Ok DU, I've been given permission by my station Captain to post on this site,

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. What about us reporters who do listen to the dang scanner at home?

Mostly it is wild fire season and we warn citizens of potential Evac routes closed due to accidents. At times it takes upwards of four hours to clear a dang road (fatalities tend to do that). Or when actual fires do start...at times we even physically drag our happy asses to the fire line to cover the event.

I understand the disdain but I am personally looking forwards to it. If this is a high volume call department, I can expect a long list of incidents. Hell I worked for one and chasing the radio was common. My max number of calls in a 16 hour period (another country worked two shifts) was 20 calls. The longest shift ever worked was 36, due to one nasty MCI.

To the OP no we're not hotshots (not in the elite FF meaning ). We actually carry water, food and full two layer Nomex with helmets. (Boy it is never cheap) I know, what a concept. But we do not want to be part of the problem. Other crap we carry, paper and electronic maps, a compass, a first aid kit and other sundries, apart of trade tools such as pens, notebooks and cameras, and of course the scanner. Like situational awareness is critical...