Firefighters are representatives of the Department they work for, and the community they SERVE.

The need to look professional which gives the average member of the public confidence in their abilities. How would you feel if those Firefighters with tattoos had piercings all over their faces, etc. Would it change your opinion if they looked like a Tribal Head Hunter? What is the difference? Take a look around at the number of piercings and big holes in people's ears...

Firefghters do a great PR Job about fighting fires and saving lives. Do you ever wonder why they get accolades because they stopped the fire (where ever it was stopped) and never any grief for not stopping it sooner and saving the neighbor's house?

Almost all of their life saving is done on Paramedic Rescue calls. Not many fires are fought in a typically month. Most fire departments don't fight any fires for several months at a time (which is a good thing), and those they do fight are relatively small.

Wouldn't you want the Paramedic working on your loved one to at least look like they know what they are doing? How would you feel if a tattoed Frefighter Paramedic responed to a medical emergency and the victim died? Would you "wonder" about their attitude toward keeping their skills and knowlege highly competent? Or would you "think" that maybe they lacked some skills or ability to figure out the best course of treatment to save your loved one?