I posted this on firehouse.com about 10+ years ago... just change firefighter to emt, and I think it will still be applicable.
just some random thoughts of mine.
A wacker spends all his/her free time at the fire house.
A dedicated employee works his shifts, and signs up for all the extra shifts he can for extra $$$
a wacker visits the local firehouse on vacation, to see how they do things and to trade/buy shirts or patches
a dedicated employee can visit a firehouse not in their area to learn how another organization operates, in hopes of improving his/her organization
a wacker puts FF/EMS stickers all over his car
a dedicated employee puts IAFF stickers on his/her car, so show he supports the union he is proud to be a member of
a wacker takes every firefighting course he can, in hopes of one day becoming a career firefighter.
a dedicated employee takes every FF course he can, so he can do the job to the best of his ability.
a wacker will purchase a leather helmet because it makes him look cool, even though the department issues salad bowls
a dedicated employee will purchase a leather helmet out of his uniform allowance, even though the department issues salad bowls.
a wacker will wear a firefighting-related novelty shirt when not on duty.
dedicated employees would never do anything like this
a wacker will wear his department t-shirt/job shirt in school, work, while shopping for groceries, at the mall, etc.
a dedicated employee will wear his department t-shirt/job shirt while at fire school, on the job, when with the crew shopping for groceries, and I did see one FDNY guys in his FDNY job shirt (with station number) and hat in Victoria's Secret shopping with his girlfriend, but I'm sure he's the exception to the rule.
a wacker is proud to show off that he is a member of a FD or EMS squad.
a dedicated employee comes to work early, leaves late, and keeps his work and the rest of his life separate.
a wacker has a closet full of FD t-shirts from all over the US, some purchased, some traded for, some obtained as gifts.
a dedicated employee has a closet full of shirts, mainly of his department, but a few obtained through trades.
a wacker aspires to be as good as (insert big city FD name here, be it FDNY, LAFD, Syracuse FD for those from upstate NY, Chicago FD, DCFD, PG County FD, etc), or even the neighboring 24/7 paid department.
a dedicated employee aspires to be as good as (insert big city FD name here, be it FDNY, LAFD, Syracuse FD for those from upstate NY, Chicago FD, DCFD, PG County FD, etc).
and the biggest difference (also edited to because people seem to be misinterpreting the statement):
if a non-paid firefighter does one of the above mentioned things, he is considered a wacker
if a paid firefighter does the same thing he is considered a proud and dedicated employee
just some random thoughts
What some people consider to be a trait of a (volunteer) whacker, and what some people consider to be a trait of a dedicated (career) employee are sometimes very similar. but because people look at career guys and volunteers differently, the same "event" or "description" can be used to form a different opinion about someone. It's all about perception.
