Fun vs Responsible

Having a new baby has got me thinking a lot about the idea of fun vs. responsibility. Obviously, my fun factor has gone down considerably, while the responsibility has gone way up. This got me thinking about volunteer Fire Departments, and managing social events.

One of the great benefits about belonging to a Fire Department is the social aspect. Summer BBQ's, golf, fishing, after-practice get-togethers and lots of other events are a regular part of the Department's social life, and a lot of these events include the occasional beer. Sometimes, as is the case with golf, they even involve a number of firefighters all going out of area at the same time.

The question is, how do you ensure adequate emergency protection during events like this? Clear OG's are probably a start, at least those regarding alcohol consumption. After that, it's up to the officers to ensure that people are available in the event of an emergency.

It's a hard balance. You want to encourage the department to bond together, but you also need to ensure that you've got coverage, and you usually need to do it without the benefit of a formal schedule. I see this as being a bigger problem for volunteer departments, since the numbers of firefighters available are fairly small, and everyone's work and personal schedules are different.

I know that many of our departments are volunteer - how do you guys (and gals) balance fun times with round-the-clock responsibility?