THE FIRE LINE: Daddy's Little Girl

by Paul Combs

Sep 20, 2011

Oh, the things children repeat!

Like many of you, my child grew up in the firehouse - and this is something that I hope she says with a tremendous amount of pride. The station has been her refuge, playhouse, babysitter, and many times, her entertainment. All too often my daughter hung out in the back room watching TV while we gathered to discuss training, debrief from an incident, or just shoot the bull. Unfortunately, guys being guys, the language and jokes were not always "kid friendly" - all to her mother's horror, I'm sure! We whimsically explained it away as "firehouse talk" and it was NEVER to be repeated - and then prayed she bought it:)



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  • Doug Price

    Brother Paul, That has happen to us more times than we would like to think, sometimes they buy it and well sometimes you know they don't and it comes back at the wrong time to bite you in the butt. As always we enjoy you pics. so keep them coming for us. 

     

    KTF, EGH !!!!!

    Sep 20, 2011

  • Paul Combs

    Doug: For the most part, this never bit us too bad - she would occasionally drop a word or two. She's a very smart kid, and played the "extortion card" to get what she wanted out of me:)

    Sep 20, 2011

  • Todd Shoebridge

     Another true to form cartoon.  I like a lot of you guys let my son and daughter grow up at the firehouse, so they have been around it all their lives.  Now, that i have a grandson that is almost two, he is also part of the firehouse when he is in town.  he loves to sit in the trucks, look at the lights, and run the halls.  I guess it is part of that tradition thing that means so much to all of us.  Paul as I've said before, keep up your wonderful works.  Pictures have always spoken louder than words.

    Sep 20, 2011

  • Paul Combs

    LOL! My baby is 17 now and is the Dept's photographer, so she still hears this stuff. I cringe every time the guys get going, even though she most likely hears much worse in H.S! But I can be just as bad as the rest - so unfortunately she's use to it:)

    Sep 20, 2011

  • Ron Ayotte

    Three of our firefighters had daughters who grew up in the firehouse and became firefighters themselves.

    Sep 20, 2011

  • Paul Combs

    She's not planning on following in my footsteps - but I hope she understands that this will always be her extended family:)

    Sep 20, 2011

  • John K. Murphy

    Paul - I had two daughters growing up in firehouses. They always said, "the firemen said don't tell the Chief that you heard those words here" then the girls would laugh like crazy and repeat the word. The next day, I would just "look" at the firefighters and they would all say "what?". I would say that Erin brought home a new word yesterday and in unison they would say, "she didn't hear that from us". Of course the firefighter had a hard time keeping a straight face. All in all a great influence on my kids and they are always telling the stories of the firehouse.

     

    This is a great illustration. Thanks 

    Sep 21, 2011

  • Rich Bartlett

    Paul, when my boys were young they always wanted to go to the firehouse. It's not a bad place for kids to be especially in the volunteer service it's an extension of ones family. My one son is an paid EMT and the other is a volunteer FF.

    Sep 21, 2011

  • Gary Schlotterbeck

    Ahhh, to be the father of an adolescent daughter; around the firehouse. When I remarried my then wife had an eleven year old daughter that became my shadow. As a volunteer with a heavy workload at my job I didn't get to respond as often as would have liked to. However one day when I had a four day weekend she rode along with me when we responded to a "routine" structure fire. It turned to be an amateur porn studio where the lighting overloaded the electrical circuits. To say that some of the comments from the other firefighters was a bit adult in nature is an understatement. That was well over twenty five years ago...she is now a high ranking Officer in the United States Air Force...where I'm sure some of the most embarrassing firehouse language would sound like a training session for alter boys in comparison to what she now hears.

    Sep 21, 2011

  • Mike France

    My youngest during a visit to her class , She will be the one to follow in Dad's footsteps , But she will tell Mom what goes on when she goes with to the House .

    Sep 22, 2011