Firehouse Magazine contributor Daniel Byrne has a great article in the April issue that just came into HM HQ.
In it he tackles the issue of college educated recruits and how the mission of the Fire Service has changed to the point that advanced learning can actually be a plus instead of a hindrance.
I've heard many a time that "college boys" had no place in the firehouse and that they could never learn "with all that stupid crap in their heads."
I never told them I was a college boy. When it sneaks out that Happy has a bachelor's in EMS, they cock their heads and say things about how funny it would be if I was telling the truth.
But there it is on the wall here at home, framed next to the wife's degree, Medical School tassel proudly hanging form the corner. Wow did those Pre-Med folks hate having us next to them at graduation. We weren't real Medical Students while attending and then weren't real firefighters when we got out.
Byrne's article is available on the Firehouse.com website for registered members, which I am not, and I hesitate to reproduce it here for obvious reasons but I would like to add in one quote that made me smile.
"If you think your college-educated rookie, who has a proven ability to learn and comprehend difficult concepts, cannot grasp the basics of our job, then the problem may in fact be yours."
Find a copy or subscribe, this article alone is worth it.
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