i want to be a firewoman, i am very very much afraid of heights.  I am lookin at goin in texas, my husband is a cop and is 100% behind me.  He says i'd have to get over my fear of heights...how does one do that?..lol...sounds silly but if i am goin to do this i gotta get over my fear of heights!\nany advice anyone?
217421
if its something you really like and want to do, it won't be that much of a problem, it will be a bit of a struggle, but at the end you will be able to do it if you really want it
173516
Dear Fallen,\n\nThe first thing to do is get out if that is what YOU truly want.  You shouldn't run off with the first thing that comes along either.  No man is going to make you happy until you can first be happy with yourself, on your own (I know that sounds difficult especially if you have always been with someone).  You will never be truly happy with someone if are not happy with yourself.  Move or get out but not because you met some guy you barley know, this could end up being worse especially if this man is married and or conflicted.  Do what is best for yourself and your children, that should be first and foremost! Do this and continue to speek and meet this man if it is safe after you have a better situation for yourself.  Maybe a True love will grow and not just the idea of better life/love because this man seems better than the one you have.  You may find this guy isn't that great or that he is great but, take time to really find this out.  Get yourself where you want be happy and healthy, and then you might find that there is even a better man out there.  If you have fear of violence from your current man, get help! Call the police if you are going to move out and tell them your concerns before hand and they will probably send out an officer to assist you.  If that is not an option you want to explore there are many groups that can assist women in that situation.  The main thing is to protect yourself, get a brother or other male family member that can help you move or help protect you.  There is no shame in telling family, friends or people who are willing to help that you have problems and need help.  The shame would be in not getting that help and bettering your life.  Weigh your options and make the best decision for yourself and children, just understand all that is involved and what, if any long term concerns could/can develop.  Good luck and God bless.\n\nThe Good Man
250816
If it's really bad, you could talk to your doctor and he could give you something to take the edge off. I'm not really sure how I do it. I just take a long deep breath, and just do it, like pretending that I'm not afraid at all. After a while, I don't have to pretend anymore.
623858
What sort of time frame did you have in mind?  I'd like to know because I'd better be moving to higher ground.  \n\nUsually I don't bother with this sort of thing, but the recent hurricane season has got me thinking that something is up.  \n\nThanks for the warning! \n\nCheers!
147693
Why is it not an option. Be come a police officer and become a vol. fireman & paramedic. And god bless you for having such high standars..
170935
What on earth are you talking about??? So by what you're saying, policewomen have no chance of being a wife, lover,  or partner (not her shift partner). ??? \nThey're WOMEN, they DESERVE everything that other women got. EVEN MORE b/c they have a very dangerous job. I work for a flowers shop. They do GET FLOWERS.. so BE IT... if you like her.. go for it.. don't waste that chance you might miss it. \nMy lil story, a customer called and asking for flowers to be delivery to the Police station. He didn't get to have her last name but he got her first name and her rank. So the delivery guy delivered the flowers w/ the small card that had his # written in there .. He also noted just incase she did not remember who he was. And it was "Tell her I met her at the bar name ________ "... Guess what.. we're been doing his everymonth anniversary flowers now :)
120982
I'm 23, and I'm in law school.  I have the same anxieties: worrying if I've made the right decision, if this is what I'm really meant to be, fear that I might be missing out on my "true" calling.  The only thing I've found that allays these fears is experience.  Just start doing what you want to do, if you find your calling, you find your calling; if you screw it up, you screw it up.  Get a job at a hospital or a clinic.  See what doctors do every single day.  If you can see yourself happy, even when being a doctor can be a grind, then go for it.  To quote Brook Benton: "No matter how you look at it, or think of it. / It's life and you just got to play the game."
450952
You should be over age 21, no record of domestic violence, no felonies, clean driving record, no assault convicitons. Have good eyesight and hearing. Ability to run, climb, etc. Weight in proportion to height. No psychiatric illness. Decent credit record. You can take criminal justice courses at college. You can contact the academy in the state you want to work in and ask about putting yourself through pre-service program (pay your own way to become POST certified). Being POST certified makes you a better hiring candidate.  Starting out as a dispatcher can be good (you'll become certified for that too). Dispatching isn't easy though, so don't think of it as "the bottom:".  It's high stress and you MUST be able to multi-task to a high degree. Otherwise you need to be able to keep your cool, handle stress and confrontation, deal with mess (dead bodies, feces, vomit, all that fun stuff) and have good common sense. POST stands for Peace Officers Standards and Training. There should be a POST in your state.  If you want to work and train in another state go to their POST website and academy website.  There are also pre-service programs for dispatchers.
33577
It might be your reason for wanting to be a cop that will hold you back. Talk to a counselor and see if you're stable before you even consider exposing yourself to the trials of becoming a law enforcement officer.
559853
Brother, there are a bunch of a**holes out there. You can not focus on the fools who want to blame their misfortune on someone, anyone, and we are the target. They leave food unattended on the stove, they burn candles next to drapes. They store gas cans next to the furnace, and they blame those of us who come to help because we are only human.\n\nFocus on the good that you do, and do not let the morons get to you. You have to be able to turn off the part of you that feels for the victims, and the part that tells you "what the heck am I doing here?" and focus on the job that you are doing. We do not do it for the praise and glory, we do it because it is part of us.\n\nPsalm 23 (Firefighter version)  Yea though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I will fear no Evil, for Thine art with me, and together we are the baddest ones in the valley!!\n\nStay Low!
233444
First point: you are talking about TV show.  Let's focus on reality, okay?\n\nSecond point: let's assume you're correct; police cannot fire back at someone who is holding a hostage.  We'd have an awful lot of dead cops and other people, wouldn't we?  The hostage-taker could just wade out into a sea of cops and start shooting them all because, using your logic, none of them would be allowed to shoot back since there was a hostage involved.\n\nThere are a couple of really excellent answers here already.  No law enforcement officer wants to kill an innocent person, *especially* a child.  However, no law enforcement officer wants to be killed, either.  \n\nLaw enforcement officers would obviously do whatever they could to avoid having to be in this situation, but when push comes to shove, I don't have to sacrifice my life for anyone else.  I can't stress enough how much I would not have to be in that position, but I also can't stress enough how much I want to go home at the end of the shift.\n\nYes - in televisionland there is always a SWAT team, and a helicopter and a sniper team and canine teams and everything else.  In reality, though, those things rarely exist when they're needed and it's up to some poor beat cop to decide how best to handle an absolutely unmanageable situation...and he or she will usually have about two seconds to make that decision.\n\nThere is no, "the rule" about these things.  Situations like this are extremely dynamic and are among the very top reasons why cops have nightmares.
263766
He's got one of those jobs that you can't leave unless releaved by someone, just part of being a officer, but he could have at least called or something.  Think I would wait and see what the reason was before I jumped the gun too much.  If you tell her what you want her to do, and he's got a really good reason, you will be the bad girl.  Wait and see, don't do anything while you all are under so much stress.  It's not like family, she's a gf, so he's at the mercy of his boss.
648786
I myself am female and a firefighter, I have been for many years I am 36....  If this is the goal you have then by all means go for it. A long time ago perhaps when I began female firefighters were not the " thing" or maybe not accepted as much as the males.. as is with police officers ect.. If you are true to what you want or want to find out if it is for you.. Perhaps start yourself as a volunteer firefighter in your area,, They do provide training ect... and you will get on hand experience and a teaste of what its like...\n\nFemales are more excepted now.. as long as you can pull your own weight anf gice the respect you in fact want. I say go for it, because I have no regrets at all...
71724
Go out and join law enforcement. If you have the education and the training, you should do fine.\n\nHowever, be aware that the people who you will deal with are living a different reality than you and me. They operate on the law of the jungle. The strong survive and power means everything. I happened to be a tall, strong law enforcement officer and I rarely have a suspect fight me. They have told me my size made them think twice before fighting. If you are small in nature, you may have to fight more. And keep in mind, most of the time you will have one or more back-up officers with you. Citizen who see us three or more deep arresting someone don't realize that we bring a lot of officers out to avoid fights. We know the nature of these people.\n\nWith that said, all of the smaller officers I know are fully capable of doing this job. Just be aware of what you might be getting in to.
202145
B  \n\nYou should always begin a distraction method before anything else. Words have power, and used appropriately, they can save a life. And sometimes a person just needs to have another person listen to feel validated.\n\nBut if you aren't sure what to say, or the situations scares you too much, definately call the cops, and stay there until the cops arrive.\n\nBy running up, the person may be startled and fall unintentionally, and if he didn't then the grabbing him may off balance you both and you both could fall.\n\nCalling the cops from a cell phone is a good idea, but when you are in the moment, there may not be that chance if this person is ready to jump. \n\nWalking away would never cross my mind, I just couldn't do it.
478417
You might want ignore the ignorant comments about abusing power and start by looking for advertisements for job openings under law enforcement.  They often will state what the requirements are.  You could also try picking up an application.  Try scheduling a ride along with the local pd to see what it's like and if that might be the route you want to go.  It will also give you an opportunity to talk with the officer and they can provide you with a better idea of what you're getting into.  Best thing to do is talk to someone who's doing it.  Good Luck !
421616
sucks to work with the person you are married to.  You see them 24/7.   Not much to talk about after work, because each of you already knows what happened.  The height thing has no bearing.  I am only 5"...my daughter swears 4'11"...but I have almost ALWAYS dated guys who were no less than 6'3".  I never planned that, it just happens.  My current husband is only 5'10" and the guy that wants me after we divorce, if we do, is only like 5'8".  You need to look at common interests, common goals, morals, but mostly you just need to see if you can picture yourself with this person 30 or 40 years down the road.