6) Jake
Now this one is kind of odd. I have no idea where it actually comes from. I have read several things on it and they’re all different. But I do know what it means. What it means (here in Detroit) is that you are a terrible firefighter. You do not want to be called “a Jake” here. But on the east coast, it means you are a good firefighter. Again, in a cool accent “that’s a good jake right there”. I don’t have any clue why they are complete opposite depending on your location.
7) Deckie
In Detroit we call the guys on the back of the engine a “deckie”. I have not learned why yet because I am just a…
8) Truckie
A firefighter assigned to a ladder company.
9) Doin’ it
This one makes me laugh. I don’t even really know if it can actually be called a slang term, but between me and my buddies on the job, when we get a good stretch, or go to a good fire, we usually joke and say that we were “doin it”. This comes from Backdraft.
10) Senior Man
This is the senior most firefighter working in the firehouse. The senior man takes a lot of the boss’s responsibilities on as his own. The senior man also sometimes takes the trialmen into fires.
Question: What slang terms did I leave out? What do you say in your department?