Well it’s Wednesday and the middle day of our cycle. Most of you have heard by now but we had a plane go down in the “Noke” yesterday. Here’s a photo taken by Brian Turner via The Roanoke Times
The crash obviously received a ton of coverage. Check out the reports from sites such as Va. Fire News or Statter 911. I tell ya what… it sounds like our brothers and sisters from B-shift did a heck of a job. It took less than 2 minutes for the guys to get a knock down on the fire and the aircraft went down off airport property. Listen to this audio Statter posted earlier…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDhNdLzzfvw]
It was told to me today that eye witnesses stated that when the ARFF truck (AR1) turned the corner to approach, the bumper turret was already aimed and beginning to flow. AR1 proceeded to extinguish the plane and later 2 passenger vehicles that were exposures. WOW! A one man show for a moment. Well, the driver / operator (he was alone..driving, aiming, and operating the turret) has trained his entire career for that moment and it paid off. Lt. Keith Whitlow was at the wheel yesterday and responded flawlessly. Here’s a pic of Keith in his younger days..
HELL OF A JOB KEITH! The crash ultimately resulted in a fatality (the pilot) and serious injury to a passenger. The local news reported today that the passenger is even scheduled to be released from the hospital today. You can read that update here. Our thoughts, prayers and sympathy go out to the friends and family of the pilot as well as wishes for a speedy and full recovery for the passenger. Now, I said “one man show” but again, that was only for a minute or so. Even civilians came to the aid of the crash victims. Both the City and County responded multiple units and YES even Engine 3 was dispatched. I’m not sure in what order they arrived but E3′s B-shift Lt. Rodney Jordan got the boys in there quick enough for Captain Kesterson to establish command and get the boys to work. Command of a plane crash … with multiple jurisdictions responding.. another good job. No other injuries occurred to Fire / EMS personnel or civilians despite the plane coming to rest against an occupied building.I wont try to list all the responding units but will add that on the above audio, that was Captain Mike Rose who responded in a 2nd ARFF truck and again say WELL DONE to all of the responders.
Moving on….Today… NOT as exciting. We’ve completed the normal activities for the day … cooking, cleaning, equipment checks, training, and even a few calls. But with the temp hovering in the 70′s it has felt like being locked up in prison. You know…pumping iron and setting out in “the yard” surrounded by brick and concrete….
At least our seating looks to be a little more comfortable. And isn’t ironic that we are now sitting at the table that as Melrose Misfits we once stole .. LMAO. Did I mention the weather today? Well, just like in real prison; we did have a few visitors..just no “conjugal visits” LOL. Opie’s wife and son Kyler dropped in to say hi and get a quicky …. tour that is … get your minds out of the gutter I said “no conjugal visits”. Here’s the pic
That was Kristy running from the camera…
That’s me getting the shot anyway..well almost..you can see her in the door. Not much else too exciting to report on..oh yea.. I almost forgot. I was able to complete my football uniform today. I needed 2 more items. Some may say 2 VERY IMPORTANT items..
.
YEP… a cup and mouth piece. The good news is that I now have them. The bad .. ok funny news is that I’m getting old. You see, my eye sight is somewhat errrrrr “going away” and these things don’t work like they did in my high school days. At my size, it’s hard for me to buy things that fit anyway (as if I’m a “shopper” at all). Well anyway I knew one set of directions said something about dipping it in boiling water and stretching it to fit. Have you ever boiled a cup??? LMAO cost me $40 and tasted like PLASTIC! Hahahahahahaha
Check us out.. The Roanoke Rampage .. first home game this Saturday April 3rd at Salem Mem. Stadium. Game @ 3pm tailgating at Noon.. look for the “Cowboy Cadillac”. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! See ya there. We’re back (all but suck a** Coon that is) on Friday, until then stay safe and in the house.
Captain Wines
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We’re back and it’s Mon. Wed. Friday week…ugggggg! I HATE it! It seems as if you can never get anything done when working this cycle..at home that is. It’s rainy and cool anyway so I guess being here is as good as being anywhere else. It’s been a busy one too. We obviously haven’t had any fires but our brothers and sisters over on the South side have gone to work this evening. As always, it sounded like they did a bang up job. Us??? it’s been wreck day up on I-581. I’ve had the South bound lanes of 581 closed more than open today. LMAO.. I get cussed at enough in everyday life without upsetting a couple hundred “in a hurry to get nowhere” drivers but hey…it’s worth it. You see, we close down lanes (and block them solid with our rigs) to protect our members from being hit by “rubber neckers”. And it happens WAY too often! Schmoe over at Report on Conditions wrote about a couple incidents such as this here and here. I’ll shut down EVERY TIME. All multiple vehicle incidents today. The first was 3vehicles with one occupant unresponsive. Pee-Wee, Joe and Opie were able to bring him around and had him talking before arriving at the hospital. The 2nd incident had some major damage from multiple roll overs. Here are a few pics
And yes I called in Engine 5 again for extrication. Someone commented on my last post that they “didn’t see a cut job” in the pic. I guess what they were referring to was nobody was pinned. You see, we shouldn’t need a “pin” to utilize the tool. Hydraulics work a lot easier than the human back. How many accidents have you worked where the dumba** fireman grab the door with both hands and try to pull it open wider (wider than engineered to open) to make more room to work? Oh yea..we’ve all seen it. Me.. my back hurts enough. Let the tools do the work. The vehicle?? More often than not, is totaled anyway. What are you saving? And why not make it easier to work? Removing the doors (including the B-post) and roof allow better access to the pt. It allows more air to the pt and to the fireman holding c-spine from the back seat. It allows for more room to apply a KED if necessary and allows for easier removal of the pt. And it’s done in minutes! That’s my thinking anyway but what do I know?
Here are some more shots..
Just look at Opie out there on the nozzle “doing it”. His momma is sitting at home right now reading this and thinking how proud she is of her most favorite boy lol. Hey, that’s no joke. She sent word by Opie this morning that she indeed reads the blog everyday and she wants me to liven it up a little. Apparently my post on Tyrone leaving brought her to tears. Well I’m sorry “momma Glidden” for making you cry. I’m also sorry that Tyrone couldn’t hack life in the fire department without his beloved Captain. I tried to tell him that they only moved me up the street and that we would see each other more often than he thought. I’m afraid the strain was more than he could bare (spoken in the tone of Tombstone). LOL. Naaa… I really think the move will be a good one for Tyrone and again wish him luck. Speaking of him, the A-shift misfits posted a really cool goodby video. Check it out here . Speaking of the Misfits, (and since C-shift no longer seems to be posting over there) I have some more good news to pass along. WHEEZY PASSED HIS EMT-I !!! Yep, it’s Dr. Wheezy from here on out. A Proctologist I’m sure due to being surrounded by….errrrr maybe a Gyno….no no wait .. a Psychiatrist cause he works with a bunch of NUTS! LMAO.Anyhow, here he is..
Ooooppppps! Wrong fantasy..errrr I mean pic. But I am a sucker for thigh highs…well thigh highs and midgets but those “spanky pants” aka “granny panties”?? Come on Wheezy you can do better than that LMAO! 
Lets try this again…
All kidding aside, CONGRATS Wheezy! EMT-I is no easy task and you have worked your butt off for it. I wont tell the whole story but it been well earned and I’m proud of ya. Way to keep digging with your head up! Ok, so I’m late and slow tonight… I know I know but I have a good excuse. I bought a new puter! Yep, I’m moving up in the geek errr… technology world. Got a new lap top and attempting to figure it out to
night. How’s it going for me?? NOT TOO GOOD!! This Windows 7 thingy, a touchy pad thing-a-ma-jig, not being able to find files or folders.. Geesh! Don’t panic though…the ol Capt will figure her out in no time…that or toss it out the window lol. Here’s the little bute
OK..I’ll wind it up with a reminder that our ( The Roanoke Raampge) 1st football game is this Saturday (April 3rd) at the Salem Mem. Stadium. Game starts at 3pm but there will be tailgating before hand. Look for the “Cowboy Cadillac” and camper for the ultimate tailgating experience. We’ll be setup around noon. Tell all your friends, we need a good turnout for our Charity (Steps 4 Billy). That’s it for tonight. Thanks for reading. Stay safe and in the house, we’re back on Wednesday.
Captain Wines.
WOW! It still hasn’t sunk in for me yet but today is Ben “Tyrone” Obaugh’s last shift. It’s no secret that he’s leaving but still a ton of confusion over exactly where he’s going. We’ve heard all sorts of possibilities today…lets see…
We heard he’s jumping ship to the PD and is going to become a motorcycle cop..
I say…..ummmmmmmm well you should hear the entire story of him getting his motorcycle permit but in short, he’s the only man in the HISTORY of Roanoke’s DMV who was failed for riding a wheelie during the driving test…LMAO he almost gave the woman evaluating him a heart attack. I tell ya what…just watch this video
http://www.youtube.com/get_player
Rumor was that the job he’s taking is BIG MONEY. Big like a pilot of the space shuttle or something..
GIVE ME A BREAK…. how long was I his Captain??? This is as close as I (or any sane person for that matter) would EVER let him get to anything else that even resemble a rocket
He is well educated and smart…no kidding… I know what it looks like but he really is smart. A quick learner who has excellent study habits but rumors of him going to work at a nuclear facility…
uhhhhhhh…NO! You otta hear the firecracker story.
Alright, how about the one where he’s moving to some exotic island to become a scuba guide??
I don’t think I would… he almost drown in the storm drain while testing his PFD.
We even heard he was going to the railroad…
Wayyyy too many moving parts. BIG…HEAVY parts. He has a history of trouble with something as simple as driving the War Wagon much less a multi-ton locomotive. I was riding the BC one night. Arrived on scene of a working fire. Engine 5 had just arrived and began to stretch the line. A big red blurr went by and a few seconds later a heard the siren. I’m not real sure exactly WHERE Tyrone thought they were going but I DO know he was making good time! LMAO drive a train…just look at his truck “the snow commander”
Well, the railroad rumor was close. He’s not gonna drive trains..he’s gonna install them
Tyrone took a position as a service tech for Trane in the New River Valley. It’s gonna be hard I know because his territory will consist of both the Va. Tech and Radford Campus’.
!!!!!SECURITY!!!! LMAO all kidding aside, Tyrone has been going to school, and working very hard to earn this Opportunity. I really hate to see him go but it also makes me proud (having been his Captain) to see him work as hard as he has and to succeed in reaching a goal. Tyrone is an excellent firefighter and Medic. He was an outstanding employee, co-worker and friend, but more than that; he is a good person, a devoted husband and a great father. He has the traits and characteristics that will allow him to accomplish anything he sets his heart and mind to and I’m not blowing smoke here. As part of Station #9C, Tyrone made coming to work fun again. The entire crew did for that matter but Tyrone played a huge role. I have so many memories that I can’t poss
ibly share them all but I will carry them with me. I was there when his kids were born and as fate would have it, he was there with me when the buckaroo was born. Firecrackers, air soft snipes, glow stick value meals, the mask… they go on and on. We caught a fire last day with #9 and Tyrone was pumping…I didn’t take him on his first but hopefully we’ll stay quiet tonight and I will have been beside him on his last. Stay in touch Tyrone. Take care of Jill and the boys and for goodness sake BE CAREFUL! I’m not so sure about you working with gas and electricity. I’ll miss ya brother. BYE!
OK since it’s our last day I’ll add a little comedy from today. I’ve mentioned my Lieutenant out her in “never never land” but I haven’t discussed his “handicap”. You see, Eugene is uhhhhh…well he’s short. Not a midget but short. Well one day that I was off, the boys had a run where Eugene had a little trouble with the Knox Box. So today, I tricked him errrrrr gave a reasonable explanation for him to pose for some pictures for me today…
he can juuuuust reach em but getting the keys out is a whole nother story. We’re currently searching for a 3 foot collaspable ladder to mount by the Officer’s seat for when I’m off (and for when Capt. Craft from A-shift is away and Rhett has to ride the seat). Speaking of Rhett, we stopped by our Fireman Credit Union today. We learned that if you come at lunch time that they WILL conduct business but just NOT inside the building. WTF? Oh yea .. gotta use the “drive thru”. ??? in a fire truck?? Oh just walk up..it’ll be fine
It’s like I’m playing cards with my brother’s kids or something! HOLY COW I need a vacation. Ok, to wrap up, it’s been a busy day. We mowed the lawn, did some house work, TONS of computer classes (moodle) and caught a few runs in between. We had to call 5 Engine in to do a little extrication work on a MVA…other than that, nothing too exciting. Here’s the pics
That’s it for tonight. We’re on 4 day in the morning and back for the dreaded Mon, Wed, Fri cycle next week. Until then, stay safe and in the house.
Captain Wines
Geesh.. I had a post darn near complete and had to come back and erase it. I should warn you though, this one will be a long one. Those of you who followed me here from the Misfit Blog know how long winded I can get. For our new readers, pull up a seat and relax…this may take me a while. My first post started by going back to the post I made on 3/15. I have received tons of comments (both verbal and in the comment section)on that post and feel as though I should clarify and elaborate somewhat. First, from the comment section … I don’t think I’m being punished. If I am, I don’t know what for. I appreciate and agree with all the comments as to how we (#9C pre-the “big shake up”) were doing a good job. I had a top notch crew no doubt. A band of “Misfits” and “cut ups” but the ones you wanted on the scene when there was work to do. Yes we played and fretted hard but we also trained and worked with twice the diligence. No, I’m not at the Chief’s office every day and especially not on my days off, nor am I known as a butt kisser (at least I hope not). My evaluations were way above the norm and I / we received several commendations from our chief as well as from the City. The moves made no sense to me and still dosen’t. I have said that multiple times and have yet to receive an explanation other than “we know you’ll do a good job out there”. Is that punishment? Maybe. I don’t think so but who knows? Do I like being out here in a slower company??? NOPE. But hey, there are people running this department that are a heck of a lot smarter than me and I’m sure that they have a plan. I have faith that they know what they’re doing, I just wish that the plan had me somewhere that I felt a little more useful. But hey, it is what it is…. I’m here and not “there” and that’s it. Now, on to the next topic from the comments. Everyone could pretty much figure out that I was not happy on the 15th when we were not assigned to a fire just blocks away on the main drag that we’re located on…. A STRAIGHT SHOT. I haven,t figured that one out either but did come up with a possible reason that I’ve shared with the boys. I could have beat 3 of the 4 Engines in there but it’s not about who can beat who. It’s “strategic planning”. You see, out here in “never never land” we are truly the last line of defence. 
Oh wait a minute….I can find a better pic than that..
Ohhh yea… that’s better ! Anyway, as I was saying; they’re keeping us in reserve. The LAST LINE OF DEFENCE. If we get to go… things are bad and /or its gonna be BIG and at least we’ll be rested. Well guess what.. it happened tonight. We’ve had companies out of service most of the evening searching for some missing men from an overturned boat in the river. Check out the local news coverage HERE. That call in addition to our normal call volume taxed the system so much that our dispatchers had to switch to “crisis mode”. Crisis mode, Swift Water team activated, companies scattered everywhere and here we sit. Then it happened. We caught a job over in North West with our brothers and sisters from Engines 9 and 5, Ladders 2 and 13, Medics 9 and 3, RS1, service truck 2, Battalion 2 and even Chief 2. Local news link. At the same time, companies were still on the river AND… AND a second fire call came in over in South East AT THE SAME TIME! The city was DUMPED. How bad was it??? Well, for starters, it was bad enough that we got in on a job. 2nd, it was bad enough that our County brethren filled in at our station. Oh yea… a school bus yellow fire truck..errrrr “Wagon??” in a city house.
Whats even worse is the fact that our good friend Brandon Sheppard (also made famous on the Engine 9 blog)from the County is off injured. I haven’t mentioned it on the blog yet but Brandon was in a serious vehicle accident a few weeks back and has been off recovering. I’ll post more on him next day and won’t fret too much about how I’m sure it’s killing him to know his men were assigned to a City station for a while tonight (and even caught a city run). Anyway, the job was a decent one. Heavy fire from the 2nd floor, side Alpha. Engine 9 was 1st in with reports of occupants trapped. Us and Engine 5 were neck and neck but they were closer to the hydrant leaving us to establish command. YEP… that puts me in the street! But hey, at least I got to watch the boys do some good work. I mean REALLY good work. The ladders were coming but from a distance. Meanwhile, the guys were thinking enough to knock the fire down and then use a little hydraulic ventilation … solid “Engine company” work from the nozzlemen. Doing more with less. It’s not that uncommon here anymore either. The guys were also able to throw a few ladders before the truckies made it in and took over. All searches were negative and no injuries to civilians or firefighters. WELL DONE LADS!I wish I had some pics but I left my camera here on the desk…. maybe I’ll get the audio up in the next day or so. Ok moving on. I took last day off for a few reasons. 1. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. 2. We had a media day and scrimmage for our National Public Safety League Football team 3.It was a BEAUTIFUL day. the team is coming along good and hopefully we will be able to “fine tune” a few details before our first game on April 3rd. Speaking of that, WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!!! We are non-profit and play for charity. Each team has their own and our chosen charity is Steps 4 Billy. Billy Obenchain is a retired Battalion Chief (now deceased) from our department. His fight was with Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL)and we have taken over that battle. PLEASE… PLEASE take the time to check out the links and then come out and support our cause. The game is at Salem Memorial Stadium and it is family oriented. We will have tail gating pre-game and even an Easter egg hunt for the kids at half time. We have a fan page on “picture book” (that’s face Book for all you computer geeks…lol). Search Roanoke Rampage Fire and Police Football team. So… Saturday. It was media day so that meant interviews, team and individual photos before the scrimmage. Here’s the video cove
rage from one of our local news channels…
**(Video player may not show up on City computers if not, I’ll work on it)**
Or you can check out the link HERE.
Our photographer was none other than retired Lt. Mikey Overacker. Mike always does a fantastic job behind the lens and it was great to have him out with us Saturday… he should have found some pads and a helmet though.. here’s Mikey at work
And here’s one of one of our oldest and toughest players from the Fire Department Captain Phil Dillon
And since it is my blog, I’ll add in a few of yours truly…
I’m #35. The little guy with the cute butt walking away, center right in the top pic and lined up in the tail back position in the lower photo. I think those pants are spandex or something…whoda thunk it???? Firemen in spandex! Oh yea, heres 1 more of me and my baby brother Jackson
Alright, I’ll try to wrap up here. I will post more on this topic next day but I wanted to get the word out that we are loosing a good member, and friend. ben Obaugh will work his last shift next day. Yep…. TYRONE is gone. Moving on to bigger and better things. He will be missed. I’ve always had a soft spot for tyrone and he grew on the readers of our station blogs as well. Posts where he was the star or topic of discussion generated the most hits and / or comments. If you didn’t follow us back then, or even if you did, check him out in one of our “meet our members” post HERE. tyrone was a BLAST to work with. NEVER a quiet or dull moment. I have several memories of our time together (both on and off duty) that I will carry throughout my career…hell my life. He was easy to blog about. If I needed something to talk about or a funny pic… go find Tyrone. his videos made RFD9 history. Here’s another link to wet your Tyrone appitite. That title says it all…”Everyone needs a little Tyrone”. Well, like I said, I’ll post more on his departure next day but until then, I’ll leave you with on of my favorite pics of him….
LMAO!! You gotta love him. Alright to close I’ll throw in a couple pics of the Buckaroo.. the best little cow hand this side of anywhere. He’s still helping Paw-Paw feed “his” baby calf (but he always saves the last sip for himself)and heres another of him and his buddy Gordon taking a break in the only shade they could find…wel plus they both LOVE tractors.
OK, I’m done. Sorry it was so long. We’re back on Wednesday. Stay safe and in house.
Capt. Wines
It’s C – Shift’s first day back off break and what a nice day it’s going to be. Today is officially the first day of Spring starting at 1332 hours. I’m off work but the rest of the guys will pull through it I’m sure. Heck, they will probally pull through the tour easier without me there. Talk about a well oiled machine when I’m gone. This is going to be a short post today. I just can’t sit here long with this nice weather (clear blue skies with temps in the mid 70′s) outside the window. Today is going to be a busy but enjoyable day. Today is Media Day for the Roanoke Rampage. I have not received confirmation yet whether ESPN will be there or not. But with March Madness going on in the world of Basketball I doubt it.
Media Day starts at 9 am with a team meeting first thing, game uniforms are being handed out next, followed by media interviews, and then a practice/scrimmage to finish up. Media time is from 10 – 1045 am. After that, it’s time for me to head to the big house…
Uggh….No, not jail
No, not lunch with the President either. I’m headed to Big House in Highland County. This weekend is the Maple festival. I mentioned it previously on this post. The Highland County Maple Festival in Monterey, Va. is a excellent thing to visit/attend if you ever get a chance. I highly recommend it. Any way it’s time for me to get my rear end outside and celebrate the First day of Spring. Only way it could get any better is if I could take my crew with me. I would like to say thanks to my Battalion Chief for allowing me to have the day off by the way. I hope everyone has a great day whatever you may be doing. Be safe out there and I will be back Monday!
Well, that used to be a saying around the firehouses. That was back when you didn’t want to take a “sick” day. Now I’m not so sure that it shouldn’t be “sick a day, DUMB a day”. I was off sick last day but sucked it up and drug myself in here today. I shouldn’t have. It happens all the time here in our Department and I’m not really sure why anymore. I’m not at 100%. I have hundreds of sick leave hours on the book. It wont show up on my next evaluation that I worked sick or hurt and saved overtime pay. Eventually, the entire company becomes sick and suffers through the same illness. More often than not, we / they then take it home to our families. And I really don’t think they’d miss us out here anyway. I’m sitting here now listening to a working fire just a straight shot down the main drag that our station sits on. WOW! We used to pick on the old crew here at #3 about not catching work and now the shoes on the other foot. Another firehouse saying..”it’s all on the big wheel”. Guess we shouldn’t have picked on em. I still can’t believe it though…a straight shot…4 engines assigned (E2, E5, E14, E1)and we’re sitting in house???here’s the map
At least it sounds like the brothers did a hell of a job down there. They even had a civilian severely burned and transported to our local Level 1 Trauma Center. Solid work guys…SOLID! Speaking of solid work, it’s been pretty busy here in “the Noke”. Every shift is going to work daily. Heck, Opie even caught a job while transferred out to #14 on our 1st day. We’re getting coverage or making headlines almost everyday for one reason or another. Our latest big article made the front page and I have to admit, it was a little disheartening for me. The title? “HISTORY FOR SALE; TWO ROANOKE FIREHOUSES UP FOR SALE”. Read the article here or just check out this pic from the Melrose Misfit’s blog..
I just don’t know anymore. Ok, I’d better move on before I get too wound up and take off on a real rant.
I’ve gotten several comments about the “anywhere but here” post. Everything from people wanting to travel with Pee-Wee to asking if I really have cattle. Seriously?? Pee-Wee in Cancun?? During Spring Break?? It’d kill him or you’d both wind up in jail! And YES I have horses and cattle. Actually, I’m kind of unique in the cattle business as well… to this area anyway (South West Virginia). I primarily run Texas Longhorn cattle. I lease the calves for rodeo purposes then sell the steers and introduce the heifers into the herd. It’s like getting paid double for the calves PLUS I love looking at and being out in the middle of em. Here’s a shot of a few of em (taken from my phone cam so forgive the quality)
Add in the fact that I have the best farm hand this side of the Mississippi and it’s the perfect set up. 
Now that’s gotta make ya smile! If ya click on the pic of the Buckaroo holding the pitch fork you’ll see he even has on his “fireman” boots.
Ok, it’s way past my bed time and I feel like poop. I’m thinking it’s time to turn on the ol electric blanket and crawl into my little nest. Oh yea.. the place is starting to look a little more like a “firehouse” (even if we can’t catch one). New curtains in the Captains bunk… WoooHooo(thanks to Capt. Craft’s mother). Check em out..
HOLY CRAP! Me… excited about CURTAINS?? Geesh! Now we need to work on the assignment board, a table and some pics on the wall. Don’t worry, it’ll all work out. Uggg my guts! I gotta go. Think I need a medic… wait.. a Doctor…no…no.. a nurse.. or maybe 2 nurses…
Now we’re talking!! I’m feeling better already! Going on 4 day in the morning, see ya on Saturday. Now beat it geeks! Stay safe
Capt. Wines
Uggg. We just got off a beautiful 4 day break. The weather was great and all of us made good use of the time. Today has been one of those days where you just wish you were anywhere…well anywhere but here that is. Rainy and cool, my back is out and I’m sick. I can think of a thousand places I’d rather be. It’s kinda been the theme of the day. Opie is shipped out to #14 for the day but the rest of the crew has some pretty good alternatives…. Eugene wants to be in Bedford County
Joe is thinking Myrtle Beach
Coon desires anywhere in the tropics … here’s a good spot
Pee-Wee well… he’s a little younger and is thinking more like spring break in Cancun, Mexico
hummmmm?? Me? I’d be happy sitting just where I was yesterday evening. Straddled across a good horse looking over a herd of cattle.
You see, it’s calving season and for me, there’s nothing more relaxing. Now don’t get me wrong… calving can be a lot of work. Especially when you have trouble and end up having to do the cows job too
Another alternative for me would be the Highland County Maple Festival. An annual event held in Monterey, Va. that is well worth the time. A visit to Highland County in like stepping back in time. I have some connections there due to a couple of retired firemen who own a home out on the Bull Pasture river. The “Big House” holds many a fond memories. Some I could tell, others maybe I shouldn’t. Anyway, check out the maple Festival if you have the time… you wont regret it. Check out their web site here. Now, don’t get this “anywhere but here” theme all wrong. We are still taking Schmoe’s advise. As a matter of fact, the place is kinda growing on us. What?? Don’t believe me? See for yourself …. 
LMAO… not even 2 months yet and we’re damn near “hippiefide”. No kidding though, the place is growing on us and we ARE “giving it a chance”.Today has been kind of busy though. As of now, we’re sitting on 5, Company training and we even made the time to help out our good friends down at the Shriner’s Fire brigade. They are gearing up for this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Speaking of which, you local folks need to make plans to attend. Rhett will have the 38 Oren at the Parade line up area (Jefferson and Albemarle) at 10am. Due to the condition of the Union Hall, I think all of the post parade activities will be held at a local watering hole downtown. Check out Rhett’s site here or the Official Parade site here for more details. The parade will continue to honor those of us who serve and protect the city. You may remember that last year’s Grand Marshall was Henley Green and this year, the family of deceased Captain Chris Brown will have the honor. It looks like the weather will be iffy but hey, it poured on us last year and everyone still had a BLAST! So get out there and make the best of it.
I also wanted to let everyone know that our Public Safety Football team (Roanoke Rampage)has chosen a charity to play for. Steps for Billy. The league is non-profit and plays for charity. Cops and firemen running from, hitting and tackling each other…who wouldn’t pay to see that? Our first game is less than a month away. We play at “home” on April 3rd in Salem. Get a group together and make plans to tailgate and attend… WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! OK, OK the post has been long enough but I just HAVE to include this video. FUNNY AS HELL! Don’t pick on old white guys and always remember to call the “ambalamps” (a word coined by the notorious Randolph Smiff of RFD “The Big Show”). ENJOY!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niIQU8_y_7s]
Stay safe, warm, dry and in the house….see ya on Saturday.
Captain Wines
Beautiful weather here in Va. today. I’d say the best day of the year thus far other than having to work. That said, it hasn’t been too bad. A few runs but nothing out of the ordinary. I guess the biggest news for us today is the fact that our Lieutenant is finally here and is scheduled for a full shift! Back in all the big moves, Scott “Eugene” Bradford was assigned as our Lt. Because of his military obligations, he only worked a 12 hrs shift with us before being deployed to Haiti. Eugene is a long time and good friend of mine. We actually went to high school together, lived close enough together as kids to ride dirt bikes together and then have worked together here in the department before now. Back when I made 1st Lt. I was assigned to L13 on C-shift where he was working at the time. I think I may have taught him a little too well because he came in the door fretting today. I’ll explain that a little more here in just a minute. Anyway, here’s a pic of Eugene..
He had some pretty horrifying stories from Haiti but feels lucky he wasn’t deployed somewhere that they would have been shooting at him. So, we spent a little time getting Eugene settled and then threw him into the kitchen on sausage gravy duty. Turned out GREAT too. Beat the crap out of those MRE’s he’s been eating. Wouldn’t know it too, just as we were washing up the breakfast dishes, in came our ol pal Big Roy with a box of “hot now” doughnuts. You just CAN’T not get one. Needless to say, I think we all had a little too much to eat this morning. Here’s a shot of Big Roy for those of you who didn’t follow us over from the Station #9 blog.
Like I mentioned, a few runs here and there and a little piddling around the station before time to get dinner started. I was excited. A summer like day so we planned on cooking on the grill. I have to tell ya.. the Department did us right on the grill. The biggest, fanciest one I’ve ever seen. It has 3 main burners, side burners, a searing burner and it even has a light inside! NICE. All the prep. Washing, marinading … you know the routine. Scallop potato’s, green beans going, the chicken on low … smelling terrific then the screams….CAPT!!! CAPT!!!! All that work up in flames! Opie was going to stretch a line. I’m not sure how he did it without his mask but Coon was able to get in there and attempt to save the bird. How did it work out you may ask….
BAD! Those pics are well after the fire. I don’t think my little ol camera could have taken the heat had I have been able to attempt an action shot. Well, no way were we going to be able to eat this bird but some of us sure would get a laugh or two from it. You see, back when Eugene and I worked together at #13 it was his day to cook. Back then, we had a schedule…more like a routine. We ate at noon and 6pm (unless we were on a call). Not 12:05 or 6:15. Well, that day it was like 6:40 and he was nowhere close to getting the meal on the table. So, just to check …you know, to make sure I had my facts right; I began making calls. I phoned just about every North side station to check the time (my watch always unexpectedly quit back then) and to ask what time they usually ate. Six o’clock? And how long have you been in the Fire Department? Really? And you say yall have always eaten at 6? WOW! Well it took more than 10 years for it to happen but he got his revenge today. As soon as the flames were knocked down, Eugene began dialing. “What color is chicken supposed to be when cooked on a grill?” “How can you tell if chicken on the grill is over cooked?” “Is chicken ash good for the digestive system?”. LMAO I gotta give him credit … 10 plus years and POW! right in the chops. Well done Eugene. All I can say is that goodness we are here at Station #3. Any restaurant you want within minutes. Yep, even a KFC.
Finger licking good! So, we’ve had our big fire for the night so maybe we’ll get some rest tonight. That reminds me. There was a pretty big fire in the City last day after my post. One of those where both sides of the tracks are on it. Obviously we didn’t go but I hear the brothers and sisters of C-shift did a heck of a job. here’s some links to local coverage here and here. That’s it for tonight, it’s 4 day break tomorrow and then back on Thursday. Until then, stay safe and in the house.. thanks for reading.
Capt. Wines
Oh the horror! The emotional trauma! We feel VIOLATED! I have a morning routine. I usually arrive to work around 06:30 (the “wake up” bell hits at 07:00, shift break is at 07:50 but Officers generally change a little earlier). Anyway, as soon as I come through the door, I put on a pot of coffee (we have a nice new and fancy coffee maker here… Firegeezer would be proud.. and YES Geez I brought my mug in the move) 
Anyhow, I get the coffee going then make my way out to the bay, place my gear by the Engine and check the Officer’s SCBA. I fetch the local news paper then it’s back to the kitchen to pour a hot cup and grab a few minutes of relaxation on the couch while reading the morning’s news. Well, when I went to sit down this morning, I felt as if I were falling off I cliff! You know that feeling?? Like you’re never gonna hit bottom. Someone has STOLEN the cushions from our newly acquired couch. Can you imagine? The GALL! We stole…errrrrr “repossessed” that couch fair and square. Damn near killed myself falling back in that thing without cushions. 
You can imagine my disgust knowing that we’ve lost something so near and dear to our hearts. Well, I immediately contacted the proper authorities. Finger prints were taken, the proper paperwork completed etc. THE WORKS! But, they told me not to expect for our beloved couch cushions to be found (apparently hundreds of thousands of cushions are stolen in and around town here daily). So, we took the law into our own hands and launched an investigation. I went straight to where I thought we might find em…. Since we were the “repossessers”, I went to the “repossessee”.. 
Of course you can guess his reply…
LMAO..He even looks a little like Shultz. Everywhere I turned..dead ends. What to do??? What to do? Well, I couldn’t just leave the couch there without its cushions because she looked like crap. So, I had to have the boys move her out. Then, we spent the day looking at a huge bare spot in the day / dining / community room / kitchen. What could we possibly find to fill that void? Hummmmmmmmm. Well, it just so happens that while out talking to Chief Manual about our missing cushions, I noticed a few items remaining in his soon to be vacated office that would fill the space nicely. A desk for the boys to do their EMT-I studding / homework or maybe a fancy big city fiddle 
Decisions decisions! I guess the main thing here is for you folks NOT to panic… I’ll figure out something 
So, the rest of the day was not that bad. I guess I should clarify a statement in last day’s post. Someone quoted me and left the comment.. “Anonymous said… “yea…I still hate it here”. Appreciate your honesty. Looking forward to all of your future posts” The “yea…I still hate it here” was from my post but apparently, the person leaving the comment didn’t recognize my humor. I was talking about the fact that we have an all female college in our first due (auto-aid with the County). What’s to “hate” about that? The longer we spend out here, the more positives we find. A Hooters next door, the college, Valley View Mall, any store you can imagine within 5 minutes. No stress, no hustle and bustle. Like today, we basiclly had all day to train. It makes it nice when you don’t have to worry about interruptions etc. We did a little territory, some strategy and tactics, some high rise training and even some EMS. Yea, EMS training. You see, despite the bad economy, our Department managed to find the funds to purchase new Stryker Stretchers for our ambulances. Battery operated! A little heavier than our previous stretchers but much MUCH nicer. They have 5 point harnesses, holders for the oxygen cylinders and everything. A definite benefit for our Medics. Here’s a video of us training with, getting our hands on the new stretcher this morning…
http://www.youtube.com/get_player
Cool huh? We worked on a stand pipe connection problem we found last day and even managed to get the Fire Marshall’s Office stirred up … who knew it could be so hard to get 3 couplings / adaptors? Anyhow… a good day of training for the boys. Another highlight of the day is the fact that it’s Opies Birthday!!
No word on any big parties this year. If you followed me here from our Station #9 blog you may remember that last year’s party got a “little” out of hand… view that post here. LOL THAT was a good time! Anyway, HAPPY 31st Opie… sorry you had to pull it here. Ok, Just a few more things I need to let you know about. Our Football team is doing well. We’ve been fighting the weather to get practices in and our 1st game is less than a month away! Rhett has helped us revamp our team web site. You can check it out here. Mark your calendars and be sure to attend the opening game on April 3rd. We play for charity and need the support… GO RAMPAGE! I also thought I’d give you all a “sneak peak” at a new piece of equipment we just received. I’ve never seen anything quite like it but I guess it will work ok. You see, the big and lovable newly promoted Captain on A-shift out here just had a brand new helmet and shield delivered today. I know everybody picks on him about his head s
ize etc. but hey, we can’t all be 5’9″ 132lbs. Anyway, I thought you guys may enjoy a shot of Mac’s new lid…
BEAUTIFUL! Ok, that’s it for tonight. Thanks for reading, stay safe and in the house! See Ya Saturday.
Captain Wines
WOW! Man I’ve gotten a lot of comments on the new site. It seems as though a lot of you folks enjoy this stuff…ok..ok BOTH of you. Anyway, thanks for the support and comments. And yes, I will do my best to post every night I work. I missed Feb. 25th due to being off sick but, if I’m here and can…we’ll get something up. Tonight, we have a few special items / topics to hit. The first is sending out a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISH to someone near and dear to my heart.
What???? Who is that?? COME ON!! do you mean to tell me that you guys DON’T know Theodor S. Geisel? GIVE ME A BREAK! All you educated computer type people and you don’t know ‘ol Teddy? Let me help ya out…
YEP! Theodor Seuss Geisel aka Dr. Seuss. Happy Birthday ol buddy! Most of you wont know what I’m talking about but a few local readers will remember an old site around here that stirred up quite a bit of controversy. The site was called the Rumor Mill and there were a lot of anonymous names made to publish posts concerning our department and the problems within. The site contained a little of everything. I believe it started out with good intentions but if you can believe it, some Firemen got carried away. Some post became more and more personal and wouldn’t you know it…feelings got hurt. Now, not all of the comments were lies or fabrications mind you… I guess sometimes the truth just hurt. Everyone knew it to be true….we just weren’t supposed to talk about it. Oh yea..it was embarrassing for other people to read about our problems. Like every other department in the country didn’t have a “this” or “that” guy or like they weren’t fighting the same battles we were. Guys… IT’S THE FIRE SERVICE… we all have the same problems. On different scales and with different addresses but it’s basically the same coast to coast. Anyhow, one of the Arthurs posted under the name “Dr. Seuss” and the post always rhymed. They were funny as CRAP! I had to get up every day and check to see if he had anything new up. I loved it! The story lines…the rhymes…heck even how he dressed. Oh yea.. a real dapper Dan he was with those suspenders, the hat…hummm.. WAIT JUST A MINUTE! I just figured out who he was….
LMAO….Wheezy??? I would have never guessed! Ok Ok enough shenanigans…on to today’s work. And yes.. I said work. It’s been fairly busy around here today. Sitting on 6 including 2 workers. Oh yea… we’ve been “DOING IT”! Nah… we did catch a small working fire with our brothers from E9, E5, L13, M9, RS1, BC2, RS1, ST2, and M101. A dryer on fire in the basement with a decent smoke condition. I had command while Coon and Tink-Tink sat on the hydrant. The boys from 9 did a good job and got it with the tank. L13 made the searches and did a little venting. Engine 5 took RIC while M9 assisted the Engine with fire attack. Working fire companies were turned around and we had her taken up pretty fast. Good clean work all the way around (I’ll get the audio up in the next day or so). We later caught a decent smoke condition on the 3rd floor of a 5 story Senior Citizen apartment building. Nothing more than burnt food but it was good to hump a few flights of stairs again. Then we caught a real barn burner! Oh yea… nothing like a high voltage power pole burning under ground when the roads are wet. Snakes, electricity and hookers with Adams Apples… I DON’T FOOL WITH ANY OF EM! Our local power company came in to knock that one out for us. We ran a few with our County neighbors down the road as well. You remember… the ones who live down at the “five star fire station”. I still can’t get used to those yellow fire trucks though…uggg. But hey! we’re running a local all girls college yea… I still hate it here. Anyway, here’s a few pics…
I think I’ll shut her down for a while now. there’s some new cooking show on that me and boys want to catch before our sauna and manacures. Oh yea.. I almost forgot. I heard from our new Lieutenant Scott “Eugene” bradford tonight. He’s back in the Country and should fianally make a days work with us by Saturday the 6th. WELCOME HOME Eugene! I’ll leave you with a video tribute to our fallen brothers from 911. NEVER FORGET EM !!!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgVNAV6YegM]
Stay safe, warm and in the house!
Capt. Wines
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