Captain with 15 years service. What do the stripes and stars, on the sleeve, of dress blue uniforms signify or represent?
This is a very good question. The basic rule of thumb: Each star = 5 years of service. The stars can be actual stars or maltese crosses. For most fire departments, the stars signify time in a fire department. Each star usually represents five years. This is usually a reflection of the type of department for which the person is wearing the uniform. for example, if you were a volunteer for ten years before becoming a paid firefighter you PROBABLY would not have three stars on your uniform after five years on the paid department. In my department we have people who were volunteers before getting on. The stars on their sleeves represent the number of years on a paid department. I should probably point out that it does not mean the number of years on our department. If this were true then the chief of most departments would often have no stars. This is because they are often hired from other departments. There are probably all kinds of exceptions to this. There are paid departments which ar
