Be The End

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So, it would appear my content will fail in several ways. I will take a snapshot of my content as soon as I post this and move to another platform if I have to. Ugh!

 

Donald Trump had it right.... "Everything woke turns to shit." And to me everything Goolag touches turns to shit, too. 

The Pros & Cons

As the title says, but in reference to no longer being associated with the fire department in any way, shape, manner, or form. Because of slowly telling my story to people, I have come to a realization. Why did I , the fireman with the most seniority receive a summary termination for denting the front bumper of one of the department's apparatus, when that truck is still drivable? And a newer employee while still on probation had TWO INSTANCES of causing similar damage in less than a month but still has a job? Well, first of all no labor union, but I bet that's gonna change in less than a year. One word sums it up regarding me.... PAYBACK! Let me explain.

There are actually two reasons that they were pissed at me and used my fender bender as the final excuse to terminate me. First of all, I called them out at a regular meeting for illegal votes to change department by-laws. There were not enough eligible voters (I was one of only a couple of people that met the requirements at the meeting) to have a quorum and therefore vote on company matters. So what did they do? They raised a motion to suspend the rules on voter eligibility, that was seconded and then passed it WITH THE INELIGIBLE VOTERS VOTING FOR IT!!! They then moved forward and voted on the by-law change which of course passed. I and a couple of others voted no on the motion and then the by-law change. I equate these shenanigans to cops robbing a bank and then doing the investigation on themselves into the robbery. Well, I called them out on it, and questioned the whole thing at the regular meeting, and basically got shrugged shoulders. But I got it on the record and in the minutes and in the event things end up in the public, then being called into question, and finally an investigation the attorneys will have an easy time with discovery. I was going to lawyer up to fight it and make it public, but a wise person told me to sit tight and let the chips fall where they may. I have had many instances in my life where Karma came calling and dealt an actual death blow to those that deserved it. I took his advice.

The second thing was NOT supporting the monster budget increase the FD was asking for because fireman or not, I am ALWAYS a taxpayer first and foremost. The majority of career staff on small departments live out of town, and of course support the budget increase because it benefits them directly. We were "encouraged" to attend all town budget meetings wearing FD uniforms. I did not attend a single one and my absence was definitely noticed by the FD, townspeople that know me, and town officials. Tough shit! I am NOT going to pretend to support something I don't. The FD increased their long stable budget last year by about $200K. The proposal this year? An additional $500K. Like last year, not a one-time increase but a FOREVER increase. My problem wasn't with the concepts and plans, but with the residents that continually vote against all development, large and small that could pay for these big ambitions. This kind of nonsense happens in small towns all around Kommiecticut. I have said the following to many people several times "Fuck these townspeople! They do not deserve the FD we are offering and they are supporting after repeatedly voting against any development that could pay for it. They just want to rape my wallet again and again for everything!!" On the day of the referendum I had to work so I was there early, being the first in line. My ballot was the first one in the tabulator and I voted NO on all the referendum questions. Of course it passed anyway. Going forward now that I am no longer being in the FD, I will publicly rail against the budget increases and scold the townspeople for squashing all development that could pay for their wet dreams.

Now to the Pros & Cons List. I am on the 3rd week of my new job and 6th week of total civilian life. It is fucking awesome.

Pros

• My work week is Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM 
• I get up at a reasonable hour, get all ready for work (I make lunch the night before so I just have to pack it in my cooler in the morning) and leave for work at 7:30 AM arriving at 7:45 AM with plenty of time to get ready for the work day
• I stop work right where I am no matter what I am doing, punch out at 4:30 PM, and I'm home 15 minutes later. The next day I pick up right where I left off. 
• Overtime is at a minimum and would be scheduled. There are no "shift hold overs", mandatory call-ins on days off, and days of storm standby
• There are no "call backs" for big emergencies 
• I only have to pack lunch, not 3 meals plus snacks in a ginormous cooler
• Lunch time is ALWAYS uninterrupted because I punch out off the clock. There are no emergencies in my line of work
• I can ride my motorcycle to work on any nice day I want. I might ride it for the first time tomorrow!
• I sleep in my own bed with my wife every night
• That sleep is not disturbed by emergencies, bullshit calls, or the 1:30 AM alerts that a hospital we never go to is on some type of diversion
• The work is hard and physical, but fun and interesting and I am learning a lot.
• My boss has big plans for me to be an integral part of the operation and respects what I do and know. Of course I have demonstrated my claimed abilities 
• I have the opportunity to make so much more money faster with way less aggravation

 Cons

• That FD has been part of my life for the past 21 years and they discarded me like last week's leftovers. I am still angry, hurt, and sad over the situation. The termination was actually the 4th and final "kick in the balls" from them since early June
•  While I am getting the same hourly rate, I am not getting the overtime. That said, the person doing the FD schedule had been loading it up favoring himself. I was supposed to get 48 hours per week, but that wasn't happening. Maybe 42 hours if I was lucky? Same for others. Meanwhile, he would give himself 60-72 hours a week. That was supposed to change this month but Jimmy cracked corn and I don't care.
• My EMT license expires in 2028. I am not sure I will renew it. The same goes for keeping up my CDL which I have been assured for now I won't need for work.
• No scheduled days off mid-week. I only have my evenings and weekends free for things like home projects, range days, or Patriot Guard. 

 

So as you can see, the pros well outweigh the cons when I sit down and write them out. Since I no longer have a distinctive red pickup truck that everyone knew and could see coming from a mile away, I can drive by the firehouse and move about town anonymously in a nondescript SUV unnoticed. When I do end up some place where there are those I wish to avoid, I just stay in my vehicle until the coast is clear or drive by and return later. I also purged my phone of all FD contacts, hospital ER's, PD's, and other FD associated agencies. If anyone does try to call, my call blocking app will immediately send them to VM. Whether I call them back will depend on what kinda mood I'm in.

Blessing in Disguise?

Week #1 at the new job is now history, and I believe I made one hell of an impression on these people. Because I have advanced electrical, electronics, mechanical, fabrication, and all manner of shop skills there is not much they have to teach me about the basics. Unlike previous employees I was told about that had to be shown the minute details of how to do EVERYTHING! I only need to learn specific procedures particular to the machinery I am working on. But show me once and I got it as evidenced by my activities late last week when the guy I was shadowing was tied up on Thursday and off on Friday. Earlier in the week, I did get to see and help with resealing a leaking hydraulic cylinder, which I had never done before. I also got to have a couple of one-on-one conversations with my new boss as we get to know each other personally. As always, I show up 15 minutes early; put my lunch in the refrigerator, and otherwise get ready to start work. I punch in promptly at 8:00 AM and get busy and finish my morning coffee while working. Unlike the FD, I get a regular undisturbed 1/2 hour off the clock lunch break and before I know it, it's lunch time. Afterwards, I punch back in, go right back to work and the afternoon goes by fast. At 4:30 PM I punch out and don't have to be concerned with work until the next morning. My co-workers and boss have said several times how appreciative they are for what I am able to do for them, and my boss has big plans for me to be an integral part of the operation. Getting canned from the FD is turning out to be a great thing and I only needed 3 weeks unemployment so I have not depleted my potential (hopefully never needed) future benefits by running them out. I did have a good chuckle to myself, too. According to the schedule, I was supposed to be on duty yesterday at the FD with the big Nor'Easter that is hitting New England this weekend. That would have meant being held over for the storm continuing into today. I had the scanner on yesterday and was listening to them get the shit kicked out of them with tons of tree & wires down as well as the normal 911 responses in between. As I said in the previous post; FUCK `EM!! They made a decision and they are gonna live with it. The schadenfreude is absolutely delicious, although it will probably be short lived.

Part of my job requires me to be proficient with operating the different models of our machines. This is so that after we get it ready for delivery, it can be fully tested and any last minute adjustments, calibrations, or operating issues can be addressed. When I get to a pause in work for whatever reason, I am encouraged to go grab the keys and controller for a ready machine and operate it. Folks... trust me when I tell you... this is total play time! These machines are the most awesome (and expensive) R/C toys you could imagine. They are built so that they cannot "hurt themselves" relative to the machine itself. They will not operate on steep angles or in an order/manner that cause damage. Sensors and software are preset to limits and will stop the operation at that limit. That said, the machines do not know about the powerline or obstruction an idiot operator is about to contact or crash into. Overloading the personnel weight limits will also prevent the machine from operating. I had previously operated the machines outside in the open yard, but Friday I operated one inside the shop in the high bay, simulating the type of work I used to do in telecom/IT that required using these machines. I had to maneuver it up and over and around obstructions safely, and then bring it back to ground level. Believe me that was both a challenge and fun.

I have a 30 day waiting period for health insurance and a 90 day waiting period to get into the 401K. When my new 401K is opened, I will immediately CONFISCATE and rollover all the money in the FD 401K for "seed money" in the new account. My new employer actually offers a small match, but I will gladly take it! I withdrew some money already because of the delay in getting unemployment but since it all came through the money is just sitting in the bank. I have started allocating some of it to buy tools and a new roll-away tool cabinet. I went shopping yesterday just to look, but came across a deal I could not pass up. A Husky 42" wide roll-away and chest for $598. It was the floor model (so a bit dusty) from a special promotion (no longer available at that price) and in a special color of Army OD Green with black trim. The regular price of $798 is what now shows at Home Depot online. With my military discount it came to $538. Sweet!! The guys at the Pro-Desk disconnected the section joiners and helped me load it in my Highlander in two pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tools lying on the right of the top shelf are a couple of electrical tools I was getting as well. I was sick of carrying them around at that point and did buy them. This thing has lots of great features for that price, too. Hydraulic cylinders to lift the top cover, a built in powerstrip and USB/USB-C chargers, separate locks for top and bottom, and ball bearing rail soft close drawers.

I had a short term job in aviation back in 2017, and right before getting laid off (long & shitty story) I bought a smaller, less featured roll-away and chest at Harbor Freight for almost the same amount of money I paid yesterday. I never unboxed it because I was getting a bad vibe from the job. It was returned for a full refund after my fears came true. The price is I why I jumped on this deal yesterday. I will leave it in my Highlander and talk to my boss about putting in the shop empty for now, then discuss whether I fill on company time or come back after hours. He is there until 7 (sometimes 8) every night and I don't mind coming back after running home to take care of the dogs, doing it on my time if I have to. I still need to buy more all metric tools (my wife does not understand the concept of multiple sets of tools for different purposes) because these will stay at the shop locked up. She reminded me I have all this stuff in the garage roll-away why do I need duplicates? Can't you just bring the garage roll-away to work and then bring home the tools you need when you work on the cars? Ugh.😒 I will just do what I need to do and not explain it to her any further.

The hourly rate range for the posting on Indeed.com was listed at $20 to $35 per hour. They asked me what I wanted to start at. I told them I would like to get what I was getting per hour at the FD, to which they agreed. I now have the potential to make so much more way faster than I ever would at the FD. If I keep up at the level I am at now I see a pay raise coming sooner than later. 

A New Chapter of Life Has Begun

At 06:00 on Tuesday August 25th, I was handed my walking papers and told to clean out my locker at the FD and go. The underlying reason isn't important (yes, I fucked up, but IMHO it DID NOT warrant summary termination) but I was terminated anyway because without any union representation the usual contractual steps of verbal warning, written warning, suspension, THEN termination were not in existence. But I have a feeling after my booting it won't be long before the remainder of the work force thinks "there but for the Grace of God go I" and has the IAFF in there. Then the FD corporation will get their just due in forced labor rates, shift assignments, raises, REAL benefits, and all the other stuff unions force upon companies. Fuckers will get what they deserve for sure. I have purged my phone of all FD contacts which means the call blocking app I use will send everyone that might call directly to VM. I will not step foot on any FD property for any reason. I was supposed to run a training session in October and did several maintenance items that no one had yet been cross-trained on. Not my problem. The corporation made decisions that they are going to have to live with forever. 

On the other hand; I no longer have to work 24 hour shifts, I sleep in my own bed every night, no packing 3 meals for every shift, get awakened in the middle of the night, getting my ass physically kicked on structure fires, working shitty/sloppy brush fires, or have to deal with morons and dead people. My firefighting credentials belong to me and are good for life if I were to decide to use them again. My current EMT certification is still good for over a year. My CDL was recently renewed and my DOT Medical Card is good until March. 

I had already updated my resume' and profile on Indeed.com and had been casually looking for something better. I logged right on and started filling applications for jobs that I could put my non-FD skillset to good use. On Monday August 31st I got a phone call inviting me to an interview for an application I filled out on Friday the 28th. The appointment was set up for 3PM on Tuesday September 1st. The interview lasted 2+ hours and went really well. He asked me when I would be able to start and I told him the 21st since I had a couple of scheduled obligations. They told me there was one other applicant they did want to interview that had rescheduled twice before, but I was a really strong candidate. The shop manager told me he would be in touch in a couple of days.

Apparently the other candidate blew them off a third time, because on the afternoon of Wednesday September 2nd I received a phone call from the shop manager I interviewed with giving me a verbal offer that the job was mine if I still wanted it. Of course I told him yes. He told me the HR person would be in touch with the next steps and then to get together to fill out the normal employment paperwork. The woman from HR contacted me on Thursday September 3rd by email to introduce herself and that more would be forthcoming.

On Thursday September 10th I received an email from HR with a scanned copy of my offer letter to sign and scan to send back, and a few tasks to do like filling out an online application for a criminal background check and driving record inquiry. I also sent her scanned copies of my ID and I-9 documentation. She responded back with appreciation for the fact we are ahead of the game.

Today was my face to face meeting with the woman from HR. I filled out all the standard employment paperwork; I-9, W-4, CT W-4, bank direct deposit info, receipt of the company handbook, etc. I am scheduled to start on Monday the 21st at 8AM but I will be there early as usual. Also, on nice days I will get to ride "The Beast" to and from work because all I need to carry is a small cooler with my lunch, not all the crap I needed to carry for a 24 hour duty tour. The commute is about 10 miles one way.

From this whole situation came some frank discussions with my wife about our future in reference to retirement. It comes down to this; we are not selling the house and leaving the state to retire together. SHE WILL NOT GO, PERIOD. Retirement will mean collecting full SSI and continuing to work until I call it quits. Unlike firefighting, I will be able to do this particular job for a long time. However, as she already knew and I re-stated, if something happens to her, in the middle of her funeral arrangements I will hold a giant moving sale, list the house as-is, and be out of here so fast no one in town will realize it until after I am gone and no one has seen me for a while.

 

 

I blog and shit poast on X from behind a VPN using a nom de guerre. For the obvious reasons of SafeSECS I will not divulge the new company name, location, what I will be doing, or the FD I just left. The current political climate has fully half of the people that are immature little babies, total freaks, or the mentally ill that are triggered all the way to violence and murder because they don't agree with me or my views.