Whe I started on the FD, people would bring us coffee because the thought that was the thing to do, even on hot days. I'm not a coffee drinker do I would always tell them politely no thank you....as coffee has gotten more expensive, bottled water has become more readily available. Its much appreciated.
I worked fire-rescue in an Atlantic Ocean-front FL city. The population was elderly retired towards the ocean, in high-rises, and younger families by I-95 in metropolitan Broward Co. (Ft. Lauderdale area).
We visited some local businesses frequently to take care of the people experiencing issues, so EMS calls. One deli, whenever we were in-there to care for a sick/injured customer, sometimes an employee, the counter guys would stuff a couple bags-full of bagels (hot!) and hand them to us as we got ready to depart w/the patient. I always stuffed a $5 bill into the tip jar.
I also bought bagels there for myself, on the way home. Many times the counter guy would tell me, "No charge, my friend," if I was in uniform. I would thank them, and put the amount of what I bought, or more, into the counter tip jar.
The city was an 'open city' for organized crime, in that some famous names you would recognize, their families lived there, in waterfront estates. Go on an EMS call to one of those, and the departure was always accompanied by multiple bills or a $100. We turned that in to the FD employee-operated benevolent fund, which followed up cash donations with a letter thanking the registered property owner.
The FD began its EMS program with two new International Harvester Type 1 ambulances bought by an oceanfront/Intracoastal Waterway condominium association, which caused the municipality to have a big hiring program beginning w/EMT's, and once sufficient FF's had gone through the paramedic licensing, we began Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). That was > 50 years ago, and I was there.
For work around the house, I tip the individual guys if it's a small crew. For a bigger job, I give the $ to the crew chief. I always have cold water or electrolyte drinks for the entire day. I recently had a new roof and carport roof, and new impact windows and doors done at a rental single-family dwelling, and the crews were appreciative of the perks/$. Their roof strapping job paid for itself immediately as my windstorm-only policy dropped by 71%!. That is several thousand $.
