Following the tragic events of Christmas Eve, the Fire Service is in shock. Having lost 2 Brothers in a senseless act of violence, it’s difficult for those of us on the job to be “merry” about anything. Our hearts are heavy while our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families of our fallen and injured.
photo from democratandchronicle.com
Firefighters Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczówka were killed by a sniper after arriving at a house fire in West Webster, NY yesterday.
Firefighters Theodore Scardino and Joseph Hofstetter were also shot in the incident and remain hospitalized.
An on-duty Greece police officer John Ritter, was injured by shrapnel in the attacks as well.
The Fire Critic and Statter 911 has full and continuing coverage of the incident, arrangements and more over on their sites…
I’ll share more of my thoughts on this issue, as well as the Sandy Hook incident when I feel it’s more appropriate. It’s been a difficult month for the Fire Service but we will recover.
So, I was on duty yesterday and the “good” part of my Christmas started then.
Rhett came by at shift break to exchange gifts.
He got me a custom made leather radio strap from Wolkpak Leather .
This strap is AWESOME!
The front says “Captain Wines” while the back says “IronFiremen.com”. The anti-sway strap even has “Buckaroo” stamped into it!
Wolfpak is the guys who made our custom suspenders as well. They also personalized those to include the Buckaroo’s name. These guys do GREAT work and it’s evident in their finished product. The fact that offer the option and that Rhett thought enough to include the extra stamping is AWESOME. It was the PERFECT gift!
In return, I got Rhett an APRON …. LOL..yea…. an APRON!
It turned out AWESOME! It was WELL ABOVE my expectations.
The material is actually PBI (the same stuff our Turnout Gear is made of).
It has the reflective stripping just like our gear. The same buckles, snaps and even has pockets!
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As much as Rhett LOVES cooking, this should make a great gift.
I even had em put our patch in the center (in case he gets lost at the grocery store).
If nothing else, he’ll stand out in the kitchen.
We’ve already had several folks ask where and how to get one. Even though this was a custom job, Jamie and I discussed the possible demand for them once we got some pictures out.
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If you’re interested, use the link above (or just CLICK HERE) and let Jamie know ….
So, I got off duty this morning and headed home.
As it turns out, I was better than I thought I had been and old Santa made a stop in Catawba!
This is where I received my best gifts of the season.
I arrived home to be surrounded by family.
The Buckaroo, my girls (Donna, Randi and Reba), my sister Marci (and Aaron) and even my mom and step father were in from North Carolina.
The stockings were hung and packages under the tree… it made for a peaceful morning.
The Buckaroo had a BLAST and that’s what it’s all about.
I hope that all of you had just a memorable Christmas as I did.
I hope that yours was spent with friends and family as well.
Thanks for all the well wishes, cards etc that we’ve received through the site, Face Book and even “snail mail” ….. it’s humbling.
For those of you who pulled a tour (or has to tomorrow) THANK YOU for the service. Thank you for covering the shift so that the rest of us can be at home, protected with our families.
We wrapped up the 2012 FireCritic / Ironfiremen 12 Days of Christmas Give-A-Way yesterday (we actually released the final winners this morning HERE). Congratulations to all of our winners and THANKS to our contributors!
The 2012 installments of the Ironfiremen.com’s Santa’s Sexy Helpers ends today. We worked our way up to see what ol Santa would find under the tree and I don’t think he was disappointed. Actually, I think Mrs Claus was also pretty happy.
Here is the final installment of Santa’s Sexy Helpers for 2012 … one for the guys and gals… ENJOY!
I guess I should catch ya up seeing as how I haven’t posted since Halloween.
Not only was Halloween a busy shift, it was a busy cycle. We worked Monday, Wednesday and Friday last week. I HATE that cycle. This time, I even managed to squeeze in Hurricane Sandy, her aftermath and Halloween into the mix. You can read my Halloween post HERE .
My “black cloud” followed me the entire cycle, Friday was no better than Monday or Wednesday.
We had two small fires, one on the North Side, the other South Side.
The common denominator with the two seemed to be Engine Company #4, They were first in on both incidents (Smoke and More … running 4 !).
The first was a report of smoke inside and apartment. Members arrived to find a moderate smoke condition inside a second floor apartment.
The trouble was, there was no fire. Their investigation continued to the floor below where they located the source of the smoke. With the assistance of Ladder 5, the fire was quickly knocked down and the structure ventilated. Nobody was displaced and damages were minimal.
Later in the evening, Engine 4 would arrive to a single story ranch, residential structure to find a chimney fire in progress.
It’s funny how at this time of year we always see something like this incident. October is Fire Safety Month and our Department does an excellent job of educating / reminding our citizens about smoke detectors, batteries, chimney inspections, E.D.I.T.H (Exit Drills In The Home), Having 2 ways out, Meeting places, Stop, Drop and Roll etc.
All this work and effort yet we still see fires / incidents that could have been avoided.
Anyway, once again; the members on scene did a great job. Engine 4 was assisted by Ladder 7, Engine 1, Engine 8 and Medic 4, Battalion 1 and RS1. They got the fire out of the box (stove), used a dry chem, chimney bombs, PPV and chains to clear the flue. The better news is that they performed these operations without causing damage to the home (smoke etc) so once again, nobody was displaced.
While we’re talking about fires, I’ll back up to the small one I had Halloween evening. I managed to be first in with the Chief’s buggy and established command. All members on scene, as always; did a GREAT job. I have some of the audio from the fire and will share it with you. It’s nothing spectacular. I’m not sure it sounds as smooth as it ran because a lot of my orders etc were done face to face. Everyone seemed to arrive at the same time (which is a good thing). Again I’ll remind you that, in my Department; our Incident Command model works toward 3 Bench Marks … “All Clear” on Primary and Secondary Searches, “Under Control” and “Loss Stopped”. You hear use make all three in the audio below…
Again, the good news was that we had no major incidents over the cycle (Monday’s post found HERE). With that said, the calls seemed to keep coming in … one after the other. I managed to throw my helmet up on the dash and turn on my FD Cam during one of our runs, If you’re not familiar with FD Cams, check them out by CLICKING HERE.
It’s a GREAT camera! Rhett and I both have one and should have a review up very soon over at Fire Product Review.com . Take a short ride with me while responding in the Battalion buggy by watching the video below ….
So that was some of the work that went on last cycle but, there was also some fun squeezed in as well.
The North Battalion runs out of Station #5 and C-shift has a great crew, Three of the members were adopted from The Melrose Misfits so it’s almost like being home again when I work out of that house… ALMOST.
They’re a strong crew. They work and train hard but they also play hard. You never have trouble finding a good laugh around this bunch!
Since it was Halloween, the boys figured to get some candy for the Trick or Treaters. Of course, they had to get some of those super sour tarts for themselves as well.
It wasn’t long until the shenanigans began.
Who could eat the most of em at one time?
Who could tolerate them the longest?
Who would be the first to give in?
Of course the only thing funnier than watching Wheezy suffer through a mouth full of em was watching him convince Carlie that it wasn’t “that bad”…
LMAO … yep … She tried it!
Poor gal. Actually, the pictures don’t do it justice… you had to be there.
I do have to say that she took it like a Champ. Had I have been the Judge, Carlie would have been crowned the winner. She’s tougher than she looks … that is until the “Boogie Man Mask” comes out. Then she screams like a… well…. she SCREAMED! LMAO
The boys caught her heading to the bunk room. The put the Boogie Man Mask on and met her (unexpectedly) at the door. I think they took about 10 years off her life! LMAO … I know … they used to get me ALL THE TIME with that damn mask! Check it out…
Ok, the wind everything up, I’ll just add that between chores, the Buckaroo and I did get out and vote .
I’m not going to say which way I went, nor will I bitch or gloat about the results. I will say that I’m honored to live in a Country where I have that choice. My voice was heard, regardless of the results.
With that said, I hope to now be part of the solution … not the problem. I will support our government anyway I can in hopes of improving our way of life.
I hope you can find a way to do the same.
In closing, please continue to keep our Brothers and Sisters on the Northeastern Coast in your thoughts and prayers and they continue to recover and rebuild.
Stay SAFE and in House … I’ll check back in as soon as possible.
Roanoke’s Bravest responded to what would become a 3rd alarm fire on 10th Street NW last night. It’s the 2nd multi-alarm fire within the city limits in as many months…. read
Last night’s fire would empty every firehouse in the city causing the Department to “call back” members for duty. Typically, those members “called back” will staff “reserve” apparatus and place stations back in service.
Roanoke Fire/EMS operates with 11 Engine Companies, 4 Ladders, 8 Medic Units, 2 Battalion Chiefs and an EMS Supervisor which would have put 64 members on scene.
Local news sources report that over 200 residents were without power at one point and the blaze caused backups and delays on Interstate 581.
Two firefighters received what is being described as “minor” injuries while others were treated for heat related injuries.
We’re back on duty for the middle day of our cycle. We returned from our 4 day break to work the 4th of July.
Our day was fairly quiet but the pace picked a little just after dark.
I was still “riding the car” as acting Battalion last day. That’s why the night was busy (I’m a black cloud).
I also had a ride a long with me for 1/2 the shift … and that’s why the day was quiet.
Nate Camfiord has lived in the area before, but has spent the last several years up in Northern Va. He’s looking to relocate back to our area and decided to look me and Rhett up while here.
I had never meet Nate before but we are “friends” on Face Book. He posts a lot of fire related pictures and they’ve always caught my attention…. he’s caught some GREAT shots. I gave him a tour of the City and our stations and he was able to snag a few shots along the way.
They’re not like “buff” pictures … Nate’s shots seem to “tell a story”. If you haven’t seen his work, check em out on his FB page by clicking HERE .
My pictures are nowhere near the caliber of Nate’s but I did think this was a pretty neat shot.
I also have a CRAP camera.
Several years back, the Melrose Misfits bought me a Cannon Power shot. I LOVED it! That baby took a beating. I carried it in my gear, on the rig or where ever.
Finally, I she had all she could take a month or so back and it was replaced with Kodak something or another. I don’t like this one at all. From what I can tell, the Cannon is discontinued so I’m going to have to find a suitable replacement. If you have any suggestions …. send em my way.
So anyway, the picture was taken from atop Engine 5. As soon as Nate left the station from his ride a long, we caught this run for a kitchen fire…. LOL that’s always how it works.
I also found a video that was shot while we were working an extrication. Engine #13 responded for a hit and run. We arrive to find moderate damage and the front doors jammed. I established command and called in the boys from Ladder 5. They got all 4 doors and the roof making for GREAT patient access. Also on scene were Medics #5 and #4.
So, I’ve gotten a few comments / questions about The Fire Critic (Rhett Fleitz) and his lack of postings of late. Well, rest assured, my little buddy is alive and well.
He’s taken a little bit of “family time” (which is very contagious) and he’s been without power since the big storm last week.
Well, it’s been all that plus this “workout kick” he’s been on.
Yea … Rhett’s on a workout kick. He’s EAT UP with it actually.
Now, I don’t care what he does at the station but his new fascination is even affecting our personal lives.
On our last road trip, he was sipping on some kind of health shakes that his wife mixed up for him before we left… yea Statter … it was like putting bottles in the diaper bag before heading out.
THEN at the hotel, I get out of the shower to find this –>
Can you guess who packed which bottle??? LMAO … it’s almost embarrassing. I mean my little buddy on steroids … all JUICED up!
That stuff ain’t good for ya.
It’s already started to mess with his brain. This stuff has got him so screwed up that he went out and bought a used tire to “play with” at the Station.
He calls it his “toy” and says he spends all day out on the pool just flipping it around. Why didn’t he just grab a tin can out of their recycle bin and go out and kick that around?
That’s what I used to do as a kid and I turned out fine. AND .. I’m in good shape….. hell, I’m in my PRIME ..LOL
Well, I’ve done a little digging and think that Rhett my be using some of his old “camera tricks” on us … yep this photo may have been staged.
My investigation found that they actually have 2 “workout tires” at Station #3.
One for Big Dave Lucas and a “special” one for Rhett
Aint it cute Dave Statter???? And just his size too …LOL
Ahhhh … the things little Rhett can do with photo shop. I think he even doctored those arms in the pic above…
LOL … all kidding aside, Rhett has been working our very regular and it’s paying off. I wish I had his drive and dedication. He even managed to squeeze a post out about it… Read “A New Toy at the Firehouse”
In other news, Rookie Randy is home from his Honeymoon and Back to duty.
I’ve been worried SICK since he’s been gone.
Off somewhere, shacked up in some hotel room doing Lord knows what.
Now he’s home, all tired and dirty. I’m not sure what he got into but it’s bad.
He’s got something on his lip that wont wash off.
I’ve scrubbed and scrubbed. I even did the ol Granny trick … you know … lick your thumb and scrub. LMAO … Randy says it’s a “mustache” … he CAN’T be serious. With a peach fuzz, dirt smudge on his upper lip, he’s going to talk to ME about mustaches???
I also need to pass along a PSA.
If your riding around in the Catawba area and see my Dodge 5500 (the “Cowboy Cadillac”) , any of my tractors, a fork lift, 4 wheeler or a pedal car fire truck coming … yeild and move to the right.
The Buckaroo, at 4 years old; now has his driver’s license …LOL
I don’t know where or why he got the idea but he’s been on a mission to get/have a driver’s license.
Well, all he had to do (and he knew it) was to tell his Granny. She promised to make him one and mail it to him straight away.
I couldn’t drive past the mail box without stopping for a week. Well, it arrived and he was tickled to death!
Just the fact that there was a letter in there addressed to him had him excited.
I’m going to stop here for tonight and try to get a little rest.
I’ve got a long day of storm clean up and hay to make tomorrow. If any of ya feel like chucking some square bales in 100 degree heat tomorrow, just give me a call…LOL
We’ll be back on duty Sunday to finish up the cycle.
I’ll check back in with ya then but, until I do …. stay SAFE and in House!
My postings have been few and far between here lately but don’t panic …. that’s normal for me around this time of the year.
Hay season has officially started so the Buckaroo and I are spending most of our time in the tractor.
The days are long and hard and the honest answer is that by the time we get in … I’m just too tired to post.
I only wish that I could sleep as sound as the Buckaroo.
So while the Buckaroo and I have been hard at work on the farm, the “busy season” has also began for me and the “Buckaroo #2″ …. aka Rhett.
This is the time of year that we typically hit the road for conferences, teaching, speaking engagements etc.
Last week, we even teamed up with Dave Statter so he and Rhett could present “Social Media in the Fire Service” at the Ohio Fire Chief Association’s Leadership Seminar in Newark, Ohio. See my previous post HERE .
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We had a BLAST in Ohio and met some really great folks.
It seems as if these Ohio Chiefs “get it”.
Rhett and Dave presented what is most likely the most well rounded class on “Social Media in the Fire Service” in the nation. They were able to really engage the Chiefs. Actually, the class kind of continued later on that evening out on the dock over a few beers.
We even had the opportunity to share a meal with the members of Newark’s (Ohio) Station #1
They have a GREAT house and even better members! Thanks for the meal and the BROTHERHOOD!
Rhett keeps talking about some kind of “situation” with this gal named “Snooki” or something. Apparently, she’s pregnant and they aren’t sure how it happened. He says they are even filming a TV show about it and he thinks we should be on it.
I don’t know how he talks me into all this stuff …… next thing you know, we’ll be paying child support to some Jersey gal who is already making 5 times my salary.
Well I don’t know about any TV show or it’s cast but I do know that we have met some GREAT folks up here.
Last night, Tim Mickens picked us up at the hotel and took us out for a pizza and beer.
I think Tim actually got the page for the fire but we were already too many beers into the night to go. And, while I’m talking about fires …. they have a couple going today here at the Monmouth County Fire Academy.
This is an amazing facility. I will try to get out and grab a few pictures during lunch break and update you on our trip later on. It’s going to be a quick trip for us and we’ll be heading home this evening so I’m not sure if the update will come tonight or sometime tomorrow. At the least, we’ll be able to throw some pics up on Face Book so keep checking in with us regularly.
I’ve got a lot of catching up to do and I’m not going to get it done in tonight’s post…. I hope this one will be short and sweet and I’ll get more up tomorrow.
The title of this one has a few meanings to it. First off, I went to an Alan Jackson concert this past Friday night. IT WAS AWESOME!
I’m not sure who to thank … my Department, our Civic Center, the concert promoters or Alan Jackson himself because our tickets were free. Somehow or another, both the Fire and Police Departments received several free tickets to disperse to their members.
Our Department simply paged out that they had em and to call if you wanted a set. I made the call without thinking. Had I have thought about it, I most likely wouldn’t have called. It’s the beginning of hay season and a very busy time on the farm. I’m not a fan of big crowds or loud music …. I don’t “get out” and it’s most often by choice.
After I got the tickets, I began regretting it. Too much going on, having to end my day early … take a bath etc. In my mind, the only “plus side” to going was that my wife (Donna) would get a much needed and deserved night out.
When we walked inside the civic center, I was shocked … it wasn’t a good turnout for the show. I figured Alan Jackson would see all the empty seats, play a few tunes and haul butt. HE DIDN’T.
We had GREAT seats and the stage had a large TV screen on both sides. The camera crews did a fantastic job of getting the “right” shots and provided plenty of close ups of Alan. It was evident in his facial expressions that he was playing for / from his passion for his job (it was obviously not because of a “packed house”) He played as if he was standing on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry or Madison Square Gardens. The music was not too loud or over bearing nor was there an excess of lights, explosions etc…. it was Alan Jackson singing.
I know most of his songs but have never seen him perform live. I was hoping he would play “Where were you when the world stopped turning” and he did. I stood through the entire song. Donna kept pulling at my shirt, wanting me to sit but I would have none of it.
I stood to honor and thank him for honoring us.
He even had the well know picture of the firefighters raising the flag at Ground Zero on the screen as he sang.
If you even have the chance to see an Alan Jackson concert … GO!
I’ll throw in the video for anyone who has never heard the song ( and I doubt there’s anyone who hasn’t ) but there’s NOTHING like hearing it live and in person ….
Ok, the 2nd meaning of the title for this posts is due to where I am tonight and more than that … WHO I’m with. Rhett and I are on yet another “road trip” but, this time; Dave Statter is with us (or we’re with him…lol).
Yep … Rhett and Dave are traveling together and I’m along to chaperon.
Apparently, I’m good at what I do because it’s been nothing but a “love fest” thus far … it’s almost sickening…LOL
We are in Newark, Ohio where we (Rhett and Dave ) have teamed up to present on social media in/for the Fire Service.
I’ll update ya more in tomorrow’s post on how we’re getting along. The two “stars” of the show are currently down in the hot tub working out their pre-show jitters so I should have plenty to report.
For a little local “catch up”, the Brothers and Sisters from our South Side caught a little work last day ( Sunday ) and a citizen caught it on video. Rhett has the complete set of all 3 videos over on Va Fire News HERE . I’ll include “part 1″ which includes the knock down …
I’ll check back tomorrow…. until then, stay SAFE and in House!
Get your minds out of the gutter…. I said ”TETS” …. not tits….LOL
Tets as in tetrahedrons … you know … those little triangle things we wear on our helmets?
After you’ve seen one… you want to see em all!
Me ….. I’m wearing the MN8-FoxFire tets…. Rhett ( The Fire Critic ) is too. We wont use anything else. Not only are they reflective (and more so than any other you’ll find on the market today) , they also illuminate (glow in the dark on steroids). Designed by firefighters, for firefighters…. They are the best on the market!
Now, We WANT TO SEE YOURS! What are you wearing? I hope they’re FoxFire. If not, they should be! Comment here or send us a picture on Face book.
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These “tets” are proven and I can speak for them personally. My Rookie firefighter “Rocket” Randy Armbrister wears them as well. In my last post I told you about us catching some work. See that post HERE .
Randy took a little heat on this one. I had to have his gear tested due to thermal hits. He ruined his leather front and bourks and even spidered his mask. Now don’t worry … Randy is just fine. He was just a little out of position and got warm. He wont be again.
He held up fine and so did his MN8 FoxFire products. Randy was wearing the Illuminating Helmet Band and the Tetrahedrons. That’s his helmet pictured above left.
Before we took the picture, he had already cleaned the helmet. Looking at the front and bourks, it’s east to see it was hot. The thermal hits on his coat were on the left side (obviously, that’s where the fire was) so that’s where the majority of the heat was coming from.
Look at the tets … THEY HELD UP. You can’t tell from the picture but they still glow and reflect! Whats even better is that the glue held up. Most tets would have burnt off…. NOT MN8- FOXFIRES.
He hadn’t washed the helmet band yet (as of the photo) but believe me when I say that it too will clean right up with mild soap and water.
I’ve known this all along but I still love it when someone new to the product sees it for themselves first hand.
Randy was unexpectedly excited at how well his FoxFire held up compared to everything else. YOU WILL BE TOO!
You may remember that Zach, Rhett and I even tested the products inside the Cincinnati flash over simulator .
They have many more products that are just as impressive as well. If you haven’t heard of MN8-FoxFire yet then climb out from under that rock and watch this video…
MN8-FoxFire has received high scores from reviewers and customers on sites such as Firefighter Product Review.
If you’re using MN8 FoxFire products, be sure to submit your ranking as well. If you’re not using it yet and want to …. you’re in luck. FDIC is next week and Rhett and I will be there along with Zach Green and the entire MN8-FoxFire Team. Stop by the booth for a personal demonstration …. you’ll thank us!
I’ll do one better than that and go back to the title … “SHOW US YOUR TETS”. Be the first person to show up at the MN8-FoxFire booth and show me or Rhett your tets and we’ll give you a free gift.
Find MN8-FoxFire and our entire team in FDIC booth #3026
We really want to see you folks so be sure to stop by … tets or no tets … we want to hear your stories and have the chance to show you this amazing product. Rhett, Zach and I will be all over Indy so if for nothing else, stop by to get our schedule and find out where to meet up with us off of the exhibit hall floor. We look forward to meeting you!
The Brothers and Sisters of B-shift caught one well involved not far from Station #5 yesterday.
With exposures on both the Bravo and Delta sides, our priorities as well as strategies and tactics must be refocused.
When fire has this much of a “jump” on you in a neighborhood with older, balloon framed construction , it’s easy to burn the entire block.
What kind of master stream devices do you have set up that can be easily and quickly put into place?
How quickly can your company put a 2 1/2 into service on an exposure ( direct application or water curtain )? Do your rigs carry enough water to briefly support such operations or are you dependent on hydrants?
One firefighter was transported with minor burns and a civilian was treated on scene. Looks like another good job from our B-Shift Brothers and Sisters!
Sometimes, that’s a difficult question to answer. It shouldn’t be, but all too often; we sometimes loose sight of who we are really here for. If you don’t know, it’s our “customers”. The people who dial 9-1-1 requesting our help. The people who live in, visit and travel through the areas we are sworn to protect and serve. Yea .. there’s that other word … “serve”.
This is going to be a LONG post and another one of my semi-rants so if you’re not up for it and need to dive … go now. If you have the time to read further, I think it will be worth your time. If you do, please also take the time to do me a quick favor and “like” us on Face Book. These numbers REALLY help us bring you the material etc that we do. Tell all your friends, hit the “like” and “share” buttons … it makes a difference. THANKS
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So, how do we loose sight of who we’re working for?? That list could go on for pages. A lot of times, it’s the “trickle effect”. It “trickles” down from the top. When the top brass is more concerned with resume building and looking good for their bosses, sometimes the most important people in the equation gets neglected.
I know of a Department where this has happened. The top ranks know nothing other than micro-management and the ensuing disease has infected the entire Department. Micro-management is NOT a leadership skill. It’s not even a good management practice.
A micro-manager is simply attempting to cover or hide their own flaws (or self perceived flaws). Their decision making process is often times based purely on the fact that “THEY” are in charge. In their minds, they need to show you and everyone else that to maintain their “authority” or “power”. They can’t give the impression that someone of lower rank is more educated than they are. They can not allow subordinates to think for themselves because they may come up with better ideas or ways to accomplish a goal and that would make them “look bad”. It’s sad but mentalities such as this are breeding in departments all across the Country.
I’ve seen it first hand in my career. Chiefs that you’d have to play like a cheap guitar. As long as you made them think it was their idea or left enough leeway from them to receive recognition everything was fine. Anything less than that, right or wrong; would never float. The sad thing here is that after a while, it’s often times not worth the trouble. When morale, self esteem and everything else has been taken from you, sometimes, you forget about who your fighting for and say “to hell with it”. That’s the shame of it all.
Even today, I know of an “Internationally Accredited” Department with Battalion Chiefs who are nothing more than glorified secretaries and I say that with all due respect to the men holding those positions. They are allowed to field “sick calls” in the morning and temporarily fill a slot for the shift. They get “special” projects and sometimes even get to deliver mail to the stations. They are not allowed to do the simplest of things. They are not even allowed to make assignments within their Battalion. They can not say who works where within their own Battalion. Who knows the work habits and ethics of the men better than the Battalion? An Admin Chief??? No.
If the Battalions are treated like that, you can imagine how the Captains and Lieutenants and firefighters must feel. How does an Officer build Company Pride in situations such as these? How do you motivate an oppressed Company Officer to go the “extra mile”. How will he in turn motivate his Company to do the “right thing”… to do a good job? When does the fight become too much?
I don’t have the answer but I will share with you 2 stories from my Company / Battalion that have happened just recently. They are “feel good” storeis, GREAT examples of Customer Service and I hope you come away from reading them with a positive thought / direction.
We have a regular EMS run in my territory. An elderly man and woman, 97 and 93 years old. They live alone. They have a home health care provider who visits everyday but in the evenings and at night, they are alone. They are of the generation that wouldn’t have it any other way.
Their neighborhood has changed over the years. It’s gone from single family home owners to lower income rental properties. Today, they are prisoners in their own home. Every door is locked with a dead bolt. What’s worse is that the locks are keyed on both sides. Here lately, they’ve been falling a lot and needing our assistance. They both need the assistance of a walker just to safely get around inside their home. We’ve been there so many times that we’re basically on a first name basis (of course out of respect, I always address them as Mr or Mrs.) They NEVER go to the hospital. We help them up, make a thorough assessment and get them back into bed or their chair. I think they are afraid that if they go, they will never make it back. That or they’re afraid of leaving the other alone.
They used to leave a key hidden outside. They’ve now removed it in fear that a predator would find it. The other night, she had fallen at around midnight. We got there and watched as he made his way to the door (using his walker) with his keys. We then watched as he fumbled through the keys, unable to unlock or open the door. He figured he had the wrong set and began to shuffle back to the bedroom for another key ring. This went on several times before we (without damage) forced entry.
The incident got me thinking. What if he fell too? What if one of them were unresponsive? What if the house were on fire? Of course if it were on fire, I would have taken the door but for these EMS incidents … I don’t want to destroy his property and cost him money just to get in and put her back into bed. How would we secure the house until the next morning when someone could make the repairs? Who would make them?
It bothered me. What can I do to help these folks? What can I do to help me help them yet allow them to live with the Independence, privacy and respect they want and deserve?
A KNOX BOX. They were worried about the security of a key out under a flower pot but surely I could sell the use / security of a knox box securely mounted to their brick home.
I called the “powers to be” and gave them the “spill”. Well guess what …we don’t have any “loaners” or any other resources to help these folks. Knox Box makes a residential unit that cost about $100 and they (the home owners) would be more than welcome to purchase one if they wanted. Then, someone from the office would even come out and lock the resident’s key inside the box once it was installed. That IS the procedure you know.
There was NO WAY I was going to go talk to these folks and ask them to buy a $100 box to bolt onto their house. I wanted to help them … not add to their burden. Boots and Randy went to work. They found a similar type of lock box at a local hardware store. Instead of a key (that is carried on all of our rigs) these boxes had combination locks. We could easily have dispatch “Flag” the address and include the combination on the run ticket of any incident to that location.
They found 2 different brands. One cost $30, the other around $25.Problem solved! I made another call, We wanted permission and the funds to buy the box. We would install it ourselves…off duty if necessary. Guess what … WE ARE OUT OF MONEY ! Are you kidding me??? A Department of our size, with our reputation and history doesn’t have $30 to spend on the welfare of a 90 year old couple? I must have missed something along the way because I thought THAT was OUR JOB. To help and protect people just like this couple. We would just buy it ourselves. Our Battalion Chief came out and I BLEW A GASKET. Lucky for me, we go WAYYYYY back and he not only calmed me down but also offered a solution. We told our Union ( IAFF Local-1132 ) the story. These brothers jumped right into action. They not only offered to reimburse us for the expense but also offered to assist with the installation. I think they (we ..L-1132) are even going to stock a few extra of these “lock boxes” in case a similar circumstance arises in the future.
That’s what customer service is all about. It’s what our job is about. It’s why we’re here. If I can’t help a 90 year old couple in my first due then I may as well go home.
Turns out that this couple has a grandson who thinks as much about their welfare as we do. He bought the box, it’s securely in place and the combination on file. These folks are better protected and our Department better able to serve them.
My boys … Boots and Randy ( and I know they are far from “boys” … it’s just what I call em) made a positive impact this week. Their actions and concern for our citizens resulted in a positive outcome for not just this couple but possibly more like them in the future. As always, I’M PROUD OF THEM !
They have big hearts and are on the job for the right reasons. That brings me to the 2nd story I wanted to share with ya. Last day, we caught a run for possible basement fire. It was one of those calls where you could tell by the dispatch that we were most likely going to work.
Elderly female, hard of hearing saying her house was full of smoke. Dispatch advised an audible alarm was sounding in the background and that the caller was confused and was not leaving the house.
We arrived with nothing showing and was met at the door by the elderly resident using a walker. There was a decent haze of smoke and the smell of burnt food. We assisted her outside and then made our way back in. In the kitchen, we noticed a ham cooking in a turkey baster type pot on top of the stove (setting across two burners … not in the oven). The ham was covered in water and didn’t appear burnt. We began searching elsewhere.
We figured maybe something in the microwave. Possibly a toaster oven. NOTHING. Turns out, it was the ham. It had stuck to the bottom of the pot and despite the outside appearance, was burnt and smoked up the place pretty good.
The resident explained that she was a widow who had been living alone for some time now. She often cooked for a friend down the street in exchange for rides to the grocery store, doctors office etc.
We got the house ventilated and the resident safely back inside. Clearly, she was a little upset. Maybe even a little embarrassed. She told us how she had cooked many hams this way and never had a problem. This was to be their meals for the week and she had nothing else to cook.
Well, we had held Ladder 5 for ventilation and together with my boys, they went straight to work. They removed the ham from the pot. One of them went to work cutting off the burnt bottom while another began scrubbing the pot and it’s lid. A third member removed the burners and eyes from the stove top so they could be washed as well. One of em washed while another dried. The ham was placed back into the pot and fresh water added while the stove was wiped down and put back together.
In no time, these members had everything cleaned up and back in place. Their meal was saved and put back on to finish cooking.
You should have seen the smile on her face. Watching 6 firemen dancing around her kitchen …. cleaning and cooking. I don’t guess she’d ever seen such a sight.
There are firemen out there who wouldn’t have done all that. They would have thrown the pot out into the yard, ventilated the house and headed back to quarters. “That’s not our job” some would say. Well, I say it is. She didn’t know what to do. Still shaken from the smoke and alarm sounding. Embarrassed for us having to respond. In doubt as to the condition of the ham and already worried about what her and her friend would eat this week.
She used a walker to get around. How difficult would it have been for her to empty and scrub that pot? To clean the stove and get everything back into place? We provided a SERVICE. We didn’t put out a fully involved house fire with a garden hose while saving 2 jumpers and a baby but we did make a difference!
We left this citizen with a positive image of her local Fire Department and it’s firefighters.
These are the people I work for. Citizens like the 3 I just told you about and thousands more like them. The people who need and benefit from our help if even in the smallest of ways. More times than not, it’s the “little” things that make a big difference. I posted a video about this exact topic back in December 2011. I’d like to share it with you again. Before I do, allow me to share with you the members who were on scene of the burnt ham incident ….
I had Firefighter Todd “Boots” Harris and Rookie Randy Armbrister with me on Engine 13. Ladder #5 had Lt. Rob “Bugg” Reid, Firefighter Brady McDonald and Firefighter/Medic Craig Champney (detailed from Station #1-C).
{Also assigned to the incident was Engine #4 , Medic #4, RS1 and Battalion 2.} WELL DONE boys … and THANKS!
I posted last night on the 2 LODD’s (Line Of Duty Death) and funerals here in Virginia.
Again I’ll say that I truly feel as if both Brothers Weissman and Whitacre received a fine send off.
I was able to attend the Weissman service but was on duty yesterday during Whitacre’s Funeral. Both were well attended and those in attendance should be proud that our Brotherhood was well represented. Yes… our “Brotherhood”. These families got to see first hand over the past few days and week what all the “hype” and Brotherhood “talk” is about. They experienced it first hand. If you attended one of the services…. you did too.
I know I did. I did in several ways actually and have received several calls, e-mails, texts etc of the Brotherhood at work at both services.
I rode up to Alexandria on Thursday with two Brothers. Mike Elston (Lt. with Salem Fire/EMS) and Andrew Murray (Rookie firefighter at Station #1-B for Roanoke Fire/EMS). Mike pulled double duty by not only attending to pay his respects but by playing with the Pipes and Drums for both the Weissman funeral and wake. This was Murray’s first Fire Department Line Of Duty Death Funeral.
That was one of the places I found the “Brotherhood” at work. Andrew had read here on the site that I would be attending and had extra room if anyone wanted a ride. He also read how I felt that every new (Rookie) member should attend a LODD is possible.
I’m sure Andrew didn’t know what to expect. As it turned out, he stood in the cold and rain for several hours. He did not have a good view of the services and couldn’t hear everything that was said about the fallen. All of that didn’t matter …. HE WAS THERE.
Later, he messaged me how he was glad he attended. He said “The funeral, oddly, was one of the best experiences of my life so far”.
A couple people have quoted or commented on something I said in last night’s post…
“We attend these services for the survivors. The fallen are already in a better place. You attend for the family. The wives (or husbands), children , parents etc as well as for their extended family…. the Brothers and Sisters of their Department. You attend to let them know (and see) that they are not alone, their grief is shared and their support system endless”.
I hope Andrew understands that now …. I think he does. I hope he will pass what he found along to other members. I bet he will and that my friends is Brotherhood.
I also mentioned in last night’s post that after the funeral, we ended up at Murphy’s Pub in “Old Town” Alexandria. The event was hosted by the Northern Virginia F.O.O.L.S .
For those of you who don’t know, FOOLS stands for Fraternal Order Of Leatherheads Society …. ( as in those of us who wear leather helmets). They stand for a lot of what Rhett and I believe and strive to live by. In part, it says ….
“The Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society (FOOLS) is an organization that was started in 1995 by a group of Central Florida Firemen. This group, known today as the Founding Fools, had a passion for not only the camaraderie and brotherhood that is forged between firefighters, but the rich tradition and heritage of the Fire Service”.
Read the FOOLS International Mission Statement HERE
The Wake was also well attended and saturated in Brotherhood and cold beer!
It’s a much needed part of firefighter funerals.
It offers a chance for the members to gather somewhere away from the station, funeral, church or family’s home. It’s the chance and time for them to share their memories / stories and to “vent” their grief.
It’s where the fallen would want and expect to find us …. at an Irish Pub toasting the memory of our Brothers / Sisters. It’s where Josh Weissman would have been!
It was a GREAT event and I’d like to THANKS the Northern Va FOOLS once again for putting it on.
Like I said, It was very well attended. The Weissman family even made it out!
Paid, volunteer, rookie, veteran, Brother and Sister … I met em all !
This is where I learned about Josh. Hearing stories being told of how this member or that knew him.
I got to watch the slide show of Josh. I saw an everyday firefighter / medic. Home shots. Pictures at the beach…. on a cruise…. or at the station. Goofing off… dancing and drinking a beer. That’s where the reality sets in … Josh Weissman was no different than any of us.
Other than the “Josh stories” …. there was plenty more to discuss….
It was a building full of firefighters and beer after all …. LOL !
Ploitics, staffing, pay, benifits etc… we solved all of the Fire Service’s problems that night.
Well …. maybe we didn’t solve em but we certainly realized that most of us are facing the same issues and fighting the same battles.
We “relate” to each other.
We share a bond that not many other professions can know … again I’ll say … Brotherhood.
Me, I mingled with em all. I think I talked to and spoke with most members there.
Some I approached…. others came to me.
The Sister with me pictured right came up to ask for her Fire Critic / Ironfiremen.com Brotherhood Chip.
She had met and remembered me and Rhett from the Greenbelt, Md 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. She was part of the medical team / staff.
For me, this is an honor very humbling and somewhat embarrassing. It’s hard for me to get used to folks coming up to and knowing me. I post so much about my life that anyone who follows the site (yea…both readers) knows what I am and have been doing. I’m honored that people take the time to notice, show interest and follow. The embarrassing part come in that Rhett and I meet so many people that I often times can’t remember their names.
Anyway, it was GREAT to see her again and AWESOME that of all those climbers, she remembered us. I proudly gave her the Chip.
Get your FireCritic / Ironfiremen.com Brotherhood Chip HERE
Like always, I got a ton of conversations struck over and about my mustache.
I get the same questions comments …
“That’s the coolest fireman’s mustache I’ve ever seen !” …. Have you ever heard of Chief Billy Goldfeder?
“How do you eat with that thing?” … I don’t. I eat just like you… with my mouth and teeth.. LOL
“How long did it take you to grow that thing?” …. 43 years.
“I want one JUST LIKE THAT !” …. you can’t have THIS one but I will kiss you with it if you buy me a beer… LMAO
I see all kinds of variations as well.
I call the one pictured above left a “starter stache” ….
This one… to the right… I call a waxer.
I had a really good time meeting and talking with everyone. I felt at home and again …. this is what the Brotherhood is all about.
There were a few highlights of the evening for me …. 1st. The family attended.
2nd… the Pipes and Drums were asked not only to attend but to play…. AND PLAY THEY DID !
3rd. The family was there for our toast to Josh following the Pipes and Drums rendition of Amazing Grace. I shot a little video of it and included it in last night’s post. If you haven’t see it yet…. hit the link above… IT WAS AWESOME !
Special THANKS to the Northern Va FOOLS and all the members of the Pipes and Drums for one hell of a send off!
For those of you unable to attend, you missed something special.
I hope I never have to attend another but if I do, I will do my best to talk you into going with me. I hope you will bring a few Brothers and Sisters along as well.
It’s snowing pretty good right now and I’m back on duty tomorrow. I’ll try to get another post up detailing what happened yesterday while I was covering Rhett’s shift.
For those of you on duty tonight, pay some extra attention. Watch you footing. Throw a shovel on the tail board and a cold weather bag in the rig. Until I get back to ya …. stay SAFE and in House!
The past several weeks have been very emotional for me. It seems that everything has hit me at once and that has been a big reason for the lack of my posting …
I guess it kind of began back in late October when Rhett and I traveled to New York. Whenever we travel, Rhett and I always try to pack as much as possible into the days spent away from our families. The New York trip was no exception. Rhett had 2 teaching gigs in New Jersey plus we met up with Zach Green to do a little work for Fox Fire. It was a GREAT trip that left us worn out and overcome with emotion. Chief Billy Goldfeder set up a personal tour for us at the WTC Tribute Center with its founder Lee Ielpi. That tour alone changed my life and I haven’t been able to “collect” myself yet.
After returning home, I spent my time trying to absorb what we had done and seen in NY while also attempting to catch up on the farm. Then, I got an early morning phone call. It was my wife … her sister had passed away. She had been fighting cancer for the past few years but it was a bad fall at home that had her in the hospital this time. She was badly injured but her passing was unexpected.
It has been less than a year since my wife lost her father as well. Needless to say, the two deaths have been hard on her. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail here but I do want to say that it has hit me harder than I expected. Although I lost a sister-in-law and friend of 25 years, what hurts the most for me is having to see my wife suffer. It’s difficult for me to handle. Yea … we see it all the time on the job but it’s different when it’s closer to home.
At work, I can manage, control, calm or fix any situation … some may even say that I’m actually good at it. But this, this I can’t fix. I’ve posted before on how ironic it is that we can provide services and take such great care of total strangers while on the job but can’t care for our families when they need us the most.
That said, Donna is doing fine and we will get through this. I (we) do want to take a moment ( knowing that many were unaware) to say THANK YOU for the flowers, cards, thoughts and prayers.
The world has kept turning and we’ve eased back into a semi-normal routine. Rhett and I had a few friends and fellow bloggers scheduled to come up from NC for a visit. I almost cancelled but now have to admit that the “change of pace” was good.
We took the fellas by a few stations and gave them the “nickel tour” of some of our history.
We spent the rest of the evening sharing some beer, pizza and great conversation. The next day, the boys would come out and ride along with me and the crew of Engine Company #13-C. Read their take on the visit HERE and HERE .
I’ve since had a few days off but as is the usual for me, they didn’t last long. This past Thursday, Rhett and I packed up and hit the road once again. This time, we were headed to Kentucky and Ohio … another AWESOME and emotional trip.
Like I told ya, we try to pack as much as possible into our trips. Rhett grew up in the Loveland area of Ohio and since we were gonna be that close, we had to make a stop. We rolled into Ohio earlier than we had expected and that worked out perfectly.
We made stops by two of the houses that Rhett lived in as a child. We visited his old school and drove by several places that he holds fond memories of. It was a “home coming” of sorts for him and his excitement was evident.
We also have a good friend who lives and works in the area so we figured we’d give him a call to say we were in town. The Loveland-Symmes Fire Department is where Chief Billy Goldfeder works and a simple “hello” over the phone would not be good enough for Chief Billy. If Rhett and I were in town, he was going to assure that we were taken care of. Within minutes, Chief picked us up and gave us a personal tour of their stations.
How AWESOME is that?? Chief Billy Goldfeder, The Fire Critic and me riding around in an unmarked command vehicle that has more lights on it than the White House Christmas tree ! Yea baby … the Chief’s ride is “decked out” and that’s how we roll !
It was a great tour … Loveland-Symmes has it together!
They put a ton of focus and emphasis on Incident Command, Accountability and Risk Assessment.
Pictured right, Chief Billy gave us a demo of how he utilizes the mobile command boards in the trunk of his vehicle.
I was glad to learn that we have and do something very similar here in my Department…. at least we’re doing something right!
I also noted and liked how they had “size-up” or “on-scene report” stickers on the dash of their rigs. I’ll throw in a pic of that, the Risk Assessment reminder and their Battalion’s Command Vehicle…
We also got an up close and personal look at Loveland-Symmes Engine #62.
You may have heard about this unique rig … it’s a rolling, working, firefighting Memorial that honors the National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation and our fallen brothers.
It is a BEAUTIFUL truck and looks as if it had just rolled off the show room floor ( it’s in service as a first-run piece).
Here’s a short video of their Chief talking about the truck … CLICK HERE .
I think the Chief enjoyed giving us the tour as much as we did getting it. We knew that he had an appointment later that evening but none of us wanted to end the visit.
Chief Billy was upset that he wasn’t able to take us by their Fallen Firefighter Memorial before he ran out of time. We told him not to worry about it …. just give us the address and we’d be sure to stop by and visit it. NOPE … that wouldn’t due. He didn’t want us to go to their memorial, he wanted to TAKE us ! THAT’S BROTHERHOOD .
The following evening, we would meet back up with Chief Billy for a fantastic Italian dinner at Pitrelli’s . Not only was this a great place to eat, we also had the honor of meeting and sharing the experience with the Chief’s family. Afterwards, the chief would take us by their Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial. It was a clear and cool moonlit night … BEAUTIFUL. The Memorial …. beyond emotional … spiritual. Another great honor that Rhett and I were able to share together … THANKS CHIEF !
So, to back up just a little bit, after our first night with Chief Billy; Rhett and I headed down to Covington, Ky. to check in to our hotel. Now, we are talking about me and Rhett here so obviously, we don’t stay at just any old hotel…. we’re talking the Radisson. A round hotel alongside the Ohio river with a revolving restaurant on top! The “360 Restaurant” … AN AWESOME VIEW … one of only 32 revolving restaurants in the world and Rhett and I have now eaten at 2 !
The next morning, we made the short drive to Edgewood, Ky where we presented Rhett’s ”Social Media in the Fire Service” class at the Kentucky Fire Chief’s Association’s Leadership Symposium.
A very professional group and great symposium ( Captain Bill Gustin presented on the 1st day).
Everything was going great until someone in the audience began talking about how great Dave Statter was.
Statter this … Statter that …. The Fire Critic ??? Never heard of it … KABOOOOOM !!!
I’ve never seen a guest speaker kick someone out of a class … I thought we were going to have to fight our way out of the place …
LOL … I’m just kidding.
The class went great! It was Rhett’s largest attendance. Dave Statter was actually mentioned outside of Rhett’s presentation though. Some of the folks had seen Statter’s video on how Rhett doesn’t really exist … LMAO! If you missed that 2 part video, check it out by clicking HERE .
It was after the class that we met Chief Goldfeder for dinner and Memorial tour. Following that, we made another short drive to Wyoming, Ky. That’s whereZach’s home and the Fox Fire headquarters are located. We stayed at Zach’s house that night … a BEAUTIFUL home.
Apparently, his son Brice thinks Rhett and I are celebrities …. he was waiting for us in the driveway when we arrived. Zach always treats us like kings and this trip would be no exception. His wife had been baking “goodies” all day … they had a camp fire, some great bottles of wines, plenty of cold beer and a few good friends to wind the evening down with …. very relaxing!
We needed the R&R …. not just Rhett and I either … Zach had been run just as thin. He had just flew in from California. He had been out there participating in a test / study for photoluminescent technology use within the fire service.
The rest didn’t last long … we stayed up late and was up and back at it early.
Zach had arranged for us to attend a training evolution with the Wyoming Fire-EMS Department . Like everything Zach does, this training was top of the line …. Cincinnati Fire department’s Flash Over Simulator !
Neither of us have ever been inside a Flash Over Simulator ….. AWESOME training !! Every Department should have one!
As I mentioned, this one is owned by the Cincinnati Fire Department and located on one of their training sites. I should also note that it is dedicated to Firefighter Oscar Armstrong III … a Cincinnati Firefighter killed in the line of duty back in March 2003 due to a flash over.
Hopefully, this invaluable training tool will prevent any future Cincinnati LODD’s due to Flash Over …. it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Every Cincinnati member has received training inside the Simulator and they allow surrounding Departments to come in and use it as well.
This is the closest that I’ve ever been able to get to a fire and these conditions for an extended period of time and feel (and actually be) safe.
The temperature inside (at places) reached in excess of 1800 degrees.
Not only did I find it valuable as a “Flash Over” simulator, I think it also has value for changing smoke conditions and roll over fires.
Here are 2 short videos …..
The training also proved to be a good test for the Fox Fire Helmet Band as well as for the brand new tetrahedrons … YEA … Fox Fire now has TETRAHEDRONS for your helmet!
They both held up GREAT !
Another successful day for Fox Fire, The Fire Critic and Ironfiremen.com
Special thanks to the Wyoming Fire-EMS Department for allowing us to tag along as well as to the instructors for a fantastic class!
Here are a few more pictures ….
Of course, this would not end our day … Zach had even more planned. After a quick clean up, we headed out to the University of Cincinnati vs West Virginia football game!
I’m not a big fan of either team but after seeing the Cincinnati cheer leaders in action … I was sold!
IT WAS A GREAT GAME !
It came down to the final 3 seconds where Cincinnati missed a short field goal to tie.
After the game, it was back to Zach’s for one of the best meals I’ve eaten in a long time. Unfortunately, after we ate; we had to pack, load up and start for home. I’m on vacation but Rhett had to be at work by 7 am Sunday. We made it safe and sound by around 2:30-3:00 am and I must admit that it was good to be back in my own bed.
I have a lot more to fill ya in on but will stop here for now. Sorry it was such a long one but I have been absent for a while (plus it was THAT good of a trip). I’ll catch ya again in the next day or so … until then, Stay Safe and in House ! Thanks for reading
Working… with a ways to go yet. The past few weeks have been emotionally draining and I’m spent. I have not yet posted the names of the City Brothers and Sisters who filled the stations and manned the rigs so that the B-shift Brother could attend the funeral. Captain Bedwell has assured me that I will receive a copy and as soon as I do, I will post it here. Names or not, THANKS to each and every one of those members for their sacrifice and display of brotherhood.
I slao did not re-post the names of the members who stood post by the Chief’s door while in the hospital. I had the schedule posted HERE and it contained the names. We have received several comments from friends and family as to what a benefit and honor the postings were. Thanks too are due to the Brothers and Sisters who filled the schedule. Captain Sellers commented in an earlier post and I think it is worth repeating. Here is Captain Sellers’ comment …
“I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to all those who answered the call for staffing our apparatus so that the on duty personnel could attend Chief Slaytons funeral. Those of us who were able to attend the funeral because of the generosity of the brothers and sisters of our neighboring departments must remember to return the favor when the time comes. The Honor Guard did an OUTSTANDING job during the visitation, at the church with Daryl Songer and Insect Reid pulling the “ironman” duty, and at the graveside service. Very impressive.
The brotherhood that has been exhibited throughout this whole ordeal has been tremendous. From the non stop flow of visitors when the Chief was still in the regular hospital room. To the fellow retirees who sat with him through the nighttime hours so that the family could go home and get some well deserved rest. To the overwhelming response to request for the posting of a firefighter at the door of the Chiefs hospital room, it didn’t matter if it was 2:00 in the afternoon or 2:00 in the morning, the need was met. By pure happenstance, I had the distinct privilege and honor to be with the Chief when he passed. After we exited the room so the family could have their private time with him, as I made my way to the hallway where I was having an emotional moment, I was met by the crew from Station 8. I was the recipient 5 heartfelt hugs and words of comfort.Thanks guys. In less than 15 minutes after the Chiefs passing, my phone is ringing with the word of his passing. Craig Sellers”
I have also received multiple calls and comments as to the job or Honor Guard did. I am not near articulate enough to express just how proud and honorably they represented our Department. Rhett and Drew are working on the pictures and we will have them posted between the sites ( Ironfiremen, Firecritic and VaFirenews ) as soon as they are available. Here’s one from my camera ..
I also failed to mention that several of us made our way down to Martin’s Restaraunt following the service for something warm to eat and cold to drink. It was a good turn out to raise a glass in Bobbie’s memory …
That was my first trip to Martins and I must say that it was very nice. The beer was cold … the food great and the service even better. They even had a picture of ole (now “Historic”) Station #1 on the wall … how fitting! Here’s a shot of Pop (my Dad..Willie Wines Sr.) taking a look…
Willie Wines Sr views picture of Roanoke City Historic Station #1 where he was assigned with Chief Bobbie Slayton
Sitting amidst Brothers and Sisters, having a few “adult beverages” and sharing old stories is one of the best ways to ease the grief. I now the trip was good for me and I feel as if it had the same effect on the others.
Tonight’s post is titled “working back to normal” and that’s what I’m trying to do. The evening at Martin’s was a beginning and today has been helpful as well. Today was the first in many that I’ve had the entire day to devote to the farm and catching up on my work here. I wish I could say that I got more accomplished than I did but at least I got the most important objectives completed … I’m getting back to “normal” (as if anything about me is “normal” ..LOL).
I had my helper with me today so if nothing else, I had an open ear. Not only does he listen to my ramblings (as long as I’m letting him drive the tractor) but he also asks enough questions that I’m forced to talk.. LOL. I think he needed to get back to work as well … my being distracted and off has upset his balance as well. He was as glad to be outside as I and seems to be readjusting rather quickly ..
For us, just being outside .. feeding and riding riding the tractor is “theropy’ of sorts … we both needed it.
Like I said… A good day and “just what the Doctor ordered”. The only down side was the weather. Once again, it was COLD! Now, it was nowhere near as cold as it was on the day of the funeral but it was still cold enough to freeze your nipples off so take my advice … keep your shirts on ( I can’t believe I just said that ..LOL)
Yea.. I know…. how could it get better you may ask?? How about if we had a “MAGIC” beer pouring machine?? Yea… it pours em from the bottom … really fast and with no head …
Take the time to check out THIS LINK to see this little baby in action ….. I want one! Hey .. if you folks are reading, let me be the first to offer a “product review” from Ironfiremen.com … send over the magic machine, a couple thousand cup and a truck load of kegs and I’ll get back to ya as soon as possibel LMAO!
Ok … I need to do a little begging here … I’m sure most of ya are aware by now that the 2011 Blog of the Year contest has opened up. The contest is hosted and run by Rhett over on Fire Critic and this will be the 2nd year of its existence. Last year, the “Melrose Misfit“ blog place a respectful 3rd despite being a brand new site. My format here is somewhat different but I hope just as worthy. Actually, I hope it’s even better … I WANT TO WIN and I need your help.
Go to the FireCritic site HERE to place your nomination and VOTE.You get one vote per day / per computer. Please take the time to vote EVERY DAY and ask all your friends and family to do the same.
I’m back on duty tomorrow then it’s off on a 4-day. Boots will be away conducting our regional CPAT test so we’ll have a fill-in for part of the day. I’m hoping we’ll be slow but I will get ya an update and post up as soon as we get a little sausage gravy in our belly. Until then, thanks for reading / following. Please remember to follow, friend and like us on “Picture Book” (Face Book) and to follow along on “Churp Churp” (Twitter) as well.
We’re fighting on all fronts here in “the Noke”. Our biggest battle right now has Retired Battalion Chief Bobby Slayton fighting to recover. I’m afraid his condition has not improved. Actually, he was moved earlier today to Pallative Care in room 1040. The family is now accepting visitors in moderation. Mikey Overacker has some great shots of Chief Slayton’s retirement party over on his site roanokefirefighters.com … I’ll steal one and you can check out the rest HERE
Our Brothers and Sisters from A-shift had a pretty good fight on their hands yesterday as well. A small fire in a local high rise resulted in 21 people being displaced due to water damage. It’s my understanding that the sprinkler system held the fire in check but a busted sprinkler line caused significant water damage. The local news coverage is below …
Rhett has the story over on VA Fire News HERE and Overacker has some good photos HERE.
Boots (Todd Harris) did a little fighting of his own today … We’ve been slammed! We caught a small car fire earlier in the day and as usual, Boots knocked her down quickly. Here he is doing a little mop up work with the can ..
The owner of the vehicle is a past member here. Charles went by MANY nick names … “Link” .. “Henry” .. “Diesel do” .. and most notably “Bones”. Another retired member, Leroy Edwards; dropped by last day and we sat around telling a few old stories and jokes. “Bones” was the topic of many. It was good to see both of em again, I just wish it had been under different circumstances for Bones. Here is a shot of Leroy and Bones (we put him in the rig to stay warm … he said they sure do make em fancy now)
Football practice for the Roanoke Rampage has began but I had to miss em both this week. Practice is being held on Monday and Wednesdays and I’ll be sure to get some good pics and updates for ya then. Until then, check out the link to the new site .. For all you corporate type readers out there.. WE NEED SPONSORS ! We play 100 % for charity in the National Public Safety Football League. The team is made up of Police and Firefighters from the Roanoke Valley and surrounding area. We have a great schedule this season and will play teams such as Chicago and DC . Go to our web site for more information on how to become a sponsor and support a charity.
Speaking of sports, the Guns and Hoses Hockey game is this Saturday night, 7pm at the Roanoke Civic Center! Another great event to benefit MDA. Tickets are only $5 and it is a BLAST! Make plans now to attend .. you wont be disappointed.
Heck, even the Buckaroo is getting geared up for all these battles. He’s been wearing my football equipment all week …
I told him that maybe he needed to toughen up just a bit before he plays full contact football with a bunch of 40 and 50 year old men. He then explained to me that he was “tougher than he looks” and proceeded to show me just how much by fighting a bear that he found sleeping in his bed ….
Well, the bear was starting to get the upper hand so the Buckaroo changed tactics ….
LMAO .. that’ll teach that darn bear!
Me?? I’ve been fighting too. Fighting to get caught up on the farm. I’ve been hauling hay all day everyday but can’t seem to get ahead. Of course, I have all the other chores to accomplish as well .. feeding, calving, fence repair etc. I also had to put up a new garage door on one of the barns. The good news there is one of our Brothers from #5-C happens to do garage doors on his days off. Mark Brown came out yesterday evening and into the night to get that big S.O.B up… THANKS AGAIN BROTHER! Here’s a shot of Mark at work and a few of the ol “Cowboy Cadillac” hay hauling as well …
Ok, we’re sitting on 10, I have clothes in the washer and more hay to haul tomorrow…. I’d better stop here and work my way towards bed … I hope we can stay in em tonight. Thanks for all of the comments and e-mails .. I have several to reply to and will do so in the next day or so. Thanks too for just reading and following along …. I’ll check back in tomorrow sometime … until then, stay safe and in house!
(PS. Don’t forget to “like” and “share” on Picture Book and Churp Churp… every little bit helps)
I’m SICK. I’m not sure I can say it enough to make ya fully understand. I think one of “Santa’s Sexy Helpers” must have “slipped me a mickey”.. LOL. I’ve always said that if you ever hear that I’m in the hospital and really want to see (or cuss ) me, you had better come quick because it’s BAD. Well, I didn’t go to the hospital but I seriously considered calling a Medic truck to come get. We worked yesterday (26th) and I had to mark the Engine out of service and call in overtime for me to go home.
I don’t think I’ve ever left mid way through a shift but last night was for the safety (and health) of my men as well as for my self. I was useless. I don’t know what I caught but I couldn’t even drive myself home. To spare ya the details, I had it running from both ends. I’m glad the fellas do a good job with their station chores / cleaning because Georgie found me laying in a stall (the cool floor gave some comfort). Anyway, they got me a ride home and I made it none to soon.
Laying in my own bathroom floor, back and abdomen muscles pulled and knotted; my mind drifted to building construction… yea.. you guys already know I’m “warped”. You see, in older homes, the bath tub was most always directly across from the toilet .. less than arms reach as a matter of fact. That way, when faced with a dilema such as mine; one could take care of business from the seat while leaning to the tub for the upper end… gross I know but it works. I don’t have that luxuryin my home. Everything is so spread out. Who needs that much room in a bath room? Everything should be within arms reach … convenient …. accessible.
Damn modern designs / construction! Nothing left to do but the old “back and forth” … the old “switcharoo” ….
The good news (or bad … depending on who you are) is that I lived through the night. I still can’t eat or move about much but I’m gonna survive. Laying here, trying not to shake around too much; I figured I’d try to give ya a little update …
I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas (or Happy Holiday) and that you were able to spend it with friends and family. Our Christmas Eve tour was not uneventful but could have been much worse. Lucky 13 caught an EMS run just before midnight where we were able to make a positive impact and hopefully bring some Christmas cheer to two children who desperately needed some. I wrote a post on the incident but haven’t published it yet .. I may a little later on.
While we were out on that call, our Brothers and Sisters from “The Deuce”, stations #3 and #5 caught some work in a commercial structure. The fellas made a quick knock down, was able to reach “loss stopped” quickly and avoided injury to civilians or FD personnel. Well done boys! Rhett has some other Christmas fire from around the Country over on Fire Critic HERE.
Anyway, the rest of the night was quiet and we were able to get home on Christmas to be with our families. I have gotten several e-mails asking about the Buckaroo, that “Lightning Bike” and pictures. Well, how dare you even question me?? Didn’t you see the pic from the “Christmas Eve Update” post? Hell or high water wouldn’t have stopped me from getting him that bike … he just tripped 100,000 on the odometer…. LOL
Boots also hooked him up on a Tonka dump truck and cement mixer … he LOVES toys that load, dump etc…
Santa scattered the little fella’s packages between 3 or 4 places so as you can imagine … he didn’t get much.
Again, I hope all of you had just as Happy and Merry Christmas and that all of your “Buckaroos” got everything they wanted. It seems like it was just this morning but Christmas morning was more than 48 hours ago. Most of you are cleaning up from Santa and making plans for the new year. Yea … the New year is just around the corner .. Friday night at Midnight to be exact.
I’m not sure what I will do for New Year’s Eve. I usually don’t get too wound up or do the party scene thingy… mostly because I don’t get invited to any .. LOL. Anyway, I know that some of you take “ringing in the New Year” as serious as Christmas. Parties are planned, preparations made and resolutions offered.
Nobody is as excited to forget their “shaddy” past an start anew than 2 of my close friends and fellow bloggers. Rhett (Rhett Fleitz from Fire Critic) and Dave (Dave Statter from Statter 911) are usually “chomping at the bit” to see that old ball drop (yea.. I could go a long way on that statement but wont… for now anyway..LOL). These two jokers have been planning and preparing to bring in 2011 for weeks now …. you wont want to miss this party …
LMAO … here’s to a happy new year! I’ll check in with ya later … if I live. Until then, stay safe and in house!
Ok, that’s enough silliness for the night. It’s Christmas Eve 2010 and I wanted to take a serious moment and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Our Battalion Chief (Teddy Adkins) is off sick but still made arrangements to have steaks delivered to every station on the North Battalion. Well done Chief … they were delicious… and THANKS!!
There was a time when the Chiefs came by and shook the member’s hands during the holidays. Now, we get e-mails. Teddy Chief Adkins came by last cycle to wish us well and Happy Holidays (he was scheduled for vacation this cycle despite now being sick). That’s “old school” to me and I, for one; appreciate it.
There are Brothers and Sisters all across the world who are pulling a tour tonight. I always try to take a moment off to myself and say a little extra “word” for those working the Holidays. Most folks don’t realize the sacrifices made in the name of “public safety”. Firefighters, EMT’s, Paramedics, Police and dispatchers all away from their families to serve and protect yours. If nobody else says it, I will … THANK YOU!
Brothers and Sisters everywhere are hopefully sitting with each other telling stories and rubbing full bellies. If I were a betting man, I’d say there is also a lot of toy “construction” going on tonight. Those are some good memories. The “senior” men throwing away the instructions, telling you how many times they’ve put something “just like” this together. A few runs, a sledge hammer and halligan later, the toy somewhat resembles the picture from the box. LOL. Working Christmas and Christmas Eve is difficult (emotionally) but trust me.. cherish the tour. The men and women beside you are “family” as well.
We didn’t have anything to put together tonight but Georgie did bring in one of his presents for us to play with. A remote controlled helicopter! It is AWESOME … check out this video..
I couldn’t help but to reflect on the two brothers lost this week up in Chicago.. Edward Stringer and Corey Ankum. See a little of who these men were through The Fire Critic’s site HERE. My thoughts drift to their families and the difficult time they are enduring through this Holiday season. I haven’t posted on their deaths yet and won’t get into my thoughts and feelings on the issues tonight … not on Christmas Eve. Dave Statter has the tentative arrangements etc on his site HERE. I also found where my Lt. from the “Melrose Misfit” days took the time to put together a small tribute …nice job “Bugg”. I will post it below with another link from Statter to web sites and Face Book pages where you too can leave your condolences. Find those sites HERE .
Our day has been fairly steady. The morning brought a few runs .. one MVC with moderate damages was the most excitement .. it happened right in front of the station …
Traffic is heavy due to last minute shoppers. Drivers are more pre-occupied then normal … be CAREFUL. Use the rig as a shield… wear your PPE (including safety vest etc) .. and stay alert.
Boots is off on vacation so we have big Dave “The Hammer” Lucas riding OT…. here’s Big Luke
We’ve had a few visitors pass through and a slower evening as far as runs go. I hope we stay in house for the remainder of the shift. I hope you do as well. I’ll leave ya with the Christmas Eve edition of Santa’s Sexy Helper (s)….
I’m not sure if the big guy is gonna make it but I’m pulling for him! Have a safe and Merry Christmas … I’ll check in tomorrow.
I have some really good news to pass along on a local level. Those of you who have followed me for a while (yea…both of ya) will know the boys I’m talking about… for all others, I’ll explain in a moment.
That was my little “happy dance” LOL. Coon and Opie have been with me since our days as “Melrose Misfits” back at station #9. We were just recently separated with my move to Lucky #13. That said, we are only blocks away and that can’t erase the bond we’ve built over the past years. These two guys are very special to me .. the whole crew for that matter. Bugg, Coon, Wheezy, Tyrone and Opie. They were one of the best companies in the “noke”. OUTSTANDING work and honest men. Hard working. They achieved several accomplishments that made me very proud and they continue to do so.
That’s part of what it’s like to be on the job. Especially to be on the job and be a Captain. You watch the men grow. They set goals, work towards them and eventually achieve them. I don’t just mean goals on the job … personal gaols as well. We’ve shared weddings, child births, bought new cars or homes. We’ve celebrated and cried together …we’re a family.
Well, the video above had a little humor in it but it also says what I feel. I AM PROUD! Proud for Coon becoming a father and proud of Opie for obtaining another career goal. Becoming an EMT-I is not easy. Its a step from being a BLS (basic life support) provider to becoming an ALS (advanced life support) provider. Opie took the class and then passed both the written and practical exams on his first attempt. RARE.. and like I said… NOT EASY. And Coon getting Sherrie pregnant …. well ok, maybe that was a little easier …. and 10 times more fun but still… I bet he worked up a sweat ! LMAO .. just kidding. This will be Coon and Sherrie’s first child together and that will a great source of joy for them both I’m sure.
If you’ve never met em (Opie and Coon that is), I’ll take ya back to our “Misfit” days and blog and show you their segments of “meet the members”.
So, there ya go and once again … I’M PROUD OF YA BOYS!
Ok, moving on real quick …. SALVAGE. In case ya haven’t noticed guys… it’s Christmas. No matter where you work, rural, urban etc. we have to pay a little extra attention to a few details concerning our job. I want ya to think about line placement, stream application, overhaul operations and most of all…. SALVAGE. Guys, don’t go kicking doors and blasting through homes like a bunch of bulls! Pay attention to what you’re doing and where you’re doing it.
Some folks are fortunate and have a BIG Christmas. A tree hidden by the piles of gifts, decorations passed down through the family for years etc. Others .. well some others are not so fortunate. I want you to keep in mind that even if it’s only 1 or 2 packages under a tree or maybe even just leaning against the couch (because they couldn’t afford a tree) … maybe if it’s only one small ornament setting somewhere in the room… maybe this is all the Christmas they have. DON’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM EM! The fact that you are there means it is bad enough! Don’t soak down the living room and all the packages under the tree because of a back bedroom fire. If mom was hiding the few small gifts she was able to purchase for her child in the closet, DONT stomp on or soak those either. Slow down just a touch at this time of year. Know your surroundings. Move the ornaments / packages etc before pulling ceiling. You see what I’m getting at here. We can all afford to slow down just a bit and pay a little more attention anyways..right? Try to keep in mind that all so important function we have to complete on each and every fire… SALVAGE!
Ok… that was my mini-rant. Have you guys noticed anything odd?? Are we missing anyone?? It seems as though the Fire Critic has been MIA for a few days. He’s gonna make out like he’s been in Nashville with family but I have a sneaky suspicion he’s been up to something. Maybe he and Statter are conjuring up some kinda scheme for a “mini-Santa” take over of Christmas???
of course, if they are; they’ll need one of Sant’s Sexy Helpers …. guess I’d better leave em with Day 6 …
That’ll do it for now… you guys stay safe and in house!
Well the snow found us. Here in Catawba, we had about 4-5 inches before it changed over to sleet. Chores don’t change just because of the weather, so I had all the regular feeding etc to do. The Buckaroo took the day off despite spending several days last week brushing up on loader operations …
I missed the little fella today because there was plenty of shoveling to do seeing as how I’m back at the station tomorrow. I tried to wait until as late as possible so the bulk of the ice would be on top of the snow and I could get it all in a single pass. If I had of shoveled earlier, the I’d have been left with nothing but ice… hard to scrape. Hard to scrape unless you know what you’re doing, have the right tools and nice …. ummmm … errrrr…. well you need the right tools
Most of you know me by now so you understand that I like to group tasks together … I get more done that way. Now everyone knows that your first inclination when the white stuff hit the ground is to run out and make a big ol snow angel. Well, being the thinker I am .. I figured out how to put the two together … snow angels and shoveling …
LMAO .. got you fellas on that one didn’t I? You guys get enough “eye candy” so that one was for Hydrant Gal and all my female readers. The sad news for the ladies is that obviously, that is NOT my butt.. LOL. Ok, all kidding aside, it’s been a mess up here today. As usual, my thoughts often drift to my Brothers and Sisters on duty today and tonight. Just getting to an incident will be difficult. Side walks will be iced over, lines will freeze and slip / fall hazards are increased. I could make an entire post on the hazards our members will encounter tonight and how those hazards will affect and change our strategies and tactics. I’ll spare ya that post for now and move in another direction.
I hope you took the time to tune in to Firefighter Netcast last night for Taking it to the Streets, hosted by Chris Naum. His guest list read like the “who’s who” of Fire / EMS blogging world and the Fire Service in general… { Deputy Coordinator Tiger Schmittendorf (NY), Chief Glenn Usdin (PA), Bill Carey (MD), Chief Doug Cline (NC), Lt. Rhett Fleitz (Va), Lt. John Mitchell (IL), Art Reason and Dave Lablanc }. I was also a guest. Last night’s title was ” Looking Forward Through The Rear View Mirror “. Chris wanted to discuss what “stood out” or impacted the Fire Service in 2010 and what were that is in store for us in 2011.
As usual, I wa a babbling idiot. I know what I want to say but for whatever reason can’t get it off my tongue while sitting in front of a microphone. Mush mouth … tongue tied … whatever you want to call it .. I feel like I’ve just left the dentist or like I’m chewing my own tongue…
I know … who wouldn’t chew that tounge … but you understand what I’m saying here…. on the Netcast, I seem / feel “flustered”. So, I wanted to take the time to go over my thoughts etc from the pod cast. Although there were MANY issues that affected the Fire Service (directly or indirectly) in 2010, I sat down with a list of my “Top 3″.
FIREFIGHTER FATALITIES. Depending on whos list you look at (which is another issue within itself), thus far in 2010 we have suffered 78 – 82 firefighter fatalities (Line of Duty Deaths..”LODD’s”). While this number is lower than in previous years, to me; it is still unacceptable! What I wasn’t able to communicate was some of the issues surrounding these LODD’s. My numbers come from the Untied States Fire Administration who show the number at 78 between the dates of 1/1/2010 -11/30/2010.
Of those 78 LODD’s 16 or 20.5% occured while responding to an incident. They also report the ”cause” of 46 or 58.9% of the fatalities to be from stress or overexertion. As for the “nature”, 43 or 55.1% were from heart attacks. They list 51 or 65.3% of the fatalities as volunteer firefighters. 23 of the fatalities were age 61 or older, 76.9% were over the age of 40 (I’m 41).
There are other sites / stats available that break down the LODD’s even further .. seat belt use etc. My point would be that many of these tragedies were / are preventable. We could debate minimal physical fitness standards, the use of CPAT, hiring and retirement ages, responding POV, minimal standards, yearly physicals etc. I could go on and on but again, this issue alone could be a book or at minimum a multi-page post. The bottom line is that LODD’s can be reduced!
The Economy. Wow! Where do I begin? We all know that history has a tendency to repeat itself. A low economy means higher unemployment. Less jobs, less money. History has shown Fires increase in a poor economy. Arson rates tend to jump as well. A poor economy means more work for us. More work means a greater chance of injuries / fatalities.
The economy affects our job as well. Less money in general means less for proper training, equipment etc. Again, this equation equals injured or dead firemen.
How many Departments have you read about lately who are imposing lay-offs, station closings / consolidations, brown-outs or cuts is any other form? This affects the safety of our citizens and firefighters alike.
Social Media. Social Media made a HUGE impact in 2010. Just look at the number of Fire/ EMS blogs out there today. Information that used to take weeks or months to spread now, crosses the Country (and World) in minutes.
Look at it as a “teaching” and / or “learning” tool. Again, I can get information and “lessons learned” from an incident on the opposite coast as it happens. Look at sites such as www.firefighterclosecalls.com( home of “The Secret List”). Up to date, accurate information that can save our lives. The very show last night. Chris Naum covers topics such as “Redefining the Fire Ground” .. all his work is directed in making our job safer and easier. The host of last night’s show .. Firefighter Netcast .. WOW! what an asset to the Fire Service. You don’t have to travel to the Expo’s or seminars anymore. Rhett and John bring the “Who’s who” of Fire Service Leadership directly to you in you home, station or wherever. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of more examples.
Consider sites such as Face Book. Most every department now has a Face Book and Twitter page. These sites are used to communicate with the Fire Service and community alike. These sites now can be accessed through smart phones etc .. easy access by almost any and everyone. Pay attention to the number of “friends” or “shares” next time you visit you’r favorite site. Take a look at the numbers from Firefighter Nation…. again .. WOW. I don’t think we were seeing numbers like this in 2009.
One thing to think of and caution one another here is that we have also seen socila media affect the Fire Service in a negative way in 2010. Inapporite pics, videos etc have led to Departmental “black eyes”, adminsitrative leave without pay, dismisals, law suits etc. Good and bad.. Social Media made a huge impact on the Service in 2010.
Ok, I know I’m getting long winded here but again, I just want to make sure you folks that tuned in last night had an idea of “w here I was headed” with my thoughts (even though I never got there..LOL). I’m gonna wind it up for the night, maybe a hot tub and then a movie. Speaking of movies … a good friend came by the other evening and had a little trouble getting through “security”. Since there’s presents under the tree, the Buckaroo has been on high alert! LMAO .. it got me thinking of a movie and I found the clip .. could this be my little Buckaroo in a year or so???
LMAO.. that’s a good movie. Ok, so I bet you thought I had forgotten… naaaa .. just making ya sweat it out (and read the entire post). I’ll close with Day 9 of Santa’s Sexy Helper …
I’m back on duty tomorrow.. until next post, stay warm, safe and in house!
OMG … the “mustache envy” around this place. My site gains a little popularity and now everyone wants to look like me? I’m serious .. mustaches are showing up everywhere … look ..
That’s big ol lovable Captain Mac Craft from #3-A
Even our messenger truck driver Donnie Foutz has been caught up in the obsession
Yea.. that’s Rhett (Fire Critic) but I’m NOT gonna call that a mustache … it’s more like a shock absorber for a high speed ass kisser (LMAO). Heck.. the Buckaroo’s Halloween stache was better …
Even our Emergency Management Coordinator is sporting a traditional stache.. check him out in this video from our local news following a train derailment here in the “Noke” this past week.
The point of the video was if our Department is prepared for a derailment where “Haz-Mat” is involved. Wouldn’t you know it… Haz-Mat training today … WooooHooo! All kidding aside, the training has been on the schedule for some time now. Kind of a refresher for Haz-Mat Awareness … another much needed and well presented class. Good job and THANKS guys.
It’s been kind of a hetic day around here. I walked through the door and caught a run for a MVA with extrication. Ladder 5 and Medic 5 filled the ticket and the boys on the truck made quick work of the driver’s side door of an F350 pick up truck. I had command and snapped a few shots from my phone (sorry for the poor quality / size).
No life threatening injuries and a job well done by everyone on scene. The rest of the day has been just as busy. The forecast is for snow tonight so traffic and the stores etc have been a mad house! I guess since they’re calling for snow, I may as well throw up a “snow bunny” pic huh?
Let it snow, let it snow, LET IT SNOW! … Yea.. I know … that’s why you guys love me (LOL). Ok, so we also had several guest drop by the house today. A good friend and Brother from Salem stopped by for a cup of coffee and chat. Newly promoted Captain Kevin Tottin …
Kevin run the Salem end of our regional Training Center. A strong worker and damn good fireman .. a “good Jake”. He’ll do very well out there and the recruits are lucky to have him. We also had a visitor from all the way up in Crawfordsville, Indiana. I’m not gonna mention his name or why he was here but somehow or another, he got hooked up with the FireCritic and came down for a visit. He joined us last night at Buffalo Wild Wings for a few “adult” beverages and some good conversation.
Some folks in attendance but not pictured were Tim and Christene Cady, Kevin Tottin, and Gavin Miller. We had a good time and even solved some FD issues (as most firefighters do when out drinking). We found out that “J.G” (pictured front left) and girlfriend Hanna are expecting a baby girl on Valentines Day! We heard tales of ”don’t ask, don’t tell” situations at station #5. Gavin eluded to who was voted in as the new Chief for Read Mountain Fire / Rescue … he mentioned something that began with “Ho” but quickly changed up and confessed that it’s now Chief Chesson who holds the position. We investigated the “disappearing pike pole” from station #9 and even got to see a few phone photos of “Atilla’s” girlfriend Britney (boy was he smashed! ) LOL .. just kidding there… he wasn’t smashed but we did see the pics!
Ok, so I was talking about our visitor from Indiana. He had a BLAST. He even dropped by the station this morning for a tour and to say thanks for the hospitality…
Despite today being busy or a little hectic, it was better than the day I had yesterday. NOTHING went right. Fighting the cold and wind! If you don’t think it’s windy here, just look at whats left of one of my barns …
Yea.. it was one of those days! What are ya gonna do? Anyhow… moving on.. my last post revealed the winner of my Firefighter Tattoo contest. See Chris Sterrickers submission and tat HERE.
I guess I also need to introduce Day 10 of Santa’s Sexy Helper … here she ..errrrrr … they are..
You’re welcome. So I’m also doing another “product review”. I just received a copy of “Red Flag Warning”, a serial arson mystery by Kurt Kamm ..
Rhett over at Fire Critic has done a earlier review of one of Kurt Kamm’s books One Foot In The Black. See how he fared with the Critic HERE
Ok, to wrap things up … don’t forget to tune in to Firefighter Netcast tonight for Chris Naum’s Taking it to the Streets. Tonight’s episode is Looking Forward Through the Rear View Mirror.
Join us on Wednesday night December 15that 9:00 pm EST for an insightful look back at 2010 and forward into 2011 and beyond with a stellar line-up of fire service leaders. The lineup of Scheduled guests include, Deputy Coordinator Tiger Schmittendorf (NY), Chief Glenn Usdin (PA), Captain Willie Wines (Va), Bill Carey (MD), Chief Doug Cline (NC), Lt. Rhett Fleitz (VA), Lt. John Mitchell (IL), and a few others on the invite list who might just drop in on us.
Ok, that’s it for now… I’ll talk to ya later from Firefighter Netcast’s East Coast Headquarters … yea.. I’ll be on the show so don’t just tune in … CALL IN!
I got the video below from over at Fire Critic. I’m so mad I am almost speechless! First, I’ll show ya a video of John McCain talking about the “tax bill”. All this crap “ear marked” onto the tax bill and it passed.. yet the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was defeated! WTF !! Everyone was wondering back in September … the same old question was asked and we are now seeing the answer . The question?? …. “Have you forgotten?” …. I say YES THEY HAVE! Take the time.. watch these videos. This is our government at work!
The video below is taken from the Daily Show with host Jon Stewart. Again… take the time to watch it. Also check out the Fire Critic’s full story HERE
I’ll post more on the fire a little later. Engine #6 arrived with heavy fire showing from the “Charlie” side of the house of origin. They had flame impingement to the exposure on the “Bravo” side due to high winds from the west. Temperatures were in the mid teens with a wind chill factor making it to feel near to below zero. The Brothers from Station #6 laid in and went to work. Battalion Chief Jeff Beckner established command and coordinated the efforts. There were no injuries to Fire / EMS members but 1 civilian was transported for smoke inhalation.
Looks like another good job (and stop) by Roanoke’s Bravest…. WELL DONE LADS! More details later today.
Stay Warm, dry, safe and in house!
Ok, to begin with; tomorrow is going to be a busy day. The morning will be anyway. Tomorrow is our annual “vacation sign up day”. In the firehouse, we sign up for our “vacation” and “holidays” a year in advance. Time to clean the ol desk off and figure out the days we need…
Here in the City, sign ups go by senority. We also sign up per shift and Battalion (North and South) so there are 3 days worth (A, B and C-shift). The process works well until they throw everyone’s name in a hat and shuffle personnel and shifts. I fall in the 10th pick for C-shift North which is not too bad. My picks are a little different from what most guys want anyway so usually, I don’t have much trouble getting what I want or need. I’m more interested in hay and calving season than the “traditional” holidays. I do have a few dates I need this year so that I can make events with the Firefighter Netcast crew. Events such as FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Fire Rescue International and the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial Weekend. Cross your fingers and wish me luck.
Knowing that I’m gonna have a busy morning, I need to update some of the facts on my post concerning the Vinton Fire. The post has generated a lot of hits and comments. As expected, several of the comments are directed towards making the issue ” us vs. them” rather than focusing on the safety issues etc. Other comments question my facts and account of the incident. Let me assure you, my sources are and were key players in the incident / system. That said, I did have some details wrong nor have I spoken directly with a Vinton member (who was on scene) yet. I’ll start with some local news coverage video…
Turns out, the City WAS on the initial dispatch. You also need to know that there IS a delay in that dispatch. The City and Town Of Vinton / County have separate dispatch centers. The County dispatch received the call @ 22:45. They dispatched the call within 42 seconds. Then, they have to notify the City that we are needed to respond (I believe that’s done by phone) … there’s the delay (the County gets the call, dispatches their units, calls the City who in turn then dispatches the City units).
Now, let me add here that the “delay” is in no way the fault of our dispatchers (City or County). These folks do a SUPER job. Much like us, they are short staffed and overloaded. They handle multiple units on multiple channels simultaneously and single handed.
The initial call recomended Vinton Station 2, County #6 and County #12. Station #12 was out of service due to not having members “sleeping” in the station. They were able to get members to the station and “mark up” and respond BUT, because they were initially out of service, City #6 was added to the call.
The County dispatch system turns calls over after 6 minutes (not the 4 minute then 3 minute mark that I originally posted). City Engine #6 arrived @ 22:53 (8 minutes after Dispatch received the call). So, the “10 or more minutes to get an Engine on scene” was not correct either …. it was 8 minutes.
To address some of the comments … The mutual or Auto-aid system did not fail. In theory … the system WORKED. Had it not have, the City would not have been on the call and the 1st arriving Engine would have taken longer than 8 minutes to arrive. (Although I still believe that we need more SOP / SOG’s that are standard for all auto and mutual-aid.. regaurdless of responding to South County, North County, Vinton or Salem … or them coming into the City).
I can’t speak for County Administration but I do not feel as if they are trying to run the volunteers out.THEY NEED THEM. I think (and agree with) that they are attempting to hold members “accountable” .. volunteer or career.
As for me … YES … I’m a “#$%##^&&**” (insert whatever you want). But, I stated many times in the post that I do not see the issues here as volunteer vs career or City vs. Town / County. I do see issues that need to be addressed for the safety of all members involved. If I’m an “***hole” for feeling that way then so be it.
Ok… moving on but keeping on the “fire” theme. The City has been busy lately. Fires are up. Even my ”little buddy” Rhett caught some work the other night. He called me as excited as a kid at Christmas. He wasn’t stuck in the street “pulling levers” and it was more than a dumpster fire. I’ll steal his pic but also check out his version of the fire HERE
Our B-shift brothers and Sisters were also busy last night with motor vehicles accidents. They even had a head on collision on the Interstate due to a car traveling in the wrong direction. See the local coverage HERE .
Ok, I’m gonna stop here for now. I’ll update sometime Monday evening or night. Thanks again for reading and for taking the time to comment. Don’t forget to use the new tool bar at the bottom to share with your friends etc. Until I get back, stay safe and in house.
Yea.. it’s the snow ! Something about it … I love it. Puts me in the Christmas and somewhat of a little romantic mood. I may saddle up the horses for a nice romantic ride. Better yet, I may borrow the neighbors sleigh… hummmmm wonder how that would turn out???
LMAO I love that video. I’ll be back in just a bit. I have what is sure to be a “hot topic” post coming …. check back in an hour or so. Thanks for reading / following …
We’re getting our 1st snow of the year here in Va. Now, it’s nothing compared to what our Brothers and Sisters up in Buffalo area are getting but hey, it’s snow…
The snow has me feeling the spirit of Christams so I wanted to share a couple of videos with ya. I have been wanting to post on the first one for a few weeks now. The Rockefeller Christmas tree in NYC. This year, the tree was donated by a FDNY member! How cool is that? Another firefighter doing what we do best … giving back! Take the time to watch the video… it’s a great story.
I also found another video while browsing the web. It contains 2 of my favorite things.. Allison Krauss and Firefighters. Again, take the time to watch the entire video … it has a great message.
Thanks to all the Brothers and Sisters across the world pulling a tour on this snowy and cold night …. I hope you all stay safe and in house!
Thanks for reading / following… don’t forget to use the new tool bar at the bottom of the page to share with all your friends.
Captain Wines
As usual, some of the posted stories on the house fire in Roanoke on Monday morning are not entirely acurate. I’ll try to set the story straight and throw in a few more pics. Rhett posted a nice piece over on the Fire Critic , unfortunately; some of his facts were off (imagine that Statter). Here’s the video again…
We (Engine #13) were 1st in but the ladder shown in the video is indeed Ladder #5 (not Ladder #7). Engine and Medic 5 were out of service training. I’m not sure where the Ladder was before the incident but I do know they must not have been in house. Medic 5 cleared from where ever or what ever they were doing and responded in on the initial assignment. Later, Engine 5 cleared from their detail and also made the scene. So, here’s the details…
Medic Unit 5 actually arrived first and began to give a size up. I (Engine #13) was about a 1/2 block behind them. We arrived with pretty much what you see in the video “showing”. A 3 story, wood frame, residential structure. Nothing from side Delta and heavy fire and smoke from second floor windows, sides Alpha and Bravo. Side Charlie unknown at this time. It was also evident that the fire had and was extending into the attic.
I knew this house. I had been inside several times while assigned to Station #9. I knew there were elderly folks who lived there and that they were not always in the best of health. I also knew that they had a wood stove and they used it. They kept that stove going year round. June, July, August … the stove was burning. It was kind of odd, even for someone as cold natured as I. It maybe even worried me a bit so we even stopped by one day and installed smoke detectors (our Department has a program where we give and install free smoke detectors). It’s a good thing we did!
The 81 yr old home owner was home alone at the time of the fire. He was alerted by the upstairs detector and made it out without injury. As far as the fire, we had a decent amount showing and it was extending to the attic. On arrival, we didn’t see anyone in the yard so we went offensive.
Boots (Todd Harris) made a good stretch and we made our way up the steps and down the hallway to the fire room. We stretched dry and as soon as we were in position, Georgie (Lt. George Perdue) had us water. PERFECT! I had assigned Medic 5 to establish “2 out” and requested Engine #2 lay in. Ladder 5 must have been right on our heels and got in to conduct the searches. Battalion 1 from the South Side had arrived and established Command.
Boots made a good knock down of the fire room and we began looking for the attic steps. Unfortunately, there were none. Companies began to pull ceiling to gain access plus, we had companies throwing ground ladders to the Alpha side. We were able to get a ladder to the dormer from the porch roof and made the attic from there. We did NOT attack the fire from the porch roof as some stories indicate.
We were well under control and overhaul operations were under way. The ceiling was insulated with blown type insulation which is a pain in the butt to deal with. Pull the ceiling and it goes everywhere and covers everything. Soak it and the weight collapses the ceiling causing even more undue damages. There’s no right or wrong nor an easy answer.
That’s Captain Phil “Triple D” Dillon on the left, notice he’s covered in the insulation. Captain Dillon is assigned to Lucky #13 on B-shift but was paying back a day to Captain Martin over at Station #3…. yea…. Clayton missed ANOTHER one! So, the Investigators arrived and did their thing. The fire room was shoveled out and washed down. The conclusion was related to the wood stove. Companies were cleared from the scene and placed back in service. Ladder 5 remained to assist the Investigators and mop up.
I have heard that later that night, companies returned for a small fire in the attic in the Charlie / delta corner (opposite from the fire room). I’m checking with the local weather service to verify lightning strikes in the area around that time .. LOL. I will post more on the topic of what Rhett is calling a “rekindle”. So, there ya have it … summed up but straight from the horse’s (or jack-asses) mouth. Solid work by all members! No injuries to civilians or members, property and family treasures saved plus a smoke detector program that worked! Companies / units on scene were.. Engines 13, 2, 3 and 5. Ladder 5. Medics 5 and 2. Battalions 1 and 2. RS1, Support 2 and Investigation 1. Here are a few more random shots from the scene…
Ok.. I’m gonna stop here for now. I’ve been out of town today and then up watching the Victoria Secretions TV Special. I’m back on tomorrow and will try to get a post up. I have several items I need to cover … one of the top ones being my AXE Body wash and Shampoo review. We’ve been using the product for a week or so now and are ready to bring you the results.
Thanks for reading / following … I hope you are having as much fun as I am. Don’t forget to use the new tool bar at the bottom of the page to share on FB and twitter.
I’ll see ya tomorrow.. until then, stay safe and in house!
So, I was on duty yesterday and the “good” part of my Christmas started then.
In return, I got Rhett an APRON …. LOL..yea…. an APRON!
As much as Rhett LOVES cooking, this should make a great gift.
So, I got off duty this morning and headed home.
The Buckaroo had a BLAST and that’s what it’s all about.
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