Week 18: Day 2

UH-OH!!!

We start the day by going to the pad for PT. On the pad (in front of the stairs to the tower) is a bed. I don't mean a mattress, it was a full headboard, footboard, mattress, blankets....the works. We then lineup for our 0700 roll call/formation. We go into our stretching and warmups. At 0727 when we finished, we found out just what we were going to do as punishment. The recruit that fell asleep was instructed to lay down in the bed. The instructors did not want him to exert any effort and waste any energy. This would help him stay awake all day. While he was laying down, we were told that we would be running the tower and each time we came down we would say "Sweet dreams Mr. Peartree" (his nickname). The best part of it all, is that we would be running the tower for 60 minutes......"TOWER FOR AN HOUR!!"

At the 60 minute mark, we were instructed it was "overtime" and to keep running. We ended up running the tower (6 story building) for 70 minutes straight, with exercises whenever the instructors blew the whistle. (The exercise was determined by how many times they blew the whistle). I ran the tower about 32 times when all was said and done.

After our lovely PT, we then went back to shower and change, and then back to the pad for more practicals. We spent the day advancing the 2 1/2" line onto the second story of the burn building. We also did what is called the "toothpick drill." You use a pike pole to breach and pull down a ceiling. Our ceiling was a 1/4" sheet of plywood about 12 feet overhead. You first have to push upward and break a hole into the plywood and then both pushing and pulling continue to rip apart the ceiling to look for fire spread. These two events took the better part of the day.

I am exhausted.....and tomorrow there will be more!!