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news from the “noke”

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I almost forgot that I have a ton of “local” stuff that I need to get out and since it’s after 6pm and I’m still here, I had better get to it.

To begin with, tomorrow is a big day for our Local’s Women’s Auxiliary.

They are hosting what is being called an  “Open House Extravaganza” . They are having a ton of product reps all get together at our Union Hall to offer the ladies a place for “one stop shopping” . I’m not sure what all the product will be … I recognize some of the names on their flier but I do know  the women are excited to have all of these folks represented in one place.

The event is from 2-6pm and the proceedes will benifit 3 local charities … The Roanoke Rampage,  Relay for Life , and  MDA  . If you get the chance   MAKE THE TIME to head out and support our ladies as they continue their work supporting us!

Also find the Roanoke Firefighter’s Auxiliary on Face Book

Next, there are a few local web sites / blogs that I want to draw your attention to.

I often talk about our Brothers over in Salem .. Salem Fire / EMS .

The guys from Station #2 .. aka 2 House   have been writing a Blog for some time now. I have a link to them over in my right side bar but really  don’t  mention them enough.

Today, Brother Mike Elliston posted his view of the final day of HazMat training out on the farm. It’s a more comical view than mine and worth the look. If ya scroll down, you’ll also find some good articles and pics from the recent  “Rescue Challenge”   here in Va. This was the 17th year of this event. Departments from all across the state get together to tackle Heavy and Tactical Rescue scenarios. They face 2 scenarios per day for 4 days. Just take a look … these are no easy rescues. See a related article  HERE .

So, take the time to check out our brothers from Salem ….   2 House

 We  also have another “local” blog that has popped back on the radar screen. It appears that the guys from Station #5 have decided to pick the pen back up … errrrr .. well to get back in front of the keyboard again anyway.

Now, so far they have only gotten a single post up but I’ll bet we’ll see more from these guys. Check out their new site HERE  .

Ok … I think that covers all the local news I need to hit. Oh yea… early congratulations to Rhett’s son “Big P”.

He has a really big day coming up tomorrow and I’m proud.

Proud and HAPPY!  I know that Rhett and his family are very excited and proud as well. This is a huge accomplishment for a young man.

I’ll let Rhett decide if he wants the world to know ….

That’s “Big P” in my helmet and boots from years ago when they stopped by #14 for a visit … man has he grown!

Ok, that’s it for tonight. I’m off on a 13 day vacation if we make it til shift break. I’m not going far … to the barn and hay field. I’ll check back in and keep ya posted as often as possible.

Until then, stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

 

Posted by on May 21, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Too big for their britches

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I had to cancel my trip to the   Pa. Fire Expo   this weekend but that doesn’t mean that YOU can’t go.

I’ve been getting some pics and updates from the floor in Harrisburg and it looks like I’m missing a great show.

I had intended to spend some time in the  FoxFire  booth with Zach Green and his crew. They are setup with  The Fire Store  in the North Hall, booths  817-826. Speaking of  The Fire Store, be sure to check out their link above. They now have all the FoxFire products on the front page as well as many other great fire service products. You can find my recent “Product Review” of the FoxFire Products  HERE .

If you guys get the chance … stop by and take in this Expo. Be sure to swing by The Fire Store and FoxFire booths and meet Zach and the crew. Tell em Ironfiremen.com sent ya … oh yea .. it’s also Zach’s birthday today .. wish him a happy and successful one!

While you’re there, also take the time to pay a visit to some other good friends and family of Ironfiremen.com (all in the North Hall) ….

Fire Rescue Magazine  Booth N 726

Go Forward Media  Booth N 722-724

The just introduced  Go Forward Fire   Booth N 722-724

 

 a Brotherhood Instructors  Booth N727

Wall Shields  Booth N725

FD Live In  N 725

The big guy pictured on the far right is one of my two favorite “Nicks” from FDLiveIn.com.  He’s also the one that I won $50 from arm wrestling while in Indy for FDIC 2011. .. Yea .. he’s “THAT” big and I took $50 from him..LOL

Again, take the time to visit the Pa. Fire Expo this weekend in Harrisburg, Pa and be sure to visit all the folks I’ve just mentioned … trust me … you wont regret it!

The reason I’m not there is two fold. First, I couldn’t get today’s shift covered. The prettiest day we’ve had in months and I’m stuck here at the station …uggggg.  The second reason is that I simply have too much going on around the farm this week. The break in weather means the beginning of hay season etc.

We’ve also been having some Fire Department training on the farm….well HazMat training anyway. (see a previous post  HERE ). 

Roanoke City and Salem both have “local” HazMat teams for their respective jurisdictions and then combine to make a “Regional” team covering a much larger area of the State. This week, the “Regional Team” has been training on the farm.

Yesterday ended the 3 days of training with A-shift.

That’s where the title of today’s post comes from … “too big for their britches”.

You see, all of our guys are good. I explained that in an earlier post. They HAVE to be good. They mess with the stuff that kills ya before you even know you’re dead.

Some of them though .. just “some of them” mind ya are a little “too big for their britches”.

Well, too big for those HazMat britches anyway … LMAO

Those holes are NOT supposed to be there. You shouldn’t be seeing their uniform pants under the suits ….LOL

They literally ARE “too big for their britches”

They do make a happy couple though … just look at the two   little   fellas … two peas in a pod … or two bears in a sack! LMAO

Look at the “little” one on the left … notice the yellow stripes at his waist line?? Tape to hold the suit together … LOL

They thought they were going to get out of the “decon” detail by trying to explain that the suits didn’t fit. The IC thought they were just making excuses. Turns out, they were right but obviously, the IC held his ground as well …LOL

All kidding aside, I think the guys received some really good training over the past 3 days.

Training is always better when you’re out in a more realistic situation / conditions etc.

For the City guys, I’m sure it was also nice to get outside of the city limits and take in a little clean country air.

Thanks to Battalion Chief Teddy Adkins (Roanoke) and Kevin Tottin (Salem) for allowing us to be a part of this training by providing the location ( The Catawba Sustainability Center …aka.. The Tech Farm and myself)

And, while the guys were hard at it training, the Buckaroo and I were just as busy.

We had equipment to unload and hook up in preparation for our evening chores plus we had a load of square bales to deliver that morning.

Loading the hay turned out to be quite the experience. It seems as though a nest of snakes had taken up residence in our loft. Now, they were just black snakes but they were also mean and feisty. They thought that since they had moved in … they owned the place.

 Had they have went on about their business somewhere else, everything would have been fine. Oh no … they figured to say and fight for what they thought was theirs … little did they know that they were fightin the famous Buckaroo!

We had to shoot 4 total and this one was the baby of the lot. The biggest (and meanest) was near 6 foot long and  about 3 inches in diameter. One of the biggest I’ve seen. Somehow or another, the two largest of the 4 made their way onto the HazMat team’s ATV…. LOL …. I don’t know how they got there.

 I didn’t have my camera then but one of the brothers on the team (Mike Elliston from Salem) took some pics and will be sending em my way shortly … I’ll get em up when I get them.

We also had some garden work to do in the evening.

This was the first dry day we’ve had in about 2 weeks or more and if we don’t soon get a crop in the ground, planting season will have passed us by.

Despite, the dry day, the ground was still SOAKED. A muddy mess is what it was but good friend and partner Kevin Tottin had just the trick.

Kevin just bought a smaller “compact” tractor. At 30 hp she has plenty of “pepper” and she’s also light enough that we could get her into places where the bigger tractors are just too heavy.

Like most of em, it was a long hard day we survived. I’m not sure what good it done us because some are saying that 6pm tonight is the  ” End of Days”.  If it is …I’m ready to go and will be standing my post here at Lucky #13. That said, I also hope they’re wrong … I got too much stuff to do tomorrow!

I’ll check back with later on tonight …. until then, stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 21, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, hazmat, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

People you don’t want to see …

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Dentist, doctors, morticians, the health department nurse after a Friday night at the local strip club … you know, all folks you don’t necessarily WANT to see.

How about your local Hazardous Materials Response Team ??

Usually not … but in my case today, they were more than welcome.

This morning, our local / regional Hazmat team was out on the farm bright and early for something very serious …. TRAINING.

Our team consists of  members from Roanoke City and Salem Fire Departments and these guys are on top of their game. The best of the best. I sometimes kid and call them “glow boys” but I also have to give credit where it’s due.

I call em “glow boys” because they take care of hazardous materials / waste that will make you turn a pretty shade of bright green if ya get any on you. The “bad” stuff. 

 Stuff that will actually kill ya before you know your dead !

Yea …. the Fire Department does THAT too.

Well, when you deal with this kind of stuff, you have to be on top of your game and the only way to get and stay there is through training. 

My Battalion Chief, Teddy Adkins; is also our HazMat Chief.  Kevin Tottin holds that position in Salem. Tommy Crozier (pictured left)  is our State Officer from VDEM (Va. Department of  Emergency Management).

 You folks should know / remember Kevin from here on Ironfiremen.com. He is a great personal friend and has partnered and helped out on the farm for the past few years. Tottin and The Buckaroo are “thick as thieves” ..LOL

Tottin came up with the idea to use the farm as a location for some Regional Team training and we were happy to oblige.

He came up with a pretty good scenario. The local FD was out for whatever reason, found an old barn / shed full of pesticides / herbicides and called in Hazmat.

Not an unrealistic situation.

Kevin used water and food coloring to fill several containers and placed them inside one of our old run down sheds. He placed real labels on the containers and he decided to make some of  this stuff    BAD…. REAL BAD.

The members of the team had to approach this stuff. Identify it and then decide how to handle, remove and dispose of it.

Of course not all of the containers were in tact. This IS a farm you know. They had spills, leaks etc to content with on top of everything else.

All kinds of equipment … staging areas, decon, etc. Those big yellow suits, SCBA’s, 55 gallon drums … GEESH!

Good thing they had enough help!

Oh yea… there was NO WAY that the Fire Department was gonna be at the Farm and The Buckaroo not be right in the middle of it all!

He was in heaven! His 3 favorite things combined … The Fire Department, the farm and his 4-wheeler.

Now, we was very quiet around the guys. He has never net most of them and is quite shy. But, as soon as they pulled out …. OMG! It was like one of em slid him some crack or something. He’s STILL talking about the day!  JACKED UP !  LMAO

Of course, the firemen seemed just as excited to see the little fella riding around on his 4-wheeler checking everything out. I didn’t say it (or write it) in a recent post titled   “Family“   but it was very evident today. In that post, I spoke about having a “Fire Department” family and without a doubt … should anything ever happen to me … the Buckaroo will have 100 “Paw-Paws”.

Just knowing that makes it easier to do the job!

The team will be out on the farm for the next 2 days so each shift can benefit from the training. I’m on duty tomorrow but I’m sure the Buckaroo will have his “Nana” up and out early so he can be down there to help with the setup and keep an eye on the daily operations.

I hope the weather holds out for em like it did today.

While the team was on site, it stayed dry. Of course, they had wet, high grass and mud to contend with but the rain held off. Held off until the team returned home and we had work to do!

%$^^%$#%#^&  …. I can’t seem to get ANYTHING done here lately! We had hoped to mow some grass and clean up a bit so the place would look nice for the boys … DIDN’T HAPPEN ! We had to just park all the equipment and seek shelter.

We hung out in the barn waiting for the rain to stop but as soon as it did, it would start right back up. The good news is that the forecast is for clearing conditions over the next several days. The bad news  …. I’m not gonna be here to get any “catching up” done.

If everything works out, I’ll be hanging out at the   Pa. Fire Expo   with Zach Green and the folks from FoxFire.  I’m excited about the trip but still need to cover my shift at Lucky #13 on Saturday.

Regardless if I make it or not, if there’s ANY way you can … TAKE IN THIS EXPO. While there,  be sure to stop in  The Fire Store   booths (located in the North Hall, booth 817-826) to meet Zach and see all the great FoxFire products.

While in the “North Hall”, also stop in and visit some more of  Ironfiremen.com’s friends and family  between booths #122-127. Go Forward Media ,   Fire / Rescue Magazine ,  Brotherhood Instructors  , and   Wall Shields  .

Ok .. I’m gonna wrap it up for the night. I’m back on duty in the morning and will check in as soon as I can. Until then, Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 19, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, hazmat, news, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Product review … FoxFire Firefighter Products

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I’ve got a lot of catching up to do at home and here…so here’s a post long over due.

 You folks may remember about a month or so ago (April 5, 2011) I posted  about receiving a package from FoxFire   ( previous post ) .

I talked about Rhett (The Fire Critic) and I meeting Zach Green and his team up at FDIC.

They (the FoxFire Products) were the talk of the FDIC 2011  exhibit floor!

Zach sent us some of the product and asked us if we would do a “product review” for them. Of course, we were thrilled. After seeing the product first hand at FDIC, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

The Company is actually called  MN8 Products . They are a firefighter owned company (which is a HUGE plus for me) who offers energy efficient and eco-friendly products utilizing  breakthrough advanced illumination technology.

Their product offerings for the fire safety industry are marketed under the name  FoxFire.

FoxFire products utilize an advanced “photo-luminescent” technology that possess the unique capacity to absorb and store light and then release it as a bright luminance in the dark.

 

In fireman terms … it glows in the dark and can be charged quickly by ANY form of light (it doesn’t necessarily need sunlight to charge).

At this time, FoxFire offers 3 products for firefighters…

1.) Helmet bands

2.) Do-it-yourself  illuminating  epoxy kits

3.) Heavy duty grip wrap

I have all three of their products and have been using them here on the job since their delivery. Pictured on the right  (leaning on the bumper from L-R)  is our TNT Tool with the do-it-yourself epoxy applied to the handle. Our short (closet) pike pole with the heavy duty grip wrap applied to the shaft. And, pictured on the bumper is my helmet with the FoxFire helmet band.

I LOVE THESE PRODUCTS!

 

 

My favorite by far is the Helmet Band. 

Most all of us who wear a “traditional” or leather helmet have a band around it to hold a light, wedge etc. That said, most of the bands are usually an old inner tube. That’s what I’ve worn until now and they have always worked fine… plus they’re cheap .. or FREE.

The FoxFire band cost about $20 and it is worth EVERY CENT!

It’s thick, durable and heat resistant.

Plus, it GLOWS IN THE DARK. You have to understand that … it’s not reflective .. it GLOWS.  Old style “tetrahedrons” are reflective … they have to have light shinning on them to be reflective. This technology doesn’t need that .. it glows.

It does need light to “charge” but not necessarily sunlight and not a lot of it. Now, direct sunlight is best and with only 30 minutes of exposure, the band will glow for hours. My helmet sits on the dash of the rig. Our bay doors are tinted and kept closed most of the day (not a lot of “direct” sunlight gets to my helmet). The glow will last the entire shift. The pic above was taken in the day time but you can still see how bright the glow is …. it’s AMAZING.

The safety features are worth the money alone. How does a helmet band offer safety?? ACCOUNTABILITY! I stand out like a sore thumb with my helmet on. My crew (or other members on scene) have no problem keeping up with where I am. Even the chief commented on a recent fire how every time I passed a window, he was able to see me!

They also have this type of band available for your SCBA bottle!

 There is really nothing I can find wrong with the band. We (Rhett and I) did have a few suggestions as to possible modifications that would give the band more uses and that’s another great thing about MN8 Products and FoxFire … they listen to the people using their product. 

Next, let me tell ya about the  ” do-it-yourself epoxy kit” .

My Firefighter, Todd “Boots” Harris; and I applied the product to two of our tools. You can see some pics and read that post  HERE  .

Actually, one of the tools (a pick head axe) belonged to our Brothers out at Roanoke County Fire / Rescue Station #1.  We chose our  TNT  tool because we carry and use it a lot.

First off, let me say that I use the word or term “epoxy” … FoxFire doesn’t. I use it (or call it that) because one thing is for sure … it’s NOT paint!

I learned that lesson well in the application process. Actually, Zach warned me about it prior to my receiving the kit. Let me explain..

There are several “parts” to the kit. The “epoxy” comes in 2 parts … it has to be mixed. DON’T PANIC … they give all the stuff you need. Basically, you’re adding a “hardener”.

That’s one minor downfall to the product. After you mix the product … you only have 30 minutes to apply it. Anything longer than that and it gets rock hard in the container. I recommend doing it off duty .. if ya catch a run … your done.

Like I said, FoxFire provides everything you need to “do-it-yourself”. They even give you materials to clean and prep the tool.

The hardest part is the application. I say the “hardest” but it’s really not difficult. It’s “hard” because we are firemen (and I didn’t listen to Zach). You can’t   “paint”  this stuff on. You apply it and let it run down the handle or smear or spread the product over the tool. Like a fireman .. we tried to paint..LOL

It only took once to understand what Zach was talking about in the application process. Every tool after the first came out better and better. Now, that said, nothing was wrong with the first. I just wasn’t 100% happy with it’s appearance when dry. It had runs in it. Again, after we realized to spread evenly vs. paint … it worked very well.

FoxFire gives you enough of this epoxy to paint approx 3 tool handles. It can also be used on the heads. It covers metal, wood or fiberglass. They even give you sand to add for extra texture / grip.

Like the helmet band, this epoxy GLOWS IN THE DARK. It not only glows .. it  ILLUMINATES ! I liken it to a “glow stick”. Again it needs a  minimal charge and doesn’t require direct sun light. With that minimal charge, it will illuminate for an hour and can glow for up to 17 hours.

 The illumination from these tools are a huge asset when searching. The glow (illumination) is unbelievable … you have to see it to fully understand. Think about applying this product to the tip of your ladders! How easy would it be to see and find the tip from a smokey roof  when it’s glowing?  How about the bonnet of your hydrants? Your headlights don’t have to “shine on it” to spot it or make it reflect. Again, this product doesn’t reflect .. it GLOWS. You would be able to spot a hydrant in front of or behind you… regardless of where your headlights are pointing.

This product has SO MANY POSSIBILITIES! Again, the kit will cover approx 3 tools and the cost is right around $100.

Next up is the Heavy Duty Grip Wrap.

Now, it even comes in multiple daytime and “glow” colors

Picture here is Orange … glows orange, White .. available in a blue or green glow, and Yellow which glows green.

The wrap is made of  heat resistant, rip-stop silicone. It has a unique surface that allows a firm grip, wet or dry, with or without gloves.

It sticks to itself. They call it “self adheres”. It’s not “sticky” .. it doesn’t have glue on it. It sticks to itself and can be reused over and over.

Like the other FoxFire products, the wrap glows and illuminates. It emits light just as the helmet band and epoxy.

It’s sold in individual rolls and costs about $50 per roll.

I HIGHLY RECCOMEND YOU TRY ONE OF OR ALL OF THESE PRODUCTS!

Be warned though .. after you do, you find more and more uses / benefits etc and will be “hooked”. It works that well!

Visit their website to learn more or purchase any of the above products …  MN8Products.com

Still unsure?  Come see for yourself.  Yea …. COME SEE FOR YOURSELF.

I’m going to join Zach and his team this weekend at the   Pennsylvania Fire Expo   in Lancaster County, Pa. Zach and his FoxFire team will be set up in The Fire Store booth  which will be located in the North Hall, booths 817-826. If the set up is like FDIC, Zach will have several tools on hand and a pitch black tent for you to see first hand how well these products work!

Catch me there and I’ll demo it for you myself !

Well, that probably won’t work because Ayrie, FoxFire’s “Illuminating Goddess” will also be there and if you had to pick between me or her showing you the product … you had better pick HER …LOL

All kidding aside, make it out to the Pa. Fire Expo. This will be my first trip up but from everything I’m hearing, it’s a huge and GREAT show to attend.

Hopefully, We’ll see you there!

 

Ok, that it for tonight … I’m on duty,  listening in to the Firefighter Netcast Show “Taking it to the Streets”, and still have reports to complete. I’ll check back as soon as I can ….

Until then, Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines.

 

 

 

Posted by on May 17, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, news, training-development, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Firefighter Netcast

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Make plans now ….

Set aside 2 hours from 9-11 pm (EST) to tune into tonight’s show on Firefighter Netcast.

If you’re on duty … make it a company drill. If you’re at home, kiss the wife and put the kids to bed … this is gonna be a good show!

LIVE  link to the show @ 08:45pm

Host, Chris Naum; will continue his series of discussions on the  ”Emerging Tactical Renaissance in the Fire Service“  from his regular Firefighter Netcast show Taking it to the Streets.

 

 Tonight’s guest is Christopher Brennan.

Here’s a short “Bio” for Chris from the Firefighter Netcast web site….

“Christopher Brennan is a firefighter in the suburbs outside Chicago; a field instructor for the Illinois Fire Service Institute; and a consultant for local, state, and federal agencies.

He joined the fire service in 1997 as a paid-on-call member of the Calumet Park (IL) Fire Department.

During his career, Chris has worked for the Calumet Park Fire Department, part-time for the Darien-Woodridge (IL) Fire Protection District, and as a career firefighter and engineer with the Harvey (IL) Fire Department.Chris is an active instructor teaching for the Illinois Fire Service Institute, has taught terrorism response training overseas, and has been an instructor for FDIC.

He is a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters, the International Society of Fire Service Instructors, and the Illinois Society of Fire Service Instructors.

He is also the author of numerous articles for fire service magazines, including Fire Engineering. “

 

Also check out Chris’ website ….   Fire Service Warrior  

Like  I said … this is going to be a great show that you’re not gonna want to miss! Don’t forget that these shows are interactive …

Do more than listen in tonight … CALL IN and be a part of the show!

I’ll see ya there!   Until then .. Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 17, 2011 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Family

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I’m lucky in that I have a big one ….

I have a “fire department” family, a “blogging” family and of course my “kin folk”.

I’ve mentioned several times lately how busy I’ve been since my return from California. This is the time of year when things get busy on the farm.

My step dad lives in North Carolina and sensed my frustration over not being able to “catch up”.

Like only family will, Jerry took a week off from his work and headed up to Catawba. Nail apron and a truck load of tools and lumber with him. We’ve been building a barn.

Actually, we’ve been “rebuilding” a barn.

A few month back, the Catawba winds decided I didn’t need my small hay barn.

My dad (Pop), brother and I built the barn a few years back and even used hurricane straps on the rafters … they didn’t help.

The build has been slow going … it rained EVERYDAY this week. We’ve been knee deep in mud and soaked to the bone. The good news is that I’ve had plenty of … and good help.

Yep … even The Buckaroo sacrificed some of his “4-wheeler” time to swing a hammer.

Like the title says … FAMILY !

I’m thankful that mine is so large and wide reaching.

Even you folks …. my “blogging” family. All I have to do is ask for help and I’m surrounded with support. Shoulders to lean on … open ears … whatever is needed.  It’s comforting to know that “support system” is there.

Thanks to my step dad, Jerry Creasy; for giving up a week to help me out. I think maybe we should have been building a boat rather than a barn … but despite the weather, he was a HUGE help and took a lot of work and worry off my mind.

Thanks as well to you folks for standing beside me.  For following the site, the comments and support in general … it has not gone unrecognized.

I gotta get out here and pound a few nails before the rain sets back in today … I’ll try to check back in tonight. I’m back on duty tomorrow … Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Until I get back .. stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 16, 2011 • Filed under: news, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Vacation halted

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Once again, I have a ton of catching up to do. I think I warned ya before heading out to Orange County with the Roanoke Rampage that I would be very busy once back home trying to “catch up” on all the farm work etc.

Well, I didn’t lie and man am I tired. I never knew what “jet lag” was. Maybe I still don’t but I can tell ya that changing time zones from one coast to the other will wear you out. I still haven’t fully recovered.

I thought I had it all planned out. I had the cycle off on vacation. Due to our shift (24/24) that gives me 13 days in a row off. Horses, cows, hay to mow, grass to mow and trying to build a barn …. a fella needs 13 days. The bad part …. it’s rained almost every day. I can’t catch up!

Then I got a reminder … I had “traded” some time with one of the brothers from A-shift here at Lucky #13 and he needed the day back. He had worked for me when I needed it and now it was time to repay the favor.

Rhett had a great post over on Fire Critic that mentions this very thing. In the post titled  Random Musings About Firehouse Life he says   ” NO matter how many times I explain to my wife that if someone works for me I HAVE to work for them…she will never understand! “     If you haven’t read the post yet, check it out  HERE  .

Anyway, there was never any doubt that I was gonna pay the day back so my 13 day vacation has been cut a little short. I’m working today with the guys from A-shift. The Captain for this shift (Lynn Flora) was here this morning and I was covering for the Lieutenant. Instead of taking the driver’s seat, I opted to ride backwards…yea .. I remember how to do that!

Captain Flora had 16 hours vacation so he went home at 4pm and I moved up to my regular seat. It’s been a decent day. After our morning cleaning and check off duties, we had the brothers from Station #5 up for some training.

One of our “Crusty Old Jakes” … Danny “Moose” Hughs is on light duty assigned to the Training Division. He was tasked with coming up with some sort of training to deliver to the companies this month.

What he came up with was quite interesting. He solicited help from every member. He wanted to know “things” that you have learned from the job. Things passed down from older Captains or members. The things you wont find in the books.

He comprised a list, read em and then we added to and sat around and discussed all of the “tricks of the trade”.

-Never trust the “lights” on the pump panel for your water level in the engine. Along the same lines, when you pick a piece up from the garage, visually check the level …. they dump the water to jack em up / work on em.

-On a 2nd floor fire, you can locate which side of the house the stairs are on from your exterior size up … noting the small window on the landing.

-Interior stairways are “stacked”. Remember this when trying to find attic access. The stairs to the attic are directly above the set you used to get to the 2nd floor.

-Vehicles don’t wreck / crash in “Park”. Upon arrival on a vehicle accident, always assure the involved vehicles are in “Park” and the emergency brake applied.

-What’s in your pocket? Dog biscuits … side cutters … webbing??? Also see another post from Rhett over on Fire Critic   HERE .

-Listen more than you talk.. especially when you’re the new guy or rookie.

He had some pretty good ones … I’m now curious if you folks have some to add.

What kind of tricks or tips have you learned from the job?

Use the ”Comment” section or drop me an e-mail … I’d LOVE to hear em.  We  also did a little training on our hose tester.

A FINE piece of machinery ….  LOL … NOT.

Actually, it works well with smaller diameter hose 2 1/2″ or 1 3/4″ … not so well with 5″ supply line.

Either way, it was another good class presented by our one and only “Moose” . Now that my not seem like a big deal to you folks but for some of us older local guys it really is. You see, when we think of Moose, an instructor from the training division is the last picture to come to mind.

He used to be a little on the “wild” side. A fireman on duty or off. I could tell ya 1,000 stories. Lena and the chain link fence at old #5, his famous “Christmas in July” parties … I once seen him eat a whole string of Christmas lights from around the window in Hooters. LMAO … he didn’t eat the whole string …. just the bulbs .. he left the cord .. LMAO!

Anyway, it was good to see a guy with Moose’s experience and time on the job settle down and give something back to our younger members (of course his class today was good for young and old). Thanks Moose, great job Brother!

I seen something today that got me to thinking about the “Cabbage Disease” … you know, when the stalk wont hold the head up…

LOL … now get your minds out of the gutter … I’m not talking about that kind of cabbage disease, It got me thinking about BOOTS.

Look at that poor ol “limp” pair of boots by the rig.

They can’t be comfortable anymore … they make my feet sore just looking at em.

Seeing these boots got me thinking back to Moose’s class this morning. I recently received a tip from a younger member concerning how to keep their shape / form.

Most of you will know Firefighter / Medic Drew Able from Station #3-A.

Drew works with Rhett over at the “Hippie Hotel”

Drew sent me a series of pics concerning this exact issue.

This is a typical set of leather pull on boots out of their bunker pants … flimsy and out of shape.

Drew recomends using an empty bottle of V8 juice to help the boot hold it’s memory when not in service / use.

 

Of course, being from the Hippie Hotel”, he recommends a V8 juice bottle. Actually, he recommends using V8 “light”. He says it contains less sugar and  is better for ya. You’re supposed to drink the juice before using the bottle.

I’m not sure if he uses the bottles in his boots while on duty or just when storing them while off duty.

Apparently, it works …

His boots still have a good shape and form.

 

Another Great tip .. a “Trick of the Trade” .

 Just look at the shape and form of those babies!

I’m not so sure about the V8 … at least not unless you use it to make a red eye or something … I guess it’s all in the “shape” of the bottle.

Anyway… THANKS to Drew for a good tip.

I have another remedy for saggy, no shape boots …

 

Buy a pair of Black Diamond X2 Boots !

Look at those babies picture on the right…

14″ of firefighting pleasure! That’s my latest pair of Black Diamonds .. the X2.

Firetuff leather with Fusion fabric. The exclusive 3 point heel lock system, Kevlar lining, padded shin guard , rubber toe cap and the integrated pull-on system!

No joke guys, this is a great boot! I’ll have an “official” product review on the boot next week but until then .. TRUST ME … buy this boot!

 

Ok … moving on, there are / have been (as always) several great posts here on the Fire/EMS Blog Network this week. Several have caught my attention and I’ll touch on a few tonight and will go into more detail in a later post this week.

Dave Statter has a post concerning citizen complaints. Now these aren’t complaints about muddy water from hydrant testing or too many trucks at the same grocery store. These are complaints of the Fire Department not performing to expected standards. Citizen standards … tax payers … our customers standards / expectations.

This is the reaction I have been warning of for sometime now. I understand the changing dynamics of today’s fire grounds and how / why we must change our tactics and “the way we do business” but there is also a fine line there.

A quote from the Article was  “We lost our home. They were supposed to save our home.” The 2nd fire in the post was a fatal fire. Again, bystander and public perception was that the Fire Department didn’t do enough. It’s a great post that’s well worth the read / time. Check it out over on Statter911  HERE .

Like I said .. I want to give this topic a lot more time so I’ll follow up with more thoughts, comments later this week. Until then, give it a read and see what your thoughts are.

Another post that caught my attention was another one from Rhett on the Fire Critic (he’s been on a roll this week).

This post is of how “brownouts” in the  Cape Coral (Florida) Fire Department resulted in a delayed response to a fatal heart attack call…. here’s a quote ..

“Trucks, even entire fire stations in some fire districts, go unmanned for a shift when there are not enough people on duty to cover them. These brownouts save money by eliminating the need to pay overtime to fully staff the service. source news-press.com ”

I wonder how much money the “brownouts”  saved? I wonder how Cape Coral compares those savings to the value of  a human life? The Fire Service (the part that has boots on the ground anyway) has been saying from day 1 … brownouts, station closures and staff reductions PLACE LIVES IN DANGER. The “bean counters” know it too … they’re just willing to take the gamble.

How’s that for a kick in the balls? Someone downtown in a suit and tie .. someone who has never been on a rig .. on the end of a hose line or crawling down a dark hot hallway is gambling with my life!  My life and YOURS!

Again, I’ll go into more detail later this week. Check out Rhetts post  “It Happened Again..”   HERE  .

Ok.. I’m gonna stop here for now .. before I get too worked  up.

Before I go .. I will leave ya with one more little piece of wisdom …

When it rains multiple inches per hour…. or when it’s rained every day for 2 weeks, the shoulders of the road become soft.

Fire Trucks are loaded down with water, tools and equipment … they’re HEAVY.

Heavy fire trucks and soft, rain soaked shoulders don’t mix. I’m just saying.

 

I’ll check back as soon as I can. Until then … Stay Safe and in house!

Captain Wines

 

 

 

Posted by on May 13, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, funding-staffing, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, vehicle-operations-apparatus • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ironfiremen.com back on the East coast

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KABC - TV (taken from Firegeezer.com)

I was headed home as the Brothers from LA County were hard at work.

My sister took me to the airport this morning and we passed this fire. I wasn’t close enough to get a pic or see any of the action but you could tell by the smoke that they were on a good one.

I grabbed the photo from  FireGeezer.com  follow his link for more details etc on the multi-alarm fire.

So, we had a long hard weekend in California. Most of ya know that we ( The Roanoke Rampage) made the trip to play the Orange County Lawmen in their 34th annual Cop Bowl.

We got our butts kicked a couple ways this weekend. First, the time change SUCKS!  California is 3 hours behind us on the clock and all of our bodies were “outta wack”. I also now know andunderstand what “jet lag” is. Geesh.

Our 2nd butt kicking came from the OC Lawmen. All in all, it was a good game but the Rampage couldn’t seem to move the ball. The upside was that the Lawmen as good at hosting as they are at playing football. They took really good care of us and made the trip very enjoyable.

After the game, the home team always hosts a dinner / party for the traveling team. The Lawmen threw out a great spread at a local restaurant … “Dick and Bobs” .. Dave and Busters or something like that…LOL

Good food, cold beverages and great company.

We were all a bit sore and tired but the after party gave us a little of a 2ndwind.

Special thanks to OC Lawmen President Chris Tatar (pictured above left and on the left of  Rampage President / player Todd Stone).

Here are a few more pictures from game day ….

We split the night between the after party … some LA clubs and the hospitality room back at the hotel. Several of us had to get up to head home Sunday while others were staying an extra day or two to do a little site seeing. Once again, my baby sister Jessica took really good care of us as far as taking guys to the airport, putting us up etc. (That’s my little “Jessi – Rea” pictured above on the far right).

After dropping a few car loads off at LAX on Sunday, she took me and  Todd (Captain Todd Stone) to Hollywoodto meet up with the rest of our crew.

Yea … I was on Sunset and Hollywood Blvd! …Talk about Beverly Hillbillys … LMAO

We did a little walking around .. up and down the strip. It wasn’t exactly what I had expected but it’s definitely different from anywhere I’ve been before.

We seen all the “stars” in the side walk, all the dressed up characters and several famous buildings etc. Kinda cool.

Todd and I also took in a few LA fire stations. That was VERY cool

As with any house in this Country, after we introduced ourselves (and apologized for dropping in on a Sunday) the men opened there arms and station to us.

Conversation showed us that much like we suspected (and have known) we are NOT that different from one another. We are all fighting the same battles, facing the same problems etc … there are just different names and companies attached to the story.

The Captain there on Sunday was filling in due to a “brown out” and one of the firemen was working OT because a member from the Engine had to fill a spot on the Medic truck due to a sick call .

We got the complete tour and was even invited for lunch. Here are a few pics … note the fire curtain in the rig, the brackets for their funny helmets and yes .. the wooden ladders!

We had a great tour andsome even better conversation with the brothers from LA 41. These guys were there when we lost brother Glenn Allen back in February2011.  Find more details and coverage  HERE      HERE  and  HERE  … Rest in Peace Brother!

We seen a few “odd” things if you will. I don’t know if they were odd or just different from what we know / do.

The pic above of the bucket (back seat of Engine 41) has something different. Did ya notice the SCBA?

It’s NOT mounted in the seat. They are mounted upright on the floor in front of the fireman’s seat. They DON’T pack up enroute. They throw em on coat style after they arrive.

I think that thing is a hydrant … LMAO

We seen a lot or weird stuff in Hollywood …. this was just one of many.

Here are a few more pics from Hollywood ….

We kinda split up a bit Sunday evening / night. Some of the guys headed back to the beach while others went back to the hotel to rest up before the flight home.

Me???  I ran into a celebrity. The famous  Captain Joe Schmoe   from  Report on Conditions !

HOLLY COW … what an honor! The Capt. and I have been following one another’s sites for some time but could have never imagined that we would actually meet one day.

Turns out, Schmoe was in the LA area this weekend as well and as fate would have it .. we ended up in the same bar.

How cool is that ?? !! ??

He could hardly wait to point that big fancy camera at me …..

Yea .. Schmoe’s is bigger than mine …LOL

We had several beers and some GREAT conversation.

It was like we had known each other for all our lives.

He was everything I had expected and more …. our evening together was the highlight of my trip (2nd only to seeing and spending time with my baby sister).

There is so much to write about from our get together but this post has turned into kind of a long one already. Schmoe is a post all in himself.

I will extend my thanks to the Capt. for suffering through several hours with me. Hell, I even got to ride in his jeep! 

It was another lesson about REAL firemen and brotherhood …. Schmoe is without a doubt a  GOOD JAKE.

I will have more on our get together in my next post. Now, Schmoe was not the only lessons learned from this trip … there were SEVERAL.

One of the more funny ones was the lesson of never leaving your camera unattended in a firemen / football player’s  hospitality room!

Otherwise, you get unexpected pictures from unexpected people.

LMAO … who would have ever thought Sarah Fuhrman’s back side was so hairy? And she was the last one I would have suspected of doing such a thing so she MUST be guilty …. right? 

I am honestly shocked! Sweet innocent little Sarah. And Jarrod! Do you not have the backbone to tell her about that pimple?  LMAO

Obviously, that’s NOT Sarah’s back side but it is funny that I would even think to blame her for the clandestine photo.

OK, so that’s kinda a wrap up of our California trip. I’m back home and WORN OUT. Gonna get some sleep in my own bed, snuggled up to my beautiful wife to whatever tune the Buckaroo is snoring.

I’ll check back in after catching up on all the farm work … until then, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 9, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, funding-staffing, in-the-line-of-duty, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hot tub, totties and Hotties

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photo from superstock.com

I   WE  need one … or 20!    LOL

The Roanoke Rampage lost our first away game of the season to the Orange County Lawmen.

It was real close to Ironman football … our guys played hard. We are all tired and sore but we did not have any serious injuries.

I’ll  get a post up with details of the game, trip etc later tonight. Gotta grab a quick shower and then the team is heading out to the after game party hosted by the Lawmen.

Until I get back, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 7, 2011 • Filed under: news

West Coast hospitality

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Our West Coast Brothers have already proven to be GREAT hosts.  The Orange County Lawmen are taking very good care of the Rampage. This OC place is pretty cool as well but the time difference is proving a little difficult to adjust to (for me anyway).

So, last night my baby sister came to the hotel after she got off work. It took all my energy to keep the boys a safe distance … LOL. 

Yea.. my little sister has grown up.

It was worth the trip just to get to see and spend the time with her last night. She’ll make the game and after party with us tonight and then she is putting a few of us “up” at her place on Sunday.

We plan to hit the beach, a few fire stations, Hollywood and who knows what else.

Of course, I have some plans of my own …..

I’m gonna try to track down that Captain Joe Schmoe  guy …. I know he live on this coast somewhere … how hard could it be to find a man in the desert?

I also want to look into raising rabbits. I’ve heard there’s some kind of farm out here that grows em good … “The Bunny Ranch” I think they call it. Don’t worry .. I’ll take plenty of pics.

Speaking of pics, here are a few from last night … as I said, The OC Lawmen are GREAT hosts. They had a hospitality room for us .. tub full of  beer, pizza and brotherhood .

We paly at 3pm today .. game film and walk through before hand. An after party tonight and who knows what else. I’ll update ya as soon as possible…

until then stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 7, 2011 • Filed under: news • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ironfiremen.com lands in Orange Co. California

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LMAO .. I was gonna say the “Eagle has landed” and use the pic from the moon landing but with this group of guys, its more like a bunch of buzzards that have swooped in!

I arrived a few hours ago with my brothers and fellow team mates from the Roanoke Rampage Football Team.

Those of you who follow the site know that we play in the National Public Safety Football League   for charity.

Our 2nd season in the league hasn’t been one to write home about. We are 1-2 with 2 away games remaining. We have seen some serious injuries this season and attendance has been low. Hopefully we can / will turn things around this week.

We are here to play  The Orange County Lawmen .  It should be a good game.

I have several connections here in California. We’re gonna stay a few extra days and visit some friends and firehouses.

I can’t wait to see some of the wooden ladders that they still use here.

My baby sister (who’s now all grown up) also lives here in OC. That’s her with a couple of her girlfriends (she’s 2nd from the right).

It’s been a long day just getting here. Several of us missed our flights out but it all worked out and we are here safe and sound.

I’m excited to see this part of the Country and meet some of the folks. I’m gonna catch a quick shower and then head to the hospitality room to meet some of the OC Lawmen…

“Lawmen” …hummmmm reminds me of a movie I once seen ….

I’ll update ya when I can .. until then, stay safe and in house … we’ll do what we can from this end.

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 6, 2011 • Filed under: news, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Honored and humbled!

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Once again, connections made through this site have left me honored and humbled.

I received a message on Face Book last week. Casey Potter wrote me an AWESOME note. She told of how her husband Chris Potter is a HUGE fan of Ironfiremen.com  He follows daily, tells all his friends, family and fellow firefighters. She said it was his birthday and wanted to know if I could make it down to Lexington, Va for a celebration on Saturday. She told me how much it would mean to him and what a surprise it would be if I could actually attend.

I was sad to inform her that I’m actually heading out to Orange County California (Long Beach)  in the morning and would not be able to make the date.  And it hit me … what an HONOR! Someone thought enough of me from nothing more than my name, reputation and / or this site to invite me to their birthday party. She described Chris as “my biggest fan” …. what the hell???? I have “FANS”??? I gotta meet this guy … one of my two followers. Anyway, I was honestly honored and humbled.

I wrote her back and told her that because I couldn’t make it on the date requested that I would love to take a ride down before I left for Cali to buy Chris a beer or two.  We meet last night in Lexington. That’s the “birthday boy” Chris Potter on the right, Jimmy Swink, Kimberly Swink, Kasey Potter, Josh Mays and Paul Fox.

WHAT A GREAT GROUP OF FOLKS!

Great food, a few beers and a very relaxing time. Back and forth questions about my department and theirs, a few stories here and there but just general good conversation. I felt like I was at home.

That’s kind of deceiving because I WAShome in a way…. I was born in Lexington, Va and lived there as a child (Stonewall Jackson Hospital .. my daughter Reba was born there as well). I was raised just a few miles outside of the City of Lexington in a small farm town called Fairfield.

My dad started his fire service as a volunteer in Lexington before moving to a career with the Roanoke Fire Department. I have his helmet from Lexington on my shelf today.

In the picture above, to the far right is actually my cousin Jarred. Well, his mother is my cousin so I guess that makes him my what…2nd cousin?? Anyway, we’re kin, he’s a great kid  and is gonna make an outstanding fireman.

The group took me by the station after dinner for a personal tour. WOW what a station. I don’t  have time tonight to go into all of the detail because I need to get packed and in bed. Here a several shots from last night and the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department .. I’ll explain and give more detail in a future post ….

Ok…sorry … I gotta get packed and in bed..Happy birthday toBrother Chris Potter of the Lexington, Va. Vol Fire Department. Thanks for the invite … it was truely and honor!

 I’ll follow up from California…. until then Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 5, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Taking it all in ….

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** Language WARNING for this post **

I guess I’m still absorbing all the information that is surfacing around the death of Osama bin Laden.

There’s a lot to take in and the event has my emotions all over the scale once again.

I’m happy, sad,  thankful and at times even mad … hang with me and I’ll explain.

I, like most every other firefighter in the Country; haven’t forgotten.

See my September 11, 2010 post

Much like the The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster back in January of ’86, that evening  in July of 1969 when  man walked on the moon or that November day in 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated, Americans will  remember EXACTLY where they were and what they were doing on on September 11, 2001.

That day, I got a call from my dad (who was still on the job at the time). I rushed over to our shop. Together, we watched in horror as the terrorist attacks played out. We watched the towers come down and knew firemen had died … we just didn’t know how many.

Soon, the names al-Qaida and bin Laden was on every TV channel and news paper to be found. Given the opportunity, I could and would have killed him with a Q-Tip or hand full of cotton balls … whichever would have taken the longest and caused the most pain / suffering.

I’ve waited almost 10 years to hear that this piece of shit is dead!

I was on duty Sunday night when word got out. Rhett (Rhett Fleitz ..aka The Fire Critic) called to tell me to turn the TV on. Minutes after, we caught an EMS run … it was around mid-night. When we cleared from the run, dispatch asked me if I could give her a phone call and I did.

She wanted us to know the news. “If you get back to the station, turn on the TV …the President is going to announce that they’ve killed bin Laden”.  Her thoughts went to FIREFIGHTERS. She knew we would want to know!  I stayed up most of the night watching the coverage.

I was happy … happy, excited and thankful that we finally got him. My thoughts quickly moved to our Brothers and Sisters of the FDNY and the families of those murdered on 9/11. I knew that we would share  in the joy of bin Laden’s death but also knew that the events would have them reliving the pain of that day all over again. I could only hope that the happiness found in his death would trump the pain and sorrow.

Some folks can’t understand how anyone can be happy about killing someone. If you’re one of those folks, maybe you shouldn’t be reading this. “Happy” really doesn’t describe how I feel…. it’s even more than that.

I think Bill Kennedy (and many others) feel the same way. Bill is retired from the FDNY and now lives down here on Smith Mountain Lake. Bills son, Tom; was murdered on 9/11 in the South tower having responded in on Ladder 101. That’s Tom Kennedy pictured on the left.

Mr. Kennedy had 2 good quotes in this morning’s local paper ….

“That son of a bitch is in the right place, and you can quote me on that”

“I know where he’s going, and it’s not up”

Read the entire article from The Roanoke Times  HERE  or more local coverage  HERE . You can visit Firefighter Thomas Kennedy’s Memorial Page   HERE. I’ll also add this local video of an interview with the Kennedys ….

 

 I’ve watched today as more and more details of the events around bin Laden’s death emerged. My emotions turned to wonder and anger. Actually, at one point; I was just plain MAD!

 
 The Roanoke Times is reporting that following his death, bin Laden’s body “was washed in private by two Muslim members of the U.S. military, wrapped in a white sheet, placed in a weighted bag and slid into the water from the deck of the USS Carl Vinson to the recitation of religious remarks by a U.S. officer that were translated into Arabic” .YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

 

How many empty caskets did we bury? How many pieces of clothing, uniform or DNA substituted for the bodies of our fallen and this ass hole (bin Laden) gets a funeral? Washed him .. wrapped him and said words! I gotta say .. that chaps my ass! I would have strung the body up at Ground Zero.

That’s another point .. I WANT TO SEE THE PICTURES. Hell, I want to see the video.  Put all the conspiracy theories to rest now.

Ok… I’m getting wound up here….  let me change directions.

photo from The Radio Patriot

To the U.S. Navy Seals and all of the men and women of our armed forces  THANK YOU !

Thank you for continuing to look, for continuing to fight and for not forgetting.

WELL DONE !

 Keep up the good work because I’m afraid this thing is far from over. All the questions with Pakistan and what they did or didn’t know. Bin Laden was just the leader … his army of terrorist are still out there and without a doubt wanting to avenge his death.

 

 

Teague Kenny has a great article over on  ” The Tail Board “. Check out his post   Gettin’ Ready .

He’s right boys … keep your boots close, pack an extra bag, keep that equipment checked and in top shape. Get your nose in a book .. study procedures etc … plan … study. Be smart, THINK … keep your eyes open. I know you are but … BE READY!

I’m gonna stop here for now. I could go on and on but my mind is working faster than I can type and I’m afraid it wont come out right. I get a 13 day break starting in the morning. I have special dinner plans tomorrow night (that I will post about) and head out to California on Friday. I’ll check in and finish my thoughts on this post as soon as I get the chance.

Thanks for following … Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 3, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, in-the-line-of-duty, major-incidents, news, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s about time!

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It took 10 years but Bin Laden is DEAD!!  May our 343 brothers rest a little easier.

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 1, 2011 • Filed under: news • Tagged:

There’s one in every company!

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I don’t know why but I always seem to get em …. GOLFERS!

Last year it was Opie … now it’s “Boots”

Taking off work to travel all the way down to the beach just to play a silly game.

I have to admit that I don’t fully understand the fascination. I’ve voiced my concerns in previous posts but they are worth mentioning again.

Golf is a waste of good pasture! Think of how many cows I could run on any given course with minimal fencing.

photo by Matthias Claimer from ESPN

 There also has to be some hidden health issues that the PGA and government aren’t releasing. I mean why else would they put “ball washers” at every stop? What EXACTLY is on the seats of those funny little golf cars?

Of course Boots is a little older and more experienced at the game than young Opie was.

Boots most likely has a cart  full of beach babes or little golf goddesses handing him his clubs

Yea… I’m sure of it…. I know how he operates.

I bet he has one of em covered in his balls right now!

I just hope he used one of them ball washer things …

LOL … I’m just kidding … I’m sure Boots and the gang are behaving themselves.

This is a regular trip for these fellas. A couple  Brothers from the Department own a condo in Myrtle Beach and every so often a group of head down for a week of relaxation and golf.

It looks like they’ve had good weather and nobody has called for bail money … YET.

I actually wish I was with em..

I have a little “traveling” of my own coming up.

Friday, I head out to California to play a little football!

The Roanoke Rampage  are traveling to take on the Orange County Lawmenon Saturday May 7th.

I’m pretty excited about the trip for a couple of reasons….

 I’ve never been to California but have always wanted to go. My baby sister actually lives in Orange County so I’ll have the chance to see and visit her while I’m there.

A couple of the guys and I are planning on staying an extra day or so to see  some of the sites. We plan to take in a few firehouses in LA and who knows …. I might even bump into Captain Joe Schmoe from  REPORT ON CONDITIONS  while I’m out there (I’ve got him narrowed down to living somewhere on the West coast near a desert). What are the odds???

Anyway, it’s gonna be a good trip and I’m excited.

So, I know I have a lot of catching up to do but there has been a TON of good stuff  here on the  Fire/EMS Blog Network  all week and I want to make sure you haven’t missed it …

Rhett posted a couple videos of John Stewart from The Daily Show. Rhett  found the videos after Mike Ward posted them over on Fire Geezer. If you haven’t seen em … take the time!  Here they are …

Dave Statter had several good articles up this week as well (as usual). We had one where a volunteer Chief may have withheld a water supply from the paid staff while operating at a working fire. The story is out of  Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania (Bucks County). Check it out  HERE. And since I have California on my mind, Dave also has some cool helmet cam footage of the brothers from East Palo Alto going to work  HERE .

Chris Naum has come out with several more FANTASTIC articles that are  ”MUST READS”  for every member.

Check out   “2011 Focus: Surviving the Fire Ground …”    from Command Safety.

Over on The Company Officer, he asks if we have done Anything with the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives lately.

He also has his hands on the findings from the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) studies conducted on fire service ventilation practices as well as the impact of changes in modern house geometries. Some of their findings may shock you and should affect the way you work.  The UL also developed an  online interactive training module  that is worth a visit. Check out Chris’ entire artile  HERE .

Any from the Network, Isaac Frazier asks about when to “mask up” on his Face Book page  “First Due Questions” . Isaac puts up some GREAT questions that make for outstanding company discussions / training. If you haven’t checked him out yet .. take the time.

Hydrant Gal  is loving life.  She seems to be  settling into her new job North of the boarder just fine.

Apparently she got a raise with her new position. Yea .. she just bought a new horse trailer …. a 3 horse slant with a dressing room! Of course she just HAD to drop me an e-mail and brag   rub  it in a bit…LOL

I’ve followed Hydrant Gal for some time now and am glad to see things going her way. She even took the time to send me something from a recent  trip she took to Punta Cana  (where ever THAT is).

It was a post card. The picture was from the back of a gal wearing one of those “almost non-existent” bathing suits. She said she seen it and immediately thought of me. Hummmmm I don’t think she’s EVER seen me in a g-string …LMAO.

OK, so that should catch ya up on what I’ve been reading this week. I have a couple good posts scheduled for this week so keep checking back. I’ll leave with a short clip of the Buckaroo talking about his 4 wheeler yesterday. He was up and waiting for me when I got home … we cant feed or check cows before he rides a little. You can see his excitement in the video … check him out.

I’ll check back in soon. Off tomorrow, back on Tuesday and then 13 days off! Until I get back to ya … Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on May 1, 2011 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, news, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,