Irony

Fire is never funny. The losses can be awful. However, sometimes there are instances that are so ironic that you can't help but chuckle just a wee bit. For instance......

Some time ago we had a call for a structure fire. It was a local business. The building was a total loss but there were no fatalities or injuries.

The name of the business....
Sister Rosa's Palm Reader and Fortune Teller.

(shouldn't they have known ahead of time????)

Life Lesson #732

When you are in training for the fire department. You spend a lot of time in what is called The Burn Building. The Burn Building is a 4 story, concrete building with many rooms and stairways. For training exercises, it is filled with smoke and multiple fires ranging in size from small corner fires to rooms that are fully engulfed in flames. There are also "victims" (150-175 lb dummies) throughout the building that must be rescued.

When you are are probie/rookie, there is always at least one officer or instructor in each room to insure your safety and to access your progress.

It is extremely imperative that if you are the"man" on the nozzle (in charge of water flow), that under NO circumstances should you ever, EVER- regardless of whether or not is is completely unintentional, douse the instructor with water.

A soaking wet instructor makes for a very unhappy instructor.




An unhappy instructor makes for a VERY unhappy probie.





Believe me. I know.


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Words to Live By

Quite often in life, we receive very important advice and/or bits of information. You know, the life saving ones.

I remember one of the first fire calls I went on. The call came in as"Smell of smoke in residence. Possible Carbon Monoxide" As you can imagine, I was nervous and excited at the same time.

It was then that I learned a very important piece of advice. I was following the lead firefighter in the house. We were in complete gear, including SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus).

As we were walking in, I looked at my partner. Hoping for a profound bit of advice, I asked him, "What should I do?"

His response, "Grab an Ax and Try Not to Die."

Man, I really miss those days!

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A Surprise in the Mailbox......For ME!!

So I go outside and there sitting on the grill is yet another package from the post office.













I order many of the gifts I give on-line so this was no surprise. I barely looked at it and was about to put it in the chest with all the others, to wrap at a later date...but wait! I recognize the return name and address. This is for ME!! EXCITING!!










I rush into the house and begin to open it.















Exciting! And beautifully wrapped!!















What a beautiful card AND bookmark!















It is a handmade original Rich Gift!























But WAIT!! There's more! How Cool Is THAT!! A fire engine Christmas tree ornament! I LOVE IT!!















I decided to hang it right on the front of the tree. Do you see it?


















Zoom in......There! That's better.....Actually, it's
Perfect!












Thank you so much Edie.
Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

First In...Last Out ... The Conclusion

As I am sitting here trying to get the words to come, the fire truck just rode by my house and blew the horn. Earlier today, it was the engine that did the same thing. 2 different shifts and I doubt either knew the other was doing it. So was that God's way of saying, "Don't give up. You can do it!"? No, it may have been the crews saying it, but that's just because they think if they say it enough, I'll be able to

If you want, go back and read part one of my story and this will make a bit more sense. Click Here.

I've been struggling with this decision for the past year. There is no getting around it. If I were to continue doing what I love to do, someone is going to get hurt, because of me.

In training we are taught to "Work Smart...Not Hard.". And it is true that if you work smart, the physical part is less difficult. But, realistically, it still takes its toll on your body. It used to be that when I was actually doing the work, it didn't hurt at all....only later. Then eventually, it hurt WHILE I was doing the work. And the truth is, even when it did hurt, I didn't care because I loved doing it so much. But now, well...

I just can't do it any more.

That was a humbling sentence to write.

I admit I was proud when I wore my uniform. But not proud like I was better than anyone else. Just a feeling of self confidence. Pride like a soldier might feel when he puts on his uniform.

I have Degenerative Disc Disease.
The bottom disc in my back has crumbled to a non repairable condition.
The disc over that one has begun to crumble.
The gel (*complicated medical term*) between the discs is almost completely gone in places.
I have severe fibromyalgia.
The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome that I had surgery for (in both hands) has come back and is as bad, if not worse, than it was before. My hands have that "asleep" feeling after just 1-2 minutes of lifting them. I drop things.
I have Rheumatoid Arthritis.
I have migraines.
Oh and don't forget there is the ADHD (I actually think that has been an asset in some situations.).

Bottom Line:
There is never a time when something isn't hurting....a lot.

Would you really want to have to rely on me to save your life? Of course not. You know I would give it everything I've got. But unfortunately, I just don't have that much to give anymore.

I'm just not sure what happens now. I know there are lots of opportunities.
There just aren't any that give me even a spark of what being a firefighter did. (spark, ha, excuse the pun).
There is this lost feeling that I have now. Wandering aimlessly.

On the other hand, there's always laundry to be done and floors to vacuum.

**********************

OK, I've said all of that and gotten it out of my system. I just didn't want you all thinking I was out there at night saving lives and saving my sanity, when actually I am home doing, um, doing.... doing whatever it is I do.

SO, that is that.

This isn't a pity party. This isn't a whine-fest. This is just the way it is.

By tomorrow.....ok, I doubt by tomorrow because I won't be posting by then. But by my next post we'll be singing Cat in the Hat, discussing the joys of ADHD, rattleing on endlessly about teenagers, talking about the genius computer skills I have (not), and perhaps even write a song. Or at the very least join together for a chorus of Veggie Tales. After all I'm still wondering "Where is my hairbrush?"

Oh yeah.....

Mahatma Gandhi walked barefoot most times, which produced impressive callouses on his feet. He ate very little, making him rather frail. With his odd diet, he also suffered from bad breath.

Do you know What this Made Him?

A Super Calloused Fragile Mystic Hexed by Halitosis!.....indobedibly

And with that my good friends, I bid you good night. (this may be posting at 6:30 AM but as I am finishing it now and it is a bit past 2:00AM. I need to get to bed!
Good Night!

MyADHDMe (Former Firefighter) :(

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First In.....Last Out

First In....Last Out. That is one of the Fire Depts Mottos. (What's a motto? Nothing. What's a motto whichu?).

Opps, this is a serious post.

First In....Last Out. That is one of the Fire Dept's Mottos.

After the attacks on September 11, 2001, I HAD to do something. I had often considered becoming a firefighter, but honestly didn't think I would be able to do it. Then, after that horrible day, I made up my mind that I COULD, and with close to no hesitation, I did it. It changed my life.

I cannot think of any thing in my entire life that has brought me more joy than being a firefighter. Yes, God, children, family... but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the fact that there isn't a single thing, a "Me" thing, that I would rather be doing. Now that's lucky. It isn't often that we can selfishly do something for ourselves that does so much for so many.

I didn't become a firefighter until I was 39 years old. That is considered a bit late in life to start, but I made up my mind, went through vigorous physical training, never ending (and yes, sometimes boring) classes on how sprinkler systems work, building construction, and friction loss (that is how much water (gallons per minute) is lost due to length of hose, terrain layout, and appliances that are connected to the hose).....a very LONG class.

For 9 months, in addition to working my regular crew, I went to classes and trained 2 nights (5 hrs each) a week and every other Saturday for 8-10 hours. Sometimes it was over 100 degrees and we would be wearing 50 lbs of gear while running an obstacle course. Sometimes it was so cold that I couldn't feel my soaking wet hands while flowing water. There were written tests, homework, tests on speed, tests on endurance, endless hours of pulling out thousands of feet of hose, loading it all back in the engine, just to turn around and pull it out again....and again .... and again.

As I have said before, our Fire Academy is run in a military sort of way. You stand at attention, you march, you address officers, and never question an officer or an order. If you mess up, YOU don't just do push ups. Your ENTIRE CREW does push-ups. You don't mess up often.

We learned about hazardous materials, what the codes mean on all those bins that the trucks are carrying around and we even had to be decontaminated a few times---NOT FUN BEING COLD, WET, SPRAYED DOWN MORE WITH A HOSE, AND STRIPPED COMPLETELY DOWN TO NOTHING WHILE THEY ARE SPRAYING YOU!!! (ok, for class, we were allowed to wear our bathing suit and shorts under all our gear....it helped everyone keep their minds on what we were supposed to be learning).

A lot of people don't realize it, but when the water is flowing out of the hose, it is almost impossible for 1 person to hold on to it. And if you drop it....well ....you DON'T drop it. The nozzle could easily get jerked around and someone could be badly injured or even killed.

We learned to cut cars open to get victims out and how to put out car fires, sometimes crawling partially into the burning vehicle to get the job done.

There were also hours spent dragging that hose through abandoned buildings and special buildings made for such things (usually 3-4 stories high). You go in and have to find the "victim" (a 150 lb dummy) , get "him" out, put out the fires, keep continual contact with your partners and team.....oh and you can't stand up. You're crawling. It's pitch dark, smoke filled, and fire around most corners. (quite warm in there too). During training, there are instructors in there too. Sometimes they will hold back one of your partners while your doing your job. You BETTER realize you have lost your partner.

I LOVED EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT. (ok, the water sprinkler class had me nodding off a few times)

Before I graduated from the classes, I had to wear a blue helmet (I'm wearing it in the picture for my blog). The blue helmet let other firefighters and officers know that I was a Probie. That meant when I was working my crew shifts, all I was allowed to do was what they call "grunt work". Lifting, salvage, overhaul, and lots and lots of hose rolling.

FINALLY, I graduated and received my YELLOW HELMET!!
I had made it and am a Virginia Certified Firefighter.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also was taking classes for EMT (Emergency Medical Technician).

(not to mention trying to run a house and raise 2 young boys)

I ended up getting the following certifications..

Fireground Operations
Virginia Firefighter 1
Virginia Firefighter 2
MAYDAY, Firefighter Down
EVOC - Emergency Vehicle Operation Class 3 (that means I can drive a fire engine)
Hazardous Materials Operations
4 FEMA Certifications
Basic Pump Operations
Mass Casualty Incident Management Module 1
Mass Casualty Incident Management Module 2
HIPAA
Emergency Medical Technician

I cannot even begin to explain the love I have for this mission in my life.

So now what?

To be continued.....

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The Day I Saw An Angel ...... Conclusion

If you are reading this now, and didn't read yesterday's post, you really need to go back to my prior post and read that one to catch up. You can click here, The Day I Saw An Angel. I'll wait while you catch up.

OK, So I finally reached the car and what I saw was not good. I had been trained. I had practiced multiple scenarios on dummies and even on real people that were acting the part of the victim. I had ridden along and watched others do the job. I had taken the classes and passed the tests. I knew the time would come when I would be the one responsible. I knew the day would come when the job I did would hugely impact the future of the victim. I just didn't expect it to be on my very first solo run.

For about 3 seconds I stood there trying to size up the situation. I felt my pulse rising. I was terrified that every bit of training I had ever had was going to fly out of my head and be gone forever.

I wiped away as much of the broken glass that I could and crawled through the window. My patient seemed to be in her early 20's. She was hanging upside down, suspended by her seat belt. Her injuries were awful....and all over.

ABC- That's what they teach us to look at first. ABC, Airway, Breathing, Circulation. As I began to check her airway, a voice said "Her airway's clear, breathing is shallow, pulse is weak and irregular.". I looked up and there sitting on the other side of this woman was a motorist who happened to be riding down the road when the accident happened. But this wasn't just any motorist. This was the guy that had been my partner during the entire EMT class. This was the guy that had worked with me through all those scenarios we had worked on. This was the guy that I had worked with so many times that we could almost read each others minds when it came to patient care. This was MY Angel. As I looked at him, our eyes locked, he gave me a slight nod, as if to say, "You got it. You can do it." and it all came back. All of the sudden I knew exactly what to do. All the training kicked into gear and it was as if I had been doing it forever.

We got her as stable as possible while the other firefighters were cutting the car in half so that we could get her out without jostling her any more than necessary.

By the time we were able to start moving her, we had her hooked up to oxygen, neck and back stabilized, and cuts and gouges patched.

The worst of her injuries was the side of her head. That one worried me. I won't go into details that you may not want to hear but just know that I had to keep my hand on the side of her head at all times.

We got her up the hill, loaded her into the ambulance, and watched them drive away. I was helping the policemen retrieve some of the personal articles out of the car, when I noticed the driver of the car standing at the top of the hill. He was wearing handcuffs.

My partner, my angel was finishing up filling out a few forms for the policemen. As he was walking to his vehicle, he looked over at me. he gave me the same nod that he had given me in the car. Then, he gave me a tiny smile, a wink, got into his car, and left.

He doesn't work at the same station that I do. The chances of him being there were close to none. God knew without a doubt that this was going to be difficult. God knew that I knew what to do but he knew that because it was my first time, I was nervous....ok I was scared. God sent me my angel.....and I will NEVER forget that day.

--------------------------------

I read an article in the paper a few weeks later about this young lady and the ordeal she and her family were going through. Yes, she lived. Quality of Life??? I'm not sure.

I do know that before the accident, she was a law student and a basketball player at her college. She was well liked and she had a bright future ahead of her.

Well, she did. Then she went to Kings Dominion with a guy that was a friend of hers.
They played. He got drunk.
He got very drunk.
Witnesses said that he was traveling well over 100 mph. Probably closer to 110-120. They say he was all over the road. They said he seemed to miss his exit and did a u-turn in the road. he spun around too hard. They say the car literally flew off of the embankment.

Anyway, the article was about the accident and the reporter was asking the girl's father some questions. He said she was doing a little bit better. That she was conscious and had been able to speak a few words. they were working on teaching her how to feed herself.

At the end of the article, her father was quoted saying"Think. Think before every action you make. Every move you make. If something doesn't seem right, then stop and think because if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't right. We are all responsible for our own decisions and for the choices we make. Don't throw your gifts away. Just stop and think."

Oh, and one final note, the driver, the guy in handcuffs....not a scratch on him..


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The Day I Saw An Angel

Once in a while, just when you think you are on your own, you realize that there is always an angel that is watching over you, helping you, looking over your shoulder, ready to step in when you are reaching your limit.....

I remember the first car accident that I went to when I became a fire fighter. I had been riding along on the engine for about a year but until you get certified, all you are allowed to do, is what they call "grunt work". That is, fetching, running, traffic control etc.

Well, about a week after I had my certifications and had received my EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) certification, we got a call for a MVA, (Motor Vehicle Accident). I won't lie. I was excited. Of course, in a perfect world there would be no fires, MVA's etc, but in reality, they happen every day. Once one is trained, they want to use their training, they want to help, they want to make a difference. In other words, since these things are going to happen, we want to be able to be there when they do.

We were on the way to the accident site, which was on the interstate. Dispatch notified us that the rescue squad would be arriving at least 5-10 minutes after us, as they were finishing up another call and the next company was a bit further away. That's when it hit me. I was the only EMT on the engine.

We pulled over on the side of the interstate where a guy was waving his arms. There was no wrecked vehicle, Just him. I went over to him and asked if he was injured, he looked ok. He said, "Help Her." and he pointed to the woods. Then I saw, way down into the woods, the car was in a swamp, upside down, wrapped around a few trees.

I turned to the probie (that would be the person without his certs, you know, the same guy I had been the week before) and told him to grab the medical gear and meet me at the car.

I worked my way down to the car. It was an extremely steep hill and I couldn't help but think about how difficult it was going to be to get someone back up this long steep hill. By the time I got to the car, I was already breathing hard. It was one of those 100+ degree days, I had started out wearing about 50 lbs of gear. I did drop off my airpack once we had hoses ready( just in case the car started to burn), but even then I had on about 20-25 lbs of extra clothing. (3 layer coat, pants and helmet over regular clothes). Mix the extra clothes, the 100+ degree temp, the noon sun blaring down and the adrenalin I had rushing through me, and I was literally dripping by the time I got to the car. That is when I had to remind myself to relax, slow down and breathe. It's a hard thing to remember, but one of the first things we are taught is that if we over do it and wear ourselves out, we will be no help to anyone. AND, then we will become a liability.

SO, I rested, for about 2 seconds.

When I got to the car (or, what was left of it....as I had passed pieces of it all the way down the hill), it was upside down, the tires were still slightly spinning, it was smoking, the windows were broken out, and there, hanging upside down and still buckled up was the passenger. She was still breathing (barely) and unconscious...... .


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My Passion

I am supposed to write about my passion. I know I am supposed to because Edie's blog, Rich Gifts, said so. Of course I did it backwards. I posted my passion under her comments, then went to Mr Linky Dink and spent about 25-30 minutes figuring out how to do it correctly. After figuring it out, I realized it was something that should have taken about 2 minutes. THEREFORE just pretend I didn't tell you it took me 25-30 minutes.

SO, I poured out my heart under her comment section about my passion. I just can't type the whole thing over again. I am a slow typer (typist?). It isn't that good anyway....and after reading it again (after I already posted it) there is not even a drop of humor in it. (yawn)

SO, if you want to read it....then go read it. If you don't...no biggie, then don't. But you may want to check out her blog. It's pretty darn cool, and if I say that it's pretty darn cool...then it must be! (That was D-A-R-N, sometimes those letters get bunched up and it looks like something else....not on THIS G-rated blog!)

(of course I'm clueless about linking you there, but you can get there through my comment section). I'm going to learn how to do that soon. I promise. Actually, I'm going to need to "re-learn" as Chatty Kelly already taught me once.