Archives for captain-willie-wines

See all posts in the network tagged with captain-willie-wines

Obituary and Funeral Arrangements for John Charles “Jack” Wines (Willie’s Brother)

This is Rhett posting for Captain Wines. He is unable to get to the computer during this time of mourning. I am handling a few things for him in his absence.

Willie’s only brother, John Charles “Jack” Wines, died this past weekend at the age of 41. Jack is the son of Retired Firefighter Willie Wines Sr. I have been with Willie over the past couple of days and he is maintaining. He appreciates all of the phone calls, emails, FB messages, and texts. He has kept up a little bit and it has helped through this emotional time.

If you have any questions, need information or addresses, or anything else please email me at firecritic@firecritic.com or text me if you have my phone number (it is on my Facebook profile.) – Rhett Fleitz

Funeral arrangements:

A Funeral Service will be held at 10 a.m. at Oakey’s North Chapel on Saturday, January 5, 2013, with Pastor Steve Van Houton officiating. Interment will follow in Fairfield Cemetery, Fairfield, Va., with a Graveside Service at 1 p.m. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, January 4, 2013, at Oakey’s North Chapel.

The address of Oakey’s North Chapel: 6732 Peters Creek Road Roanoke, VA 24019

Obituary: (online here)

John Charles (Jack) Wines, 41, of Roanoke, died on Sunday evening, December 30, 2012. Jack was in the landscaping business, enjoyed life and being with his family and friends. He was preceded in death by his stepmother, Peggy Wines; his paternal grandfather, Jack Wines; grandfather, William H. Creasy; and his maternal grandparents, Lloyd and Glenidene Hubbard.

Jack is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen Humphreys Wines; his children, John (Jess) Wines, Charles, Brook, and Amanda Wines; his grandchildren, Josiah and Johanna Wines; his father, William (Willie) Wines Sr. and wife, Robyn, of Roanoke; his mother, Carolyn Layne Creasy and husband, Jerry, of Indian Trail, N.C.; his paternal grandmother, Eugenia Wines, of Fairfield; his grandmother, Helen Creasy; his brother, Willie Wines Jr. and wife, Donna, of Catawba; his sister, Marci Barrier and husband, Aaron, of Indian Trail, N.C.; half sister, Jessica Marie Creasy, of Long Beach, Calif.; stepsisters, Lisa Clark and husband, Troy, of Buena Vista, and Sarah Duffy and husband, Derick, of Roanoke; stepbrothers, Jason Wade and Matthew Wade, both of Ferrum; also numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and many devoted friends.

Questions Remain for Botetourt County After Former Chief Arrested for Rape

3 comments

Hey there readers…yeah, both of you. This is The Fire Critic guest posting on IronFiremen.com. In a recent court appearance, the Judge asked Captain Wines to refrain from posting about now former Buchanan VFD Chief Billy Joe Carter. Willie is well known as “by the book Wines” so I have put this post together to keep you up to speed.

You see, Willie’s arch enemy; Billy Joe Carter is back in the news. This time, he’s been arrested on charges of rape. He’s being held without bond in the Botetourt County jail. He’s scheduled for a hearing on November 14th.

Related links HERE, HERE and HERE .

If you follow Captain Wines (Ironfiremen.com) at all then you’ll know the history between the two.

Carter was injured on the scene of a Botetourt County fire in early January 2012. Something caught Willie’s eye and he dug into the situation a little deeper. I don’t think he expected to find everything he did.

What he uncovered was a mess. The sad thing was that it went deeper than Chief Billy Joe Carter. It was actually deeper than The Buchanan VFD and, deeper than Botetourt County’s Department of Emergency Services.

Billy Joe Carter is (and was at the time) a convicted felon. He’s not the only one operating in Botetourt County as an Emergency responder. Willie took a hard stance against convicted felons serving in fire and / or EMS agencies and sought input from his followers.

The Media caught on and it turned into quite the show. Billy Joe Carter was self destructing and looked as if he would take the BVFD with him. You wouldn’t believe some of the things Carter said and did. Willie summed it up fairly well in his postings, check the links below

It got so bad that one of our local newspapers even called for Chief Carter’s resignation. The Editorial said “An asbestos suit can’t protect Billy Joe Carter from self conflagration ignited by his heated rhetoric and actions.”

It also said “Buchanan’s fire chief can quell the department’s public relations crisis with one action: his resignation.”

Read Step Down, Billy Joe Carter

Of course all the attention only fired Billy Joe up more. In July, he threatened not only Willie but his family. It was bad enough that Willie pressed charges.

It all culminated in these latest charges. It looks like Mr. Carter will be behind bars for a long time. He should be. It also appears Captain Wines was right. This is the exact behavior and outcome Willie warned about.

It was never 100% about Billy Joe Carter as far as Willie was concerned. It was more so about the liability that Botetourt County was accepting in allowing him to serve. The interesting thing is that Carter was not the only convicted Felon serving in Botetourt County. There are others serving throughout the County still today, some even as Chief.

Carr Boyd, Botetourt’s Director of Emergency Services since March 2012 had his hands full when he accepted the position . It seemed as though he had a good grasp on the Buchanan “issues” but also had his hands somewhat tied due to the timing of his appointment.

Billy Joe Carter took care of himself and now, the Buchanan VFD has voted to relinquish their status as an independent origination and turn control of the Department over to Botetourt County. Boyd will appoint a Volunteer Captain who in turn will appoint 2 Lieutenants. There will no longer be a volunteer Chief’s position. “Botetourt County’s Department of Emergency Services will assume responsibility for managing the Buchanan department’s finances and operations”.

Buchanan volunteer firefighters get new management: Botetourt County

It will be interesting to see if Boyd and Botetourt County continue the clean up of their system beyond Buchanan or if they’ll allow the remaining convicted felons within their system to continue serving. Willie said it best when he said “It’s like letting a fox in the hen house”. What if Carter had been on a call when accused of and charged with rape? Was he “on duty” when he made those previous threats? If so, could Botetourt County be held liable?

How many more Billy Joe Carters can Botetourt County afford?

Well I think I have covered it pretty well. I better get back to FireCritic.com before my readers start thinking Willie and I are the same person

- The Fire Critic

Posted by The Fire Critic on November 9, 2012 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, videos • Tagged: Botetourt County, Botetourt County Emergency Services, brotherhood, Buchanan 4th of July Carnival, Buchanan 4th of July Parade, Buchanan Vol. Fire Chief Billy Joe Carter, Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department, Capt, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Captain Wines, convicted felons, Dave Statter, Fire Critic, firefighters, Harmony Rose, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, police stand off, Porn Star, Rhett Fleitz, Roanoke.com, shoot out, Steven Patrick Prease, The Roanoke Times, Willie Wines Jr, Wooden ladders and Iron Firemen

Buchanan / Botetourt Back in the news… a 50 minute water rescue.. 4 saved

1 comment

From WSLS ….
From Morgan Donnelly, WSLS reporter in the field

Botetourt County rescue crews saved four people, after their canoes tipped in the James River.

Two men and two women were in the canoes, according to a conservation officer with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The four flipped in a heavy brush area near Buchanan.

It took 50 minutes for rescue workers to save them.

EMTs took one man to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for hypothermia.

Story link HERE

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 1, 2012 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, ems-topics, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, news, rescues, Uncategorized • Tagged: Botetourt County, Botetourt County Director of Emergency Services, brotherhood, Buchanan Vol. Fire Chief Billy Joe Carter, Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Captain Wines, IronFiremen.com, James River, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, rescue, Swift Water Rescue, water rescues, Willie Wines Jr, Wooden ladders and Iron Firemen

Of Honor and Respect

1 comment

Rhett and I are here in Emmitsburg, Md for the 30th annual National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation Memorial Weekend.

We made the 4 hour drive up yesterday and checked in around 2pm. It is truly an honor to be here. I’ve said it many times but, honestly; words can not describe what you see and feel at this place. I hope you have the opportunity to attend some day. As you can see, the Buckaroo was excited and ready to make the trip with us but I think he needs a few more years under his belt before I bring him along. Plus, I don’t think he’s even seen his “Paw Paw” cry.

We will shed MANY tears this weekend and justifiably so. Rhett and I have teamed up with John Mitchel once again as Firefighter Netcast to capture some oral history of the fallen. All throughout the weekend, the families (survivors) of the fallen will have the chance to sit down in front of the mic with us and tell some stories about their lost loved ones. We don’t prompt or direct them in any way … they say and talk about whatever they want. To sit, listen and watch the wives, fathers, mothers, sisters etc reflect and remember the lives of the fallen is humbling to say the least. We capture some AWESOME stories and what an HONOR it is to hear them first hand.

There are all sorts of activities going on this morning.

We are set up and ready to go but the Honor Guard will be practicing all day. It still amazes me how they bring in so many members from Honor Guards all over the Country, mix em all together and have then in step and on time in a matter or hours.

Actually, this entire event is ran that way. The staff and members of the NFFF impliment the Incident Command System and run the weekend as one huge incident. Again, to see this system in action is awe inspiring.

The logistics alone involved in an event such as this unbelievable, and they do a FANTASTIC job!

We will update you guys as often as possible and provide “LIVE” video coverage of tonight’s candle light service as well as of tomorrow’s Memorial. We are also placing random photos on our Face Book pages when time allows so please be sure to check those often as well.

See photos of the 2010 Memorial Weekend from Ironfiremen.com by clicking HERE

One thing I’ll share with you real quick (and will hit more on later) is the fact that I’ve located the brick placed in memory of Chief Bobbie Slayton.

Bobbie passed away on January 8, 2011. He was not only my Battalion Chief, he was a great friend and mentor. My dad (now retired) drove Bobbie for several years. I couldn’t help but weep when I found his “Brick”. I hope Pop gets to see it one day … I know he’d be proud.

Read more on Chief Slayton and his passing HERE and HERE .

Bobbie spent most of his career on “B-shift” but for whatever reason, was moved to C-shift in his final years. It was C-shift (my shift) who collected the funds to purchase the memorial brick… THANKS to all who donated!

We are surrounded by friends and family here.

There is a somber feeling but one of unity and Brotherhood as well… I feel at “HOME” on these sacred grounds.

Keep checking back often as we will update whenever possible. You still have time to make the trip, so load up and hit the road… Rhett and I have an extra room that you are welcome to. Hope to see you here … it’s worth the sacrifice and nowhere near as big as the one those we are honoring made.

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on October 15, 2011 • Filed under: ems-topics, fire-rescue-topics, news • Tagged: Bobby Slayton, Buckaroo, Capt, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Willie Wines Jr, Chief Bobby Slayton, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, NFFF, Rhett Fleitz, Willie Wines Jr

How to motivate a Rookie …

3 comments

WELL DONE CHIEF !!

Stay Safe and in House !
Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on September 15, 2011 • Filed under: administration-leadership, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Chief Billy Goldfeder, FDIC Keynote speaker, firefighter, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Keynote address, motivational speakers, PG COunty, PGFD, PGFD Recruit Class, YouTube

Randy learns about penetration!

No comments

The aftermath of The Fire Critic, Ironfiremen.com and FireNews.net sharing a room in Atlanta for FRI 2011

Get your minds out of the gutter!

Atlanta was last week ! I’m NOT talking about the sofa bed episode.

Nor am I talking about Rhett and Jeff taking me to the gay restaraunt for dinner.

I’m talking about the fact that we ( C-shift ) returned to duty yesterday for the first time since FRI 2011. We had a busy day … a VERY busy day.

The title of the post refers to our con-ed training … trauma … “PENETRATING TRAUMA”.

Sorry I haven’t posted since my Atlanta “update” but I’ve been playing a little bit of “catch up”. Catching up here on the farm and while back on duty yesterday. I’ll start with the farm and things at home …

I have to tell ya … as much fun as I have traveling with Rhett, Jeff and Zach …. there is nothing that makes me as happy as seeing my wife, daughters and the Buckaroo waiting for me on the front porch when I get back to the house…. It’s good to be home!

The Buckaroo was wound tight! He had a weeks worth of stories to tell. What went right …. and what went wrong. He and his “Nana” did a little bush hogging while I was away. The result was a flat tire so that was the Buckaroo and my 1st chore of the day Monday morning! Here’s a short video for all of you Buckaroo fans …

The little fella is famous I guess. Once again I was honored and humbled to have several people approach me at FRI and introduce themselves as readers / fan of the site. Of all of the folks who came up to me like that, I’d say that 90% of them asked where the Buckaroo was and how he was doing. HOW COOL IS THAT.

Captain Wines and the Buckaroo load gravel

Well, rest assured the little fella got along just fine without me.

Of course we’ve been making up for lost time since I’ve been home.

Mowing and making hay. Cleaning and repairing.

We even had the chance to load a few hundred ton of gravel.

If it’s got wheels, hooves or will move, the Buckaroo can ride or drive it!

So, like I said … we’ve been busy but ok.

It’s difficult to go back to work after 13 days off but I had to do it yesterday. The good news is that I think Randy missed me as much or more than the Buckaroo.

1st Lt Mougin, Lt Rob Reid and Firefighter Travis Meador taking up on Ladder 5-C

Our Brothers from B-shift took a beating the night before and we started the day off running as well. The first of the month is always busy in our line of work.

Our first one out the door was a MVC that required Ladder 5 for a “door pop”.

Ladder #5 runs as the extrication company for the North side of the city .. Ladder #1 covers the South.

Nothing big or spectacular and thankfully, only minor injuries.

It was almost like old times with me, Lt. Bugg ( Rob Reid) and Wheezy ( Travis Meador ) on scene. This time however, they were under the command of 1st Lt. Thomas “Sanchez” Mougin.

The fellas made quick work of the task at hand. I’m proud of the work the “Melrose Misfits” have done since our split. I wouldn’t expect less !

It was a good run for Randy as well.

After assuring the vehicle was stable, he was assigned to enter, make patient contact and take c-spine control.

Later, he assisted in applying the KED and removing the pt from the vehicle.

Being a non-critical incident, it made for a good learning situation …. OJT or experience. The more he gets, the better.

Randy’s coming along just fine …. he just may turn out to be a good fireman!

Afterwards, we took in another run or two before lunch and then headed out for Department scheduled training. EMS con-ed .. WooooHoooo! Trauma. Head and chest injuries.

As soon as class ended, the storms hit !

We need the rain around here but not that much that quick.

Thunder, lightning, dime sized hail and rain so hard you couldn’t see 50 foot ahead. Of course you know what that means … “wires down” calls!

We had one to beat all others.

I’m still too upset to write about it without getting myself in trouble but TRUST ME … I’ll tell ya about it soon enough.

We ran most of the night. Our shift started with a MVC and ended with another.

This time, it looked bad.

A 4 door on its top with debris everywhere. The incident happened in a short straight stretch, near a traffic light in what should have been a low speed area (obviously, this vehicle wasn’t traveling at a low speed).

Dispatch called back to advise possible occupant ejection was we arrived.

The lone occupant had been ejected but survived with only a scratch … and a minor scratch at that. He was walking, talking, awake and oriented. It looked like a fatality or at least a serious injury on arrival. I guess some folks are just “living right”.

I’m not sure which one it is but either Boots or Randy aint living right because we didn’t get much rest last night. It’s gotta be one of them because I’m living at the foot of the cross ..LOL All kidding aside, I hope we have a better Sunday.

That makes it obvious that we’re back tomorrow and Tuesday. I hope all you folks have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. I have a lot of exciting news to pass along over the next few days and posts. Ironfiremen.com, FoxFire and The Fire Critic.com have some exciting news coming up.

Keep yer britches on … I’ll tell ya all about it soon enough. Until then, you folks Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on September 3, 2011 • Filed under: ems-topics, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, news, patient-management, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Atlanta Ga, Atlanta gay restaraunts, Buckaroo, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, farm life, Fire Critic, firefighters, FireNews.net, Fox Fire, FRI 2011, FRI Atlanta, gay restaraunts in Atlanta, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Jeff Harkey, ladder ops, MN8 products, MVA, MVA pics, MVA with roll over, MVC, penetrating trauma, Randy Armbrister, Rhett Fleitz, Rob Reid, taking up, Tom Mougin, Travis Meador, vehicle extrication, Willie Wines Jr, youtube videos

Busy last day before vacation

1 comment

Well, I’m not actually going on “vacation” but I will be off for 13 days if I can only make it to 07:00am tomorrow morning!

On Tuesday, Rhett Fleitz ( Fire Critic) and I will head out for Atlanta, Ga. and Fire Rescue International ( FRI ) 2011 ! We have a GREAT week planned and hope to see you there. While at FRI, Rhett will be facilitating a 90 minute discussion on Social Media and Incorporating Technology in the Workplace on Friday, August 26, 11:00 am-12:30 pm in the Firehouse Café. If you are reading this and will be at FRI then you should make plans to attend this discussion!

Rhett will also be working the floor of FRI for the new company he and partner Jeff Harkey just launched … Daily 911 Deals! You have GOT TO check these guys and the new site out. Their 1st “DEAL” is scheduled to go live tonight! Basically, they will provide various Fire, Rescue and Police products for a limited time, in limited numbers at GREAT savings! I know what the 1st deal is but don’t want to spoil their unveil. TRUST ME…. it’s is something you will want / need and the price is UNBELIEVABLE! If you haven’t registered yet hit the link above and do so NOW. Also, don’t forget to follow and like them on Face Book and Twitter.

On Wednesday morning, Rhett and I will participate in our 2nd 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb !You may remember that we, along with Salem Fire / EMS Captain Kevin Tottin; just completed our 1st climb while in Baltimore, Md. for Firehouse Expo. See related post HERE HERE and HERE . If you’re going to be in Atlanta and haven’t registered yet, you can do so HERE .

I will also be working the floor ( or a booth anyway ) with my good friend Zach Green for MN8 Products / Fox Fire ! We were a HUGE success at Firehouse Expo last month and I hope to improve on our sales while in Atlanta.

If you haven’t seen these products yet PLEASE take a minute to hit the link above. This stuff REALLY WORKS and will make your job safer! Drop by our booth and I’ll give you a personal demo. We have a completely darkened tent and when we get you inside where you can see the illuminating quality of these products, you’ll be amazed. I love the look on firefighter’s faces when they step inside.

If that’s not incentive enough for you to drop by, I think we will also have a couple of ”booth babes” on duty. They’ll be pretty enough to get ya to stop long enough for Zach and me to rope ya in and show you the product.

Like I said, take the time and stop by …. you’ll thank me for it!

We have a ton of other stuff on schedule for FRI as well. One of the events Im most excited about is that we were invited to a firehouse for dinner. I mentioned several posts back on the fact that we were planning to attend FRI. Next thing I know, I get an e-mail from Brother Mark Akins of the John’s Creek Fire Department. Captain Akins wrote of how he and his crew are huge fans of Ironfiremen.com ( of course, they had never heard of Rhett or Fire Critic…LOL ) Captain Akins extended several offers of good ol “southern hospitality”….. how could we refuse?

Rhett and I will be eating dinner at Station #63 on Wednesday night following the Stair Climb. I’m a little nervous because, as I understand it; Sergeant Tom Johnson (from the Rescue) will be the cook that night. Rumor has it that he’s a “box and can” cook. I received an anonymous note saying to pray that the can opener remains in good working condition or we may starve! LMAO …. I’m just kidding Sarge. Rhett and I are humbled and honored that you guys will share your table and break bread with us. TRUE BROTHERHOOD! We look forward to meeting you guys and can’t wait to sample some of your famous Hamburger Helper.

I’ll post more on our trip and plans in the next day or so …. I missed last days post because I had too much other stuff going on. Last day really wasn’t that exciting anyway, so you really didn’t miss much. I even had to ship little Randy out so the new “star” of the blog wasn’t here.

We shipped him out to Station #14 under the leadership and direction of Captain Robert Perdue. On a side note, Captain Perdue is off for a while due to having surgery today. Get well soon Capt and call if ya need ANYTHING. Any way, Captain Perdue is known as a slave driver who trains ALL DAY LONG. He was even assigned to the Training Division at one time.

Well, the Captain must have been in rare form on Wednesday because he wore my poor little Randy out!

They sent me this pic and and I blew a gasket!

Here I am trying to mold Randy into a fine tuned firefighting machine and Captain Perdue wears him down to a frazzle in ONE DAY! LMAO. They actually had a decent day of work. I asked Randy this morning what he learned while at the one, four. Now remember … he’s from Max Meadows, Va. His reply was that he learned that here in “town”, some men actually dress up like a woman! LMAO … I guess he has never seen that down in good ol Max Meadows.

Today, we got him right back into his groove. We started the morning with multiple runs back to back. He was assigned to cook again today and was actually spotted in the kitchen several times. Of course lunch was late but that was because of all the runs. We do need to have a class on how to drain the grease from ground beef! LOL … I though he fixed hamburger soup.

He did a little better at supper time with a little assistance.

Some kind of “chicken smack” in gravy, mashed potatoes, brocoli and home made mac and cheese … UMMM UMMMM !

Awwww.. his Moma is gona be so proud!

Today’s training was a little easier to stomach than Monday’s CPR training ( I still can’t get the images of him french kissing the manikins out of my head ..LOL ).

He worked on exposure problems and deploying a 2 1/2″ line vs. 1 3/4.

We got to talk nozzle selection, available GPM’s (gallons per minute) and effective stream application.

Another effective tool we carry here on Lucky #13 is a 500 gpm Mercury Monitor. With minimal reaction force, these bad boys are a dream to operate. That said, I hope it stays on the rig tonight!

We also had a few special Guests today. Not just special ….. VERY SPECIAL. Hillary and Sam are driving South for vacation. Against her better judgement, she decided to allow husband Dave Statter to tag along and figured they’d just drop him off in Atlanta along the way.

She said he’s been very excited to get out of Statter 911 Headquarters and that he LOVES riding with his window down. He’s made several request for “stops” along the way as he’s spotted items / locations of interest.

On today’s leg of the trip, he kept talking about firehouses and how he’d really love to see inside one. Well, Hillary knew her route would bring them through “The Noke” so she planned a stop here at Lucky #13.

Dave was like a kid in a candy store. It was all Sam could do to keep him under control ! LMAO

No Rhett … it’s NOT an optical illusion … that actually IS Dave Statter in a fire truck!

Hillary and Sam got to ride as well. Just a quick cut around the block but pretty cool all the same.

Despite Dave’s rich history within the Fire Service, Hillary and Sam have never rode on a rig of any sort.

They say you always “remember your first” and I had the honor of giving Hillary hers! LMAO just kidding Dave.

It was very cool that Dave and his family took the time to stop by for a visit. Despite what you read on our sites, Dave (and Hillary) is a GREAT friend and has always taken care of me and Rhett.

Hillary will be dropping Dave off in Atlanta to attend FRI. Rhett and I will hook up with Dave Wednesday morning at the Stair Climb. You’ll see a lot more of us and our escapades from Atlanta throughout next week. Dave also has a very special report coming to Statter911.com very soon…. check it often …. you wont want to miss this one.

OK, I have to get some reports completed. I’m gonna stop here for tonight but will check back in as soon as I can. Until I get back…. Thanks for reading! Stay Safe and In House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on August 19, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, vehicle-operations-apparatus • Tagged: Atlanta, booth babes, brotherhood, Captain Mark Akins, Captain Robert Perdue, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, CPR manikins, Daily 911 Deals, Dave Statter, EMS products, exposure protection, Fire Critic, Fire Department Ride Along, Fire Department training, Fire Rescue International 2011, Fire station #14, fire streams, firefighter products, Firehouse Cafe, firehouse cooking, firehouse meals, Fox Fire, FRI, FRI 2011, Ga., Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Jeff Harkey, John's Creek Fire Department, John's Creek Station #63, Lt. Rhett Fleitz, Max Meadows, mercury monitor, MN8 products, Police products, Randy Armbrister, Rhett Fleitz, Sgt. Tom Johnson, Social Media, Statter911, Va, Willie Wines Jr, Zach Green

Our dispatchers rock!

3 comments

It happens more often than not here lately but yesterday, all HELL broke loose!

Severe thunder storms hit the valley yesterday evening and lightning strikes, flash flooding and working fires soon followed.

It was chaos! EVERY truck in the city was on the road. Our first run had us heading from the edge of North West to the out skirts of South West (all the way across town).

Companies were running wires down, fire alarms, flooding incidents, lightning strikes and one actual working fire! Again, EVERY company in the city was rolling on multiple incidents with several more in the Que.

We’ve got less than a handful of dispatchers and each company / incident has to be assigned a tac channel etc. Multiple communications back and forth. Each officer thinking what he has to say is more important than the next. Officers wanting to “self dispatch” themselves to incidents.. take “this” rig off that incident , add “me” to it, “I’m closer than they are” etc …. CHAOS !

Our dispatchers did one hell of a job!

These folks never get their due credit or even a simple THANK You. For what it’s worth … I appreciate it. Lucky for us, we had a good shift on yesterday. Actually, the best as far as I’m concerned. The “Fire” dispatcher has been on the job for some time now. I love to hear her on the radio. Her voice calms and reassures me. I know she is listening and paying attention. She followsand knows whats happening. Although she remains professional and has never called me by name on the radio, I think we are comfortable enough with one another that she could and neither of us would notice. Our “Tac channel” dispatcher from yesterday does a very good job as well. He hasn’t been on the job as long but I hope he sticks with it. Good dispatchers are hard to find.

One of my sisters (Sarah) used to dispatch in the City. I can remember the first “working fire” where she was the dispatcher and I was 1st due. It was back in 2000 and I was Captain of the “old” Engine #3 on A-shift. I marked a “working fire” from the station due to the volume of smoke and location (Mountain Ave … approx 4 blocks from the station). I have a recording of that incident and listen to it on occasion still today. She was a good dispatcher (she’s now a Deputy Sheriff) . She had an understanding for the job yet had to sit there and listen to her big brother “doing it” and keep her cool. She did … and multiple times after that as well. Like I said … good dispatchers are HARD to find and we’re lucky to have a few!

Anyway, I just wanted to take a minute to say THANK YOU to ours and to remind you to do the same for yours. The next time your sitting around the station bitching about pay, benefits etc; think about these folks. They (ours anyway) are locked in a dungeon, minimal lighting and contact with the outside world at the very BOTTOM of the pay scale and our safety (lives) depend on them doing a good job.

For pics and to learn more about our E 911 Center click HERE

If you’re worried about how things worked out … hey … WE’RE THE ROANOKE FIRE DEPARTMENT! All incidents were handled in a timely manner. Nobody was injured or killed, the flood waters went down and the “Southies” put the fire out (GREAT Job Captain Mike Armstrong, Engine Co. #8 and other responding units). “Rookie Randy” did fine as well … he was prepared for ANYTHING!

LMAO ! Don’t worry “Moma Randy” … I’m taking good care of him!

Thank a dispatcher … Stay Safe and In House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on July 31, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, news, technology-communications, Uncategorized • Tagged: Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, dispatchers, E911, E911 Dispatchers, Fire / EMS dispatchers, flash flooding, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Randy Armbrister, severe weather, Willie Wines Jr, wires down, Working fire

Randy’s Moma …

4 comments

I haven’t met her yet but Im sure Randy’s moma is proud … if not, she should be. Me? … I’m undecided as of yet.

Now, don’t get me wrong … I like him. He’s eager to learn. Open to new ideas and challenges. He has adapted well to change and is a genuine good person.

See previous posts on “Rookie Randy” HERE and HERE

Cooking … Cleaning…. he’s had his fair share since being assigned to ”Lucky #13″ and I’m sure his moma would be amazed at just how well he preforms.

He’s done everything asked of him and more … well ALMOST.

If you remember, or hit the link above to the earlier post “I had to pull the book” you’ll know that before I went off on vacation I assigned Randy 1 task….. 1 !

For reasons I wont get into, he was assigned to memorize paragraph 4 of page 121 from Effective Company Command. I knew he would. He had completed every other assigned task above expectations. I had even told my wife that I bet he would be waiting for me when I arrived back to work on Thursday. I went as far to tell her that if he wasn’t there early and waiting on me, that once he did arrive; he’d come straight to me and recite the paragraph.

Well, he wasn’t at the station at 06:30 am nor did he come straight to me once he arrived at 07:00. It was almost like he avoided me. I gave him a bit to settle in then I asked him . LMAO … you shoulda seen the look on his face! He stuttered and stammered. It was almost painful to watch. But then, as I helped him word for word it became funny … comical. It reminded me of an old Andy Griffith episode …

LMAO !! That’s EXACTLY how his recital went … EXACTLY! Needless to say, I was disappointed but I can also assure you that Randy will have that paragraph DOWN PAT in no time!

Last day we worked on MAYDAY and today is SEARCH / RESCUE. I should have some good pics and an update for ya later tonight.

So, moving on; I have several things to update you on.

I got a comment / e-mail asking about our trip to Baltimore and Firehouse Expo 2011. Specifically, it related to the post “Looking Back on Baltimore …”

The comment basically was asking why I had not posted any pictures of Chief Billy Goldfeder and myself … if we had even seen one another there.

Well yes, I did get to see Chief Billy at Expo. Regretfully, I didn’t have the chance to buy him a beer but we did get to speak. The Chief spotted me on the floor and took the time to stop and say hello. Having the “mustache envy” I do, I took the opportunity to grab a pic. Yea … he has me!

I also didn’t get to post on much of the “fun” side of the trip.

Yea … Rhett and I always manage to have a good time even when on “business”.

We found a new “favorite” hang out …. ok a new favorite bar.

The PBR Baltimore !

This place was awesome!

I think we dropped in almost every night for cold refreshments and a good time.

For some reason or another, I was kinda popular in the joint …

I think it was my hat … everybody wanted to try it on..

Even “Fire Boy” had to try it on ….

I think he thought it made him look taller ..LOL

I hope they have one in Atlanta … we had a blast!

You can see in the pic with me and Rhett that they even have a mechanical bull!

Yea .. we rode it!

Well, some of us “rode it” … I rode it in STYLE … with a waitress!

And, While I’m back to Baltimore … I wanted to share a little more about one of our fellow climbers….Tommy Warshaw.

Rhett has known Tommy for sometime through Face and Twitter but they have never actually met.

I knew Tommy through the same means but not as well as Rhett.

Anyway, Tommy had contacted us to say that he would be at the climb and would love the chance to met us in person.

Obviously, we were thrilled and offered to buy him a beverage following the event. He made the climb so we bought the beer!

Tommy was one of the first ones up .. he climbed in group #3 (we were #19).

Tommy is “top notch” in my book … a GREAT guy!

He is the kind of brother who wears 2 hats for your safety and freedom. I say that meaning that he is also in the military. Tommy serves in the 34th Intelligence Squad out of Fort Mead, Md. while volunteering in the Fire Service. WOW !

Tommy thought enough of us (me and Rhett) to bring us a Challenge Coin from his unit.

Brought em and presented them to us before the climb!

Like I said … TOP NOTCH !

And like the coin says … “ONE TOUGH DUCK”!

It was and honor and privilege Tommy … THANKS!

Baltimore kinda followed me home. Well, it (or ”the Climb” anyway) will stay with me forever. What I meant by following me home was the fact that we received a special package here at Station #13 on Thursday.

Most of you know by now that I worked the booth for Zach Green and MN8 / FoxFire Products while at Expo.

I posted on how grateful Zach was in the “Looking Back on Baltimore..” post.

The fancy dinner, Champagne, bottles of Wine etc.

Well, I get back to the firehouse and the box arrives from Cincinnati, OH.

It took me a minute but then I put two and two together … yea … SIX! LOL

No, Zach is from Cincinnati.

We were like kids at Christmas!

Tore the box to pieces! Randy thought is was his birthday or something.

We got out the Irons, had a forcible entry drill and just lookie what we found…

ICE CREAM !!!

Not just ANY ice cream mind you … GRAETER’S ice cream!

OMG ! As Wheezy would say … “deleeeeshious” Thanks Zach..YOU ARE THE MAN!

So, that should about wrap up the Baltimore trip …. I know, I know … about time .. right? It’s been just as busy here around home. We’ve had 2 multiple alarm fires in as many days here in “The Noke”. If you missed them check out a previous post HERE .

We also had a retirement.

Our last day (Thursday July 28, 2011) was Firefighter / EMT Kenny Hurt’s last day in company.

Kenny was hired in the same group of 21 members that I was back in 1991. He was able to retire because we have what we call a “Rule of 70″. Although you will not draw your max pension, when your age and years of service add up to 70, you are eligible to retire.

Congratulations and good luck to Kenny!

Ok.. I’m gonna wrap things up for now …I’ll check back in a little later on. Until then, Stay Safe and In House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on July 30, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, fires, news, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: 34th Intelligence Squad, Andy Griffith Show, Baltimore fire, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Challenge coins, Chief Billy Goldfeder, Effective Company Command, Fire Critic, firefighter pics, Firehouse Expo, Fox Fire, funny videos, Graeter's ice cream, Graeters.com, Ironfiremen, Mechanical bulls, MN8 products, PBR, PBR Baltimore, Randy Armbrister, retirement, Rhett Fleitz, rookie firefighters, Tommy Warshaw, Willie Wines Jr, you tube videos, Zach Green

I had to “Pull the Book” !

5 comments

It’s been another busy day here at Lucky #13. The good news is that if I make it til 07:00 am tomorrow morning, I’ll be off for 13 days! WoooooHoooo! Rhett, Kevin Tottin and I will be heading up to Baltimore, Md for the 2011 Firehouse Expo ! I’ll have more on that trip in future posts but for now, hit the link above and make plans to attend.

Today has been busy all the way around. With a new “Rookie” in the house, things are always a bit busier. Today was no exception. We’ve been working on the “basics” with him over the past 3 days. Today was SCBA day.

The “word of the day” was ROAM

“ROAM” is an acronym for Rules Of Air Management .

That’s Randy pictured to the right sweeping the station floor while wearing his SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus).

Click Here for an earlier post about SCBA’s under ” Tricks of the Trade”

Now, I know you’re wondering (or at least his mom is) … Why would you have him wear an air pack while sweeping?

Well, I didn’t.

I made him wear it while sweeping, mopping AND mowing grass!

I need to know that he knows how to operate his SCBA. I’d rather find out here in the station than out on a fire.

I need to know that he wears it correctly and that he’s comfortable with it on. The more you wear it, the more comfortable you become.

I need to know how quickly he will use a bottle while working . I know that sweeping, mopping and mowing is no where near the physical exertion that fire fighting is but we have to start somewhere.

I wanted him thinking about his breathing while working. He knew I was looking to see how long his bottle lasted so he was “forced” to think about his breathing.

He had to think about and remember to pay attention to his “heads up display” and pressure gauges.

To me, it’s like imprinting a baby colt. If I teach him to think about all these things early in his career then, hopefully; it will stay with him throughout.

Randy did fine. Actually, he did better than fine. I even had him work through his “vibra alert” and take the last breath from the bottle. He was mowing at that point. I wanted him to know how long he could last with the vibra alert. I also wanted him to feel that sensation of taking a breath and sucking his mask to his face. I hope the only time he ever does that again is in training like this.

I’m proud of the kid .. he knew his pack well and lasted 44 minutes.

You folks know me well enough to know that this won’t be the last time Randy has his pack on so it’s a safe bet that his 44 minute mark will improve.

Of course, I should have know he would do well with anything related to SCBA. He was the “Champion” recruit for SCBA training and “field crawl” during the Academy … Recruit Class #14. They even gave him a Championship Belt made from an SCBA harness and steamer cap.

All of this attention can be hard for a “Rookie” firefighter to handle. I think the belt thing and all my praises may be going to his head. I’m not sure if it’s due to him having legs 6 feet long or wearing a size 13 shoe but I swear I think he’s walking with a little “strut”. LOL Maybe it’s because I told him about all the e-mails I got asking if he’s single …LOL .. well, HE’S NOT single but I did have to pull the book on him today. Not the Essentials Book … the other one. Effective Company Command! (1973 by James O. Page Borden Publishing Company).

Pulled it and read it to him. Expect him to have it memorized by the time I return from vacation. Well, paragraph 4 of page 121 anyway. Here’s what it says …

“A drive through most any community is likely to present an occasional view of feminine charms. It is not the intent of this book to discourage the pleasure generally associated with such a view. However, it should be recognized that one of the factors which sets professionals apart from nonprofessionals is emotional restraint. A fire company which is viewed hooting, hollering, whistling or staring transfixed at an attractive female is likely to be categorized as a band of sex-depraved barbarians. On the other hand, a reasonably quick glance (maybe even accompanied by a collective smile) will assure their viewing public that their firemen are normal, red- blooded American males.”

Poor fella. He can’t help but to stare “transfixed”…. I’m sure he’s seeing things here that the folk back in Max Meadows have only heard of …LOL

Ok, moving on … I need to give a shout out to the Brothers and Sisters of the Clinton Fire Department in Clinton, MO.

Vist the Clinton Fire Department on Face Book

I’ve mentioned on here several times how my dad …aka “Pop” drives a tour bus for the Bluegrass Band Nothin Fancy. Well, one of his recent trips had him in Missouri.

Pop needed a place to stop, rest and clean up a bit. The band was playing there for a local fair / carnival.

Of course, with 30 years on the job behind him he knows that all he has to do is find a firehouse.

Well, Clinton only has one but he found it.

Pop got the grand tour and was very impressed. He commented to me on their apparatus in particular. He said that although the pieces have some age on them, you’d never know it by their looks. Very well maintained!

The station, he said; was no different. The fact that these folk have pride in their job was evident!

The members were just as professional.

The Chief and a group of 6-8 members took excellent care of Pop and seen to his every need. That’s Chief Leo Huff pictured to the left.

They even allowed the band to shower and freshen up at the station.

I’d like to send out a special THANKS to Chief Huff and his members for the brotherhood and professionalism! If any of you guys are ever in our area, please let me know and allow me the chance to re-pay the favor!

So, for my next “shout out”, I need to talk about a Brother from the Salem Fire and EMS Department … Mike Christley.

Mike operates an excivating company on his days off and did me a huge favor yesterday.

On short notice, Mike hauled some mulch out to the Tech Farm for us. Not only did he do it on short notice, his price was very affordable!

I guess maybe I should have charged him a little seeing as how I supplied his co-pilot. The Buckaroo couldn’t wait to get in and Mike seemed just as excited. Of course, this was not the first time Mike and the Buckaroo have been riding together. See THIS POST for their first trip together. So anyhow, for you local readers; if you ever need any kind of excivation work or hauling, please keep Mike in mind. Cave Spring Excavating Inc. 540-537-2923 .

The Buckaroo also got a little time in on the Bobcat yesterday before we had to head out to the hay field.

The little fella LOVES anything he can ride or drive.

We’ve got a couple of busy days ahead of us as we try to finish up our hay making before my big trip to Baltimore.

I’m not sure what I’ll do for a week without him even though taking care of Rhett is NOT that much different (and the face that they are the same height is also a plus). Hell, we may just take the Buckaroo with us!

Like I said, more on the Baltimore trip soon. I’m gonna stop here for the night. I start 13 in the morning so lets hope it gets here quick! I’ll check back in as soon as I can. Until then, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Added note: Special Thanks to Lt. Baron “Smurf” Gibson for coming out tonight and sharing his knowledge of SCBA’s with Randy (Smurf was our SCBA Technician for 21 years).

Posted by Iron Firemen on July 14, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: Air pack training, Baron Gibson, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Cave Spring Excavating Inc, Chief Leo Huff, Clinton Fire Department, Clinton MO, Clinton MO Fire Department, company level training, Effective Company Command, Leo Huff, Mike Christley, Nothin Fancy, Randy Armbrister, recruit firefighters, rookie firefighters, SCBA, SCBA training, Scott Air Packs, Scott SCBA, training, tricks of the trade, Willie Wines Jr, Willie Wines Sr

Middle day, 4th of July weekend

2 comments

Another beautiful day here in “The Noke” and we’re stuck on duty. It’s almost scary …. pretty weather, the 4th of July eve and we’ve actually been pretty quiet. I’m just waiting for the bottom to fall out.

I’m hoping for a quiet night but know how it will most likely end up. Either way, we’re ready for it.

My “A – #1″ fireman, “Boots” actually decided to come back to work today. He’s been off for about the past 3 week due to a duty injury. Nothing serious and he’s back to 100%.

He’s behind the wheel today because our Lieutenant (Georgie) is off. We have an overtime man (McKelvey) riding backwards. I’ve explained several times on the site how, due to staffing issues; we only have 3 men assigned to Lucky #13 here on C-shift. Next week, all that is supposed to change. Only July 8th, our latest recruit school is scheduled to graduate. I’ve been told that I will be getting one of the new “rookies” but I don’t know which one yet.

I’m kind of supprised to be getting a rookie. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for a few reasons.

First, we’re considered to be a slow house. We run our share but when compared to the run volume of other houses, we’re on the bottom end of the scale. I would think they would want the rookies at busier stations to get a little more experience.

Second, we are a single engine house. We don’t have a Medic unit here. We have 8 houses with ambulances. In those houses, all members assigned rotate through the Medic each cycle (firemen and medics anyway … not the Officers).

That means that if you’re at a house with a medic unit, odds are that you’ll be riding it at least one day out of our 3 day cycle. Obviously, our Medic units are a lot busier than Engine or Ladder companies. Riding the Medic is pretty much a sure bet for not sleeping. Again, I’d think they would want the rookies in a house with a medic unit.

Now, don’t get me wrong … it’s not that I don’t want a rookie, I just would have thought they would have put them at a busy house or with a Medic truck. Getting a rookie here is actually more good for me than the rookie. You see, I have a GREAT crew. A well seasoned crew of veterans. Although we train and hone our skills, we don’t have to be as aggressive at it as we will with a rookie. Now, it’s more like “brushing up” or “fine tuning”. With a fresh rookie it will training all day everyday. Good for us (me, Georgie and Boots) because it will keep us fresh….and, I guess even better for the rookie because he is going to be subjected to years of on the job experience and quality training.

Our Captains have no say in who is or isn’t assigned to our companies. Most likely, I wont even know which rookie I’m getting until he walks through the door. Heck, the Battalion Chiefs wont find out until the last minute. Assignments are made out of “down town” by a person behind a desk. He tells the battalions who they get and where they are assigned (yea…the Battalions don’t even make their own station assignments). For whatever reason, assignments are a “big secret”. Even Captains are fair game. When this group of cadets come out, there will be several more moves of additional personnel to make room for the new hires.

Some of the moves make sense … others don’t. Senior men and even officers are often moved for no apparent rhyme or reason. It often appears as if some are retaliation moves, some are the “good ol boy system” at work while others are just because they can. Micro Management ! Abraham Lincoln once said …

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power”

So anyway, Boots is back today, Georgie will be back Tuesday and next week we’ll have a brand new guy.

Moving on, we had a really cool visitor today….

That’s Firefighter Bill Shick of Charlotte NC ‘s Ladder Company #1. Bill says he’s and avid reader and fan of Ironfiremen.com. Can you believe it ? All this time and I finally got to meet him … my ONE reader and fan …LOL.

Bill was heading home from the DC area said he just had to stop in for a visit. HOW COOL IS THAT ?!? He even brought gifts … apple pie and ice cream!

I really enjoyed the visit. I’m still shocked and humbled every time someone comes up and says they follow and like the site. Bill got a quick tour of the house but mostly we hung out by the rig and talked. He seemed like a great guy.

From what I know, Charlotte has a great Department. I’ve met several of their members in the past while playing football in the National Public Safety Football League. See previous posts HERE HERE and HERE . They have 41 Engines, 15 ladders and 1,044 suppression personnel.

Learn more and visit the Charlotte Fire Department web site HERE

Bill says he passes through here about 3 times a year. He’s always welcome and will have a place to stay. Thanks for everything Brother! For thinking of us, for taking the time to stop by, for the pie and ice cream (it was delicious) and for following the site!

Charlotte is a cool place to visit as well. Not only have I been there playing football, I have family there. My mom, step dad and sister live in Indian Trail which is just on the outskirts. I’ll be heading down there again August for my sisters wedding.

Hopefully I can take in a few of the places I visited on previous trips and maybe even hook up with Bill and / or some other Brothers I know down there.

While playing ball in 2010, we ended up at a really cool bar … Whiskey River. They have a mechanical bull and everything … that’s one of our players girlfriend riding it back in 2010.

A Charlotte FD Brother and Cobra player #55 Nick Henderson took REALLY good care of us while we were there. That’s Nick with the red shirt in the center.

I hope I can catch up with Nick while down there in August. I can’t remember her name but I also hope he’s still dating that cute blond by his side … she was a BLAST to hang with and as you can see .. easy on the eyes …LOL. (If you’re reading this Nick … shoot me an e-mail and we’ll work out the details for me buying you a beer in August)

Moving on …. there is a pretty good employment oppurtunity here locally.

Brother Ty Dickerson dropped me an e-mail to let me know that the Lexington, Va Fire Department is hiring!

I have talked about the Lexington Fire Department many times here on Ironfiremen.

My history runs deep in Lexington. I was born there at Stonewall Jackson Hospital and live there as a child.

My dad began his firefighting career as a volunteer in Lexington back in 1968.

Most recently, I blogged about Lexington after making the trip up for birthday dinner and drinks with Brother Chris Potter. That’s my cousin Jarred Harlow on the far left, Chris Potter on the far right and Assistant Chief Jimmy Swink and the Buckaroo in the center.

We had a great time at dinner and afterwards, the fellas gave me the grand tour of the station.

Read the related post … I was Honored and Humbled !

This is not the station my dad started out in but they have done a great job in holding onto a lot of their history.

They have it displayed all over the house (check out the link above for some cool pics)

It’s obvious that the Lexington Fire Department is full of tradition, honor and pride!

Wooden 50′ ladders, hand drawn ladders, old helmets, banners etc … they have tons of their history on display. They are not far off on I-81 so if you ever get the chance to stop in for a visit .. I highly recommend it (Lexington is also the home of VMI and Washington and Lee University).

As far as that goes …. you may even want to go to work for them. It sounds to me like a great oppurtunity to “get in on the ground floor” of a growing and progressive Department.

They will be hiring 3 – Firefighter / EMT’s, 3 – Firefighter / Medic’s, a Fire / Rescue Technician and a Fire/Rescue Lieutenant. Application Deadline is Monday, July 18, 2011. The pay ranges from $31,300-$45,200. Visit the Lexington Fire Department’s web page HERE or …

Click HERE for job descriptions, requirements and applications .

Ok, I think I’ll stop here for the night. Before I go … don’t forget to start making plans to attend Firehouse Expo in Baltimore, Md July 19-23. Rhett (Fire Critic) and I will be in Booth #743 with Fire Geezer and Dave Statter. We will also be participating in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. They need more members to climb !!

Brother Bill Carey challenges you to “Put all that ‘brotherhood’ and ‘never forget’ talk where your feet are” !

Click HERE for details and to sign up to climb

See ya in Baltimore! Until next time, Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on July 3, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, funding-staffing, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: 2011 Firehouse Expo 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln quotes, Back Step Firefighter, Baltimore Md, Bill Shick, Cahrlotte FD Ladder 1, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Charlotte Cobras, Charlotte FD, Charlotte NC, employment oppurtunities, famous quotes, Fire Critic, Fire Department employment oppurtunities, Fire Department job openings, Fire Department rookies, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse Expo 2011, Ironfiremen, Lexington Fire Department, Lexington Va, Lexington VFD, Mechanical bulls, Nick Henderson, NPSFL, Raonoke Rampage, Recruit school, Rhett Fleitz, Station assignments, Todd Harris, VMI, Washington and Lee, Willie Wines Jr, Wiskey River

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 Iron Firemen 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 fire, Acting Battalion Chief, arson, arson convictions, Bag Pipes, Battalion Chief, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, fire attack, Fire Critic, FireCritic.com, firefighter injuries, Honor Guard, Ironfiremen, Mike Overacker, minimal staffing, minimal staffing for fire trucks, multiple alarm fire, multiple alarm fire in Va, Rhett Fleitz, Roanokefirefighters.com, strategy and Tactics, Va Fallen Firefighter Memorial, Va Fire News, Va house fire, Vafirenews.com, Willie Wines Jr, Working fire

Too big for their britches

No comments

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 Iron Firemen on May 21, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, hazmat, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: black snakes, Brotherhood Instructors, Buckaroo, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Catawba Sustainability Center, compact tractors, FD LiveIn.com, Fire Rescue Magazine, FoxFire, Go Forward Fire, Go Forward Media, Harrisburg Pa, hazmat, Hazmat training, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Kevin Tottin, MN8 products, Pa. Fire Expo, Roanoke Regional HazMat Team, The Fire Store, training, Wall Shields, Willie Wines Jr, Zach Green

People you don’t want to see …

No comments

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 Iron Firemen on May 19, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, hazmat, news, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: ATV, Brotherhood Instructors, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, decon, Fire Department training, Fire Rescue Magazine, Go Forward Media, hazmat, Hazmat training, Hazmat truck, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Kevin Tottin, Lancaster County Firemans Assoc, on the farm, Pa. Fire Expo, Regional Hazmat team, Roanoke Fire / EMS, Salem Fire / EMS, spills and leaks, Teddy Adkins, The Fire Store, Tommy Crozier, training, VDEM, Wall Shields, Willie Wines Jr

Product review … FoxFire Firefighter Products

4 comments

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 Iron Firemen on May 17, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, news, training-development, Uncategorized • Tagged: Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, epoxy, FDIC, FDIC 2011, Fire Critic, FoxFire heavy duty grip wrap, FoxFire Helmet Band, FoxFire Product review, FoxFire Products, FoxFire tool epoxy, Ironfiremen, Ironfiremen product review, IronFiremen.com, Lancaster County, Lancaster County Firemans Assoc, MN8, MN8 products, Pa, Pa. Fire Expo, product review, Rhett Fleitz, TNT, TNT Tools, Todd Harris, Willie Wines Jr, Zach Green

Firefighter Netcast

No comments

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 Iron Firemen on May 17, 2011 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Chris Naum, Christopher Brennan, Combat Readiness, fire service, Firefighter Netcast, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Tactical renaissance in the fire service, Taking it to the streets, The Fire Service Warrior, Willie Wines Jr

Family

2 comments

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 Iron Firemen on May 16, 2011 • Filed under: news, Uncategorized • Tagged: brotherhood, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, family, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Jerry Creasy, Willie Wines, Willie Wines Jr

Taking it all in ….

3 comments

** 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 Iron Firemen on May 3, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, in-the-line-of-duty, major-incidents, news, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: 9/11, Ben Ladens death, Bill Kennedy, Bin Laden, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, FDNY Black Sunday, FDNY L-101, FDNY Ladder 101, firefighter funerals, Firefighter Tom Kennedy, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Navy Seals, Osama bin Laden, Rhett Fleita, Roanoke Times, September 11, September 11 attacks, Teague Kenny, The Fire Critic, The Tail Board, Tom Kennedy, WDBJ7, Willie Wines Jr

“Tricks of the Trade” and some other stuff …

4 comments

We’re on the 2nd half of an Easter Sunday tour.

It’s been a beautiful, peaceful and quiet day here at “Lucky #13″ and I’m hoping it remains that way.

I hope you folks have enjoyed the same and that the Easter Bunny found his way to all of you…

I’m still looking for ~~him~~ .. ~~her~~ … them .. LOL

Talk about your Peter “Cotton Tail” … WOW! Somehow, I don’t remember the Easter Bunny looking anything like either of these two when I was a kid… hummmmm

Anyway, it goes without saying but in my earlier post today; I forgot to say “Thank You” to all of you Brothers and Sisters out there pulling a tour today. I hope you have a safe one!

I’ve spent most of the day catching up on emails,paper work, reading etc. When I do that, I often find several topics or subjects that I think would make a good “post” here on the site. Today, “MayDay” keeps coming to the surface.

Thanks to a suggestion by Burnt Chimney Vol. Fire Department’s Lt. Lee Powel, I started a little segment called “Tricks of the Trade” a while back. Just little” tidbits” or suggestions that I have found useful or helpful throughout my career. My latest dealt with ” RIT Tips ” while the post ” Get your own water” could also be considered a “Trick of the Trade”. They are never in any kind of order nor are they presented as a formal “class” (although formal classes are available through Ironfiremen.com).

As I mentioned, today the term “MAYDAY” seems to keep popping up so I decided to hit a few points. I could talk (type) for days on “MAYDAY”. There are several different approaches such as “WHEN” and “HOW” to call MAYDAY. I’ll briefly hit both …

Photo by Lt. Mike Overacker (Ret.)

A while back, my Department acquired a large commercial structure to use for training purposes. Our Training Division went in and set up several scenarios to offer “MAYDAY” training to every company in the City (Salem and Roanoke County also used the building).

They built a few “props” which turned out to be quite effective . They were easy and affordable to build and could be used in or outdoors. There’s no reason why your Department or Station couldn’t have one sitting out back right now.

Photo by Lt. Mike Overacker (Ret.)

The most effective prop for us was the collapsing floor.

The scenario was that you were following the hose line (for whatever reason .. searching, moving to back up etc). The line made its way around several obstacles and eventually up a stairway. After reaching the top, you started down what seemed to be a hallway (the drill was done with our face pieces blackened out).

After making it only a few feet down the hallway, the floor collapses beneath you. It actually collapses!

It should be noted that for safety reasons in this scenario, they did not allow us to carry a tool (fearing how we might land on it etc).

You can’t tell from the photo (right) but as soon as the firefighter reached the edge (note his right hand) and realized he was at a “hole” or drop off, they “pulled the trigger” releasing the floor.

Photo by Lt. Mike Overacker (Ret.)

It was totally unexpected by the firefighter and you felt as if you were falling forever!

VERY realistic without all of the trauma etc associated with such a fall (we landed in a box full of foam “noodles”).

The purpose of the drill was to test the effectiveness of how the member transmitted the MAYDAY after the collapse / fall.

You’d be shocked at some of the results found over those several days of training.

There are certain key elements that a firefighter in distress must communicate to the IC (Incident Commander) but it doesn’t always happen as it should. You would think that by now, 2011; it would be 2nd nature but it isn’t.

Photo by Lt. Mike Overacker (Ret.)

I recently listened in ~~amazement~~ horror as a special guest Captain Michael Long of the Camp Taylor (Ky) Fire Protection District explained how he “didn’t have time” to call a ”MAYDAY” ! Read the pre-show advertisements and Bio’s from The Company Officer HERE . You can also listen to the show from “Taking it to the Streets” on Firefighter Netcast HERE .

Although Chris Naum’s show that night was more focused on the Near Miss Reporting System, I couldn’t get that one sentence from Captain Long’s interview out of my mind .. he didn’t “have time”. With all due respect, I think the Captain was lucky.

I would argue that the minute (or less) that it takes to transmit the “MAYDAY” just may be the most important minute of your life. When a firefighter is in trouble, we’re in BIG trouble. When we need /call for help, we need it BAD and QUICK. That said, I want everyone involved knowing EXACTLY WHO I am … WHEREI am and WHAT’s wrong (as well as what they may need to help me .. equipment etc).

Photo by Lt. Mike Overacker (Ret.)

That gets me back to the RIT / MAYDAY training.

After the members took their fall in the floor collapse prop, the focus became “calling a MAYDAY”. Here are the steps we use …

Our first step is to activate the “Emergency button” on our portable radio. Every member should know where their Emergency button is located and should be able to activate it blindly with a gloved hand.

Next, the member should take a deep breath, relax (as mush as you can in this situation), get oriented and think about what you are about to say (transmit). You want the IC to know WHO you are, WHERE you are (or where you last were) and WHATs wrong. It should sound something like this …. “MAYDAY.. MAYDAY ..MAYDAY. This is Captain Wines, Engine company #13 assigned to Division 2. I was operating in Division 2, Charlie quadrant. I have fallen through the floor at the top of the steps. I believe I am now located on the 1st floor or basement. I am separated from my crew, low on air, disoriented and injured. I need assistance getting out”.

This transmission should then be repeated. After you receive confirmation that your message has been received, you should follow up with “I am now activating my PASS”.

Maybe not a “text book” transmission but one with some much needed information. I’ve painted a pretty good picture for the IC and RIT which just increased my chances for survival.

On another of Chris Naum’s sites, Command Safety ; I recently listened to an incident where a firefighter from Taftville, CT. fell partially through the floor and a MAYDAY was transmitted.

Chris’ take on this incident was directed towards the compromised floor assembly but I focused in on the MAYDAY transmission. Listen to audio and the actual MAYDAY as well as read more on the incident and floor assembly compromise HERE.

What do you think? Did the MAYDAY ”paint” a clear picture in your mind? Would you have known who was in trouble from your “accountability board”? Did you know this firefighters location? Was it clear what resources needed deployed?

Again, we have several directions we can go from here. What even constitutes a MAYDAY? Does your Department have SOP’s / SOG’s that out line what is or isn’t a MAYDAY?

Who can call a MAYDAY? Does every member on your rig have an assigned radio?

Are your members ready and prepared to call a “MAYDAY”? By that, I mean will they? The decision of whether or not to call a MAYDAY is made at the stations .. not on the fire scene. It’s a mind set developed through training. I often refer to an early article entitled “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” by Burton A. Clark on Firehouse.com (it’s worth the read).

What happens “after” you transmit the Mayday? Do ya sit tight and wait for the Calvary or do you try to find your way out? ( That can go either way and can also depend on how much air you have left. I do recommend finding a wall if you are able. If you find a wall, sooner or later, you’ll find a door or window but all movement should be transmitted to the IC .. otherwise RIT is chasing a moving target).

So, today’s “Trick of the Trade” is training for “calling the Mayday”. Have your members practice it.. OFTEN. You don’t need the fancy mock floor collapse props (although they are inexpensive and easy to build for in or outdoor use). I often use the scenario Chesterfield, Va. used for there promotion testing back around 2000 – 2001 ( found in the above link to Burton A. Clark’s “MAYDAY..MAYDAY..MAYDAY). Of course, I mold the scenario to my needs and add my little “twists” if you will. I mentioned that drill in previous posts HERE and HERE .

If nothing else, maybe this post will spark a little discussion around the coffee table on how to call the MAYDAY. Ok moving on real quick .. I want to give a “shout out” and mention one of the newer members to the Fire/EMS Blogs Network family… ParaPup.

This gal is pretty cool and I like her style. She calls here latest post a “public service announcement” but I know it’s actually more than that.

It’s a post on mustaches. Of course she mentions me (although I was never officially interviewed for the piece) in the post which even contains a picture of Ron Jeremy. Wait … is she putting me and “the hedge hog” in the same category?? Hummmm …LMAO.

Anyway, today; ParaPup sent me a video about mustaches (she said in her post that she DIDN’T have mustache envy … ” In the event Captain Wines of Iron Firemen finds his way to this post, I’d like to go on record saying that I in no way, shape, or form have mustache envy. My informal polls proved pretty much unanimously that women with mustaches are not well received.” ..I think she does .. lol )

So, the video is funny as crap but contains some adult language. So, there’s your WARNING… do NOT view this video if such language may get you in trouble (ie: at the station / work) or if it may be offensive to you. That said, the language really isn’t that bad and it IS funny as hell … thanks to ParaPup for thinking of me and sharing. Enjoy..

That’s a wrap for tonight .. Stay Safe and in House!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on April 25, 2011 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, news, special-operations, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Burnt Chimney Vol Fire Department, Burton A. Clark, Camp Taylor Fire Protection District, Captain Michael Long, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Chris Naum, command safety, Command Safety.com, Compromised floor assembly, firefighter training, Firehouse.com, floor collapse, funny videos, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Kathren Edwards, Lee Powel, MAYDAY, MAYDAY training, Mike Overacker, Near Miss Reporting system, ParaPup, RIC, RIT, RIT Training, Roanoke City Engine Company #9C, Roanokefirefighters.com, sexy Easter Bunny, Taftville CT, Taftville Fire Department, The Company Officer.com, Time for a mayday, Va Fire News, Vafirenews.com, Willie Wines Jr

Better than the lottery … Today’s odds … 1 in 58!

4 comments

That’s right .. the chances of winning a brand new pair of Black Diamond X2 Boots is 1 in 58 !

So far, we’ve had 58 entries in the give away and there is still time to throw your name in the ~~hat~~ boot.

The give away runs until midnight on April 13, 2011. It’s easy and free to enter … don’t miss out!

COMPLETE DETAILS AND HOW TO ENTER

You can find an album with all the entries on the Wooden Ladders and Iron Firemen Face Book Fan Page

Also take the time to visit the Black Diamond Footwear web site to learn more about the X2 boot and many more great Black Diamond products.

You can also find Black Diamond on Face Book . Take the time to stop by and leave a comment thanking them for allowing Ironfiremen.com this opportunity to give back to the readers!

I’ll leave ya with a little “browsing” music while you hit the “links” and enter to win …

Here’s Allison Krauss’ new video “Paper Airplane“ Enjoy and Good Luck!

If she was only a midget … Grrrrrr LOL

Stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on April 9, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: Allison Krauss, Allison Krauss Paper Airplane, Black Diamond, Black Diamond Boots, Black Diamond Footwear, Black Diamond Girls, Black Diamond X2 Boot, Black Diamond X2 Boot Give Away, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Facebook, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Paper Airplane, PPE, Wooden ladders and Iron Firemen, X2 Boot

What’s in your daughter’s dorm room?

No comments

Here’s a pretty cool local news story from yesterday. A couple of our local Colleges (Virginia Tech and Va. Western) have been working together to highlight fire safety in college dorm rooms.

See our local news coverage HERE and the video below …

Stay Safe and in House.
Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on April 9, 2011 • Filed under: fire-prevention-education, firefighting-operations, news, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Campus fire safety, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, College campus fire safety, Fire safety, fire safety research, fire video, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, live burn demo, sprinkler systems, sprinklers in college dorm rooms, Va Western Community College, Virginia Tech, VT, Willie Wines Jr, WSLS, WSLS.com

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!

3 comments

Happy St. Patty’s Day from Ironfiremen.com

I hope the “luck of the Irish” rides with all you brothers and sisters out there on duty tonight. Regretfully, I’m one of those pulling a tour. But hey, I know all you Jakes out there with the night off will drink a green pint or 20 for those of us who cant be out there with ya!

If any of ya find any leprechauns running around out there that look like this one …. snatch on to her for me (you guys know I have a “thing” for thigh highs and midgets…LOL)

All kidding aside, I hope you are all having a fun and safe night out. That said, if you are out painting the town green, DON’T drink and drive. Please remember to use a designated driver or call a cab .

Even though I’m stuck here, we really haven’t had too bad of a day. The weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL and it’s beginning to feel a little like spring.

They’ve been paining our station for the past week or so and the oil base paint has added a new aroma to our house. We’ve had all the doors open and fans set in every direction but we are still faced with the not so pleasant fragrance. Lucky for us, the Chief came to visit.

He decided there was no way he was gonna allow us to cook or eat in these conditions so he invited us up to Station #5 for our evening meal.

Turns out, the Chief was pulling double duty today … chief and chef.

Chief Adkins (Theodore Wendel …. TEDDY) and I worked together for many years on Ladder 2 when I was first hired. Teddy was the Senior Private and I the Junior when Ladder 2 was a tiller (open tiller). We went through a lot doors together and he taught me several lessons along the way. Working back then was FUN … we didn’t want a day off because we were afraid we’d miss something.

Teddy taught me about “seniority” in the fire house. As a kid and rookie fireman, obviously; I wanted the tiller position. Teddy would always remind me how I needed to learn “this” position or “that” task before trying to jump right to the tiller. That was unless it was raining, snowing or just plain cold as hell …. then it was time for me to learn the tiller …LMAO.

Teddy was also one of the men who taught me how to cook in a firehouse. It’s NOT EASY. The station was a double company with the Battalion stationed there as well. There were 10 men to cook for each day. You had to plan the menu, shop and cook and meals had better hit the table at noon and 18:00.

One of Teddy’s special dishes is the St. Patty’s Day staple … corned beef and cabbage.

It’s a casserole type dish that is very good. Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots. Anyway, that’s what he so fittingly prepared tonight.

Thanks to Chief Adkins and the Brothers and Sisters at Station #5 for having us down.

We weren’t the only guest at the Station #5 table tonight. The ambo had a paramedic student riding and the Chief had Priest ride along. The student is Jewish so it was mentioned that I should include a joke in tonight’s post…. 12 Firemen, a Jew and a Priest were sitting at …errrr… LOL … I’d better not.

The Chief’s ride along was Reverend Sandy Webb of St. John’s Episcopal Church. The Reverend is helping to start a Chaplin Program in our Department and wants to get out to meet our members and see a little of what we do and face.

We have attempted Chaplin programs in the past but none have lasted. Our Brothers out in the County have a great one in place and I hope Father Webb can create something similar.

Everyone was on their best behavior and the Father seemed to enjoy not only the meal but the typical firehouse table chatter.

I’m not sure he fully understands what he’s getting into but I know that he has some pretty good help by his side so I’m certain he’ll do just fine. (sorry about the first picture and the “midget and thigh high” comment Father but I did ask you to keep an open mind when checking out the site…lol) Special THANKS to Reverend Webb for his efforts on our behalf.

It’s a bit odd I guess but St. Patty’s Day always has me thinking of New York and the FDNY. I used to go up every year and march along side the Brothers from 39/16. I made the trip one last time following the 9-11 attacks and was honored to march ahead of 343 American flags.

FDNY Chaplin Mychal Judge (Died September 11, 2001)

With the FDNY on my mind and a Priest in the house, my thoughts were of Father Mychal Judge.

Father Judge was the Chaplin for the FDNY and was known and loved by all its members. He was a Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor

You’d never know it by looking at him in that pic would ya? He looks like a fireman. Most FDNY members who knew him would likely tell ya that he was a fireman.

He responded to countless incidents to pray for and comfort the victims and members of the FDNY. The attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 was no different. Father Judge was there from the beginning.

At 09:59 am that morning, when the South Tower collapsed; Father Judge was in the lobby of the North Tower. Debris and rubble from the South Tower collapse filled the North Tower lobby and took Father Judge’s life.

He is officially listed as the 1st victim of the attacks. His body bag was labeled “0001″.

I will never forget the images of those 4 men carrying his body from the rubble in a chair.

His funeral was held on September 15th and was attended by more than 3,000 people. His helmet was presented to Pope John Paul II and there has even been talks of Sainthood. Streets have been given his name, statutes have been erected, and medals awarded. The Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance takes place every year in New York around the 9/11 anniversary. It begins with a Mass at St. Francis Church on West 31st Street, then proceeds to the site of Ground Zero, retracing Judge’s final journey and praying along the way.

So as you can see, the position of fire Department Chaplin is not one to be taken lightly.

Father Judge set the bar high.

I’m wondering how many of your departments have a Chaplin Program? How is it working? Do the members find it helpful? Do you have any advise for our members or for Reverend Webb as we begin building ours?

I did find a site with some information on Chaplin Programs for those of you who, like us; may not have one in place or may be thinking about starting one. Check out Chaplin Fellowship Ministries for more.

That’s gonna do it for now …. for all you local folks, don’t forget to come out and support The Roanoke Rampage as we take on the Chicago Fire Department in full contact football for charity this Saturday, 3 pm at Salem Memorial Stadium.

Until next time… stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 17, 2011 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, in-the-line-of-duty, news, Uncategorized • Tagged: 2001, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Chaplin, Chaplin Fellowship Ministries, Chief Teddy Adkins, corned beef and cabbage, Father Mychal Judge, Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance, FDNY, FDNY Chaplin, Fire Department Chaplin, Fire department Chaplin Program, Firefighter Chaplin Program, firefighter meals, firehouse cooking, first 9/11 victim, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, line of duty, Line of duty Death, LODD, Pope John Paul II, Reverend Sandy Webb, Roanoke City Station 2, Sainthood, September 11, September 11 attacks, sexy leprechaun, St John's Episcopal Church, St Patricks Day, St Patty's Day, St Patty's day meal, St. Patricks Day 2011, Tiller ladder, Twin tower collapse, twin towers, Walk of Remembrance, Willie Wines, Willie Wines Jr

Off my game, Firefighter Netcast and Firemen hitting cops!

4 comments

I think I may be in a “slump”. Now, I’ve never been the articulate type (yea.. I used a “big” word) but usually, I get my point across. I don’t know why but a lot of the folks I’ve met through this site say they love it because of my style of writing. I write like I talk. I “shoot from the hip” and say what I feel. The mis-spellings and poor grammar add to the allure.

I posted yesterday on the “ Fukushima 50” and I’m afraid I didn’t get my point across. Either that or some of you took it wrong.

I haven’t received ANY feedback and that’s strange. I always get an e-mail or 20 saying I’m dead on or an idiot. This post… nothing. That and only 4 FaceBook “shares”. If you will, allow me a few minutes (lines) to “set the record straight” and make sure I’m sending the right message.

Japan and the Japanese people are facing a horrible tragedy. I did not and will not belittle their situation. The story and articles I focused on were concerning 50 workers from a nuclear plant. About 800 were evacuated … sent out while 50 volunteered to stay behind and do what they could to stabilize the situation. I don’t know their “official” jobs or titles but would bet some are firemen (one article spoke of them using firefighting equipment in efforts to cool the reactors / fuel etc).

These men and women are true HEROS. Nobody can doubt or argue that point. Where I wanted to go with last night’s post was that these folks have always been there. They were heroes before the earthquake or tsunami ever hit. I’d bet they were willing to give their life for their profession long before last week.

It’s that fact that got me thinking of September 11, 2001 and every brother and sister on the job in America today.

It takes a disaster such as Japan’s for the media to “pick up on” the dedication some of us have for our jobs. The commitment . Our duty. 50 people with this type of dedication make national headlines while we have over 1 million firefighters at the ready to do just the same in America today.

WikiAnswers reports that in 2007 the U.S had 1,148,800 firefighters at the ready. I’m sure that today, those numbers are even higher.

It saddens me to think about that and how we are so quickly forgotten. You wont find a U.S. headline stating how many members we have at the ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice if need be. No …. we have no disasters here … no terrorist attacks. We’re not needed or thought about by the masses right now.

Our headlines are of money sucking union monsters. It’s now OUR fault that we are in the economic shape we are. How did this happen? Again, I never wanted to take away from the Fukushima 50 … it was just ironic to me … almost deshavu. Heroes today … forgotten tomorrow.

As I said in yesterday’s post, it wasn’t just the story but the pictures as well. Those guys walking out of the plant in their suits .. like out of the gates of hell. I remember the shots of our FDNY brethren walking out of the ash clouds… the rubble.

The aerial shots of the reactors and plant. I didn’t (couldn’t) find the pic I wanted to use but back in 2001, the post (or somebody) used a similar shot of Ground Zero before the collapses. The trail of smoke from the towers …. it was all just too eerily similar for me.

The Fukushima 50 are true heros. They always have been. I hope their pay and benifits have reflected such dedication. I hope their families are, have been and will be taken care of. I hope they haven’t had to bite, spit, fight and struggle for every and anything they have EARNED. I hope the people who allowed and placed them in these positions thought enough of them to give them a collective voice in decisions pertaining to their lives.

Again, I never meant to take away from the situation they face. I only hope it doesn’t worsen. I hope that folks like the Fukushima 50, Japan’s firefighters, EMT’s, Doctors etc don’t face the fading feeling of worth that we have following the 9-11 attacks. My thoughts and prayers have been and remain with the Japanese people as well as with those involved with rescue and humanitarian efforts.

I hope that made sense.

Ok, Firefighter Netcast. Tonight, my good friend and Fire Service Leader Chris Naum will be live with his regular Netcast show Taking it to the Streets

Tonight’s show begins at 9pm est. and is titled “Near Miss Reporting and one Captain’s Close Call“ .

I brag a lot about Chris and his work and can assure you that you wont want to miss tonight’s special 2 hour show. The show is live and has a call in number. Chris, Firefighter Netcast and I encourage you not only to listen to the show but to also become a part of it by calling in. The show also has a “chat room” where plenty of “off air” debate and discussion occurs. TRUST ME ….. TAKE THE TIME TO TUNE IN!

The Direct Link to the show is HERE

Ok … Firemen hitting Cops! Wait…. it may be Cops hitting firemen … or a whole lot of both!

This Saturday March 19th, The Roanoke Rampage will host Chicago Fire Department for some full contact football for charity!

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

You all know by now that we play in the National Public Safety Football League. We need to FILL THE STANDS. The game starts at 3pm at Salem Memorial Stadium. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children. Remember …. all the money goes to great causes .

I’ll be meeting Chicago at the airport on Friday. I will get them settled in and assure they are comfortable and have everything they need. Then, I’ll see if I can get em out to a local “watering hole” and keep em out all night. That way, they’ll feel like crap on Saturday LOL. This outta be good!

Anyway, please make plans to attend the game. We will have dancing girls, cheer leaders and the works. We have a GREAT program put together and are still selling our gun raffle tickets (Kelly Grayson … why haven’t you bought yours yet????) The weather is supposed to be in the 70′s so make plans to bring the entire family…. I’LL SEE YA THERE!

I’ll check back as soon as possible. Until then, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 16, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, funding-staffing, in-the-line-of-duty, major-incidents, mass-casualty-incident, news, special-operations, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized • Tagged: 2001, 9/11, A day in the life of an ambulance driver, American firefighters, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Chicago FD, Chris Naum, earthquake, FDNY, firefighter close calls, Firefighter Netcast, Ground Zero, Hero, in the line of duty, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Japan, Japan earthquake, Japan tsunami, Kelly Grayson, National Public Safety Football League, Near Miss Reporting system, NMRS, NPSFL, Nuclear diaster, nuclear release, radiation danger, Rampage Football, Roanoke Rampage, Roanoke Rampage Football, September 11, Statter 911, Taking it to the streets, The Fukushima 50, tsunami, union firefighters, wiki answers, Willie Wines, Willie Wines Jr

Fukushima 50 …

1 comment

Yea… I’m here and back at Lucky #13 on duty today.

As usual, I was simply “swamped” over 4 day break and didn’t find the time to check in.

When I say “swamped”, I mean that literally. I’ve been knee deep in mud and muck for about as long as I can stand.

No, that’s NOT my tractor but the situation I’ve been faced with all week is very similar.

Of course, being mired in mud is not necessarily always a bad thing ….

I almost feel bad … here I am complaining about the mud, being stuck etc .. and then I see this poor gal …

She’s not dressed for this …. obviously, she was caught completely off gaurd …

It almost hurts my eyes to see her like this …. ALMOST (LOL).

Photo from CBS News.com

Ok, so on to something more serious. So We were sitting here watching Katie on the evening news. It seems as though we have some new Heroes emerging from the tragedy in Japan.

They are calling them the “Fukushima 50“. They are 50 workers who choose to remain inside one of the nuclear power plants in an effort to save others … here’s a quote…

“Since the disaster struck in Japan, about 800 workers have been evacuated from the damaged nuclear complex in Fukushima. The radiation danger is that great.

However, CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod reports that a handful have stayed on the job, risking their lives, to try to save the lives of countless people they don’t even know.”

Read the entire story HERE.

Kinda reminds me of a couple thousand guys back on September 11, 2001.

Remember those guys?

They kept responding in. They poured into those buildings. They climbed those stairs and kept climbing.

To ” save the lives of countless people they don’t even know”

Here’s another quote from the CBS coverage … “The official said that his friend, one of the Fukushima 50, told him that he was not afraid to die, that that was his job.”

“That” was his job … well I’ll be damn.

Photo from The New York Times

You know, it’s not just the talk of these “Fukushima 50″ that take me back to that day .. some of the images do as well.

It’s almost ironic … eerily ironic

That aerial photo of the power plants came from The New York Times ( article HERE ).

The same New York Times that posted aerial shots of the World Trade Center attacks and the devastation they brought to Manhattan

You following me here? See the similarities?

The New York Times as in from New York City. The same New York City that is closing stations. That has implemented “brown outs” …

The New York City where our “New York THOUSAND” … The FDNY responded from!

I wonder how long it will be before the Fukushima 50 are forgotten?

How long before Japan begins shutting down power plants and laying off employees?

Now, I mean no disrespect to Japan or the Japanese people. Nor is it my intent to take away from the devastation they have encountered. They are faced with a horrible tragedy that seems to be far from over. No, this was not a terrorist event but horrific just the same.

For whatever reason, the coverage keeps taking me back to that September day.

Task Force 1 and 2 have been deployed and are on the ground and working in Japan. Dave Statter has the full coverage and a description of operations HERE .

My thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and Sisters from TF1&2 as well as with the Japanese people.

Stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 15, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, hazmat, in-the-line-of-duty, mass-casualty-incident, news, special-operations, Uncategorized • Tagged: 2001, 9-11, 9-11-2001, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, CBS, CBS New correspondent Jim Axelrod, CBS News, Dave Statter, FDNY, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, Japan, Jim Axelrod, New York City, nuclear disaster, nuclear release, radiation danger, radiation exposure, September 11, Statter, Statter 911, The Fukushima 50, Willie Wines Jr, World Trade Center, World Trade Center attacks

3 story, 12 unit apartment building destroyed by high winds in Roanoke, Va

1 comment

Storms … high winds, rain and hail blew through Roanoke this evening andleft a trail of debris behind.

Around 2pm this evening we received a call that a roof had blown off a building … yea right. We run this address all the time so I know it’s a complex of brick apartments. I’m thinking we’ll get there to find some missing shingles…

Well, we were 1st in and guess what … THEY WERE RIGHT! From my vantage point, I could see sky through the 3rd floor apartment!

The exterior appeared to be stable while debris was visible in the 3rd floor units. We quickly secured all utilities, made a walk around and began our searches. Primary and secondary searches on all floors resulted in “all clear”.

Oh .. wait … We did make one “grab” and once again it came from “Lucky #13″

Yep … Boots (Todd Harris) saved the dog from apartment #9. Only one resident was home when the storm hit and she was out of the building prior to our arrival. When we made apartment #9 the dog had that look like “what the hell just happened?”

This picture is the actual dog and his beloved rescuer “Boots” talking over the incident. Boots says the dogs swears he didn’t do it… LMAO.

Further investigation found the exterior and load barring walls to be stable despite heavy damage to the roof.

Here’s a shot of the damage from the tip of Ladder #5.

Obviously, with half of the roof missing, the upper floor sustained heavy water damage from the storm.

It didn’t take long for the carpet on the 3rd floor to soak through and begin leaking to the 2nd.

The brothers from Ladders 5, 2 and 1 quickly went to work on salvage operations. Furniture and personal belongings were placed into strategic piles and then covered with salvage covers. This effort not only saved thousands of dollars but priceless memories as well (pictures, documents etc)… Well done boys!

We responded 12 pieces which brought 26 members to the scene.

I guess it ended up being just a big “salvage” operation and that suits me fine. The time of day was just right so everyone was at work .. or not at home anyway. The other plus is that good salvage operations are tangible… the occupants can see and touch it! They know their Fire Department worked to save their personal property. Chalk another “PR” incident up for “Lucky #13″ (revisit this earlier post)

Here are a few more shots from the incident ….

You may recognize that face from the center pic. That’s Brad Glidden .. aka “Opie” from my Melrose Misfit and Station #3 days. Opies Captain (Clayton Martin who also draws a lot of attention here on IronFiremen) gave him a pretty hard time this evening. Opie came in on Engine #3 and was assigned with my crew (Wheezy was there with Ladder 5). Captain Martin was teasing him saying that he should be happy because he was back on an incident with his “daddy” (referring to me). Clayton has even been calling Opie “Buckaroo #2″ LMAO.

Well the good news is that YES Clayton he was with me ….

He was INSIDE …. he was “DOING IT” ..LOL

Had he of been unfortunate enough to had to remain with you, where would he have been??

Yea..OUTSIDE …. YARD BREATHING! LMAO … LMAO

All kidding aside, 3 Engine was on our heels and that placed Captain Martin in a “Command” position. As always, Clayton did a great job of assessing the situation, making the necessary assignments and mitigating the circumstances.
Click HERE for some local News coverage or watch the video below …

Ok, since I was kinda on the subject of “my boys” .. (Opie, Wheezy, Tyrone, Coon and Bugg) I haven’t posted about a new delivery yet.

Coon and Sherry are now the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl … Brook Boone!

I’m not sure of the weight, length etc but I do know that she had all her parts.

Baby, Mom and even Dad are home and doing well.

Ahhhh the heart ache he is in for … LOL

Just wait til the Buckaroo gets his eyes on that little cutie! LMAO

Those of you who have followed my site from the Station #9 and #3 blogs know how much Coon and “The Boys” mean to me. Scott is a Top Fireman, a great Medic but, most importantly; a good MAN. Scott will make a fantastic father and he and Sherry will make a great home. I proud of and for them … best wishes and congratulations brother!

Ok, I’m done for tonight … I’ve had reports out the YANG! I’m gonna try to get a little rest. We start 4 day tomorrow andwill attend our local St. Patty’s Day Parade on Saturday. I’ll check back as soon as possible.

Thanks as always for reading and following. Please remember to hit the “share” or “like” tabs on Face Book and/or to “Tweet” me on Twitter.

Stay Safe and in house!

Captain Wines

Posted by Iron Firemen on March 10, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, major-incidents, news, special-operations, Uncategorized, videos • Tagged: Brad Glidden, Brook Boone, building collapse, building construction, building searches, Captain Clayton Martin, Captain Willie Wines, Captain Wines, Clayton Martin, dog rescue, Ironfiremen, IronFiremen.com, ladder operations, major incident, pet rescue, public relations, Roanoke storm damage, Roanoke wind damage, roof operations, salvage, salvage operations, Scott Boone, search and rescue, severe weather, storm coverage, storm damage, storm damage pictures, Todd Harris, WDBJ7, Willie Wines, wind damage, wind damage pictures, wind storm

Archives for captain-willie-wines

Obituary and Funeral Arrangements for John Charles “Jack” Wines (Willie’s Brother)

Questions Remain for Botetourt County After Former Chief Arrested for Rape

Buchanan / Botetourt Back in the news… a 50 minute water rescue.. 4 saved

Story link HERE

Of Honor and Respect

How to motivate a Rookie …

Randy learns about penetration!

Our dispatchers rock!

Randy’s Moma …

I had to “Pull the Book” !

Middle day, 4th of July weekend

Another Hectic Day In “The Noke”

Too big for their britches

People you don’t want to see …

Product review … FoxFire Firefighter Products

Firefighter Netcast

Family

Taking it all in ….

“Tricks of the Trade” and some other stuff …

Better than the lottery … Today’s odds … 1 in 58!

What’s in your daughter’s dorm room?

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!

Off my game, Firefighter Netcast and Firemen hitting cops!

Fukushima 50 …

3 story, 12 unit apartment building destroyed by high winds in Roanoke, Va

This House WILL NEVER FORGET

Friend Us On Facebook

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Captain's Favorites

FireEMSBlogs.com Community

Featured from across Fire/EMS

Energy Efficient Windows Can Melt Vinyl…

Sawmill Fire Flashover Scorches Aerial Truck…

Arrival video: Adrian, MI house fire.…

Dallas & Phoenix LODD info, Vote For…

Archives for captain-willie-wines

Story link HERE

This House WILL NEVER FORGET

Friend Us On Facebook

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Captain's Favorites

Tags Across FireEMSBlogs.com

FireEMSBlogs.com Community

Featured from across Fire/EMS