Iron Firemen Wooden Ladders & Iron Firemen
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LOL …. those are 3 basic things I try my best to avoid fooling with because you never know what’s going to happen!
I guess I should add natural gas to the list as well. I’ve always hated those “odor of gas” calls, especially when you can’t find the source. Well today, that wasn’t a problem.
First thing this morning, we were dispatched, single engine no doubt; for a truck that had hit a gas line. Something didn’t “feel” right so, while still en route; I requested a Ladder be added to the assignment.
We were more than a block away from the address when we ran into what seemed like a wall of gas. A truck working in an alley way had taken a commercial gas meter completely off a building and natural gas was free flowing through the 1 inch supply line.
What made it more interesting was the location. On one side of the alley is all commercial buildings. On the other side however is all residential.
A quick investigation found the meter completely broken off below the shut off and there was no cut off box in the alley or street side…. in other words … I couldn’t stop the flow! I established “command” and quickly upgraded to a full assignment.
My first assignment was directed toward evacuation. We evacuated an entire block (20+ adults, 4 children and 4 pets) before the gas company arrived and was able to plug the leak. Lines were laid, staging areas established, streets closed etc. We were VERY busy taking care of everything that needed taken care of.
Here’s the thing …. it all went as smooth as silk and I LOVE IT!!! I know it’s supposed to happen like that on every incident but we all know it usually doesn’t. This incident got big quick and covered a large area. It had all the potential to turn into a real cluster but it didn’t and that’s because of the companies assigned.
I don’t brag enough about the Battalion I work in. Rhett (FireCritic.com) and I don’t get to “publicize” or talk about the Department we work for because we (or our sites) are not endorsed or supported by our Department. It’s probably (and honestly) closer to the exact opposite of support and that’s a shame. As much as I’d like to be able to tell ya what a GREAT job our Department does on a daily basis, I can’t.
What I will say is what a GREAT job C-shift and the North Battalion of my Department does. Today’s incident would not have ran so smoothly without the well trained and disciplined Officers and members we have on shift. We could have very easily made Fire Geezer’s headlines today with another big “Ka Boom”. Thankfully, we didn’t. It’s always a good feeling when you leave a scene knowing that everything went exactly the way it should have. I had that feeling this morning and it’s all because of the 21 members assembled on scene (and our AWESOME dispatchers).
So, what I wanted to say is THANK YOU for a job well done to each and every member assigned to that incident this morning. Your professionalism and dedication to duty make our job much easier and it’s an honor to work beside you all.
Moving on … I hope everyone had a great Memorial weekend. I hope more so that you took the time to remember the reason why we have Memorial Day in the first place.
I took a moment to reflect on our fallen and what Memorial Day means to me.
I thought not only of our soldiers but also of the 343 murdered in the towers back in 2001. They too were on the “front lines” of the war on terror.
My thoughts also lingered on a family member taken too early. The picture to the left is in memory of my cousin, Chase Prasnicki who was Killed In Action on June 27, 2012 just 5 days after his deployment. I wrote about Chase and others in a 2012 post….
Read “Mixed Emotions” from the Ironfiremen.com archives. Click HERE
It was kind of a difficult and emotional day for me. Thoughts and memories of my brother Jackson weighed heavy on my mind and heart.
Being surrounded by family helped get me through the day. My youngest daughter, Reba; was working but my eldest, Randi-Jo; my wife Donna, the Buckaroo and Kevin all spent the day with me.
Like everything I do, it was quite the adventure. I came across a fairly big snapping turtle on my way home yesterday morning. I don’t know how he got where he was but I decided to give him a ride up to the house and introduce him to our little creek.
Of course the Buckaroo had to check him out first. I took some video of him trying to put the turtle back in the truck …. here it is …
LOL…. don’t worry. No turtles or the Buckaroo were harmed in the making of that video. The day got better.
After a little farm work, we all loaded up on the 4-wheelers (quads for those of you above the Mason-Dixon…lol) and headed to our fishing hole.
The Buckaroo was pulling em out right and left! Here’s another short video of that …
After some fishing, we took a nice ride on the mountain. It was very relaxing and just what I needed. If only it could have lasted longer!
Well, we start our 4 day break in the morning and Kevin and I will be starting our first cut of hay. As funny as it sounds, I’m a little excited about getting back to spending all day in the tractor. That too is a peaceful place for me…
I’ll try to keep ya updated on our progress as well as cover a few more topics that I’ve been wanting to visit. Until I get back, stay SAFE and in House!
Captain Wines