Bloody Effin Revenue Collectors

[Funkyfly]

Nice comments Spud.

Certainly a job most people would not want to deal with, all jobs have good and bad, but being a cop/firefighter/ambo guy when its bad its REALLY BAD!

That said i know people who thrive on that sort of job, while they dont like seeing people hurt they realise its a fact of life and they are more than happy to be in that line of work. Different strokes for different folks

People who are dealing with life and death are way underpaid, its strange that some guy can sit in front of a computer and make more $$ than the ambo dude out there applying pressure to some kids chest because its got a hole in it the size of a football!

A little respect for the folk on the front lines would be nice.

[vifferman]

People who are dealing with life and death are way underpaid, its strange that some guy can sit in front of a computer and make more $$ than the ambo dude out there applying pressure to some kids chest because its got a hole in it the size of a football!

Hey!
I resemble that remark!
The "computer dude" guy.... Oh.. never mind

But I do respect the ambo guys 'n gals. The last two who scraped me up off the road and poured me into the back of their vehicle did a sterling job.

[Firefight]

I can understand your respect for families etc cos I would be horrified to know details of something that killed a family member of mine were being spoken about. However, I personally think shock therapy can work (no facts too base it on, just how it has worked for me). But I don't have the right to say whether I would be ok with details repeated in a "teaching" situation as I have not had something like this happen to any loved ones
and do not know how I would feel about it.

Now I know why mum didn't speak about it.

yes, I guess it might, not 100% sure it would, we have had some pretty detailed & Graphic photos of bike V truck head on plus fire with Pillon involved, but I don,t think it has any long term effect,,with the advent of internet there is plenty of that stuff around, however the real thing seems to stick in your mind, I guess your mum(I think you said she was a paramedic ?) would have had plenty of stories to tell, but did not want too.
Also in re telling the story some people (myself included) find the re telling painful.

BTW, Was your mum sationed at Silverdale at all ?, I did VAOing there a few years ago, I new most of the Silverdale staff.

Firefight.

[KATWYN]

People who are dealing with life and death are way underpaid,

True Funk, and theres a hell of a lot in this line of work that aren't paid
at all. yay to the vollies. (volunteers) cos if it wasn't for them the
services would be so under resourced it would be chaos. cos Helen
doesnt send funds that way.

Theres always people that do nice things for others and don't expect
anything in return- i'm sure the government takes advantage of this aspect
of human nature- in not helping financially

[KATWYN]

BTW, Was your mum sationed at Silverdale at all ?, I did VAOing there a few years ago, I new most of the Silverdale staff.

Firefight.

Dargaville. her name is Elaine. she said she knew some Silverdale ambos

Excuse me if I always say "mum this & mum that on the subject" but i'm in absolute awe of the type of people that do this kind of work and how none of them look for any elevation & praise

[Firefight]

Dargaville. her name is Elaine. she said she knew some Silverdale ambos

Excuse me if I always say "mum this & mum that on the subject" but i'm in absolute awe of the type of people that do this kind of work and how none of them look for any elevation & praise

Nothing wrong with being proud of Mum !

F/F

[spudchucka]

Nice comments Spud.

Certainly a job most people would not want to deal with, all jobs have good and bad, but being a cop/firefighter/ambo guy when its bad its REALLY BAD!

That said i know people who thrive on that sort of job, while they dont like seeing people hurt they realise its a fact of life and they are more than happy to be in that line of work. Different strokes for different folks

People who are dealing with life and death are way underpaid, its strange that some guy can sit in front of a computer and make more $$ than the ambo dude out there applying pressure to some kids chest because its got a hole in it the size of a football!

A little respect for the folk on the front lines would be nice.

I love my job and accept dealing with dead people as a part of it. Its not always easy but you do the best you can. I always try and remind myself that it could just as easily be my mum or dad or god forbid my own wife or child and I will always treat the deceased with the same level of respect and courtesy that I would expect if it were my own loved one. Same goes for the grieving family.

[MikeL]

Good debate here, with lots of thought-provoking comments, even if it has drifted somewhat from the original topic. What I find frustrating as usual is the way too often ego intrudes into the discussion and it descends to a name-calling slanging match. It's understandable that some people have a grudge against the police for some (real or perceived) injustice and those feelings need to be acknowledged and allowed for. But it's unreasonable to let those feelings become the basis for judging all police or all policies. On the other hand the police may well feel that they have to defend their own even when particular actions or procedures are questionable, simply out of solidarity. They must feel enormous frustration at the level of stupidity, selfishness and ignorance that they encounter daily. Their challenge as I see it is twofold: first, not to allow the fact that a large proportion of the people they come into contact with are criminals or f*wits to affect their perception of others to the extent that pre-judging and unfair treatment result; and secondly, to resist the temptation to abuse the power that they have been given.
Apart from this, I see a real problem of mismatched perceptions that underlies a lot of the tension coming through in this discussion. Because the police see the flesh and blood results of stupidity, carelessness, inappropriate speed, etc. they are naturally much more aware of these consequences than the rest of us. That in itself is no doubt a good thing in a way but it carries the danger that they become less able or willing to take a balanced view and may tend to be too narrowly focussed. I wonder whether, if I had your job, Spud, I would ever feel comfortable on a bike even at 100 kph? The end result of seeing so much carnage must surely be to destroy any pleasure in either driving or riding?
On the other hand I have no doubt that many drivers and riders don't think enough about the fragility of flesh, bone and skin.
FWIW this is my philosophy: I never speed when I'm driving. What I get out of driving (which I do as little as possible) is comfort, warmth (!), the pleasure of listening to a favourite CD... I'm also aware that my car is a potentially lethal weapon against other road users.
On the bike it's different. Riding is a physical sensation in which speed is a factor - not the only one, but an important part. I use my judgement as to what is an appropriate speed. This takes into consideration many different factors, one of which is the likelihood of injuring anyone apart from myself. When it comes to the crunch (!), I am prepared to take risks when alone on my bike on a deserted road that I would not take in other circumstances. It is a calculated risk and compared to many I've seen riding it is a conservative risk (considering my age, reflexes etc) but it is still a risk. If I miscalculate, I have only myself to blame. My death, or serious injury, will no doubt upset some people including those who have to pick up the broken pieces, and of course there is the economic cost as well, but none of this is an overwhelming, compelling reason for me to either give up riding or to stick to an arbitrary speed limit. Of course I know that the faster I go the bigger the mess, but life is all about calculated risk, and the only real debate is about where to draw the line. Different experiences will shape different perceptions of where that line should be, but in the debate it's important to accept that nobody has a monopoly on truth.

[marty]

well thought out and posted mike.

[scumdog]

In my eyes you have summed up the whole issue pretty much as I see it too.

A couple of points;
(1) being at the sharp end of When Things Go Wrong DOES make you a little intolerant to those that put themselves (not too much of the time) or more so put others at risk if Thing Go Wrong. often it's a lack of imagination or igmorance which in most cases is linked with lack of intelligence.
(2) Yes, getting on my Hogley after being at crash (especially one involving a scoot) scares the shit out of me for a bit, I mostly get over it after a few hours/kays later .

[KATWYN]

I enjoyed that post. Yes it does sum it up

I get that physical speed sensation even at 100kmph
whereas others are at different speeds

[spudchucka]

MikeL,

I enjoyed reading your post, it was full of common sense and reason.

I wonder whether, if I had your job, Spud, I would ever feel comfortable on a bike even at 100 kph? The end result of seeing so much carnage must surely be to destroy any pleasure in either driving or riding?
On the other hand I have no doubt that many drivers and riders don't think enough about the fragility of flesh, bone and skin.

Personally I think its a good thing to be reminded of our mortality / fragility even if it is in a sometimes far too graphic way. Having said that I don't advocate wrapping ourselves in cotton wool either. I still enjoy the burst of power and the sudden rush of speed that a sport bike provides but its only ever in circumstances that I'm 100% certain I won't hurt anyone or get nicked for speeding. The rest of the time I'm Mr conservative on the road whether its a bike or car.

[merv]

MikeL,
I still enjoy the burst of power and the sudden rush of speed that a sport bike provides but its only ever in circumstances that I'm 100% certain I won't hurt anyone or get nicked for speeding.

That is the point and it slacks me off as I don't believe I ride or drive dangerously at all, yet at times cops have ticketed me. It is their judgement versus mine. After 35 years of riding/driving without any problems or insurance claims I think I know what I'm doing.

How do you know when you are 100% certain you won't get knicked by your mates as the bastards seem to sneak up on us mere mortals?

There is no logic to a one size fits all set of laws.

The recent bins on KB rides are proof of that. What is safe for one person is not for another until the skills are learnt and the judgement improves. Judgement improves with experience and experience is gained through learning from mistakes of poor judgement (or the saying goes something like that).

We all need our own personal cop riding with us, rating us as we go, and if we do well we should not be ticketed at all - that would be the closest you'd get to a stupidometer in my view. Book those that screw up. Instead the bastards rate you in an instant with some damn electronic gun that says "you broke da law".

How many times have I said before that cops don't agree with the laws or else they would never ride a bike faster than 100km/hr themselves eh Spud.

[spudchucka]

How do you know when you are 100% certain you won't get knicked by your mates as the bastards seem to sneak up on us mere mortals?

Well I guess I may have an unfair advantage because I know where they patrol and where they don't. Needless to say I don't ride where they patrol.

How many times have I said before that cops don't agree with the laws or else they would never ride a bike faster than 100km/hr themselves eh Spud.

Well then they wouldn't drive SS Holdens or XR8's either. Perhaps all cops should be restricted to driving Ladas and bikes no bigger than 50cc, otherwise they might find themselves in a position where they could break a law. Every road user makes up their own mind about how they drive regardless of their proffession or private lives.

[Kickaha]

That is the point and it slacks me off as I don't believe I ride or drive dangerously at all, yet at times cops have ticketed me. It is their judgement versus mine. After 35 years of riding/driving without any problems or insurance claims I think I know what I'm doing.

Not aiming this specifically at you Merv

But I've yet to hear of anyone that believes they ride or drive dangerously and everyone on the road always likes to think they know what they're doing but that doesn't mean that they do,it's always the other guy who can't drive/ride,after all when's the last time you heard someone admit to being a bad driver?.