In the field: Shift 1

I reported to work at 0500 for a 0600 start time. For the first day, I brought in a bowl of fresh cut fruit (cantelope, pineapple, grapes, strawberries) and some muffins (THANKS JANICE)!!

I had to go through and check my gear and my SCBA just like when I was at the academy. During the checkout, one of the guys on "C shift" gave me some door wedges to put in my pockets (since I was new, he asked if I had any). It is always good to carry what you may or may not need in your pockets....this may come in handy later on. The door wedges are to keep a door open that has a good chance of slamming shut, or possibly locking/trapping you in a room.

After putting my gear on the engine, I checked out the engine to become familiar with hose loads, what equipment we carried, and where it was located. While there are some similarities with the engine at the academy, many things are different...so I will need to get used to this engine pretty quickly. It will look bad if they tell me to grab something and I can't find it.

The day was pretty quiet, nothing was really going on all morning. I made myself familiar with the station and then did PT. I ran a little, ran the hose tower (a 4 story tower with about 40 stairs, where we hang wet hose to dry) in full gear, and lifted some weights. After showering, it was time for lunch. Fortunately for me, there are a few guys that love to cook on "A shift." We typically eat breakfast separately, and eat lunch and dinner as a crew. Everyone pitches in and pays for dinner, and one or two people cook. For lunch (which cost me $2), we had some bread, a beef stew, and for those that wanted to try it, a venison stew.

We finally had our first call...a motor vehicle accident. We suited up and hit the road......we managed to make it halfway down the road our station is in when we were called and put back in service...meaning, we were to report back to the station since we were no longer needed.

Then comes our second call...a few hours later...A POSSIBLE FIRE!! Again, we suited up and hit the road. We were heading down the road with lights and sirens blaring.....which is a LOT of fun. We made it to the scene and we were told to stage back some....then the call comes....Engine 524 back in service.

We got back to the station and I had enough time to dress down and go to the bathroom when the next call came in....ANOTHER POSSIBLE FIRE!! We hit the road heading to what we were hoping was going to be a fire. We got about halfway there when we were put back into service.

This finally brought us to dinner time. For dinner, we had ribeye steaks, rice, corn, mixed vegetables, and some cheesy sweet pea casserole type dish. The Lieutenant said the dinner was on him since it was my first day and he wanted to welcome me to the field. I had 2 great meals for $2.....it is amazing to think that for such a low price, I can eat even one good meal. (Typically they try to keep the cost down to no more than $4 per person, per meal).

2200 (10:00 pm) finally came around, so it was time for bed. We all managed to get to sleep for probably about 20-30 minutes when our next call came in. At 2250, we were on the road to assist someone with "chest pains." We took some vitals, spoke to the woman a bit, and loaded her up into the ambulance to take her to the hospital...which....WAS ACROSS THE STREET!!! People are amazing sometimes.

We got back to the station around 2310 and managed to get back to sleep, tucked into our warm beds. *BEEP BEEP BEEP*....call comes in at 23:50...."chest pains." We got up and hit the road to assist a 26y/o male and again brought him into the ambulance, took vitals, established an IV, and transported him to the hospital.

For the remainder of the night, not much happened. The ambulance went out on another call, but we were able to sleep soundly from 0015 to 0600, when we were relieved from duty by "B shift."

I sit here now typing this while most people I know are at work. I am enjoying the last of my 48 hours off, until I report to work again tomorrow. I have come to realize a few things that I am going to enjoy.....I will work roughly 7-8 shifts (days) per month. Every 8th shift, I am off with pay..giving me 5 days off in a row. Two times a year, I am off for 11 days in a row (without using any leave). During the summer, I will have tons of time to relax by the pool if I choose. I can head into the city and surprise someone for lunch. I can hit the gym. The possibilities are only limited to my imagination.

You will come to find out that much of the Fire Department is sitting around and waiting. Our good days are someone else's bad days......