Our Day

3.5.08

We responded to 21 incidents (we work a 24 hour period, from 0700-0700). This is considered to be a busy day for us, as department wide the FFRD responds to approximately 5, 600 incidents per year.

Our incidents included a few false fire alarms, a couple of motor vehicle accidents, a DOA, and an overdose as well as other normal fire/medical incidents.

Once again we were reminded of how quickly things in life change, and just really what is important. Sadly, one of our incidents involved a middle aged male who fell from the roof of a house, and suffered a severe traumatic injury's involving paralysis.

At this incident I am reminded of just how important it is to work together as a team, as well as being reminded of just how good the firefighters I get to work with are. The only comfort I find in incidents like this are that our patients are treated with the utmost respect and compassion... we treat you no different than what we would want from our loved ones. I wish this man and his family great luck and peace within.

Thinking back, breakfast was normal (oatmeal..mmmm). I don't think we had lunch... and dinner (jambalaya) was late (incidents and Union Meeting).

Thanks to Annie and Craig for helping me set this Blog up tonight. Oh yeah, also Lt. Tim for doing the required FFRD paperwork (my work once again, not his) while also finding time to continue gathering our hockey team stuff for our upcoming "Guns Vs Hoses" charity game against the Falmouth Police Department next month.

3.11.08

When your day is not loaded with Fire and EMS calls, you have to find time to train. So between our 24 runs today (nothing of great interest), the house work and apparatus checks, Annie managed to get us into trouble by putting dinner in at 15:00 so it would be done for 1800... seems the Deputy caught her at a bad time... no worries Annie, like you said, "Isn't a woman suppose to be in the kitchen?" Very quick thinking, Craig is rubbing off on you. Once the training is done and the station duties are complete we have some down time.

Today we talked about brush fires. Yearly we problably go on 20-40 actual brush fires, ranging of various size... from a matter of feet to acres. In prior years we have responded to brush fires in neighboring communities that can last from a couple of hours to days.

Although Tim Bailey is at Station 3, I assume he is thinking about his son that he and Debbie are adopting... or probably thinking more about how they will swing it all financially... I still cannot understand why good people in this world who are trying to save a child and give that child an opportunity have to mortgage their homes and put up retirement money. Shouldn't all this money stay with the family so they give have the dough for their child???

Alan is back with us after his scare... and is at Station 2 (I assume he is breaking in coming back to work easily... after all why risk more injury and we know that's how Murphy manages to stay healthy). I got odds that both trucks will be clean for the ride home tomorrow...

Smitty is going nuts over the hockey team dilemma... and I am laughing my ass off because of this... imagine him accusing me of only doing hockey stuff at work? Seems everyone wants to play now that the PALS event is coming upon us.

Does anyone know if Billy Newton came to work today? I mean really, has anyone seen or heard from Bill?

Station 5 went to line response to panicking Mashpee this morning... I can only imagine that the fan belt that overheated on the roof HVAC must have been very, very, scary for MFD. Like I have said before, what is an emergency to some, may not be to others....

3.13.08

To start the day off right today, I figured we would talk abouth death...

Well, not really death, but more about survival (its the glass half filled-half empty thing). Nobody really likes to have to think about it, but what do we do if we are in a bad spot? How do we protect ourselves? How do we call for a Mayday? What are my responsibilities an Incident Commander? Well, because it is important that we do talk about this stuff a few times a year, what better day than today. That being said, that was our drill. Hopefully it remains a drill...

Smitty is also drilling the guys at Sta 3 and 4 today on our new hose load. The previous loads we have used have worked well, but this concept allows the hose to deploy easier. Group 2 found out how easy the load is to remove from the bed the other day... as did the cars that were 150' behind them as they tried to avoid the hose as the Engine 23 was driving down the road. That's not to bad, as I remember a few years ago Engine 23 was driving down the highway and laid 1,200 feet of 4" line by accident...

Come to think of it, perhaps we will have a Billy Newton siting today.

Kids and Chaos. It is always great to have the little kids come to visit from schools. Today when them came, Smitty was with E23 and E24, Guts went home sick and Jusseaume had to fill his spot at Station 5... oh yeah, and I was "re-revoking" a permit that I pulled the other day (turns out the guy kinda put the fire out and it rekindled). Craig, Allen and Annie got a medical call... I have no idea where Kevin is... again. So, I had to do the tour. I got the sweat out of my eyes, I got the Ladder up and water from the engine.. thank god for the kinder... they always keep you on your toes.

A whopping 10 runs today... boring.

3.19.08

Today we had 17 runs. It was an good day for the HQ crew as one of our calls was for cardiac arrest. I am happy to say that they saved this person, which quite honestly for a cardiac arrest patient it is a remarkable feat and is very rare (this is the Are we Heroes issue again). We all knew Kuwait was a hero, but now Annie, Squints, and Scooby are to.

The rest of the runs are a blur... we did not get to bed at HQ. I wonder if Billy showed up for work?

3.21.08

Today so far we have responded to 14 incidents... and E24 still has not opened its door. Hard to believe the past 86 incidents our shift has responded to, and they have not had one. Thats ok... hose test is coming in October Bill... you can't hide forever.

Nothing earth shattering today... a head on MVA in front of the Gateway apartments challenged us for a while.

3.27.08

Today we responded to 15 incidents... still no sign of E24. That's 101 runs and counting that our group has left Billy behind...

Of the 15 incidents, four of them were incendiary brush fires. Each fire was small, no bigger than 10 by 20, and all of them were set along side the road less than a half mile from each other. This continues the recent trend, with perhaps as many of 10 to 12 fires of this type in the past week.

No Smitty today... he is playing hockey. Wonder if Bill is with him?

3.29.08

Twelve more runs today... make it 115 and counting for E24. Incredible...

They trend on the fires continues. So far tonight we have had one brush fire, and this afternoon we had a fire that is listed as undetermined behind the CVS in East Falmouth. Two trash containers were burning seperately when E25 arrived on location and the fire had extended to the building. Lucky for Guts and Russ... they were on the bone box and missed this one, and Heckle gave us a new meaning to the term "fire prevention" as he was solo on E25. Glen did have a hand at the fire though, as retired FFD firefighter Tommy Moniz helped him pull the line.

Nice chow tonight as Annie cooked her second meal for us... pot roast. Alan is still on his own regarding food, but will power will take its toll as the Dairy Queen is now open.