No shave November is a tradition that men have been participating in for years. Bakersfield City Fire Department firefighters participate mainly to support a charity cause.
Aaron Dow, 30, said that the BFD has had a contest each year for the past five years. The women in the office rate the best, the worst and other categories. The reason behind no shave November takes place in November because November is Men’s health awareness month with an emphasis on prostate cancer.
“A captain that works for us was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and had to have surgery to get it removed,” said Dow.
“Prostate cancer is a lot more common in firefighters than the general public because of the carcinogens that they are exposed to.”
According to Dow, firefighters are only allowed to grow mustaches so they often get made fun of.
“The comments are funny, most common are comparisons,” said Dow. “So far, I have been told that I look like shorts dude from Reno 911, Ben Stiller from Dodgeball, Freddy Mercury, and some others that I can’t remember. The girls probably think it’s gross but probably just don’t say anything.”
Nick Kahanic, 25, said that this is his first year participating.
“I think no shave November is fun,” Kahanic said.
“It’s something different and only lasts for one month so it’s not that big of a deal. I honestly did it this year because in years past I saw people doing it and thought it looked fun, so this year I decided to join in.
“I get comments about it pretty much every day but usually the same old stuff like, ‘that’s dirty!’ or ‘Where is your van at?’
“Or, ‘you look like a ’70s porn star.’ It’s all good, though, because it’s for a good cause and is something we can all look back on and laugh about.”
Jeff Heinle, 45, is a captain of a BFD station and said that he doesn’t really like no shave November.
“I think it’s dumb, I mean I know it’s for a good cause but that’s not why a lot of guys do it,” said Heinle. “The guys just focus a lot on their individual bets they have going on and not on the fact it’s to support a cause.
“I have participated in it in the past, and yes I will admit it’s funny, but I think the most important aspect is the charity cause.”