Report From Ladder Company 40 BOOTS!!

Hi Team!

As I mentioned in my last post, I have gotten way behind here and I did not really take notes either so I am going to report the next few weeks of info to you here only mentioning the few important highlights.  But first, I forgot to tell you about something in the last post.

On Friday, May 21, 2010, our local Fire Department conducted another training burn which our Fire Buff Battalion participated in.   I wasn't able to be there very long.  Again, I had to be a grown-up and go to work.  SIGH. 
Here is what our fire department posted about it on their blog site:
The property is part of the “From Ashes to Homes” project with (our city and county) Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The structure needed to be removed to clear the way for the creation of 11 new homes for hard working low income families. The new neighborhood will include sidewalks, streetlights, and a community area with recreation space.


This all day event was a great opportunity for (our local) Fire Department to conduct live fire training in a controlled setting and we were grateful to be able to assist Habitat for Humanity with the development of their very important project.

Go here to see a slideshow:  http://s882.photobucket.com/albums/ac25/Monique_diva/TFD%20Training%20Burn%20May%2021st%20%202010/?albumview=slideshow

May 23-29, 2010 Days 244-250

Last week, just prior to the training burn, Cat, our Fire Buff President called me and said words to the effect of, "You have your bunker pants don't you?"

I said to her something like, "No, we haven't gotten mine yet.  You said we would when we had time and, well, we haven't made time yet."  I mean, it isn't like we haven't been busy or anything!!  In fact, I've had all the time in the world between school, work, studying, fire buffing and.... oh yeah, SLEEPING!

Cat then recalled that we had talked about that and told me we would have to do that very soon.  This after saying something like, "Damn.  It's going to be rainy for the burn and they would have been nice for you to have."  It's okay, I won't melt... I'm not that sweet!

Well, at the burn we talked to the man in charge of that.  And he told us to come see him on Tuesday. =)

Tuesday, Bob (Cat's husband) and I went to the Fire HQ and met Lee, the man in charge of that.  Lee had already picked out a pair he thought might be suitable for me. He had me try them on knowing full well we would have to shorten them.  (Remember, I am only 4'10"!)    I found myself trying them on in a storage room where there were no chairs.  Now, firefighters put these things on in a hurry.  But... Not I.  I put one leg in, no problem.  It was nearly five miles too long so I scrunched the leg of them up my leg until my foot popped out the bottom end and planted my foot back on the ground.  So far so good.  But then I had to put my other leg in.  There was nothing I could hang onto because I needed both hands to hold on to the pants.  Lifting my second leg up and into them proved challenging due to the fact that the pants are naturally bulky and when there is an extra five miles attached to each leg the problem is compounded.  After an awkward minute or so I almost had my foot going in when suddenly I began to list to my left.  I realized there was nothing I could do to save myself so I just threw my hands up in the air and prepared for the inevitable landing while saying something smooth and cool like...


"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


"Don't worry, we're not gonna let you fall!" I heard as Lee dashed over to save me on the left side and Bob reached over to save me from the right.   Whew!!  Disaster narrowly avoided!  I could see and hear it playing out at work... 

"Mrs. Myers, how did you break your arm?" 

"Oh, honey, it was simple.  I fell from my fire pants!"

Once I was steadied, Lee held onto me firmly as I got the other leg in and pulled my pants up.  I was quite amazed that Lee, having only seen me a handful of times, picked out a pair that fit me well (going around).  Lee and Bob then helped me with the red suspenders.  They each adjusted a side as small as they would go.  Wouldn't you know it?  Three inches to big.  They will have to tailor my suspenders along with my pants!

Next we went for boots.  Amazingly, Lee found a pair that worked. I have very small feet (women's size 6).  Luckily I also have very wide feet.  I usually wear a larger shoe than a size six because of it.  Lee found one women's size six left boot and it fit very snugly.  But, for some odd reason, there was only another left boot and not a right one.  That isn't going to work.  He hunted around a while and came up with another style of boot and it was also a size six.  But they were a  men's size six.  I tried them on.  They were a fair bit looser, but not uncomfortably so.  I tried walking in them.  My feet were not slipping around.  They were more comfortable than the smaller left boot I had tried on first.  I told Lee so and he responded with,  "They're yours then!"   I have BOOTS!  Real firefighting boots!  COOL!

Here they are: 

Okay, that's it for now.  I'll keep going as time permits until I get all caught up, then I will try to stay on top of this blog again. 

Until next time... Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Play time!

May 16-22, 2010    Days 238-243

Hi Team!!

Monday
Tuesday  2-11 (2 alarm) House fire  and the Medics let me play!

It was a crappy day out, pouring down rain.  I was between shifts with my daily split shift job when I heard the call come in for a signal 1-11.  The familiar feeling of adrenaline rushed over me and I jumped into action, grabbing the car keys, double checking that my gear was ready to go and grabbing my fire department ID off of my coat to clip to my viser.  It comes in handy when I arrive at fire scenes where the police are blocking off access.  Once I was set I "raced" within legal limits to get there.

What I arrived to:


Bob and Cat had already gotten the canteen set up so I joined them.  As I walked by the burning house (I was across the street) the smoke hurled my direction in a gust of wind and it choked me and made my eyes water.  Nasty, dangerous stuff that smoke is.  I walked quickly and got free of it but not before the smell of it permeated my clothes and hair.

After being directed to move the ice chest and cookies closer to the medic unit being used for firefighter rehab, Bob and I were invited to climb into their rig and out of the rain.  Bob declined but I, being an EMT student and curious, took advantage of the opportunity to check out the rescue rig.  One of the paramedics was inside getting things ready to check out the next crew due for rehab.  He was friendly and made conversation with me.  I told him I was an EMT student and he seemed genuinely interested, asking me several questions about what I had learned so far, where I went to school and how soon I would finish.  Then he told me I could stay and help if I wanted to. 

I looked at my watch.  DAMN!  (sometimes I HATE being a grown up!)  I had to leave in 10 minutes to go to work.  But I really didn't want to pass up this opportunity.  I decided to call my boss.  I usually start work at 2 but kids don't arrive until 2:30 so I could technically let my staff set up and show up just in time to receive kids and no harm would be done.  My boss was really kind about it.  She allowed me to stay.  It wasn't much time, but it was better than none!

The medics have to take the firefighter's blood pressure, carbon monoxide level, oxygen saturation level, and pulse.  I had hoped to help with blood pressure and pulse as Scott, the paramedic had mentioned.  Unfortunately, it was pretty crowded in there with three or four guys for rehab plus two paramedics and me.  And they were using an electronic device to measure the BP and pulse and I could not reach it from where I was.  And the most I did was assist with equipment.  They would put the cuff on one guy and while they took his vitals they passed around the gadget that measures the carbon monoxide levels as they blow into it.  This is a new device they are using and the comments being made were quite entertaining, but this is a relatively family friendly blog so I won't go into detail.  However, there was a lot of joking and a lot of having to do the test over becuase it is very hard to blow slowly into a device when one is laughing.  As one set of vitals was finished, the BP cuff would be passed to the next guy on the bench seat and the process would begin again.  The guy closest to me started to put the cuff on himself and was struggling so I offered to help.  I reached over and closed the velcro cuff around his arm for him in the same position that he had applied it but the paramedic looked at it and said, "that isn't right," and took it off and started over.  I felt about one inch tall.  I KNEW it wasn't right but I assumed that the firefighter knew what he was doing because I have been under the impression that all of our guys are EMT trained and who was I, a mere student, to question them about it.  Apparently not. Lesson learned.  I assisted for the remainder of the time I was there and did not make that mistake twice.

While it was very minor part to play, I still enjoyed it and learned from it.  The guys were great.  They treated me like one of them.  And even though their humor is often off color, (no big surprise there!) I felt privileged that they did not act differently because I was there.  They felt free to let of steam in their usual manner.  That is very important to me, working with the fire buff battalion, knowing that the firefighters can be totally free to be themselves and not have to be mindful that what they say may be offensive to us or upsetting.  This is a stressful job and they need to cope in any way that works for them.

I felt priveliged too, when Scott asked a paramedic from another unit about the occupants of the house.  He started to answer and then looked at me and said, "We have HIPPA."  (Health Insurance Portability and Privacy Act -keeps everything about patients completely confidential except on a need to know basis, in a nutshell.)  Then  he looked at me and asked if I would mind stepping out for a moment.  Before I could answer Scott said, "It's okay, she's an EMT student.  She can stay."  And that was that.  They spoke freely and I got to be in on it!  COOL.

All too soon, my magical extra half hour was gone.  With a sigh I thanked Scott and the other firefighters who were around at the time and headed out and back to work. 

And when I had to leave for work it looked liket his:


The fire started in the kitchen, apparently.  There was a child inside as well as a teenaged care taker.  Both got out and took a ride to the hospital.  There were  various reports that gave conflicting information on the extent of injuries, ages of the occupants and such and I cannot say with one hundred percent certainty exactly what is true so I will not speculate here.

Here is what our fire department posted on their website about the incident:

The first arriving company found fire and smoke showing from the main floor of the two story turn of the century house. Crews battled the blaze with hand lines and initiated search and rescue tactics. A second alarm for additional resources was called as the intensity of the fire resulted in a collapsing roofof the primary structure and significant exposure damage to the adjacent house at 1732 S. Ainsworth.



A passing by off duty firefighter and neighbors assisted in getting all of the occupants out of both of the houses. Two of those occupants were transported to local area hospitals.

Sadly the house was lost.  The neighbor to the left had some roof damage and some serious water damage inside.  The Red Cross stepped in and assisted with temporary housing for both families. 

When I arrived back at work, it was stil pouring rain and I had to park at the far end of the parking lot so I kept my fire coat on because it is waterproof.  I ran into my class area with it on and the kids immediately zeroed in on me.  Who could blame them?  I stood out in that bright orange coat!  Usually when I address the class at this time of day, it is hard to get them quiet and get their attention.  This time was an exception.  All eyes were on me, expectantly and it was dead quiet.  They KNEW if I was wearing that coat it meant only one thing.  I got to the front of the class and the questions started flooding out of their mouths.  I told them what I had been up to and warned them that I smelled bad from the smoke.  Of course, as soon as they had the opportunity they were all up and around me sniffing! LOL  One of them later asked me, "Mrs. Myers, why are you so dirty?"  I laughed.  I told him I wasn't dirty I had just been walking through the smoke from the fire and it smelled bad.  He just assumed that if one was smelly one must be dirty.  I love my kids!

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

Okay, now, here's the thing...

Obviously, this post is WAY overdue.  And I haven't posted for a few weeks now.  I was so busy with school, and so stressed out that I kind of got to the point where I actually avoided this blog.  I can't believe I did that because this blog is very important to me and you, my readers, have been an amazing source of encouragement and support.  I am sorry if I let you down and I hope you will udnerstand and forgive me for it.  I let my self down too because, some day as I reach all of my goals, I will look back on this and realize I missed some important parts of the journey in my documentation.  But... life goes on.

I don't have my weekly "grades" to give you for this post or the next several.  All I can say is I have studied hard every week, I haven't drank near enough water and I am still not finding time to go out of my way to exercise but I am really looking forward to getting my life back when class is over so that I can do just that.

I guess I don't have much else to say for now.

Stay safe my friends!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Hot Damn! Oh, wait... Damn!

May 9th-May 15th, 2010    Days 231-237

Hi Team!

It has been a crazy, busy week but I have a few moments to post (unlike last week that I just posted for a minute ago) so... Here are the grades:

PT: B

Study Hall:  A+

Health: B

R&R: C


Overall Grade: B

I did a lot better this week with fluids but I really need to find some time for intentional exercise!  I saw some pictures recently that are not very flattering at all!  I look bigger than when I  started this climb, though my clothes are not getting too tight (whew!).  I know that some of it is just that my clothing choices have not been the most flattering and also that my clothes had been getting quite loose before, but at the same time I know I have gained weight since class started.  I don't have time to exercise or cook.  I have to rely on what my family leaves in the fridge for me and my husband will starve before he'll cook.  That leaves me at the mercy of my 17 year old son, need I say more?  When this class is over in mid June, I have got a lot of work to do!  It is kind of frustrating because I have worked so hard on it but something has to go by the wayside and this ended up being it. :(


A rather unflattering picture of me with my cuff and ears


  One of my fellow students, John, and I were practicing our skills together at school

Monday I woke up to quite a suprise.  It seems my blog was featured on Firegeezer.  For those who do not know, Firegeezer is one of the most popular fireservice oriented blogs out there.  It was really a surprise to see that others were interested in my climb and they had really nice things to say about me.  It was really a great boost to keep me going.  I did not know until my brother called me to ask how I had managed to get there, that my brother is an occasional content contributor to Firegeezer.  It turns out, one of my team members, Fireball, recommended my blog.  She sometimes writes for Firegeezer.  I just want to say a big THANK YOU for the nice things she said and for bringing me some extra attention.  It really is an encouragement to get surprises like that and makes me want to succeed all that much more!

We had our first training burn of the year this week.  I was so excited that the department decided to hold it on a Tuesday, because Tuesdays and Fridays I don't have class so I felt better about attending between work shifts knowing I would be able to study in the evening.  The home they burned was at one time a really neat home.  It was 6,000 square feet!  Yes, six THOUSAND.   The home had belonged to a plastic surgeon who passed away last year in his 90's.  He left it to his kids, in their 70's.  It was view property overlooking the Puget Sound.  It had an indoor swimming pool!   The "kids" were not able or willing to keep up with it so they decided to develop it.   The least expensive way to do that is let the fire department burn it down!   Sadly, I don't have ANY before pictures for you.  The house was so big that it's front yard was on one block and the back yard was on the next block.  We were staged at the backside of the house.  The front side faced the waterfront and the house was on a hill so we saw one story, ground level.  I didn't even know about what the other side looked like until it was too late!
 
I was very excited to be on this training burn because... well, since I've been in school I haven't gotten much fire action.  Also, I know stuff now.  Like signs and symptoms of heat emergencies, what to do for smoke inhalation, how to take vital signs, etc.  Canteen services are part of rehab which means we get staged next to the medics.  My Battalion president made sure the medics knew who I was (meaning that she told them I was an EMT student who needed to practice) and they were very kind.  They said they would be happy to let me assist with the medical portion of rehab, taking vitals while they watched. 
 
I was thinking to myself what a great day it was turning out to be.  The weather was beautiful, I got to go to a fire, I was being given the opportunity to practice my new skills and get feeback, I was spending time with the Battalion crew -which is ALWAYS a hoot!,  our new safety helmets were finally here and we were working out of Canteen 1 for my first time, and I got to hang around big red trucks and firemen!  I was in wannabe heaven!  Hot Damn!!!
 
Here's our crew (Some members were unable to attend)




This is the back of the house when things were just getting started.



This photo was taken by a fellow Fire Buff, Firekat Babine.   "New Face Shield, Please!"   Looks like it was a little hot in there.

And then things went down hill.  First the rehab area got put downwind.  Not supposed to happen, but it did.  It was smokey and stinky.  We spent a lot of time not in our designated space.  Second, most of the best view was on the other side of the block.  Third, the medics spent most of their time actively involved with the burn, ready to go in as the rapid extrication crew.  Fourth, I had to go back to work (leave by one-forty at the latest) and they still hadn't taken a break for lunch yet.  The sandwiches were arriving as I was leaving.  Fifth, none of the crew came through the medic portion of rehab before lunch.  And the last bummer was that the major burn didn't happen until after I left!  DAMN! 


This is how things looked as I was leaving to go back to work.

And here are some photos Firekat snapped after I left!







Still, I had a lot of fun!  The firemen and our crew bantered back and forth ribbing each other which is good... it means we're all still one big happy family!  I even teased a chief and an officer who were kicked back on the hillside looking like they were relaxing and watching a show!  And I got teased when one of the engine crews parked behind my car early on and saw my license plate... "MOMMY."    "Are YOU Mommy?" they asked me.  Our president told me I should have told them "I am today, I'm going to take real good care of you!"  Because that is what we do.  We take care of them so they can take care of everything else.  And it is a privilege to serve.
 
This week in class was especially intense!  Normally we cover 3-4 chapters a week.  This week we covered 8!  In addition, we had class today, Saturday.  The morning was lab time and the afternoon was exam number three.  Usually I spend the weekend before an exam studying like crazy.  Not cramming... I study hard all week anyway, but really focusing on areas I think will give me the most trouble.  That was not possible this week and I didn't even have time to do any focused studying during the week.  It was all I could do just to keep up!  Still, I scored an 89 on the written exam.  The class average was 84 so there are a few out there who did not pass (remember 80 is passing).  I thought after taking the exam that I had done better than that but despite my best efforts to avoid it, I made some really dumb mistakes.  Like reading a sentence that starts out something like, " An abnormal rate of respirations in an adult is...." and thinking I read "A normal rate of respirations..."   GRRRRR!  I HATE it when I make those kind of careless mistakes.  I really try to go back over all the questions again but somehow, I still don't catch those kind of mistakes.  If anyone knows a strategy to help with that, I would greatly appreciate the input!  I did ace the two practicals, AED/Cardiac Management and EPI-Pen Auto Injector.
 
Well, that is the best of my week.  I'm headed off to our monthly Battalion meeting now.  When I get home I will add the pictures to this week's post and then post it.
 
Thanks for supporting me with all your well wishes, prayers and encouragement.  Hugs to everyone!
 
Stay safe!
 
Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Ho Hum

May 2nd-May 8th, 2010  Days 224-230

Hi Team!

Sorry I am posting late again.  Busy, busy, busy!  I honestly don't have much to tell you about this week.  I have not really had any adventures this week.  Here are the grades:

PT:  B

Study Hall:  A

Health:  C

R&R:  C

Overall Grade:  B-

I guess I really had the most trouble with the R&R.  Sleep seems to be more and more elusive.  I have to study and classes are getting out at 10 pm.  That makes it hard to fix the problem!  If you are one of my prayer warriors, that would be where I would ask for special concentration.  I'm starting to feel like a walking zombie again.  I need sleep and good quality sleep at that.

Friday was a busy day.  Our official canteen unit hasn't been on a run since before I was officially a member of the Fire Buff Battalion.  All of our runs have been in our private vehicles because we currently house the rig away from all of our residences.  Earlier in the week we got a call from our Fire Department requesting that we attend a training burn on Tuesday of next week.  WOO HOO!  At least we will see some action!  Anyway, the Canteen 1 rig needed a thorough cleaning and inventorying.  On Friday, right after my morning shift I headed to the Firefighter's Union Hall, where we currently have her stationed, and assisted our president, her husband, our secretary and our newest wannabe with the giant task.  Everything had to come out, shelves had to be washed down, food mostly trashed as it was expired, storage containers scrubbed and refilled, etc.  It took a lot of elbow grease and a lot of reorganizing.  The members who used to house our rig turned it over to us in a pigstye state when they left the club.  She's all pretty and functional now though!

 

                                                                                   
Sorry this isn't more interesting or exciting this week.  I just really have not done anything noteworthy that I can recall.  I'll try to give you something interesting in my next post!

Stay Safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Disaster!!

April 25-May 1st, 2010   Days 217-223

Hi Team!

It was a long week and I didn't post this over the weekend because, well, I just didn't get to it.  It isn't like I haven't been busy or didn't need to rest!  In fact, I got sick Friday night.  Nothing too serious, just light headedness, nausea and generally feeling crummy!  All I wanted to do was crawl under a nice warm blanket and sleep... and I did!  In fact, I slept a lot this weekend.  Now I am feeling better.

Here are the grades for the week:

Rest and Relaxation: C+

PT:  C

Health:  B+

Study Hall:  B

Overall Grade:  B-

I did not have to study so hard this week, other than the intense studying at the beginning of the week for Wednesday's test.  Speaking of which, I aced the patient assessment practical for a medical patient (32/32) and I missed only one point on the patient assessment for a trauma patient (43/44) -luckily it was not a critical fail point!  I never once completed a trauma assessment without a critical fail in practice!  The written exam went extremely well.  I scored a 92 bumped to a 96 after class discussions.  What a relief to have that all behind me.  Well, sort of.  All of those skills will be put to the test and more in my very near future.  This class isn't over yet! 

I got my mid-term grade report too.  Here is how it looks:

Test Score:  92 (x 0.60) = 55.5
Quiz Score:  94.67 (x 0.05) = 4.733333
Attendance:  100 (x 0.20) = 20
Practical:  100 (x. 0.15) = 15

Mid Term Grade:  95.233333  = A

Grading Scale:

94%-100% = A
87%-93.99% = B
80%-86.99% = C
<80% = E

Another interesting thing happened this week.  I discovered that I was on television!  Remember the Housing Ceremony for Engine 10 I mentioned a while back?  Well, it seems it was filmed and used for an edition of "Behind the Shield" which is a program put out by our city on the municipal network (I guess... I don't watch television or get cable so I can't speak intelligently to this.)  Anyway, in the last part of the segment, it shows Engine 10 being "pushed" into the bay by firefighters and community members.  I am pushing on the passenger side bumper, but I am surrounded by tall people so you can't really see me.  Once the pushing stops however, the crowd around it starts to disperse and I can be seen backing away from the Engine.  Looking at it now, I cannot figure out why I was backing away but in anycase, I took several steps backward on local television and for that I owe my Battalion icecream!

You can copy and past the address below into your browser then check out the May 2010 edition.  It is approx. 13 minutes long.  (only if you are  so inclined. )

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cityoftacoma.org%2FPage.aspx%3Fhid%3D10045&h=aa1eb

On Saturday, the CERT teams from my town and a neighboring town got together for a joint drill in disaster management.  The setting was an abandoned middle school.  The scenario was a large scale earthquake occuring during school hours.  CERT teams were deployed to deal with the aftermath.  The drill was made as real as possible with good moulage (make up artistry of injuries) and even a smoke machine was brought in to simulate a fire.  I volunteered to be a victim for this drill.  My assignment was to play a walking wounded who was crying and scared but cooperative.  Boy can I cry!  I pretended to be very scared and I cried and cried until my left eye actually started leaking!  Later people told me they thought I sounded very realistic and one victim, who was supposed to be beligerent and uncooperative said my annoying crying was real enough to help him get into his role!  (I think he meant it as a compliment.  LOL)  I only fell out of character once when a rescuer asked me if I was warm enough.  The abandoned school was very cold inside and we were there for quite a while.  I was in triage when she inquired and it was so much warmer outside that I actually laughed.  Oops.

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.  (pictures follow)

  (My usual self)

  (Left wrist scrape)

(Right Wrist scrape and badly bruised or broken thumb)

  (Bruised jawbone, beginnings of a shiner)

(Bruises complete)

(Bruises complete, view two)

Other Victims  from minor injuries to major....









(If you can't handle, gore, DON'T LOOK ANY FURTHER!!)


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V

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Report from Ladder Company 40 The New Adventures of Sparky and Flash

April 18-24, 2010   Days 210-216

Hi Team!

It has been a great week!  Well, there have been some ups and downs, but I am generally pretty happy.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome my newest team member, John.  I don't know how John came to find my blog but I am very happy to have another supporter on board!  Thanks for joining, John. =)

Ok, report card time!

Physical Training: C


Rest&Relaxation: C+

Health: B

Study Hall:  A

Total grade for the week:  B-

I am actually quite frustrated with the fact that I can't get the physical training grade up.  I need the exercise and I need to start really strengthening the core!  I won't make much of an EMT if I can't do the physical aspects of the work!  For those of you out there who are my prayer warriors please pray that Godwould show me how to fit it in and help me to balance it with everything else I have to do these days.

I have been better about taking SOME time off from work and studies, though I am still not getting nearly enough sleep.  I was so tired before class on Thursday night I didn't have the energy to eat my dinner!  Well, I managed, but it was a real effort  Being that tired makes driving kind of scary.  Needless to say, I nap when I can and I pray a lot!

I am still working on getting the fluids in and eating healthier.  I know I haven't weighed in for quite a while or taken my measurements to see where I am at.  After a month of class and no exercise, I am kind of afraid to.  But I will try to get that done for the next post.  Nothing like a little reality to help boost the will power to make the right choices.

As I said, I have found more balance between work and studies and have taken some time to relax this week, but I have also put in more hours of study than I care to count.  I would say I have averaged two hours a day in studies over and above work.  And I found a program online that is put out by the publishers of my EMT book.  It is a study aid for the EMT exam.  I find it to be way more challenging than the dumb stuff that came on the disc that came with my book and more challenging than the web site the book directs us to for further study.  The program was not very expensive and gives me free access for one year.  I think it was well worth the $35.00 I paid for it.

Okay, enough of that.  Last week I told you that something cool happened but I was sworn to secrecy until later.  Well, later has come! 

A little back ground:  If you know me very well, you know that I am involved in the Fire Buff Battalion.  The Battalion has been around since the early 1980's.  That was when I first decided I would really do something about my interest in the fire service.  Sadly, I was intimidated by the uniform and was too shy to talk to the firemen four doors down from my home!  So, when our city hired it's first female fire fighter I wrote her a letter and had my little brother help me deliver it to the fire station to pass along to her.  Long story short, he kept being my Linus Blanket and his interest and excitement for the fire service grew to epic proportions!  He got so excited about it that he had a portable scanner and small electronic siren mounted to his bicycle and he began beating the fire department to many of their calls, even in the middle of the night!  He was even investigated as an arsonist!  Before the investigations started, he got involved with the Fire Buff Battalion as a junior member.  For a number of reasons, not the least of which I believe was a personality conflict with at least one of the members, he was removed from the club.  He grew up and settled down but never lost his passion and excitement for the fire service.  He has been a fireman now for nearly 17 years.

Recently my brother had the opportunity to meet the current membership of the Fire Buff Battalion while he was in town visiting.  He met the core of our group (most of them, anyway) and we had a wonderful time listening to his stories and reminiscing about his childhood exuberance!  That night we got a fire and he was able to tag along with us!  He helped out and when things settled down on the fire scene, he made the rounds to the more long term fire fighters, introduced himself (many remembered him or had heard of him!) and apologized for his over the top enthusiasm as a kid.  The firemen seemed to enjoy it and I know my brother did.  

Good thing this was the short version, eh?  Ok, the point of it all is this:  At our April Fire Buff Battalion Meeting, our President brought up his visit and his past history.  She called for a motion to offer my brother an honorary membership in the Fire Buff Battalion.  Even more special than that, a recently retired fireman was the one to make the motion.  He remembered my brother from his early days.  The motion was seconded and passed.  A long-time wrong has finally been righted!  The Buff's affectionately nick named him Sparky.  So now begins the New Adventures of Sparky and Flash. :)

Last week I reported that I was in contact with a fireman from a large metropolitan city to the North of my town.  He had spoken to his captain who agreed to allow me to ride along one day.  But I still had to jump throught he departmental hoops to do it.  I found out from Ladder 8 (his screen name) that I had to write a letter of interest.  He told me who to write the letter to and I did it.  I wanted to reference our casual acquaintance in the letter and I didn't know his last name so I e-mailed him about it.  He e-mailed right back and I finished the letter.  He had recommended that I send it electronically but even on the website for their department, I could not find an electronic address to send it to so I e-mailed him again.  He e-mailed right back that he would find out the fax number and e-mail it to me the next day.  He did one better!  He called me on my cell while I was at work that afternoon which surprised the heck out of me.  He said he was calling to tell me that he had taken the liberty to print the copy of the letter I had sent him, signed my name to it and hand delivered it to the appropriate party!  What a sweetheart!  I can't believe he went to all that trouble for me, and we've never even met!  I got a letter the next day from his fire department along with a waiver that I had to sign and return before my request would be considered officially.  I have taken care of that already, of course.  And when I asked him what kind of cookies he liked so I can bring a thank you to him, he said, "Cap's favorite are chocolate chip."  I LIKE Ladder 8!

One more thing for this week.  I wanted to share an example of how good God is.  I have a fellow student in my class who sits right next to me.  He is kind of quiet and perhaps a little unsure of himself, but from what I can tell, he is deeply caring and compassionate.  I think if he gains some confidence he will make an excellent EMT.  He confided in me that he really could not afford a sphygmomanometer set (cuff and ears to those of you who don't know) and he needed to practice taking blood pressure outside of class where our hands on time is severely limited.  God really put it on my heart to do something.  But with my husband's recent demotion and pay cut, I was not sure it was prudent to be spending money that was not absolutely necessary.  Still, I really felt drawn to do this.  I talked to the hubby about it last Sunday before church.  After some discussion, he said we could talk about it more after church.  At church, a woman came up to me and said, "I have something for you."  I was quite surprised.  She took my hand and carefully palmed a few bills, folded, into my hand.  She said to me that it wasn't much but she was sure that I could use it.  That maybe I had a need or want that I could not afford and she hoped it would help.  Well, I was very surprised and thanked her for it but I didn't look to see what she gave me until I went home.  When I unfolded the three bills, it was almost exactly enough to buy the set I was looking at.  And then I heard from my mother-in-law that the keynote speaker at women's retreat that weekend had focused on this:  Use what is in your hand and be faithful.   The tears just rolled down my cheeks as the Lord confirmed not once but twice what I was to do and He provided a means to do it!  I purchased the set on Monday and brought it to class.  I asked my friend if he had been able to obtain a set yet and he said that he had not.  I took him aside and told him that God had put it on my hear to help.  I asked if he would accept a loan of a set until June 10th, the last day of class.  I thought he was going to cry.  Happily for me, he accepted.  My plan is to watch and see how he does.  If he remains serious and stays with the class, I intend to give it to him at the end.  If for some reason he is not able to remain, (which I seriously doubt will happen) I will speak to my instructors and make sure that someone else who needs it in a future class gets an anonymous donation.  It isn't mine after all, I was just given the privilege of sharing a gift from the Lord.  God is good!


Well, this post has been long enough.  Thanks for reading and thank you for all of your prayers, e-mails, comments and cheering for me.  You are all amazing!  I am truly blessed.

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Stayin' Alive!

April 11-17, 2010     Days 203-209 

Hi Team!

I have completed my third week of EMT school!  And I'm still here!

Here's my report card:

Physical Training:  C


Rest&Relaxation:  B+

Health: B

Study Hall A+ and Extra Credit

Total grade for the week B

I did  not study as hard this week as I did the previous two weeks but I have in well over 20 hours of study on top of school so I think I am okay there.  I got a bit more sleep and more recreation time this week because I was going crazy without it.  I could be doing better with the fluid intake, but I am keeping a bottle of something with me where ever I go, with the exception of weekends, and if it is there, I tend to drink it without even thinking about it. 
 
The exam this week was a lot harder than I had anticipated.  I scored an 89 and the average class score was 82.4.  With 80 being passing, that means some of my classmates didnt' make it this time.  And I noticed by thursday there were only 31 of us in class out of 34.  It will be sad if we've already lost three students.  I was really hoping all 34 of us would make it. 
 
The practicals were hard!  I was unvelievably nervous!  Airway Module:  Mouth to Mask Ventilation had 6 points possible, all critical failures if missed.  Airway Module:  Oropharyngeal Airway had 6 points possible, all critical failures if missed.  Airway Module:  Nasopharyngeal Airway had 9 points possible, all critical failures if missed.  Airway Module: Ventilatory Management:  Bag Valve Mask -Respiratory Arrest had 6 points possible, 4 were critical failures if missed and ventilations had to be initiated within 30 seconds (to avoid critical failure) and demonstrated for a minimum of 30 seconds.  Airway Module: Oxygen Administration had 15 points possible, all critical failures if missed.  No pressure to perform here.  It is only Do or DIE!  But, by the grace of God I aced them all.  (Though I don't believe I should have.)  I think my evaluater was very kind to me because I know I let go of my oxygen cylinder to reach for an oropharyngeal airway without laying the cylinder down first and when I realized it I said, "Crap, I let go.  I wasn't supposed to do that!"but she did not mark it as a critical failure.  Perhaps because I caught it before she did, I do not know.  In any case, I'll take the pass.  I knew the right thing to do and I won't make that mistake again!
 
When the written and practical exams were over, my class mates on either side of me and I exchanged high fives and one of them did a little song and dance "Stayin' Alive!"   It was appropriate.  We're all still in!!
 
One thing that sticks out in my mind from this week was a demonstration that Cliff, one of the instructors did for us.  We were talking about trauma patient assessments and blood loss.  He told us that blood WILL freak us out.  He said that when we do exercises later in the quarter there will be moulage (make up of injury simulations).  He said he will be able to make one tablespoon of blood cause us to miss major threats to life, even though he is giving us advance warning.  To demonstrate he took a one liter bottle of water and mixed some stuff in it to simulate blood.  Then he took us outside and poured it out as he walked, leaving a six inch wide trail of "blood" that was probably a good 30 feet long.  And he finished with, "And that is not a life threatening amount of blood for an adult!"  It was pretty impressive, especially for a visual learner like me.
 
In other news for the week, I got brave and contacted a firefighter in a large metropolitan area to the North of where I live, whom I "know" from the Crusty Jakes website I frequent.  I asked him if he would be willing and or able to pull some strings and arrange for me to do a ride-along so I can get some visual experience.  He was very kind and spoke with a paramedic buddy of his and with his captain, who was happy to agree to it.  He got back with me and told me who to contact formally to make the request and gave me dates that would work for him.  It looks like it's going to happen!  : D  I have to write the letter this week but it sounded as if that was merely a formality.  I also spoke with one of the guys on our Fire Buff Battalion who just retired the 30th of March from our local FD and he gave me the contact name for our department and some tips to try and get a ride-along with them.    And the Fire Buff Battalion crew was very kind to me as well.  They all have been very encouraging of me in my schooling and several of them allowed me to take their vital signs last night at our meeting.  I really feel very fortunate to have made such great friends there, on this blog, on some of the social network sites and my fan fiction writing website.  Everyone really encourages me and supports me and it really makes a difference!
 
Another thing that happened this week is that Emergency! Season 6 became available.  I have been looking forward to this for a LONG time!  I went to Borders the day after it came out and they did not have any copies in store, even though I asked about it three weeks ago and they told me it would be in.  I was not happy.  I went over to our local mall to the FYE store to purchase it.  I could not find season 6 on the shelf, only seasons three and four.  I inquired at the check out and they said they had one in store.  But then another associate leaned over to the first and whispered something.  The associate helping me said, "Well, we have one in store but we cannot sell it because it is on hold for another customer."  I am sure I did not look pleased.  Here I was, in store, with cash in hand and they would not sell me what I came for.  He offered to order it for me and told me it would only take about two weeks.  OH GOODIE!   I am afraid I wasn't very nice.  I was mad that they told me they had a copy they wouldn't sell.  It would have been better to say they didn't have it.  I looked at him and said, "NO, if my money isn't good enough for today, it won't be good enough for tomorrow or any other day." and I turned and walked out.  I felt (still feel) a little badly about it because the man seemed nice enough and wanted to help, but for an item that was JUST released, you would think they would have copies available. I am pretty sure they did not have lines around the block for 36 hours and just sold out before I got there!   And I think it is terrible customer service the way they handled it.  I was very unhappy.  On saturday morning I let my fingers do the walking and found out that Best Buy had it and cheaper than Borders or FYE told me it would be.  I went and bought it right away! : D
I have watched four episodes this weekend.  I like it.
 
One other thing that is really awesome happened this week but I have been sworn to secrecy until it can be formally announced to the part(y/ies) involved.  It is KILLING me to keep quiet because I am very excited about it.  I hope that I will be able to share it in my next report!
 
That's about it for this week, pallies.
 
Stay safe!
 
Hotflash out.