woensdag 29 oktober 2014

Fire department

A sign that made me smile, "Hoei" is a bit difficult to translate in english but "Huy"comes close to it. I wondered  why that sign with the flames was there and found out that "Hoei" stands for the "Amsterdam fire alumni association". "Hoei" is an expression the fire workers use when a command is given to each other and the last word is Hoei, the receiver responds with Hoei, as a sign he has understood the command. So a  kind of "ok".

The sign was attached to the fire department and a fire truck with alarmbells was passing by a few moments later.
Linking to Signs, signs

14 opmerkingen:

  1. Interesting insight. Every group of occupation has their slang or codes.

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  2. God Bless Firemen and women the world over. This has to be one of the toughest jobs ever. I guess all emergency workers deserve this praise, for where would we be without them. They risk their lives with every call. Nice topic and photos.

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  3. In didn't know Mercedes made fire trucks....

    Some words just don't translate

    Funny that we both posted fire stations!

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  4. Thank goodness for men and women who take on important jobs of protecting their community and fellow citizens. Yes, both you and Janey have similar posts today!!

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  5. I had to smile. At first, as I tried to pronounce the word phonetically, it sounded like our American slang word "hooey", which probably would NOT be what the firemen were saying to each other. :-)

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  6. Great picture of the fire truck and a good story of the sign. I'm intrigued by all the bicycles!

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  7. Nice relation of the truck and sign. I like the English word "peace" on the wall.

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  8. I'm struck by how shorter the fire truck is compared to the ones we have here.

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    Reacties
    1. There are special trucks with long ladders which come together at a fire when it is high up. This truck on the photo is the first one to ride out, other trucks are called for help when needed.

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  9. En 'hoeihoeihoeihoei' klinkt ook een beetje als een sirene ;)

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  10. I thought maybe it was the sound the siren makes, before I read your explanation. God bless fire men and women everywhere! They deserve it.

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  11. Dearest Marianne,
    Lovely photos with a strong message. As for the shorter length trucks in most of Europe, that is due to the narrow roads and often narrow bridges where a long vehicle like we see in the USA and Canada, would get stuck. Both will work efficiently; no doubt and bless all our international firefighters as they risk a lot!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  12. Cute sign. I like the play on words even if it doesn't work so well in a English. :)

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  13. Love the sign! Voor mij betekent het: pay attention?

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