Fire dept gets subscription to Maxim!

[Jen]

WHile at work the other day, (I work for a small city in CE) standing at the postage meter and the mailboxes I noticed a glossy magazine in one of the mailbox cubbies. It was on top and in plain view, MAXIM! And there were two copies for the fire dept. One copy was already dog eared so I know that others inthe office had already perused it cover to cover. MAXIM is an acceptable subscription for public employees?

It pissed me off, 1) inappropriate for the workplace 2) who is paying for it?!!

I showed it to a department level manager, and he chuckled and said "fire dept? it figures" and kept on walking...

What do you think?

[Tide]

My biased opinion will be posted later, now it's time to go to Rangers Vs. Devils Game 2.

[michiganplanner]

no big deal.

Is it a full time department?

[Michele Zone]

It pissed me off, 1) inappropriate for the workplace 2) who is paying for it?!!
What do you think?

1) I don't really know what Maxim is, other than a men's magazine. So I am curious as to what your objection is.
2) As I understand it, firefighters typically work in 24 hour shifts, with most of their time spent cooking, watching tv, playing cards, etc. to keep them occupied while they wait for The Call. Presumably, the department pays for kitchen facilities, a tv room, and so forth to support a means to keep them quietly occupied while they are essentially "prisoners" for the day. If the department also pays for magazines, what's the problem?

[zman]

Cannot really see why this would be inappropriate.
1.They're fire fighters, it's not like it would be out for public review.
2. Pay for it with tax dollars. If the fire fighters want it? If it helps them to decompress in an otherwise stress filled job, then so be it.
A happy fire fighter would probably be more likely to save my ass in a timely manner than one who is stressed out.

[giff57]

At my last job the dept got two copies of several magazines for free. If they are a volunteer dept., and you decide to make waves, be anonymous. Messing with volunteer fire departments have cost too many folks I know their jobs.

[jhboyle]

Just let it go, either way, those guys, and gals, need to decompress. Better MAXIM or Cosmo then Cap't Morgans.

When I was with my local Fire Co. in college we recieved about a dozen different magazines, all were donated subscriptions. I also know that many people in the department would purchase the subscription themselves and have it delivered to the station for their brothers and sisters.

[Jen]

Sooo, familiarize yourself I guess for some NSFW won't apply.http://www.maximonline.com/maxim_print/

Point is it is not brought from home and left in the private lounge, its delivered to City Hall!

Our firefighters are actually cross trained public safety officers, Heck for all I know it was the ladies auxillary that sponsored the subscription.

I maintain soft porn should not be subsribed to from work!To relieve stress I vote for a ping pong table rather than a "bathrooom magazine" !

[The One]

What you need to do is become a firewoman and then sue the "pants"....snicker....off those fireman, the district and the City/County for allowing that smut to be in plain view even after complaints....then you'll be rich and can live in the South of France where men will treat you with respect

On a serious note, I worked for a jurisdiction that had a lawsuit over something similar, naked photo's of women in lockers and on walls!! The district lost a lot of MONEY in that one and made everyone take them down.

[Dan]

You know, it's fairlty easy to get free legitimate subscriptions to many magazines, including Maxim. I get Cigar Aficionado free. Don't assume right away that the subscription is something the city pays for.

[Michele Zone]

Maybe I am missing something, but it looks kind of like Cosmo for men or something. Cosmo is filled with women in lingerie, articles about sex, occasionally pictures of men wearing next to nothing. Actually, they are infamous for doing a nude of ...some famous guy whose name escapes me (as usual). It was years ago so I don't think it showed his "privates" but was still a big deal at the time.

I'm really not trying to be a smart@ss. I just honestly don't Get what the problem is. Sorry.

[Jen]

Well the ladies are not subscribing to Cosmo or leather fetish or amish quilts, and having it delivered under the auspices of city hall, freebie or not.

Strictly speaking I am astonished at the notion of "entertainment magazines" showing up in city hall mailboxes.

[natski]

I tend to agree with Jen- there could be other magazines or entertaining objects that could be used instead of a magazine like that.

Like The One said, they would have to be careful- if there are any ladies in the department that took offense to it, they would have to get rid of them.

But you cant judge, if it is for free its for free- whether or not they should accept that free subscription is another question.

[kjel]

It depends....if it's an all guy fire department then I don't see what the problem is. Those guys are in there for 24 hour shifts and don't have much to do...anyways get a group of guys together and no matter what the age group they will revert back to high school/college mentality (sorry guys!). As someone pointed out they may not have paid for the subscription or someone may have paid it themselves but have it delivered there. I'm sure there are guys that object to seeing the Cosmo-Glamour mags around but let it ride. Letting it bother you because you know it is present is a pointless waste of time unless they are deliberately aggravating you with it. Let it go, I am sure there are bigger things to worry about in the city.

Kim

[illinoisplanner]

Hey, as long as they're fightin' fires, I don't care if they have copies of Playboy in their office.

[Gedunker]

I'm with Jen on this one. It's inappropriate and it's un-professional to have a rag like Maxim laying around the town hall or the firehouse. If they need something to do, why don't they hop in their 35-ton rolling toolboxes and do some code inspection while they await The Call?

Sorry, I don't like it one bit.

[SW MI Planner]

Those guys are in there for 24 hour shifts and don't have much to do...

As I understand it, firefighters typically work in 24 hour shifts, with most of their time spent cooking, watching tv, playing cards, etc. to keep them occupied while they wait for The Call.

Of course I am going to weigh in on this one...I'm not so certain where the reputation came from that firefighters sit around and "play" all day, but for the most part that is absolutely not true. My husband is a full-time firefighter, and works his @$$ off. Between 8-5 is their duty time - they service the trucks, hoses, and other equipment, they clean the station and the trucks, they have training, they have reports. PLUS they have to, at the drop of the hat, go to their calls which can take from 30 minutes to 10 hours or more, then come back and pick up where they left off. Many times, my husband is still doing reports right before bedtime (oh, that is if he actually gets to sleep).

I know there are lazy firefighters, but there are also lazy factory workers, secretarys, and even City Planners. I get irritated by a couple of his coworkers because of their, lets say, habits, but you shouldn't let a few bad examples tarnish the whole profession. There is a lot of crap firefighters have to deal with on the job, politics, safety, death, etc. and I get REAL irritated hearing people that haven't a clue say that firefighters have nothing to do, or sit around all day watching tv.

OK, I am done with my rant. Having said all that, I think their dept does get Maxim, and actually the chief was pretty mad about it when it started coming to the Fire Station. However, in this instance, I believe the union pays for it. I don't have a problem with a dept getting Maxim, but working in City govt, I tend to think that the 'fluff' stuff should be paid for by the union, and not the city.

[JNA]

I am in total agreement with SW MI Planner. well said.
Former Volunteer Firefighter/EMT

[Tide]

Volunteer or Paid I don't see getting Maxim a big deal, even if it is on the public tab I bet a paid department gets a paper/magazine allowance every year or someone sprung for it at the station. I do agree there could be better things being read, but at least it's not playboy. Maxim is the man's version of Cosmo and you can read them waiting for the doctor.

[zman]

This Neo-Puritanism is NOT going to help the current social situation in America.
Let the water flow off the duck's back and under the bridge.
No wonder so many are uptight...

[Jen]

Me too Gedunker!

Admittedly I don't read Cosmo, but that MAXIM wow, hotties and sex talk. In thhe employee lounge at work we have Good Housekeeping brought in by the ladies from their homes.

My dentist or doctor's office doesn't stock Maxim or Cosmo. They have People, Motor Trend, Midwest Living, Money, Arch Digest, Readers Digest, Highlights, etc etc.

I still think department subsricption especially paid ones should be work related, you know like Transportation, Your State Municipal league, BOCA, CIty Manager Life, Code Enforcement weekly, that sort of thing.

IF Maxim is an acceptable subsricption for city employees, is viewing it online at work cool too? WHy or why not? Or is just acceptable for Firefighters and not staffers in economic development, buidling and grounds, planning and zoning? Or is it acceptable and appropriate for any workplace hmmm?

I guess I am mostly disappointed rather than itching for a fight, I have more anger with the CM for sneaking around in his stocking feet spying on people, lack of resources for my department, and general apathy towards citizen concerns. Maxim in the mail box is just symptomatic of other insidious problems that exist here.

[statler]

This Neo-Puritanism is NOT going to help the current social situation in America.
Let the water flow off the duck's back and under the bridge.
No wonder so many are uptight...

I'm with you.
I'm really confused how, in 2006, the human body is still considered something to be ashamed of.

[noottamevas]

I think I've switched positions on this thread with every post

[NDPlanner26]

Maxim is no different than if they were watching any stupid soap opera with half the people wearing next to nothing and sleeping around. You can see much worse in everyday life than in a magazine like Maxim. You said it pissed you off, don't you have more important things to worry about? You are worried about who payed for it, does it really matter? I work for a local government and can assure you that there have been many more offensive things that "you" have payed for than a subscription to Maxim!!

[imaplanner]

[your supervisor's fhat on]

You noticed the magazine was "dog-eared" and noticed the magazine "in plain view". The office mailbox cubies are not that viewable unless you are really peeking. I suspect you were snooping through other peoples mail and that is probably a bigger problem than the fire dept. getting maxim.

[your supervisors hat off]