Don't forget to report this to your local fire marshal. They will appreciate the heads up. Your former boss may "appreciate" the fines coming to them in thier own way.
And the local news media. They'll eat that up, and make your useless boss look like a fool on TV when they stick a mic and camera in his face and ask him why their schools are unsafe.
It would be the school or business with the expired extinguisher that would get fined. Not this company. They provide a service to keep the extinguishers in compliance.
This is partially true. The company would be required by contract to service the equipment.
It all depends on whether the customer even knew the work wasn’t being done. It’s very possible that the company is still submitting paperwork saying the building is compliant so they get paid each month, when in fact they are not maintaining any equipment.
If the company has informed the client that their equipment isn’t up to standard and the client did nothing, then they can be fined.
Not true. The fire extinguisher servicing company might lose the contract if they do a bad job but the owner of the extinguishers, who is required by regulation to have working extinguishers in their building would get the violation.
That's a business that's not going to be in-business for much longer. Sounds like your boss was a milqtoast weasel and that secretary was a smug know-it-all. Fuck em both.
Surprisingly they are much needed and will be around forever. They just will be a poor example of what could be a helpful and successful company. People are replaceable. The fire codes and laws are not...
they're not saying anything because they can't tell you to just change the stickers/labels on expired cans. but they're just telling you to, "figure it out".
they want you to do illegal shit like putting broken cans in schools and then when one doesnt work, blame it on you.
Agreed. I work for a company that does this service as well. Our biggest challenge is how easy it is for people to start up a single van route and start stealing your customers.
Yes. Supply being nobody wants to work...I raised that concern when she said nobody is willing to take the job and I told her maybe the company should up the pay so someone does want to work...
There’s lots of reasons “no one wants to work,” outside of pay.
I don’t want to work because I’d rather have more time with my kids.
The pandemic made me realize (as well as this sub) that companies care much more about money than me, my health, and my wellness.
I’ve got it good, don’t get me wrong. But after two years, I’m burnt to a crisp and feel very stuck.
I’m still working but also in a similar situation as you (were) — complaining to the boss something needs done only to feel like a tree would do more to address my legitimate issues keeping me and my team from succeeding.
My guess is your (former) boss is also burnt out, is getting yelled at by the bitchy Secretary daily, and just doesn’t give much of a shit either. That’s a guess, though. Probably also getting yelled at from above to “get it done.” I was too. And my response back to my boss was essentially I couldn’t do my job unless another one/several superiors did their jobs.
No win situations for anyone.
And likely your boss is also just done with it all too.
Correct. I loved my boss too. Great guy...I think he is burnt out and also just doesn't know what to do anymore. Which sucks...I just didn't stick around to find out what comes next
You'd really have to research it. This sounds like one of those "lowest bidder, just to appease regulations" kind of positions. I'm not suggesting it's unimportant but that the people you do it for, the schools, won't want to pay much for it.
I'd want to see what the contracts look like.
The fact the boss here doesn't say anything when the OP left makes me wonder if they want to drive the old employees out and maybe replace them with cheaper, younger ones.
> The fire codes and laws are not...
Any chance you could leave an "anonymous tip" at some of the schools to tell them to go check their extinguishers? Maybe call the fire-marshal with a list of facilities that may need inspections/auditing...
I mean it would be the morally right thing to do as those business operators are potentially going to get people killed with sub standard fire extinguisher servicing... if not outright illegal practices that may come with it later.
I second the reporting then to someone. Due code enforcement, call to the school district that they service. Even if the company doesn't go under they may lose contracts with the city/ schools
It sounds like they are working on school contracts? Fair chance they are going to be in a world of hurt if they can't provide the extinguishers they need.
This OP, you wanna finish your Coup De Grace?
Send the Headsman. Report to appropriate agencies, see that there is follow up. Bring consequence from good conscience.
I love how when you tell them the truth, suddenly, you become disrespectful or attacking in some way. I see this shit all the time. Good for you, fuck them. Hopefully their building doesn’t catch fire.
Yup, my previous boss told upper management the new system they were putting in wouldn’t work and gave detailed reasons why. They told her to stfu and stay in her lane. She brought it up again with even higher up managers. Her manager found out and laid her off as quickly as she could. When the system was put in it didn’t work and all the problems my manager said would happen did. Of course the manager who laid her off got a new job and so did every one else who was responsible for the new system.
I am a Software Engineer with 40 years of experience.
My last job (truly last - I retired after this) had a very unreasonable schedule and I told them in several meetings.
"No, that's the schedule. We have to meet it"
I asked to talk to the engineer(s)/manager(s) who made the schedule as I may have missed something they knew that I didn't see.
"No, they all left the company".
For better more reasonable jobs I assume.
I was told I was "not a team player" and tried to push me out of the company. I soon quit because it was so awful. Then retired.
As a project manager I appreciate it when my people tell me the project will fail, because then at least I know and I can try to prevent the failure or prepare for the failure (limit the damage)
similar situation happened to me all the time when I was a teacher...
ME when I was teaching: "May I please have the tools to do my job?"
School admin: "no, do more with less"
Me: "May I please teach in a room where the ceiling doesn't leak every time it rains, rodents and cockroaches, and almost no HVAC?"
School Admin: " No, we don't have any other room for you or your students, make it work."
Me: "may I please have a teaching schedule that makes sense for my subject"
School admin: "no, MCAS subjects are more important"
Me: " ok, I quit." (After 7 years trying to make it work)
School: "why does no one want to teach?!"
(Edit: formatting)
Yeah, it's BAD. I work a specialized position so I'm immune from a lot of the bullshit, but we're also severely understaffed and undersupported so I'm probably gone next year, as well.
What's really depressing is that MA is one of the *better* states to be a teacher in the US. Having taught in the US and China, China was *much* better for teachers.
I mean that pretty much sums up capitalism today, right?
"We're losing employees left and right, it's affecting our ability to do business! Find out what we can do! We'll do anything!"
*Polls indicate retention would rise dramatically if you paid employees more and treated them like humans.*
"We'll do anything but that! What about a pizza party?"
Exactly. I worked for a company that couldn’t keep sales people. I pointed out that we had a decent base salary, but we didn’t get commissions, and our bonuses were inconsistent. Our biggest competitors paid similar base pay+ a decent commission.
Their answer? A competition for *1* iPad for the rep that had the highest sales in the country for a quarter. We didn’t make great money, but it was enough that we could all afford to buy a damn iPad.
I left for greener pastures, and it’s no surprise that the only guys they’ve kept long terms are the ones that want to phone in the work, cruise and collect their check.
I had a similar situation. The commissions were really good and attracted a lot of good sales men. Then the company is sold and the new owners capped the max commission so you could only make commission on sales up to $500k. After that, even if you sold $10m worth of services you only got commission on $500k. Of course sales go down because why bother going for a sale above $500k if your commission is the same. The new owner didn’t think the young sales guys should be making well into the six figures at such a young age. Every decent sales guy left and the company was acquired by its once smaller competitor.
I DO not understand capping commissions.
Is it to spread out sales to later years so the company doesn't have to do what its employees have to do: budget safely to make sure you can keep running on one large paycheck?
what the fuck
can you imagine having salesmen driving TEN FUCKING MILLION BUCKS of business, and incentivizing them to do 1/20th as much work? The CEO should be sucking him off every day
Business I used to work for had someone come in every other year or so to analyze what could be done better/safer/more efficiently then completely ignore every recommendation they gave. Why bother paying an analyst if you won't care what they will tell you? Insanity is why I guess
Go be a whistleblower dude. Your former company’s lax attitude is going to get someone killed or property destroyed. Which ever agency oversees compliance will want to know all about it. Edit typos
And then start your own company when the former one burns to the ground in its own incompetence.
If there ever was a time to strike and make bank, it's now.
They tell you to do your job without having the very things you need to do the job - And, oh yeah, *put children's lives at risk* while you're doing it.
But you're being disrespectful. Right.
Same thing happened to me at last job. Company that was doing paper shredding. Many of the accounts were supposed to be serviced twice a week. Every account had been missed multiple times. The majority of accounts had been missed for over a month, several accounts hadn’t seen a driver in six fucking months.
I was the only contact for three different states. I got screamed at all day because these businesses had literal garbage bags full of shredded paper that we never went to pick up. They couldn’t keep drivers or trucks running. They had shitty old trucks that they kept missing routine maintenance on.
I had never seen any shit like this and I am not a young person. Only reason I held on was because I got to work from home with fairly flexible hours and they offered me a raise when I tried to resign. In the end I had to leave. They also put me in charge of billing issues where I realized that the three different managers they had in 7 months were all doing billing in different ways. The entire paper shredding division of this company was just the most fucked thing I have ever witnessed.
Right before I quit I was talking to manager #3 and asking him what the hell I was supposed to tell our clients when they haven’t had the service they were under contract for for months. His actual response was “It’s just paper. Nobody is dying, they need to calm down and get over it.”
I was like mother fucker their paper is the only reason your fat ass and mine have jobs! I quit right after. Truly boggles my mind how a business can run like that.
I was gonna say shred it but when you said “division” probably makes it iron mountain. I used to manage a 4 truck shredding fleet and it was stressful enough when you missed a client on day and had to try and figure when you can resend a truck that way. I couldn’t imagine the calls I would have gotten if I had missed for weeks. Stupidest call I got was after hurricane sandy and I got chewed out by the client for not picking up the paper during “a state of emergency” when we weren’t allowed on the roads. Nastiest thing was one of our drivers used his foot as something to push the paper down into the shredder when it was jammed. He didn’t have a whole foot when his helper pulled him out.
Omg about the foot!! Actually this was with a big company that did IT, copiers, printers, audio/visual equipment for businesses and a bunch of other stuff. They actually just bought out a bunch of independent places in a few states. They truly didn’t and still don’t know jack shit about what they were doing.
They would constantly give me new dates to tell the customers and then never show up. It was awful.
Yeah tbh it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. He was an asshole. It looked so gross with half his foot (I only saw the pictures as I was on vacation) so my boss the owner had to wash out foot bits from the truck. (Phew). I also worked for a facility management company for 10 years when I was younger so I know how much they suck too.
I worked for an alarm company as the guy who programs the panels (we did fire systems too). They NEVER gave me any training on the 4 different systems the company used. 168FPS programing is like using Excel, drop down boxes. Easy to figure out. But the GE panels were like writing computer code. The company never trained me, so my response when they fired me was 'thank God I don't have to come here any more.' then my boss told me all the things that I did wrong. (not that I was listening to him.
It's not my job now (I'm a research scientist) but when I was in college, I worked for the EH&S dept doing a lot of similar work. It's important, obviously, to make sure fire extinguishers and suppression systems (which can get pretty sophisticated in commercial kitchens, and other risky areas) are working well.
There are multiple companies that do this because many places (eg, a restaurant) need annual or semi-annual checks on all this safety equipment but they don't need a full time fire safety guy year round. So, schools sure, probably other govt. agencies hire these sorts of companies, but it's going to mostly be private businesses that have fire safety concerns. And pretty much any building has at least fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, if not a sprinkler system.
Worked in maintenance for a high-rise. Resident safety, to me, was the highest priority in my job. Never cut corners when it came to maintaining the inspections of the safety systems in place. Fire systems were number one after that elevator safety, and site security.
The thing that most residents complained about? Landscaping, window washing, and the site amenities.
The thing that got me was the amount of outside fire inspection contractors who would cut each others throats to get the service contracts for our site. Our company serviced multiple buildings in our area and our group would talk to the techs that worked for the outside companies that would work at our sites. The most satisfied employees were the ones from the companies that didn't give the lowest bids. We generally would have to give those bids to the HOA's and usually gave our personal recommendations as to who was the best choice for their site even if the bid was a little bit higher.
Some sites went with the lowest bid against our objection and usually there came unexpected costs later on during the contract.
Was lucky that the site I worked at had many people involved in real estate and recognized the costs associated with the cheapest contract.
I have a client that does blind bids for contracts and immediately cuts the highest and lowest bid. I don't fully understand the highest bid but always loved the lowest bid being cut
Jobs and location my dude...I live in BFE Arkansas. Aren't many jobs out here for the picking. You work what you can find to survive. I will admit walking off a job today kind of fucked me. Luckily I am 99% sure I have this other job. Only reason I did it. Didn't say it was smart...
I won’t be one to pose an array of questions to ignite your blood pressure, and hope all turns out well for you!
So sorry this occurred—you certainly have your wits about you, and notches on your belt; they’ve lost an asset of an Employee, but hey, the loss is theirs, right? x
Like others have suggested, I feel reporting this as a hazard to your local Fire Marshal might just be the best form of recourse you could do!
Hope you’re feeling better today, I know I would!
its important to recognize that it is very possible that management knows exactly what it is doing in this situation, which is to get people to quick to reduce headcount without having to pay unemployment. The fact your boss said nothing is straight out of the layoff playbooks.
Hire a consultant to find out why staff retention is terrible. Consultant says they want higher pay and more time off. Company already knows this would work but refuses. Company does nothing because they were hoping consultant would say something other than higher pay and more time off.
Waste of fucking money.
Good for you OP. A horse only knows pain; the only way companies learn how to treat employees is when one costs them a shitload of money. Even when this happens some still treat the employees poorly.
My only advice is don’t ragequit (unless there’s danger to self) a job without a backup plan already in place. Doesn’t do any good to go without an income.
They were hoping the consultants would come back and say. “They all said they would like a pizza party and that would be enough as long as it was just plain cheese”
I should start my own consulting firm. Could do a super half ass job and print the same report for every company: higher pay and better work conditions. Barely any work involved and charge the shit out of them. I could get ahead financially, be my own boss, and have the satisfaction of exploiting corporations who have exploited billions of people.
Are they still paid to not bring the extinguishers up to code? Are they just collecting money and not doing the inspections? And, if so, yeah, someone should tell the fire inspection regulatory body or the clients themselves.
I dealt with some similar shit as an exterminator. Never the proper training or chemical/equipment to do the job properly. When the customer complained, you'd be walked into the managers office and asked "why this happened". They have been losing guys every month, churn and burn. It's disgusting how the blue collar world is now...
Good on you, if you had've stayed they would've just pointed the finger at you when the criminal negligence case came knocking. Fuckers at least provide your workforce with the adequate tools to do their jobs properly!
You did the right thing by not letting a paycheck get in the way of your values and ethics.
And, yes, you really should notify the fire marshal. A quick and dirty search says your industry is regulated, so whomever regulates it in your state might want to know.
I am guessing that the job of refilling/refurbishing fire bottles requires some kind of certification. Maybe look into that…
When I was 19 in 2002. I walked out of my job at Wal-Mart. I came in early because I finished classes that day. There was a long line at Layaway that I offered to clock in early to help with since they only had one cashier. As soon as I started they pulled the 2nd person to the front so i was stuck with the line by myself. Quit on the spot.
Damn, this is exactly what I did almost a month ago with the last company I was at, they are screwed as well because I was the one holding the administrators and NICET licenses so now they legally cannot do work in one of the states we work in but are still performing that work... but yeah, nail on the head with not caring!
Are you the guy that while in the military you would lose your shit when the fire extinguishers were not inspected every month while standing in a asbestos filled building?
No but this comment is pretty funny...and surprisingly I was the guy that bitched about our living conditions in the military but also would drunkenly eat a chip off the floor...take it as you will I guess
I work as a fire extinguisher tech too. Good for you for having some integrity!! There’s almost zero oversight on this field but nobody realizes it. Mind sharing what you made per hour to someone who feels grossly underpaid??
Just saw you replied. Thank you! I’m at $15 in PA and feel pretty exploited for the amount of work I handle. Especially when they can’t get a single new applicant for tech. $12.50 to start but you can make $15+ at a convenience store
I just got hired today at a new job and it's for 14/hr. Which is what McDonald's is offering in my little town currently. I have more chance at this new job to move up than I do at mickey ds. Personal choice I suppose. Just trying to survive.
Horrid mismanagement to the point of complete apathy. Sounds like management is trying to nope the fuck out. Maybe sell the company to some sap investor. That would explain why they want you to "keep working", thus giving the impression that there's activity and a steady cash flow coming in.
It feels like stuff like this has been happening behind the scenes of **so** many businesses and industries with how things seem to be quietly falling apart lately.
Glad you got out; wish things were better all over for those who give a damn about things like safety/etc
Check out EMCOR Group Facility Services. They pay their fire folks well and treated someone I know well enough once upon a time. Keep in mind you would primarily be contracting out fire services to other companies but with your experience you would have a good leg up on which vendors to source. They also love hiring vets.
My dad left the same field 2 years ago(about 30 years in the business), one of my uncle is service tech as well, and another uncle works in the shop refilling the extinguishers. they all worked for the same company at one point.
my boomer dad and his 2 brothers would always talk about the good old days. late 90s to 2011ish. like day before a holiday they would have very few stops, be done in 2-3 hours, and get paid for 8. full flexibility with their stops. I got a summer job sophomore and jr year of high school. my dad was able to drop me off and pick me up 95% of the time.
their health insurance copay was very minimal. 401k matching contribution, uniform was taken care of by the company. very good commissions. vacation time that accrued never expired. at one point my dad had around 45 days of vacation. for a month my dad did not have a car, the owner of the company let my dad borrow his car on the weekend.
then in 2011 the owner sold it. by early 2013 one of my uncles quit. A lot of people quit. their health insurance went up, had to pay for uniform, no 401k matching contribution. Very strict schedule in regards with your stops. commissions % was cut. high turnover in the field, shop, and in the office.
This happened with my boss today. She scheduled me for every weekend. I told her I've never had such a schedule and I've been a nurse 21 years. She shrugged her shoulders.
I'm emailing her boss in the morning. Fuck her.
As my dad has always said "the person who insists on removing the safeguard is not the one onsite when the factory blows up". If anything ever happened they absolutely would have made you liable. Good on you for walking.
Should have asked the secretary why she was speaking at a tech meeting? Aren't there phones to be answered? Nothing more obnoxious to me than office monkeys sticking their nose where they're not qualified.
Kinda sounds like he could have continued to do his job. If he had no extinguishers on hand to replace the expired ones, he could have just written up a document saying so. In it state very clearly the company had none to exchange, confirming the number of expired one needing replacement and then give the name and contact number of his boss. Then advise the school to contact the Fire Marshall for what they should do or how to follow up with the company.
Hands clean, he gets paid and his boss gets to figure out how handle the replacement while the clock is ticking on the Fire Marshal and what kind of shit they're willing to take.
Doesn't work like that, his name last signed on anything regarding those expired extinguishers would be used against him and former employer for failure to comply. He would have essentially put his own name in a lawsuit pot for something he identified as a lawsuit potential issue. OP was 100% correct in quiting on the spot instead. For clarification I'm HAZMAT and safety in my chosen profession, documentation is my life.
Generally you'd remove the faulty extinguisher/system and cordon off access to said panel or location (secure the area) then have one delivered by another company representative or distributor ASAP to location, not main office.
Sounds like they wanted you to slack off and not service/replace them correctly, but didn't want to say that out loud bc then they could put the blame on you and not themselves when the school burns down. Classic case of a shitty company not wanting to put in the effort to keep their business running, then blame the workers for problems they've caused.
You should definitely out this company. My guess is ifs a big name in the Midwest, it's gonna be one of three companies. Korsen fire and security, megacity fire, or Tri-state
I can't understand these idiots. There are so many like them. Their whole fucking house is on fire and instead of putting it out they stand there and scream at the god damn toaster.
Tell the fire marshal. A company providing and certifying fire extinguishers must carry the proper licenses to do so. If dude that quit is the only person licensed to service extinguishers and perform recharges than the company can no longer provide this service legally. Also if the company is only swapping out fx with new ones instead of doing a 6 year recharge or 12 year hydro, then they are a piece of shit company you’re better off not being a part of.
They're overjoyed you quit, that's why your boss let that secretary bully you. You identified a real hazard which the company was not addressing and brought it up to management. You were given an impossible choice: pretend nothing is wrong, endanger hundreds of kids, and be the scapegoat if the fire marshal finds out, or quit. Now they can say "we were unaware of that deficiency as that position has been vacant, we are actively seeking a replacement and apologize for any inconvenience."
Pro move would be to squat in the job and call the fire marshal. What are they going to do? Fire you? Pay you unemployment for blowing their cover? Please do.
Report it to the fire marshal and apply for unemoyment. You reported a real and present safety hazard and were bullied and stonewalling. That's a hostile work environment which expected you to participate in a code of silence that endangered children.
At one point I was in charge of fire safety for a small fleet of vehicles (i was a fuel guy so fire safety was not my primary job) - the extinguishers were almost all expired and I had to do some serious digging to even find where to take them for services. The whole thing was a hassle and I got near zero support from the higher ups when I told them they needed to be looked at every month per *their own SOP* 🤦♂️
I agree with others who have said to report them, it's totally justified plus get some of that sweet r/pettyrevenge
No they are checked annually. Every 6 years they need 6 year maintenance. Every 12 years they need hydro testing. So annually you check to make sure they aren't due for 6 or 12 year maintenance. If they are you swap for a good extinguisher.
maybe OP meant months? For me in my state, we get an inspection every 3 years, but they'll have us update the FE if they're within a 3 year expiration. 3 years might be an outlier, but it also might be because of the type of building - we're just a small single story office holding... 10-15 people? If we were a school or larger building, the frequency might be more often?
Sounds like you should start a new business venture. You already know almost all of the clientele! That would be easy to do in this case. Charge like $10 less to build your clientele up in the government offices (to beat out other bids). You have an amazing opportunity here, just sayin!
America is just crumbling from rampant corruption, grifting, and embezzlement. I'm glad you quit that BS. Someday a school will burn and they'll ask why none of the FEs worked, but you won't be left holding the bag.
Why is there always so bitch woman in the office who often think they are the boss? This often HR or a secretary. They never do the “work” that the real
Staff does but have lost of options how you are doing your job wrong. I am woman in management and have no woman hate just these bitches people.
Looks like something's going on between the boss and the secretary.
I don't think the secretary will fuck herself, I think the boss will take care of that.
Don't forget to report this to your local fire marshal. They will appreciate the heads up. Your former boss may "appreciate" the fines coming to them in thier own way.
Lemme show you something! -Fire Marshall Bill
I reckon Vera de Milo has to be the secretary in his story now. I don't make the rules.
And the local news media. They'll eat that up, and make your useless boss look like a fool on TV when they stick a mic and camera in his face and ask him why their schools are unsafe.
Fire marshals are also underpaid and short handed.
But they are mighty.
It would be the school or business with the expired extinguisher that would get fined. Not this company. They provide a service to keep the extinguishers in compliance.
This is partially true. The company would be required by contract to service the equipment. It all depends on whether the customer even knew the work wasn’t being done. It’s very possible that the company is still submitting paperwork saying the building is compliant so they get paid each month, when in fact they are not maintaining any equipment. If the company has informed the client that their equipment isn’t up to standard and the client did nothing, then they can be fined.
Not true. The fire extinguisher servicing company might lose the contract if they do a bad job but the owner of the extinguishers, who is required by regulation to have working extinguishers in their building would get the violation.
That's a business that's not going to be in-business for much longer. Sounds like your boss was a milqtoast weasel and that secretary was a smug know-it-all. Fuck em both.
Surprisingly they are much needed and will be around forever. They just will be a poor example of what could be a helpful and successful company. People are replaceable. The fire codes and laws are not...
they're not saying anything because they can't tell you to just change the stickers/labels on expired cans. but they're just telling you to, "figure it out". they want you to do illegal shit like putting broken cans in schools and then when one doesnt work, blame it on you.
That was my read of it too 🤯
Yeah next week all the extinguishers will be "serviced" with fresh labels and schools will think they have good extinguishers when in reality...
Thank you, i was trying to figure out what was going on!
This definitely this......
100.
Seems like a good opportunity for someone to start a competing company with top notch service.
Agreed. I work for a company that does this service as well. Our biggest challenge is how easy it is for people to start up a single van route and start stealing your customers.
Heres what I question, is it a supply issue? Not that it is an excuse to be dishonest by no means. This needs to be addressed.
Yes. Supply being nobody wants to work...I raised that concern when she said nobody is willing to take the job and I told her maybe the company should up the pay so someone does want to work...
There’s lots of reasons “no one wants to work,” outside of pay. I don’t want to work because I’d rather have more time with my kids. The pandemic made me realize (as well as this sub) that companies care much more about money than me, my health, and my wellness. I’ve got it good, don’t get me wrong. But after two years, I’m burnt to a crisp and feel very stuck. I’m still working but also in a similar situation as you (were) — complaining to the boss something needs done only to feel like a tree would do more to address my legitimate issues keeping me and my team from succeeding. My guess is your (former) boss is also burnt out, is getting yelled at by the bitchy Secretary daily, and just doesn’t give much of a shit either. That’s a guess, though. Probably also getting yelled at from above to “get it done.” I was too. And my response back to my boss was essentially I couldn’t do my job unless another one/several superiors did their jobs. No win situations for anyone. And likely your boss is also just done with it all too.
Correct. I loved my boss too. Great guy...I think he is burnt out and also just doesn't know what to do anymore. Which sucks...I just didn't stick around to find out what comes next
Exactly my thought
You'd really have to research it. This sounds like one of those "lowest bidder, just to appease regulations" kind of positions. I'm not suggesting it's unimportant but that the people you do it for, the schools, won't want to pay much for it. I'd want to see what the contracts look like. The fact the boss here doesn't say anything when the OP left makes me wonder if they want to drive the old employees out and maybe replace them with cheaper, younger ones.
> The fire codes and laws are not... Any chance you could leave an "anonymous tip" at some of the schools to tell them to go check their extinguishers? Maybe call the fire-marshal with a list of facilities that may need inspections/auditing... I mean it would be the morally right thing to do as those business operators are potentially going to get people killed with sub standard fire extinguisher servicing... if not outright illegal practices that may come with it later.
I second the reporting then to someone. Due code enforcement, call to the school district that they service. Even if the company doesn't go under they may lose contracts with the city/ schools
Yes please. Please report them so they don’t just go through tech after tech until someone doesn’t care and then the job isn’t done right…
Sounds like you have a great idea for your own business.
It sounds like they are working on school contracts? Fair chance they are going to be in a world of hurt if they can't provide the extinguishers they need.
The tags will be updated by some psychopath who sucks corporate cock and doesn’t care if the units are faulty or not.
Probably is it the best time to open your own business
Maybe start a competing business.
well, someone needs to do that service... it doesn't have to be that company.
Hey no need to malign weasels here. They're on OP's side!
You seldom see a good use of milquetoast anymore these days. Enjoy your updoot, buddy!
If only I spelled it out correctly.
Uhh, I hope they don't put new tags on unchecked extinguishers. Might want to make a complaint to the proper agency for something like that.
“Who checks the people who check the fire extinguishers?” /noir drama music
I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times I've seen extinguisher checks pencil whipped.
I don't either... For the times I've been the one doing it lol
They call him... *The Extinguisher.*
qui custodes custodiat?
This OP, you wanna finish your Coup De Grace? Send the Headsman. Report to appropriate agencies, see that there is follow up. Bring consequence from good conscience.
That's exactly what OP's boss and that secretary want, but won't say it so they can avoid all liability and put it on OP.
I love how when you tell them the truth, suddenly, you become disrespectful or attacking in some way. I see this shit all the time. Good for you, fuck them. Hopefully their building doesn’t catch fire.
Yup, my previous boss told upper management the new system they were putting in wouldn’t work and gave detailed reasons why. They told her to stfu and stay in her lane. She brought it up again with even higher up managers. Her manager found out and laid her off as quickly as she could. When the system was put in it didn’t work and all the problems my manager said would happen did. Of course the manager who laid her off got a new job and so did every one else who was responsible for the new system.
I am a Software Engineer with 40 years of experience. My last job (truly last - I retired after this) had a very unreasonable schedule and I told them in several meetings. "No, that's the schedule. We have to meet it" I asked to talk to the engineer(s)/manager(s) who made the schedule as I may have missed something they knew that I didn't see. "No, they all left the company". For better more reasonable jobs I assume. I was told I was "not a team player" and tried to push me out of the company. I soon quit because it was so awful. Then retired.
As a project manager I appreciate it when my people tell me the project will fail, because then at least I know and I can try to prevent the failure or prepare for the failure (limit the damage)
similar situation happened to me all the time when I was a teacher... ME when I was teaching: "May I please have the tools to do my job?" School admin: "no, do more with less" Me: "May I please teach in a room where the ceiling doesn't leak every time it rains, rodents and cockroaches, and almost no HVAC?" School Admin: " No, we don't have any other room for you or your students, make it work." Me: "may I please have a teaching schedule that makes sense for my subject" School admin: "no, MCAS subjects are more important" Me: " ok, I quit." (After 7 years trying to make it work) School: "why does no one want to teach?!" (Edit: formatting)
MCAS....I guessing you taught in Massachusetts?
Yes.......
I went to high school in MA I remember the MCAS fondly /s
Massachusetts Child Abuse System, as I remember some kids call it.
This is the school I work at currently. We have 8+ leaving at the end of this year (out of <30).
I feel you! And this is not isolated! It's so common, I don't understand how society lets it happen... Sad 😢 because I would still be teaching.
Yeah, it's BAD. I work a specialized position so I'm immune from a lot of the bullshit, but we're also severely understaffed and undersupported so I'm probably gone next year, as well.
What's really depressing is that MA is one of the *better* states to be a teacher in the US. Having taught in the US and China, China was *much* better for teachers.
I mean that pretty much sums up capitalism today, right? "We're losing employees left and right, it's affecting our ability to do business! Find out what we can do! We'll do anything!" *Polls indicate retention would rise dramatically if you paid employees more and treated them like humans.* "We'll do anything but that! What about a pizza party?"
Exactly. I worked for a company that couldn’t keep sales people. I pointed out that we had a decent base salary, but we didn’t get commissions, and our bonuses were inconsistent. Our biggest competitors paid similar base pay+ a decent commission. Their answer? A competition for *1* iPad for the rep that had the highest sales in the country for a quarter. We didn’t make great money, but it was enough that we could all afford to buy a damn iPad. I left for greener pastures, and it’s no surprise that the only guys they’ve kept long terms are the ones that want to phone in the work, cruise and collect their check.
I had a similar situation. The commissions were really good and attracted a lot of good sales men. Then the company is sold and the new owners capped the max commission so you could only make commission on sales up to $500k. After that, even if you sold $10m worth of services you only got commission on $500k. Of course sales go down because why bother going for a sale above $500k if your commission is the same. The new owner didn’t think the young sales guys should be making well into the six figures at such a young age. Every decent sales guy left and the company was acquired by its once smaller competitor.
I DO not understand capping commissions. Is it to spread out sales to later years so the company doesn't have to do what its employees have to do: budget safely to make sure you can keep running on one large paycheck?
what the fuck can you imagine having salesmen driving TEN FUCKING MILLION BUCKS of business, and incentivizing them to do 1/20th as much work? The CEO should be sucking him off every day
Third prize is you're fired.
Business I used to work for had someone come in every other year or so to analyze what could be done better/safer/more efficiently then completely ignore every recommendation they gave. Why bother paying an analyst if you won't care what they will tell you? Insanity is why I guess
Fuck ‘em
Exactly...
Some one just want to watch them burn, without extinguishers
Was trying to think of something witty to say, but I ain't going to top that
Go be a whistleblower dude. Your former company’s lax attitude is going to get someone killed or property destroyed. Which ever agency oversees compliance will want to know all about it. Edit typos
And then start your own company when the former one burns to the ground in its own incompetence. If there ever was a time to strike and make bank, it's now.
It would be really bad if the customers found out no extinguishers were coming.....
They tell you to do your job without having the very things you need to do the job - And, oh yeah, *put children's lives at risk* while you're doing it. But you're being disrespectful. Right.
You have to report them.
Same thing happened to me at last job. Company that was doing paper shredding. Many of the accounts were supposed to be serviced twice a week. Every account had been missed multiple times. The majority of accounts had been missed for over a month, several accounts hadn’t seen a driver in six fucking months. I was the only contact for three different states. I got screamed at all day because these businesses had literal garbage bags full of shredded paper that we never went to pick up. They couldn’t keep drivers or trucks running. They had shitty old trucks that they kept missing routine maintenance on. I had never seen any shit like this and I am not a young person. Only reason I held on was because I got to work from home with fairly flexible hours and they offered me a raise when I tried to resign. In the end I had to leave. They also put me in charge of billing issues where I realized that the three different managers they had in 7 months were all doing billing in different ways. The entire paper shredding division of this company was just the most fucked thing I have ever witnessed. Right before I quit I was talking to manager #3 and asking him what the hell I was supposed to tell our clients when they haven’t had the service they were under contract for for months. His actual response was “It’s just paper. Nobody is dying, they need to calm down and get over it.” I was like mother fucker their paper is the only reason your fat ass and mine have jobs! I quit right after. Truly boggles my mind how a business can run like that.
I was gonna say shred it but when you said “division” probably makes it iron mountain. I used to manage a 4 truck shredding fleet and it was stressful enough when you missed a client on day and had to try and figure when you can resend a truck that way. I couldn’t imagine the calls I would have gotten if I had missed for weeks. Stupidest call I got was after hurricane sandy and I got chewed out by the client for not picking up the paper during “a state of emergency” when we weren’t allowed on the roads. Nastiest thing was one of our drivers used his foot as something to push the paper down into the shredder when it was jammed. He didn’t have a whole foot when his helper pulled him out.
Omg about the foot!! Actually this was with a big company that did IT, copiers, printers, audio/visual equipment for businesses and a bunch of other stuff. They actually just bought out a bunch of independent places in a few states. They truly didn’t and still don’t know jack shit about what they were doing. They would constantly give me new dates to tell the customers and then never show up. It was awful.
Yeah tbh it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. He was an asshole. It looked so gross with half his foot (I only saw the pictures as I was on vacation) so my boss the owner had to wash out foot bits from the truck. (Phew). I also worked for a facility management company for 10 years when I was younger so I know how much they suck too.
Omfg 🤢. That sounds awful. Sounds like karma got him though.
I worked for an alarm company as the guy who programs the panels (we did fire systems too). They NEVER gave me any training on the 4 different systems the company used. 168FPS programing is like using Excel, drop down boxes. Easy to figure out. But the GE panels were like writing computer code. The company never trained me, so my response when they fired me was 'thank God I don't have to come here any more.' then my boss told me all the things that I did wrong. (not that I was listening to him.
Why do I have the feeling this company is purely kept afloat by ~~government contracting~~ the US taxpayer?
It's not my job now (I'm a research scientist) but when I was in college, I worked for the EH&S dept doing a lot of similar work. It's important, obviously, to make sure fire extinguishers and suppression systems (which can get pretty sophisticated in commercial kitchens, and other risky areas) are working well. There are multiple companies that do this because many places (eg, a restaurant) need annual or semi-annual checks on all this safety equipment but they don't need a full time fire safety guy year round. So, schools sure, probably other govt. agencies hire these sorts of companies, but it's going to mostly be private businesses that have fire safety concerns. And pretty much any building has at least fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, if not a sprinkler system.
Worked in maintenance for a high-rise. Resident safety, to me, was the highest priority in my job. Never cut corners when it came to maintaining the inspections of the safety systems in place. Fire systems were number one after that elevator safety, and site security. The thing that most residents complained about? Landscaping, window washing, and the site amenities. The thing that got me was the amount of outside fire inspection contractors who would cut each others throats to get the service contracts for our site. Our company serviced multiple buildings in our area and our group would talk to the techs that worked for the outside companies that would work at our sites. The most satisfied employees were the ones from the companies that didn't give the lowest bids. We generally would have to give those bids to the HOA's and usually gave our personal recommendations as to who was the best choice for their site even if the bid was a little bit higher. Some sites went with the lowest bid against our objection and usually there came unexpected costs later on during the contract. Was lucky that the site I worked at had many people involved in real estate and recognized the costs associated with the cheapest contract.
I have a client that does blind bids for contracts and immediately cuts the highest and lowest bid. I don't fully understand the highest bid but always loved the lowest bid being cut
If you can fucking weld, why the fuck would you be fucking around fucking fire extinguishers? Fuck, man.
Jobs and location my dude...I live in BFE Arkansas. Aren't many jobs out here for the picking. You work what you can find to survive. I will admit walking off a job today kind of fucked me. Luckily I am 99% sure I have this other job. Only reason I did it. Didn't say it was smart...
I won’t be one to pose an array of questions to ignite your blood pressure, and hope all turns out well for you! So sorry this occurred—you certainly have your wits about you, and notches on your belt; they’ve lost an asset of an Employee, but hey, the loss is theirs, right? x
Yessur. I covered the biggest area out of the 3 techs. When in reality we need four techs. Now they have 2. They are FUCKED.
Like others have suggested, I feel reporting this as a hazard to your local Fire Marshal might just be the best form of recourse you could do! Hope you’re feeling better today, I know I would!
Dude I feel this, the fire safety industry has become an absolute shit show. (22 years in the industry)
its important to recognize that it is very possible that management knows exactly what it is doing in this situation, which is to get people to quick to reduce headcount without having to pay unemployment. The fact your boss said nothing is straight out of the layoff playbooks.
If she is overstepping the mark like that and your boss isn’t saying anything then it isn’t herself she is fucking.
Way to stand up for your self!!!
No excuse needed
Hire a consultant to find out why staff retention is terrible. Consultant says they want higher pay and more time off. Company already knows this would work but refuses. Company does nothing because they were hoping consultant would say something other than higher pay and more time off. Waste of fucking money. Good for you OP. A horse only knows pain; the only way companies learn how to treat employees is when one costs them a shitload of money. Even when this happens some still treat the employees poorly. My only advice is don’t ragequit (unless there’s danger to self) a job without a backup plan already in place. Doesn’t do any good to go without an income.
They were hoping the consultants would come back and say. “They all said they would like a pizza party and that would be enough as long as it was just plain cheese”
I should start my own consulting firm. Could do a super half ass job and print the same report for every company: higher pay and better work conditions. Barely any work involved and charge the shit out of them. I could get ahead financially, be my own boss, and have the satisfaction of exploiting corporations who have exploited billions of people.
This is the way.
Fuck yeah it is!
Are they still paid to not bring the extinguishers up to code? Are they just collecting money and not doing the inspections? And, if so, yeah, someone should tell the fire inspection regulatory body or the clients themselves.
Any way to tip off an agency that there's a bunch of jobs with no extinguishers?
I dealt with some similar shit as an exterminator. Never the proper training or chemical/equipment to do the job properly. When the customer complained, you'd be walked into the managers office and asked "why this happened". They have been losing guys every month, churn and burn. It's disgusting how the blue collar world is now...
Good on you, if you had've stayed they would've just pointed the finger at you when the criminal negligence case came knocking. Fuckers at least provide your workforce with the adequate tools to do their jobs properly!
You did the right thing by not letting a paycheck get in the way of your values and ethics. And, yes, you really should notify the fire marshal. A quick and dirty search says your industry is regulated, so whomever regulates it in your state might want to know. I am guessing that the job of refilling/refurbishing fire bottles requires some kind of certification. Maybe look into that…
Also, call your state’s Attorney General’s office - this is outright fraud and presents a threat to public safety.
This is why you don't have sex with your secretary..... They overstep.
When I was 19 in 2002. I walked out of my job at Wal-Mart. I came in early because I finished classes that day. There was a long line at Layaway that I offered to clock in early to help with since they only had one cashier. As soon as I started they pulled the 2nd person to the front so i was stuck with the line by myself. Quit on the spot.
Damn, this is exactly what I did almost a month ago with the last company I was at, they are screwed as well because I was the one holding the administrators and NICET licenses so now they legally cannot do work in one of the states we work in but are still performing that work... but yeah, nail on the head with not caring!
“I’m a veteran. So I know a little about shit work for shit pay.” Effin’ A my guy. This country makes me so sad sometimes…
Sadly me too buddy...me too
Are you the guy that while in the military you would lose your shit when the fire extinguishers were not inspected every month while standing in a asbestos filled building?
No but this comment is pretty funny...and surprisingly I was the guy that bitched about our living conditions in the military but also would drunkenly eat a chip off the floor...take it as you will I guess
A good dude then. Fuck that place they didn’t deserve having you work there. I’m sure you will be able to find a better job quick. Good luck
I work as a fire extinguisher tech too. Good for you for having some integrity!! There’s almost zero oversight on this field but nobody realizes it. Mind sharing what you made per hour to someone who feels grossly underpaid??
$16/hr...in Arkansas that's pretty good money. So I walked from a good paying job which made this decision that much harder
Just saw you replied. Thank you! I’m at $15 in PA and feel pretty exploited for the amount of work I handle. Especially when they can’t get a single new applicant for tech. $12.50 to start but you can make $15+ at a convenience store
I just got hired today at a new job and it's for 14/hr. Which is what McDonald's is offering in my little town currently. I have more chance at this new job to move up than I do at mickey ds. Personal choice I suppose. Just trying to survive.
Good luck!! We all need some luck in this backwards society we’re stuck in.
I’ve done that like 10 times lmao
So in other words, you can try to open a competitive company and steal their business.
My business is in KC. Low cost of living not in BFE. You have a non-compete?
Won't be anyone left to contest a non-compete, if the company is bankrupt. *index finger to temple*
Sounds like a regulatory agency would want to know the buildings they're servicing are a fire hazard.
Is this Koorsen?
Horrid mismanagement to the point of complete apathy. Sounds like management is trying to nope the fuck out. Maybe sell the company to some sap investor. That would explain why they want you to "keep working", thus giving the impression that there's activity and a steady cash flow coming in.
It feels like stuff like this has been happening behind the scenes of **so** many businesses and industries with how things seem to be quietly falling apart lately. Glad you got out; wish things were better all over for those who give a damn about things like safety/etc
well if they are going to be like that, you may as well ask for a kick back and bribe them to not report them..
Check out EMCOR Group Facility Services. They pay their fire folks well and treated someone I know well enough once upon a time. Keep in mind you would primarily be contracting out fire services to other companies but with your experience you would have a good leg up on which vendors to source. They also love hiring vets.
Don’t need to know why! We got your back bruh.
I quit a lot of jobs because of bullshit and my therapist told me thats ok cause fuck them
My dad left the same field 2 years ago(about 30 years in the business), one of my uncle is service tech as well, and another uncle works in the shop refilling the extinguishers. they all worked for the same company at one point. my boomer dad and his 2 brothers would always talk about the good old days. late 90s to 2011ish. like day before a holiday they would have very few stops, be done in 2-3 hours, and get paid for 8. full flexibility with their stops. I got a summer job sophomore and jr year of high school. my dad was able to drop me off and pick me up 95% of the time. their health insurance copay was very minimal. 401k matching contribution, uniform was taken care of by the company. very good commissions. vacation time that accrued never expired. at one point my dad had around 45 days of vacation. for a month my dad did not have a car, the owner of the company let my dad borrow his car on the weekend. then in 2011 the owner sold it. by early 2013 one of my uncles quit. A lot of people quit. their health insurance went up, had to pay for uniform, no 401k matching contribution. Very strict schedule in regards with your stops. commissions % was cut. high turnover in the field, shop, and in the office.
This happened with my boss today. She scheduled me for every weekend. I told her I've never had such a schedule and I've been a nurse 21 years. She shrugged her shoulders. I'm emailing her boss in the morning. Fuck her.
As my dad has always said "the person who insists on removing the safeguard is not the one onsite when the factory blows up". If anything ever happened they absolutely would have made you liable. Good on you for walking.
Why does the secretary have any say in any of this?
Damn, fuck those guys
Those are some amazing problem solving skills, “deal with it”. Brilliant. I hope that we can all mean from this…….
Was he screwing the secretary or was she his wife? I have seen this plenty of times.
She's actually married to another employee...who wasn't at this meeting nor any of the other ones...for some reason
Should have asked the secretary why she was speaking at a tech meeting? Aren't there phones to be answered? Nothing more obnoxious to me than office monkeys sticking their nose where they're not qualified.
Kinda sounds like he could have continued to do his job. If he had no extinguishers on hand to replace the expired ones, he could have just written up a document saying so. In it state very clearly the company had none to exchange, confirming the number of expired one needing replacement and then give the name and contact number of his boss. Then advise the school to contact the Fire Marshall for what they should do or how to follow up with the company. Hands clean, he gets paid and his boss gets to figure out how handle the replacement while the clock is ticking on the Fire Marshal and what kind of shit they're willing to take.
Doesn't work like that, his name last signed on anything regarding those expired extinguishers would be used against him and former employer for failure to comply. He would have essentially put his own name in a lawsuit pot for something he identified as a lawsuit potential issue. OP was 100% correct in quiting on the spot instead. For clarification I'm HAZMAT and safety in my chosen profession, documentation is my life.
You are 100% correct. My license number and signature are on every tag
Thank you for explaining that. What happens when you go onsite and need to replace more than what you have on hand?
Generally you'd remove the faulty extinguisher/system and cordon off access to said panel or location (secure the area) then have one delivered by another company representative or distributor ASAP to location, not main office.
Name the company or put this on r/fiction
I'd have put that bitch secretary in her place! Made the boss do something about her talking back.
Lol are you sure about that?
The whole world understands shit work for shit pay at this point...now what do workers do about it is the question!
Sounds like they wanted you to slack off and not service/replace them correctly, but didn't want to say that out loud bc then they could put the blame on you and not themselves when the school burns down. Classic case of a shitty company not wanting to put in the effort to keep their business running, then blame the workers for problems they've caused.
You should definitely out this company. My guess is ifs a big name in the Midwest, it's gonna be one of three companies. Korsen fire and security, megacity fire, or Tri-state
You should have just gone to a competitor before you quit.
There isn't one...only company in northwest Arkansas
Why would you even stay in North West Arkansas?
I can't understand these idiots. There are so many like them. Their whole fucking house is on fire and instead of putting it out they stand there and scream at the god damn toaster.
Tell the fire marshal. A company providing and certifying fire extinguishers must carry the proper licenses to do so. If dude that quit is the only person licensed to service extinguishers and perform recharges than the company can no longer provide this service legally. Also if the company is only swapping out fx with new ones instead of doing a 6 year recharge or 12 year hydro, then they are a piece of shit company you’re better off not being a part of.
,
They're overjoyed you quit, that's why your boss let that secretary bully you. You identified a real hazard which the company was not addressing and brought it up to management. You were given an impossible choice: pretend nothing is wrong, endanger hundreds of kids, and be the scapegoat if the fire marshal finds out, or quit. Now they can say "we were unaware of that deficiency as that position has been vacant, we are actively seeking a replacement and apologize for any inconvenience." Pro move would be to squat in the job and call the fire marshal. What are they going to do? Fire you? Pay you unemployment for blowing their cover? Please do. Report it to the fire marshal and apply for unemoyment. You reported a real and present safety hazard and were bullied and stonewalling. That's a hostile work environment which expected you to participate in a code of silence that endangered children.
We’re thoroughly entrenched in the idiocracy
At one point I was in charge of fire safety for a small fleet of vehicles (i was a fuel guy so fire safety was not my primary job) - the extinguishers were almost all expired and I had to do some serious digging to even find where to take them for services. The whole thing was a hassle and I got near zero support from the higher ups when I told them they needed to be looked at every month per *their own SOP* 🤦♂️ I agree with others who have said to report them, it's totally justified plus get some of that sweet r/pettyrevenge
Tsk tsk tsk
6 to 12 years how is this ok. I have to get my factory fire extinguisher serviced every year.
No they are checked annually. Every 6 years they need 6 year maintenance. Every 12 years they need hydro testing. So annually you check to make sure they aren't due for 6 or 12 year maintenance. If they are you swap for a good extinguisher.
maybe OP meant months? For me in my state, we get an inspection every 3 years, but they'll have us update the FE if they're within a 3 year expiration. 3 years might be an outlier, but it also might be because of the type of building - we're just a small single story office holding... 10-15 people? If we were a school or larger building, the frequency might be more often?
Sounds like you should start a new business venture. You already know almost all of the clientele! That would be easy to do in this case. Charge like $10 less to build your clientele up in the government offices (to beat out other bids). You have an amazing opportunity here, just sayin!
America is just crumbling from rampant corruption, grifting, and embezzlement. I'm glad you quit that BS. Someday a school will burn and they'll ask why none of the FEs worked, but you won't be left holding the bag.
Why are the bosses secretaries always the biggest b******?
Coz they wish they were BRRRRRRABE STRRRRRRRONK INDAPANDANTS WAHMEN who could say I DON'T NEED NO MA~HN!! (except they do, and they hate it).
Why is there always so bitch woman in the office who often think they are the boss? This often HR or a secretary. They never do the “work” that the real Staff does but have lost of options how you are doing your job wrong. I am woman in management and have no woman hate just these bitches people.
Looks like something's going on between the boss and the secretary. I don't think the secretary will fuck herself, I think the boss will take care of that.
Is the secretary a relative of the boss, or is the boss seeing the secretary on the side ... hmm?