Skip to content

Archives for

See all posts in the network tagged with

End of the cycle …

3 comments

Today is Sunday and the last day of our cycle …. we start 4 day break tomorrow!

For us, it’s been a  relatively quiet cycle. Our Brothers out in the County haven’t been so lucky.

A local man was killed this weekend after going back into his burning home to retrieve some clothing. The fire happened in the Cave Spring area of the County on Friday. Members were able to locate and rescue the unconscious man but he later died at the hospital. Cave Spring has a strong volunteer membership but is also staffed with paid members 24hrs / day. I’m not sure of the total response but know that both volunteer and career members from Cave Spring, Back Creek and Vinton were on scene.

Local coverage of the fatal fire can be found  HERE  and  HERE   also visit the Cave Spring Volunteer Fire Department web site  HERE.

Va Fire News is also reporting the death of a Va. State Trooper in King George County.

Trooper Adam Bowen, 28 years old of Warsaw, Va was killed in a 2 vehicle accident while responding to assist another State Police agent.

The accident occurred this past Friday on Rt. 3 / King’s Highway.

Two occupants of the 2nd vehicle were injured and transported to the hospital.

Trooper  Bowen is survived by a fiance’ and his parents.

Visit Va Fire News.com  for the complete story and more photos.

I am unaware of any arrangements or details for the service at this time. I’m sure they can be found on Va Fire News when available (I’ll also try to post them here). My thought and prayers go out to our Brothers in Blue as well as to the friends and family of Trooper Bowen.

We’ve had way too many Line of Duty Funerals in Va. lately (or anywhere for that matter).  The Va Fallen Firefighter Memorial was just held in Richmond. We buried Brother Dave Palmer just a week or so ago and now we’ve lost a State Trooper In The Line of Duty. I can’t help but think of the honor and respect we owe these Brothers and Sisters who give / gave their live in the service of others. Rhett has a post up over on the Fire Critic that’s well worth the read … Go to the Funeral…You owe it to them .

Dave Statter has the opposite view from some a**hole in Canada over at Statter 911. The direct link to Chris Brennan’s article in The Expositor can be found  HERE . Take the time to hit the link … you wont believe what this jerk has to say.

So, like I said in the opening; today is our last day of the cycle and for a change, things haven’t been so hectic.

I’ve spent some time in front of the TV. This weekend is a Lonesome Dove weekend on AMC.

Those of you who know me know that I’m a HUGE Robert Duval and Lonesome Dove fan. I can quote most of the movie and watch it (or episodes of it anyway) at least once a week.

It’s kind of a neat coincidence that Lonesome Dove is on this weekend because I was planning to talk about the mini-series and Robert Duval in one of my post this week.

My daughter is a librian here in the city and she brought me a movie that I hadn’t even heard of yet.

The movie’s title is “Get Low” and is WELL WORTH THE WATCH!

It stars Robert Duval, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black and Bill Cobbs. It fictionalizes a true story from the 1930′s in Tennessee.

Duval’s character, Felix Bush; carries 40 years of guilt.  He lives as a hermit, alone and secluded with his guilt until he sences his death is near. He fears he’s too weak to tell his story and can’t find anyone to tell it for him.

The movie is full of irony and ironic twists as Felix Bush prepares to “Get Low”.

This is not a movie review site nor am I an avid movie goer but Trust me … you’ll enjoy this movie!

Here’s the trailer for ya …..

 

Another great thing about this movie is the sound track.

It features Alison Krauss and her song Lay My Burden Down. Ahhhh Alison Krauss! The voice of an angel. Here’s a video of her performing Lay My Burden Down …..

 

 

And just because I like her so much and this is MY site …. I’ll thorw in another Alison video … Paper Airplanes ..enjoy!

Ok, that’s all for tonight … I’ll check in over 4 day. Until then, Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 26, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, news, rescues, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Product Review Channel Lock #87 Rescue Tool

2 comments

Channel Lock has come out with a new Rescue Tool designed specifically for firefighters.

What’s even better is that this tool was designed with imput from firefighters. This tool improves upon and replaces the previous #89 Rescue Tool.

The #87 Rescue Tool is actually their 3rd addition of such tools and is Channel Lock’s answer for a smaller, pocket sized tool capable of performing the same jobs as its predecessor.

At 8.8 inches long and just over 1 lb. (1.1lbs) I think Channel Lock is on the right track.

I love getting the most out of anything … more “bang for the buck” if you will and the #87 Rescue Tool offers 5 functions in one.

The tool boasts a hardened cutting edge which easily cuts through soft metals and standard battery cables.

The jaws were designed narrow for those tight spaces while maintaining an adequate “bite”.

One handle has a tapered pry wedge

Above the wedge is a gas shut off slot

The other handle is a spanner wrench

Channel Lock’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Ryan DeArment; says …

“The #87 is easier to carry, enabling firefighters to have all the essential functions they need in one tool, which can be kept right at their fingertips while on the job.”

As mentioned, at 8.8 inches and 1.1 lbs, the #87 does fit easily into my bunker pants and  is 2 inches shorter and 30% lighter than the previous #89 edition.

While the #89 is well suited for the tool box of an Engine or Ladder company, the #87 meets the needs for a pocket tool. The mouth opens wide for a good “bite” on soft metals or battery cables.

She opens up to about 12 inches offering ample leverage for prying, use of the spanner or utility (gas valve shut off) control.

The tool has  somewhat rounded edges that are not abrasive to an ungloved hand. The form and shape fits easily in your hand and  does not slip.

We have used the #89 tool (the previous edition) here at Lucky #13 for some time now with positive feedback and results. The #87 Rescue Tool has been a welcomed edition and without a doubt is easier to carry with you. For those of you familiar with the previous edition (the #89), I should note that the #87 does NOT have the hardened punch on the end of the spanner. I like that function on the #89 but also understand how the punch would not work well inside a pocket.

Another GREAT feature of the #87 Rescue Tool is in it’s pricing. Starting June, 2011 Channel Lock is offering a “Buy one, Donate one” program.

This program enables anyone who purchases a #87 Rescue Tool to “donate” another to the firefighter of their choice … two tools for the price of one! This program is ONLY available at Channel Lock.com

For those of you who have been looking for a multi-purpose, light weight durable tool to carry, give the Channel Lock #87 Rescue Tool a shot and tell em Ironfiremen.com sent ya.

Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 26, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Off the “sick bed” and back to work …

1 comment

I have good news and bad ….  The good news is that it looks like I’m gonna live!
The bad news is that it looks like I’m gonna live … LOL.

It feels like I haven’t been here in weeks but I did manage to find my way to Lucky #13 today. I walked into the station to find a reserve Engine parked in the bay.

Normally, I hate riding a reserve. I’m not sure why but I do. Today, my feeling were a little different. This ol war wagon got me reminiscing ….

You see, this is now called Reserve Engine 902. It’s a 1991 Gruman. She has a 1500 gpm pump and carries 500 gallons of water. When purchased, she was Engine #5 and that’s where I was assigned.

Those were the good ol days … A private on one of the busiest companies in the City with a GREAT crew. We fought a lot of fire plus we were the sole extrication company in the City (with the exception of a Volunteer “squad” operated by the Roanoke Life Saving Crew). We were assigned to A-shift. The Captain was Tommy Dews. We went through a few Lieutenants (good and bad)  before Dennis Croft got the assignment and actually stayed. Now Captain Scott Mutter and I were the privates.

Boots is still off on light duty so we needed a fill-in today. Just like with Reserve 902, I soon was confronted with another relic from old #5 ….

That’s Dennis Croft. Dennis has been in local and National headlines here of late. He was terminated and then won his job back through the grievance procedure with the stipulation of being demoted. Currently, he’s working here on C-shift at “The Deuce” as a 1st Lieutenant.

See related Croft articles  HERE  and  HERE

The station is now closed, the engines assigned there long gone or in “Reserve” status. Dews is retired but Dennis, Scotty and I are all back on the same shift again. It brings back a lot of good memories. WE HAD A BLAST back then. We worked hard and played hard. That house and crew made the biggest impact of any on my career …. it’s where I became a good fireman. I could tell a thousand of stories but the statute of limitations hasn’t run out on most. The three of us once made a pact that the last one of us  living would write a book and call it “Last Man Standing” … LMAO Anyway, it was good to get back to work today and be surrounded by good memories.

After filling out Dennis’ “Rookie Book” (he’s only been back on the job for a few weeks now …LOL) we headed out to service a few hydrants. We do this twice a year  (spring and fall).

We were talking, telling stories etc while working and it got me to thinking about a few things that may be unique to our area. I’ve often been asked (while out of town) about the piece of steel in my left pant pocket. It’s a “hose pick”. When  I explain that we use them on “snap” hydrants, most people don’t know what I’m talking about.

The pic to the right is my hose pick. When I was hired, most every man on the job carried one.

My dad passed his down to me but I have it put up for safe keeping. The one I carry everyday was also passed down. This one came from now retired Deputy Chief Billy Southall. He gave me a pretty special speech when he handed it over … I’ll share it with ya another time.

Anyway, I know our hose picks are unique so snap hydrants must be as well???

I wish I knew a little more details of their history but don’t. I do know that at one time, the “snap” hydrants were made right here in town.

Now, I know that snaps have to be in other cities, I just don’t know how many are out there.

I’d imagine that they are primarily found on the East Coast.

I’ve worked mainly in the North West section of town and the majority of our hydrants are like the Muller pictured here.

When connecting, the “ears” or “snaps” are positioned at Twelve and six o’clock. You hook the top (twelve o’clock) first then use your body weight to push down and snap six o’clock into place.

After you make the connection, you then spin the ears to the three and nine o’clock position (as shown). You do this so the weight of the hose, adaptor or appliance can’t cause the coupling to disconnect.

After the job, at when the hydrant is off; you spin em back to the twelve and six position to disconnect.

The hose picks are used as a mini pry bar of sorts.

Kinda cool and a piece of our history. When I came on the job, we used 3 1/2 inch supply line. Most of the time we laid singles but if enough fire was showing we’d lay a double. Now, we use 5″ and mostly use the 2 1/2 discharges for gate valves etc. I know there will be some of you out there who have never seen a hydrant like this or heard of snap couplings or hose picks.

 I know how ya feel…. I was the same way when I visited Chicago and Hollywood …. check out these beauties!

See the related posts for the above pics  HERE   and  HERE

LOL … see what I mean??? And you guys though WE were weird…LOL.  Anyway, I curious if any of you have snap hydrants. If ya do .. or anything else odd or unique hydrant wise, drop me a comment and or pic…. I’d love to see em and hear the story.

So, the rest of the day has pretty much been routine… I hope tonight holds the same. I’m just getting back to my posting routine so hang with me while I get back in the groove.

Firehouse Expo  is just around the bend (July 19-23) in Baltimore, Md. Rhett Fleitz ( “Fire Boy” Fleitz aka..The Fire Critic) and I will be there and have several exciting announcements to bring to ya before hand.

I have a couple “Product Reviews” to bring ya this week as well …. busy busy as usual.

 The good news is that I’m catching up on the farm so I should have a little more “puter” time for ya.

The Buckaroo and I have been working doubles to catch up and we’re making progress. As long as he has some candy, juice and his pistol he’s ready to go! LOL

The big barn is full, we are working on some smaller barns and rebuilding another.

I love the site and smell of a barn full of fresh hay!

I have been a little disappointed in the Buckaroo here lately …. I’ve caught him sleeping on the job a couple times now.

Here’s 2 short videos for all you Buckaroo fans … enjoy.


Until next time … stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 22, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Father’s Day catch up ..

No comments

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY !  Tonight’s post is late because I’ve been going as hard as possible today in an effort to “catch up” from being sick. Despite working all day, I had a wonderful Father’s Day. The girls had the Buckaroo up early and we got to spend the entire day together. He was so excited. “I know a secret Paw-Paw” …. The girls had baked me a “cake” and that was all he could talk about. It was supposed to be a secret but he REALLY wanted a piece so he had to tell me all about it. What made even more funny is the fact that they didn’t bake a cake at all …. it was a pie but I guess they are all the same to a starving 3 year old.. LOL.

The girls also made me a GREAT dinner tonight and for the first time in a long time, we all got to sit down together and eat. The perfect gift .. FAMILY.

I’m fortunate all the way around. Not only am I a happy  father with 2 beautiful daughters, I also have 2 fathers of my own who are very active in my life … a father and a step-father.  My dad ..aka “Pop” is retired from the job and lives here in town. When he’s not playing golf or traveling the country hauling Nothin Fancy, he can often be found on the farm helping me throw hay.

My step dad .. Jerry lives in North Carolina. I don’t get to see him as often but he always makes up for lost time. Most recently, he has been traveling here to help me rebuild my barn. It’s been a long, slow and difficult process but I couldn’t have got this far without his help. This barn will out last me …

You guys already know that I’ve been sickly and way behind on my postings. I had intended to post on a great potential gift for Father’s Day but didn’t get it up in time. I will post more on this product in the very near future in the form of a “Product Review” but will give you a small sample for now.

This is Channel Lock’s #87  Rescue Tool.

This tool was designed specifically for firefighters and developed from firefighter comments / input.

It is 2 inches shorter and 30% lighter than their previous #89 Rescue Tool.

Whats even better is that now, you can get 2 for the price of one through their “Buy one, Donate one” program. That’s right .. 2 for the price of 1 !!

The “Buy one, Donate one” program is available only at  Channel Lock.com   Check out their site and tune back to Ironfiremen.com for a complete “Product Review” later this week.

Just because I’ve been down and out doesn’t mean everyone else has…

It seems as though good friend and fellow Blogger   “Hydrant Gal” Has been busy showing off  her ass   … tail.

LOL … that’s NOT Hydrant Girl on the left but she really did show her “back side” Check out her site and the butt in the air pic  HERE .

The pic on the left came from a site I never would have figured … from STATTER!

Oh yea … it appears as if Dave is taking a few notes from Ironfiremen.com and using a little nudity on his site…. I knew you’d come around Dave! LOL .. all kidding aside, Statter is always a true professional and the pic is attached to an interesting article. Check out Dave’s site and that post  HERE .

Roanoke has made Blog and National news while I’ve been down this week.

I posted on our latest LODD, Firefighter / Paramedic Dave Palmer  HERE. I mentioned in the post how I wished it was better attended. Apparently, Rhett felt the same and published a great post over on The Fire Critic. It’s another “MUST READ” from Fire Boy Fleitz …

Go To The Funeral .. You Owe It To Them

Captain Dennis Croft has once again found himself in National headlines and on Curt Varone’s site Fire Law. Captain Croft recently won a grievance after being unjustly terminated and was awarded his job back. The battle took almost a year and resulted in his demotion to the rank of 1st Lieutenant. Croft has now filed a sexual discrimination suit against the city that seems bullet proof. Pay off on this one could be HUGE. Get all the details and be sure to follow the case on Curt’s site  HERE .

To finish up for the night, The National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation has published their preview of  “Courage To Be Safe” with the Chicago Fire Department over at Everyone Goes Home.com    Here is the preview … the  completed video is scheduled to be out late this summer.

That’s all for tonight .. I’ll check back in the next day or so … until then, stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 20, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, news, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Health Care in Roanoke SUCKS!

1 comment

Sorry I haven’t been here in a while but I’ve been trying to die. Much to my dismay, and due in NO WAY to the health care services in Roanoke; I think I’m going to live.

I’ve always told the people close to me that if they ever heard that I was in the hospital and that if they really needed / wanted to see me again (like if I owed them money or something) that they had better come quick.

I DON’T DO DOCTORS OR HOSPITALS.

I thought it was just a really bad case of “hay fever”. You know ..congestion … nasty cough .. can’t get that junk up or down.

After 3 weeks, countless hot tubs, steam baths,  bourbons and honey etc I didn’t get better. Actually, I got worse. Good friend and closet pharmacist Baron “Smurf”  Gibson insisted I go buy some medicine with guacamole in it. Metamucil or something (Mucinex with guaifenesin). Didn’t help. Again I got worse.

It got so bad that I couldn’t breath. Literally. I couldn’t take a breath deep enough to fill my lungs … I felt like I was suffocating. If I tried to do anything … work like .. it got worse. This was not a “just work through it” or “sweat it out” cold.

I decided I needed to seek medical attention but because I never go to the Doctor, I don’t have a family physician. At least I didn’t think I did. Turns out, I do and my dad convinced me to go.

So, I got up early ( got out of bed early … there was no sleeping in my condition), took an extra long shower, brushed my teeth 3 times and even put on clean under britches. I got there 15 minutes after they opened and the place was already PACKED.

I signed in and was directed to the “sick” people side of the waiting room. I waited 30-45 minutes until they called my name. Then, I got to go sit at a tiny desk and tell a perfect stranger all my intimate details. Then, out of the blue; it hit her … “wait … you don’t have an appointment ?”

NEWS FLASH LADY …. I don’t have an appointment because I DIDN’T KNOW I WAS GONNA GET SICK!!!

She then ever so politely told me that I couldn’t be seen “right now” and that I would have to make an appointment. I asked her how long my wait would be … what time could I schedule the appointment for? … LMAO .. I must be an idiot!  3 WEEKS ! They could see me in 3 weeks! I told her that would be fine but I needed to change my address. I told here to look up the local funeral home and use their address because if I didn’t see a doctor soon, that’s where I’d be. She didn’t see the humor.

I tried to explain to her about my job and how hypocritical it would be if I went to the ER. The emergency room Doc is NOT a family physician. She advised me to go to the “Urgent Care”. Turns out, thats located at one of old old hospitals here in town. When it was a hospital, it was not the one I would have chosen. I figured that since it’s now an “Urgen Care” vs. hospital / ER that it would be different.  NOPE.

There I sat .. another hour and a half surrounded by every drunk, sick and stinking SOB that could manage to crawl through the door. You would think that if you knew you were going to see a doctor that you would at least shower right? I mean … where did these people think they were going when they left their house?

I finally get to go back to a bed. I figured that since the hospital shut down and the facility was now a “Urgent Care” that they would have remodeled … wrong again. Just like I remembered the old ER.  They put me in a room with six beds separated by curtains. The other 5 beds were full. Doctors and nurses visited and treated those 5 while I and everyone else within 100 feet heard their every word. The best stories came after the doctor or nurse left and the pt behind the curtin talked things over with their friend (who brings a friend to the doctor with ya?).

After freezing my tail off behind that curtain for another hour, the Doc decided to pay me a visit. He was obviously a busy man and didn’t want to waste too much of his valuable time on me. It was obvious he wasn’t listening to a thing I told him and I was about at the point where I had enough. He decided to take a listen to my lungs … he straightened out and gave me an inquisitive look before going back in for a second listen.

Hummmm …. “you’re tight”.  NO SHIT ! That’s why I’m here .. what do ya think about a chest x-ray? Some blood work, a breathing treatment, a steroid and maybe then some anti-biotics? Step by step I walked him through the paces.

A few more hours and turns out that I have a severe case of bronchitis that was damn near pneumonia. I got a box full of meds and even get to carry an inhaler for a week. It’s helping … I’m not 100% but at least I can breath!

So there ya have it … that’s why I haven’t been here for a while. Now that I’m back on my feets, I gotta try to catch up on the farm work as well as here on Ironfiremen. I have several topics / items that I need to post on and I’ll try to get back on the job and catch ya up tomorrow.

Until then, Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 18, 2011 • Filed under: ems-health-safety, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , ,

Line of Duty Death. David Palmer, Firefighter / Medic Roanoke Fire/EMS

7 comments

I have so many mixed feelings that I’m not sure where to begin.

David “Big Dave” Palmer, age 54 was laid to rest yesterday after an almost 2 year battle with cancer. He was buried with Fire Department honors.

Read local coverage HERE .

If you took the time to hit the link above, you now know that Big Dave was the 2nd (and possibly one of three) Line of Duty Deaths in Roanoke since 2009.

His type of  cancer (rectal) is considered “presumptive”. By law, it is “presumed” that certain types of cancer are contracted from or through the job. As firefighters, we are more sussable to various types of cancer due our exposure (or potential exposure) to various toxins etc.

Big Dave received full honors for his burial and is concidered a “Line of Duty Death”. He didn’t die on the job but his duty most likely killed him.

He had been retired for almost 2years now but what the paper didn’t say was that it was his illness (cancer) that forced him to retire in the first place. Can we trace the illness back to a time or place? To a specific incident or exposure? … NO, but I can assure you that he had hundreds of oppurtunity to contract this deadly diease.

I was Big Dave’s Captain for several years. Before my promotion, in 2000 I was tempararly assigned to the position and detailed to Engine / Medic #3-A (the “Old” #3). That’s a picture of us above right. At the time, #3 was on of if not THE busiest company in the City. Some will argue that Station #5 ran more calls and I believe that to be true (I was also assigned to #5 for some time as Private). What the numbers don’t show is that Engine #5 was the sole extrication unit in the City (so they ran all MVC’s etc). The stats back then also did not reflect “working fires” and although #5 ran more calls, Engine / Medic #3 fought more fire.

Photo by Mike Overacker at Roanokefirefighters.com

Now, as his friend and former Captain; I’ll be the first to tell ya that Big Dave was not overly excited about fighting fire. As a matter of fact, he  would have rathered not to  have had to.  It wasn’t his “cup of tea” … maybe even a little outside of his comfort zone.

It’s not what he was brought up doing BUT HE DID IT.

He did it the best he could. I was a young and agressive Captain with high expectations and standards and Big Dave was the Senior man. He came up as a Medic and back then, Fire and EMS were two seperate Departments. He didn’t know what a “Senior Man”  WAS much less the responsibilities attached to that position. We were brought together due to a merger…. fire and EMS.  Firemen were then forced to do EMS work (that they knew nothing about and didn’t want to do in the first place) while EMTs and Paramedics were placed in situations where they had to fight fire.

HUGE obsticiles for both sides (we are still seeing / feeling the affects of the “merger” even today) but Dave adapted just fine. There were times when I could have choked him (or he could have strangled me) but together, we learned how to make our company work. I don’t know the numbers but I ran countless medical calls with Big Dave. He was a GREAT Medic. He worked at a “pace” (his own) but it was methodical. We had code saves, delivered babies and even sent a few to the morgue. I dare say there weren’t many variations of calls that Dave hadn’t run. And he did fight some fire. Like I said … he WAS at #3 and with me.

We went through a few doors together. Sometimes I’d have to push … other times I humped a little hose and watched with pride. The fires always went out.

Dave loved to come out of a job and see how his helmet looked. The more smoke and char, the better (and we were not sitting there cooking gear).  It was a badge of honor for him … he could show (or look at it and know) that he had “been there”.

When he was forced to retire, Dave wanted his helmet. Unfortunately, the Department couldn’t allow it so it was collected and  placed on a shelf to be re-issued. He wanted to pass it along to his son Michael but that wasn’t to be.

The good news here is that the helmet was never re-issued. It was still sitting on that shelf and someone thought enough to get it and present it to the family during the graveside services. Even though Dave didn’t get to hand it over with a ton of stories to go along, his son Mikey is now in posession of thathelmet. Maybe a few of us who worked with Dave can someday share a helmet story or two with Mikey.

 Big Dave had 26 yrs with our Department and 36 years total in service of his fellow man.

His funeral was fitting of his service … I only wish it had been attended by more.

There were several agencies represented. Big Dave worked as a Paramedic Preceptor for a local college, worked part time as an instructor and transport Medic for a private company and more.

They all stood by his grave. LifeGuard 10 (our local medivac) even did a “fly by” for the funeral.

The procession was filled with apparatus and rigs from around the area.

In the lead was our old Engine … a 1991 Grumman … Engine #3.

This rig is now a reserve piece but she was a hell of a ride in her day.

Ironiclly, Dave’s last assignment was at the new #3 on B-shift. He had also  been assigned to station #10 ( the Airport station)  for a stint between the old and new #3.

Old Engine 3 wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye during the services.

 

Once again, our Honor Guard did an exceptional job!

By his casket inside the funeral home or at graveside,  our Honor Guard served flawlessly. Their service and the performance of their duties had to make an impression on the family .. it always does on me…. WELL DONE boys!

I wont try to list all the names this time and I’m sure they didn’t do it for the reconition anyway.

Here are a few more photos  …..

 

 

More photos and story on VaFireNews.com

Obituary and more also on VaFireNews  HERE

My company was part of the service but had to remain “in service” (that’s why we are in Class “B” uniform vs. Class “A”). We positioned our Engine at the last intersection prior to reaching the cemetary. We stood at attention  in front of the rig and saluted as the procession passed by.

I wasn’t there for his first but watched as Big Dave Palmer took his last ride in the city. I hold several fond memories of our time together with a great crew at the best house in town … may he rest in peace.

Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 15, 2011 • Filed under: news • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Another Hectic Day In “The Noke”

1 comment

Well, hectic for me anyway.

It’s my 3rd and final day of  ”riding the car” this week. The Chief will be back to duty next cycle and I get to go back home to “Lucky #13″.

As I said, in an  earlier post  this week; riding the car isn’t  ALL  bad. Some days are better than others and for me, it’s always a little difficult in that you’re just “filling in”. You’re working with somebody else’s “system” if you will. It’s not like you come in and change everything around to how you would want / like things…. you’re not the Chief … you’re just filling in.

The good news is that I didn’t have any 2 bangers today nor have I burnt the roof off any structures. The bad news is that the tour isn’t over yet.

Today has been more of a run around day. Running around for this and that, TONS of paper work and of course a trip to the Chief’s office for a meeting …. I LOVE THOSE!

So, here it is 10:30 and I haven’t gotten a post up yet. I tried to tune in to tonight’s show on  Firefighter Netcast  but had to run. The good news there is that they put an edited version up a few days following the “live” so you can listen to their shows anytime.

So, since it’s so late; I’m gonna try for a quick post with just a few highlights etc …

photo by Mike Overacker of Roanokefirefighters.com

If ya caught Monday’s post, you know that I had a 2nd alarm fire last day. You would also know that “Fire Boy” Fleitz was working some trade time and was in the seat of the first arriving Engine. What’s more is that he also had the nozzle. He made a good knock on the fire but don’t tell him I said so … his head is big enough.

That said, EVERYONE on scene did a great job. Various things worked against us from the beginning and for what we had, the results weren’t so bad.

I mentioned in  Monday’s post  that I was first in and my next two rigs to arrive were Ladders. We had multiple Engines out of service for various reasons at the time of the incident.  The building was boarded up so I assigned the first in Ladder (Ladder 5) to open up and set to the roof for vertical ventilation.  I had to hold the 2nd truck down at the street ( a very long driveway to the fire building) until Rhett and his crew laid in from the hydrant. Once Rhett (Engine 3) got there, he was alone.  Well, as far as I ‘m concerned he was alone. You see, we run 3 man companies. We are assigned 4 but due to vacations, holidays, duty injuries, vacancies etc we end up running with 3 (never less).

So, when Rhett dropped a man at the hydrant all that was left was the driver / operator and him. I needed water on that fire and quick. I couldn’t send him alone so I had to attach the 2nd Ladder (Ladder 7). So now I’ve lost a ladder company to fire attack (of course our ladders run with 3 as well and the operator stays with the rig). 

See how this one started off on the wrong foot? 3 man companies SUCK!  Anyway, it all worked out in the end. The fire went out and we had no injuries. It just kills me knowing what “could have been” had we had enough Engines in place or 4 man rigs.

So, as you can see from the pic above; Rhett was happy to catch a little work. He probably still has that grin on his face. He posted 2 good articles on the fire .. check em out …

From Va Fire News.com   Two Virginia Fire Bloggers write about 2nd Alarm fire in Roanoke

From Fire Critic.com   I Caught a Job … Fire Critic and Ironfiremen.com on scene!

photo by Mike Overacker at Roanokefirefighters.com

The little fella has been busy with his postings today.

He has another good article over on Va Fire News concerning a Roanoke Firefighter being awarded $2,000 following an arson conviction.

I don’t know where or how the court came to the $2,000 figure nor do I believe that I’ve ever heard of a firefighter being awarded money following a conviction.

see the Va Fire News article  HERE   and read local newspaper coverage  HERE

I’m not sure about the details of how all that works. Will the money be paid directly to the firefighter? Will the money go to the City and then into the fireman’s pay check? If so, will it be taxed?

Can the convicted even afford to pay everything he was sentenced to? You would think that if he had that kind of money, he wouldn’t be setting fires to collect insurance money. I’ll be curious to see how it all works out. If you guys have even had a situation like this, drop me an e-mail or comment and let me know how it worked.

Va Fire News also has 2 articles up on the Va Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service which was held 6-4-2011.

I posted live coverage and a promotional video of the event HERE

I listed the name of some of the team from the Roanoke Valley but missed a few from Salem and Roanoke County. The two brothers from Salem that I missed were Smitty and Mike Elliston. They are picture left with the Roanoke guys. The County brothers must have slipped off somewhere because none of them are pictured but I now  know Jeff Lawson and Toby Martin were there.

See the Va Fire News articles   HERE   and  HERE   there’s even some video of the bag pipes!

ok, I’m gonna wrap it up and try to catch a little sleep. We start our 4 day break tomorrow and will back on Monday. I’ll check back before then though.

Until I do … stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 8, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2nd alarm in the “Noke”… 1st arriving pics and more.

4 comments

Wow … what a day!  I think I’m a “poop magnet” when I  ”ride the car”  because I always end up having days like this.

It’s been busy busy ALL DAY LONG.

Meetings, more meetings, paper work, classes, routine calls and then a 2 banger. I’ll start with some of the classes.

Lt. Jim Hylton and Firefighter Todd Releigh put on a DPO (Driver, pump operator) class today. They had members from our Department as well as from other surrounding Departments. It’s a great class for new and old pump operators. As you can see, they even cover drafting which is something most of our City Firefighters don’t have a lot of experience with.

We also had ARFF training scheduled today for a couple of our City companies.

The first session was attended by Engine and Medic #3.

Yea…. that’s the ol “Fire Critic” himself pictured with Captain Clayton Martin of #3-C.

I guess things have been a little too slow for “Fireboy Fleitz” over on A-shift so he traded a little time to get over on C-shift for a day.

I bet if he had known how hard we were gonna work him, he may have just stayed home.

The temps were soaring despite the early start. That’s the air craft simulator pictured behind them. It uses propane to simulated fires in the tires, engine and passenger compartment. They also use the mat to simulate fuel fires.

We also have a Recruit School in progress over at our Regional Training Center. The school last 14 weeks and is comprised of recruits for the City, County and Salem. Tonight was their “night burn”. I had intended to make it over and grab a few pics but things didn’t work out.

Just after lunch and prior to my next “meeting” for the day, companies were toned out for smoke from a building at one of the local NW parks.

I arrived first and this is what I found … I called for a 2nd alarm in my size up.

You are looking at side “Delta”. The drive allowed me to approach from “Brovo”, drive past “Alpha” and set up just off the circle drive way on “Delta” where I also got a good view of  side “Charlie”.

The building was vacant and boarded up.

My next arriving truck was Ladder #5 with Captain Croft, Gish and Brady McDonald.

Those boys jumped off the truck, opened up and got the stick on the roof in NO TIME. Solid work.

The 2nd arriving rig was another Ladder (L7) ! Yea … I needed an Engine and QUICK.

Fire Boy Fleitz was there (riding the seat of Engine 3) but was still a few blocks out catching a hydrant. We had to hold Ladder 7 until Rhett and the boys from 3 could get into side “Alpha” with the water supply.

Engine 3 laid the line and took “the address” while Ladder 7 then positioned on side “Bravo”.

Engines 4, 2 and 1 followed and we pushed in for a quick knock down and searches.

“Fire Boy Fleitz” had the nozzle.

They made it back for a quick knock down and were backed up by a  company on the 2nd floor and another headed to the attic for extension.

That’s where she gave us a little trouble.

Upstairs, they encountered 12 foot ceilings that were sheeted with multiple layers of plywood. There was no stairway or scuttle hole for easy access to the attic.

They were getting the saws, attic ladders etc in place to make a good access but the fire just had too much of a hold. All companies were ordered to evacuate the building and report with PAR (personnel accountability report). Once we knew we had everyone out and accounted for, we opened the ladder pipes and ground monitors into the dormers and through our vent holes.

We got a good and somewhat quick knock down of the attic at that point.

Shortly after, we shut the master streams down and got the crews back in there to mop it up.

All searches were completed and found to be “all clear”.

Extensive overhaul was conducted and the fire was  marked “under control”

Thanks to all the members on scene for a great job … SOLID WORK!

I’ll throw in a few more random pics …

See more photos for Lt. Mike Overacker (Retired) HERE

We also have been expecting a guest tonight. Two firefighters from Washington DC are ridding across the Country to raise money and awareness for ovarian cancer. That’s 6,000 miles on a motorcycle. The brothers left DC today, stopped in Richmond for lunch and were scheduled to eat and sleep here at Station #5 tonight.

Their trip didn’t start out so well. One of the riders crashed. He was unable to continue due to the damage to his bike but from what we can tell, he escaped with only a broken toe. After assuring his travel partner was ok and all details were taken care of, one rider decided to tackle the journey alone.

Oleg Pelekhatyof DCFD Engine #4 arrived at the station around 08:30 tonight.

Just in time towash up and eat.

He looked tired,  hungry and like he needed a little rest. I mean who wouldn’t ?? Look at the seat on that thing …. LMAO

 

Obviously, the bike pictured above right is NOT what Oleg rode in here on.

Here’s a shot of him and bike he DID ride in on … a Harley.

We got him cleaned up a bit, filled his belly and had some good conversation.

Mike Elliston from Salem dropped in to welcome him as did our Chief of Department David Hoback.

The boys from 5 presented him with the station’s  Challenge Coin and we snapped a few pics before tucking him into bed. Here are the pics ..

 

Learn more about  Oleg,  his journey, and donate to the cause  by visiting his site HERE

That’s all for now .. Im going to bed. I’ll check back in tomorrow or Wednesday. Until then, stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 6, 2011 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Back to duty ….

5 comments

Well, vacation is over and I’m back to duty. I was kinda hoping for a slow day but in the Fire Department, that’s always a gamble. Our Battalion Chief is off on vacation this cycle (Sat, Mon, Wed) so I’m bumped up and “riding the car” (our term from riding the Chief / Battalion vehicle).

Riding the car has both good and bad points. On the good side, you’re not tied to a single company. When I’m at my regular assignment (“Lucky” Engine #13) we are confined to our “first due” territory. When riding the Battalion, my first due is the entire “North side” but I can roam basicly anywhere within the City limits .. North or South.

The bad side is all the scheduling, paperwork and additional responsibilities. Riding the car also means that you’re assigned to every fire run within your Battalion …. ie: you run more calls. Thankfully, it hasn’t been too busy on me today.

Nothing major to report so far.

I ran a vehicle fire earlier this morning with our brothers from the South Side (“The Big Show” … Station #1).

The fire was on our side of the tracks but in one of the locations where both North and South side companies respond.

The Brothers got in there fast and made quick work of the job. It was a “can handle” for the Engine and Medic.

The call came in as next to and spreading to a structure so it got a “full response”.

That means 2 Engines, a Ladder, a Medic unit, an EMS Supervisor and the Battalion ran the call.

Of course the vehicle was nowhere near the structure so the “can handle” signal was given and most companies returned to service.

It was kinda funny, I ended my last shift with a car fire and started this one with another.

The remainder of the day has been routine runs, a little R&R and some paperwork.

Since I’m bumped to the Battalion, “Georgie” and “Boots” have bumped at Lucky #13 as well.

When I’m off or away, my Lieutenant (George Perdue) steps up and operates as the OIC (Officer In Charge) of the company. In turn, that also means that “Boots” (Todd Harris) moves up to the driver’s seat.

They have had a fairly busy tour today.

Georgie sent me this pic of a vehicle vs. a boat ….

LMAO … a vehicle vs. a boat in the city … imagine the things running through your head en route to that call

Obviously, the boys made quick work of this incident as well .. no serious injuries.

My last post was on today’s events in Richmond, Va. Today was the Va. Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service. Our Honor Gaurd participated in the ceramony and we had several Chief Officers and members in attendance as well. One of our own, Battalion Chief Billy Obenchain; was one of the 7 members honored today.

I had several postings on Chief Billy, his battle with CTCL and his passing here on the site. View on of my favorites  HERE .

The 7 members remembered and honored today were .. Billy Obenchain, William “Danny” Altice, Posey Dillon, Timothy Pigg, Carl Persing, William “Hal” Clark and Zyglmantas Zalys. We should also take a monent today to remember our two brothers lost in San Francisco. Today we learned that FF/Medic Anthony Valerio did not survive his injuries sustained in a house fire this past Thursday. His Lieutenant,  Vincent Perez died at the hospital that morning.

I didn’t get to watch the entire live coverage today but I understand that it was a beautiful service and that our Honor Gaurd represented us well. I’m sure Chief Billy was looking down on the boys proudly and with a smile.

The Honor Gaurd, families and most attendees received these “Challange Coins” … a VERY nice touch!

The members of our Honor Gaurd who were in attendance were … Battalion Chief Roger Manual, Captain Chris Trussler, Lt. Robert Reid, Lt. Dan Goodwin, Zach Obenchain (Chief Obenchain’s son), Richard Lipes, Travis Meador,  Josh Hull,  and Jeff East. There are also members from Salem and Roanoke County who serve in the Honor Gaurd but I’m not sure who were in attendance (sorry guys .. drop me a note and I’ll update the list).

In other news, The Roanoke Rampage played our last game of the 2011 season today against the Washington Generals in DC.

We were forced to play “Ironman football” again and sadly lost.

This finishes out our 2nd season in the National Public Safety Football League with a record of 1-3.

Obviously, I wasn’t able to make the game because I couldn’t get off or find coverage for my shift. I’ll post more on my thoughts and the team in the future but for now, I’ll say that I have been greatly disappointed with the support that we have received. I’ll add that I have also been twice as proud of all the coaches, players and staff for the job and effort put forth in an effort to support two great charities. There is a TON of work that goes on “behind the scenes” to make these events happen and much of that credit goes to our Team President and player Captain Todd Stone and his wife Marci. The players … what can I say? They take a beating in the name of charity. This is FULL CONTACT football folks … the hits are REAL. I am proud to have taken the field with these guys and want to say “THANK YOU” for the time and effort. I hope we continue building and play again in 2012.

Well I didn’t make it to DC but the Buckaroo took the girls up to support the team despite my absence.

Of course, since he was already there; he scheduled in a tour of DC as well.

And what would a tour of DC be without a trip to the Zoo??

LOL .. two monkeys!

Look at the little fella ride that thing…. is there any doubt why I call him my “Buckaroo”? LOL

That’s my boy …. if he can’t ride or eat it … he pees on it …LOL

I’ve gotten several text messages and calls and they seem to be having a good trip.

I think it’s just what the Buckaroo needed …. a short break from farming.

The last few weeks have been hard on the little fella.

What with all the  barn building, mowing, tedding, raking and baling hay and all…oh yea .. and let’s not forget the creek playing.

I think I almost wore him out.

He has slept like a rock every night

LOL .. whats up with that hair???

So there ya have it … I think I’m going to stop here for tonight. Hopefully, I’ll get back on a regular posting schedule now that I’m back to a normal routine and not working from sun up to sun down.

I will leave ya with another fire picture. This one is not from my Department or anywhere around here I hope. I don’t know any details. I can’t even remember where I snagged it … Face Book or Firefighter Nation. I do remember that the person in the photo was bragging on how he really cooked his gear.

Hummmmmm. A shed fire … stories and reports of “MAYDAYS” and Firefighter fatalities daily … is the guy in this picture smart? 

Where are his Officers? Who would let a man get into this position with a dry line? Why would you?

 Doesn’t look so smart to me …. you be the judge.  What do YOU think? Leave me a comment.

Stay SAFE and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 4, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Va. Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service.

2 comments

Today, the Va. Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service will be held in Richmond. The promotional video for the service is below ….

You can learn more about service and those being honored at  VaFire.com .

Watch   LIVE  VIDEO of the service beginning at 11:30 by clicking  HERE.

Stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 4, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Out of focus

1 comment

Obviously, I am not the ace photographer that my good friend and West Coast Brother Joe Schmoe is. I don’t have all the fancy cameras, lens etc nor have I attended any photography classes.

That’s all well and good because I’m not talking about  my photography being out of focus … it’s my life … my view point .. my focus.

Yes, I know I haven’t posted in almost 2 weeks now and I appreciate all the emails etc asking where I am and if everything is ok.

You see, I’ve been out of focus …errrrr … well …. focused on something else anyway.

This vacation from the firehouse was planned. I take one around this time every year … it’s the beginning of hay season.  Its about this time that I forget all about life and work in the big city and begin to concentrate on making the farm productive. The out of focus pic above was a fully involved car fire in the wee hours of the morning before I worked off and began my 13 day break.

Boots did a great job of knocking this one down.

I know it was just a car fire but I also have to say that this one was the most involved vehicle that I’ve seen …

The car was actually melting.

Of course it had no plates and the VIN number had been removed but for the life of me I can’t figure out why they left the wheels on it.

The good thing now is that I haven’t had to fool with this kind of foolishness for the last few weeks. My attention has been re-directed … re-focused.

We’ve had some good weather on the farm for a change and have made a huge dent on the needed work … we are filling the barns as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Round and square bales of good quality,  hay and straw.

The hours are long and the work hard but I enjoy it.

It’s kind of like why  I enjoy working on the job … you can see the fruits of your labor. On the farm, we plant seeds, watch them grow, harvest their fruit, feed it to our cattle and watch them grow.  You see results. The fire department is the same way. No matter if it’s and EMS run or a house fire … when you do your job and do it well, you make a difference that can be seen.

And, just like “on the job”, I also have a good crew behind me on the farm.

The crew always “makes” the Captain. Just look at my #1 farm hand … he brings his own tractor to work (forward center) and then jumps in the larger air conditioned piece (center rear … see him?).

LOL … the little fella can’t wait to start work.

It’s actually a win / win for me. I get good help plus a full night’s sleep. We are both so tired at the end of the day that we are only in the house for a few minutes before we are both sound asleep and snoring.

 

Well, SOMETIMES we make it to the house before he falls asleep … other times, he just passes out in the tractor ..

It’s not just the Buckaroo either. On the farm, it takes the whole family. My gals … wife Donna, daughters Randi-Jo and Reba have worked their fingers to the bone as well. Even my dad has made it out several days.

Throwing square bales … loading, unloading .. stacking. Mowing grass, tilling gardens, watering live stock and plants, fuel runs, tedding, raking .. you name it, they can and have done it!

The good news is that I’m and easy boss … yea.. just ask Boots or Georgie..(Boots even made it out a day last week to help with 600 bales of straw… you should have seen him in his “farmer brown” hat..LOL)

No kidding.. I’m a sucker when it comes to good help. I even give em bath breaks .. well creek breaks anyway..

The creek through the farm is heaven on earth when it’s 90 plus degrees outside.

The girls enjoy it but the Buckaroo LOVES it …

A little “rock chunker” is what I have …  For those of you in “Buckaroo withdraws”, here’s a short video from today’s cool down session…

So, there ya have it. The reason I haven’t posted in a while. The good and bad news is that it will soon be over. I’m back to work on Saturday and hopefully back on a regular posting schedule.

I have a ton of stuff to tell ya about and bring you up to speed on but I’ll do that in the next day or so. Thanks again for checking on me and for hanging in there with my lack of postings. I’ll throw in several more pics from the last week or so … enjoy

I’ll see ya soon … until then, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by on June 2, 2011 • Filed under: news