Who am I - Identity Crisis?

You have spent the last 30 years in uniform, serving your country and your community as a firefighter. Today you retire; hopefully in good health and financially stable. Now what? You do not have to get up in the morning to report to your station; you have to make a decision as to what to wear for the day as you do not have to wear a uniform; you do not have to drink bad coffee and hear horrible jokes with your crew. You do not respond to calls yet your ears are attuned to every siren, every engine or truck company driving by your home and every cop car or ambulance in your vicinity. Do you miss it?

很多时候，我们的个人身份都包裹在我们的工作身份中。穿着制服，您走进商店，参观学校或沿着设备的道路骑行，每个人都知道您是谁，您的工作。现在，穿着您的平民服装，没有人认出您或将您识别为消防员。您是否对社区成员看不见？当然，有些乡亲会认出您是拯救父亲的消防员。回应了木材场的火灾或在井中救了孩子。随着时间的流逝，这些记忆逐渐消失，您成为社区的另一个成员，对新移民的透明，对您曾经服务的人的记忆褪色。

For some of us, retirement from the fire service creates a loss of our identity as our identity was wrapped up in the fire service. In order for us to remain relevant, we must remain involved.

我们中有些人想淡入晦涩难懂。我们已经遭受了全夜的大火，死亡和社区的痛苦。我们想逃脱，我们搬到亚利桑那州或佛罗里达州的阳光明媚的社区；我们购买了汽车之家并游览该国；我们与配偶或孙子一起悬挂，打很多高尔夫，狩猎或鱼。我们中的一些人由于许多原因而饮酒并沉入抑郁状态。

如果我不想淡入默默无闻怎么办？如果我想成为您社区的重要成员或消防部门的重要成员怎么办？如果您还有几年的好年份继续为您的社区或消防部门服务怎么办？你做什么工作？

I loved being on the job and faced this conundrum when I was looking to retire. I was becoming tired of the politics and the other BS that drives good people away. My decision was to pursue an advanced degree and continue serving my fire service community in another way – namely as an attorney serving firefighters and fire departments. The real issue for me and I assume most of us, is the need to remain relevant in the community, either with the fire service or in your home town.

How can that happen if you do not have the opportunity to attain an advanced degree? Much of what I am going to say here takes some pre-planning, a term you are familiar with. Thinking about what you are going to do when you retire is as important as the planning aspect before actually pulling the retirement trigger.

您可以在当地社区学院或消防培训中心担任培训教练；您可以担任主题专家；您可以成立一家咨询公司，并向他人提供一定金额的宝贵教育和知识；您可以与其他消防员建立联系，并在您的家乡担任社区响应者；you can serve as an elected member of your community as a Fire Commissioner or councilmember;您可以竞选对您和您的社区都很重要的州或国家办公室或其他此类角色。

Some of us continue or become coaches in our local youth or high school coaching teaching the young valuable life’s skills, good manners, gracious winning and losing and what it takes to be a member of a team.

We may be getting to old or have too many surgeries to drag a hose, climb a ladder making the good grab but we want to remain identified as a firefighter with many good years ahead of us.

Get involved, stay active and live long a have a great life. This can be with family, community, your church and other community activities. Yes, I realize that some of us want to ride off into the sunset but others want to remain involved in our chosen profession. Stay healthy and involved.