"When I was working as a firefighter, my partner did not like to help check the engine and our equipment at the beginning of the shift. He would sit and drink coffee, then go work out. We had gone through the academy together, so we had the same seniority. I asked him several times if he could help check the rig out, and he always snapped at me and told me that he was busy. I asked him to coffee the morning after our shift, and I expressed my frustration about the lack of help. We had a call the morning before, and I had not had enough time to check everything out. When we arrived on the call, our portable oxygen was empty. It put a lot of stress on me. I explained how I was feeling, and I asked him if he could start helping in the mornings, and then we could have coffee and work out together. He told me he was sorry, he did not realize the stress it was putting on me. He also explained how he was having marital problems and had not been feeling motivated lately. After that, he started helping me, and I was able to help him work through his marital problems. We never had an issue again."
