The Games We Play

As I have related before, some firefighters take no small pleasure in playing practical (and sometimes not so practical) jokes on one another. Of course, the practical joke is usually improved, enhanced, or otherwise made more outrageous with the repeated telling of the story.

A good engineer is more than just the guy that drives the firetruck. He also take great pride in the equipment, polishing things until they shine. Some take the details and specifications of all to a whole art form, with extensive memorization of minutia down to the number of bolts required to hold the motor to the frame. So when one engineer got the reputation of being more detail oriented then any other engineer, the stage was properly set for a practical joke.

Another crusty old engineer, seeing the effort to detail, seized the opportunity to pick up any old bolt, nut, or other small part lying in the street, hit it with some red paint, and throw it under the engine. This caused a great deal of mirth and entertainment, as the detail oriented engineer spend hours with a flashlight under the engine, determined to find where that loose part belonged.

In another case, a firefighter rolled up several towels and stuffed them between the box springs and mattress of the probie. Three weeks later, he noticed there was more sheets and other "stuffing" in the same space in an attempt to level the bed. Eventually, the probie complained about how another very large firefighter how worn out the mattress. Dispite the presumed many nights of tossing and turning, did anyone ever mention the real problem to the probie.