What Were They Thinking?!?

People do stupid things.......but honestly, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!?!

The following are great ways to LOSE YOUR DREAM JOB as a firefighter.

Detroit firefighters caught on videotape stealing a storm door from a vacant house. The video was released straight to the media.....



Cincinnati Firefighters create "Real Men of Genius" Spoof. The problem is that they made them using their gear, their apparatus, their station (all while on the clock), making fun of women firefighters and the volunteer departments surrounding the city. Once the media got ahold of it, it spun out of control.....

Firefighter Combat Challenge

A group of about 10 firefighters in the County have joined together (me being one of them) and we are going to start training to compete in the Firefighter Combat Challenge.

There are team competitions, where the course is run in a relay style, as well as individual competitions. For those of you unfamiliar with the Combat Challenge, it is similar to the physical test I went through back in March to test for the Fire Department. While it is similar to layout and types of events, it is MUCH DIFFERENT. This is a head to head competition, in full gear and on air, with various events (8 total) with Firefighters competing from around the country. There are several competitions held throughout the year, with 2 or 3 being relatively local to this area.

Here are some samples of the Firefighter Combat Challenge to give you a better idea....



(Competition begins at 0:37)

Benefits Of The Job

I have come to realize (and so have others) the benefits of my job.

I have so much time off, I can do practically anything that I want....including lay out by the pool during the summer, do odd jobs for people in the neighborhood, go meet someone for lunch, etc.

Right now, as I type this, I am enjoying a luxury that happens once every 6 months. It is known as a DOUBLE KELLY. I have explained earlier what a Kelly Day was. Well, a double kelly is just that...2 kelly days in a row. So here is my schedule....

15th: Work
16th: Off
17th: Off
18th: Kelly (Off with pay)
19th: Off
20th: Off
21st: Kelly (Off with pay)
22nd: Off
23rd: Off
24th: Work

That's right....as you are probably by now counting the number of days I have off, I have 8 days off in a row.

Another luxury that I have is the opportunity to join the IAFF, or International Association of Firefighters. It is a Union that represents the Firefighters through lobbying, legal counsel, sponsorship during events and competitions, etc. With membership, I am entitled to (and have now received) IAFF Professional Firefighter license plates. While these tell others that I am a IAFF member and a professional firefighter, my hope is that they tell local law enforcement to leave me alone or cut me some slack. Hopefully I do not have to test that theory.......



(I didn't actually post my license plate number, it has been changed)

When I Grow Up....

When we are not training, PTing, or running calls, we have other things to occupy our time. Sometimes that "thing" is called a "Pub Ed" (short for Public Education). We had the opportunity to show some children and their parents around the station today. This was prearranged through the station officers and we knew about it well in advance. The game plan was to show approximately 5 preschoolers around the station, letting them see and climb into the engine, and showing a firefighter in full gear (read "ME") so they can see what we look like and become comfortable with us. Let's face it, we have this mask on and sound like Darth Vader when we are on air. "Take my hand, I will show you the dark side Luke."

I never once heard some child look up to and say they aspired to be a baggage handler. It felt amazing (as corny as it sounds) to see these little kids (one especially) that were amazed to be in the presence of REAL FIREMEN!!







For lunch, we had burgers. These were not just any burgers....they are some of the Lieutenant's MONSTER BURGERS!! The sheer size of these things is ridiculous. Looking at them practically makes you sick....and eating the entire thing definitely makes you sick. It is probably 3/4 of a pound of meet, with cheese and grilled onions in the middle. (Take one large patty and top with cheese and grilled onions. Top with another patty and use MORE meat to press together and fill the gap between the two.) They are so big it takes TWO spatulas to flip them!!!







....and the prankster strikes again. This time placing something on the shoulder of an unknowing Chef. The Chef turns around to see what this heavy object is that is now suddenly resting there. As he turns his face, all he sees is a giant loin roast!!

FDTTF: The Fire Department Table Tennis Federation

Being a firefighter, you quickly learn there is the potential for a LOT of down time. With that, you find ways to occupy the time....or you become ever so bored and give the appearance that you are nothing more than a lazy sloth.

Some of our time is filled with running calls (obviously), house duties, training, PT, eating and sleeping...while that list is not all inclusive, it does leave plenty of "free time."

Practical Joke / Prank: a stunt or trick to purposely make someone feel foolish or victimized, usually for humor.

Pranks are somewhat of a past-time in the Fire Department. While most things are "fair game," there are two cardinal laws.

1. NEVER MESS WITH SOMEONE'S GEAR. This could obviously have dyer consequences if the person that is subject to the prank does not discover the prank and goes out on a call and has a gear failure.

2. NEVER MESS WITH SOMEONE'S FOOD. I do not really need to explain this.

Last night, the Medic Unit had a call just before bed time. Everyone was already changed over into sleep attire, so they had to put on jumpsuits and head out. The Lieutenant simply slipped off his sandals that he always wears to bed and put on his jumpsuit and boots...and they were off. While they were away, one of the technicians decided to play a prank. When the Lieutenant arrived back at the station nearly 60 minutes later, he couldn't find his sandals. After looking around and failing to produce the sandals, he simply wrote them off and went to bed. In the morning, I overheard him in the locker room talking with another one of the medics. "Kevin, have you seen my sandals? I haven't seen them since we left for that call last night!" Kevin new exactly where the sandals were. In fact, EVERYONE did....except for the Lieutenant. Kevin told him to "look in the bay near the medic unit."

We quickly ran out to the bay, making sure we did not follow too closely. After watching the Lt fail to find his sandals, he spotted us. Kevin simply pointed up.....





We now have another new way to occupy time at the station. Another one of the Lieutenants on our shift has donated a Ping Pong Table. Apparently he ordered a very expensive table and it arrived with a dent in the side rail. While this does not affect gameplay, it was unacceptable for a purchase. After speaking with the company, he convinced them to send out another full table (which he would pay for shipping), and he would donate the "damaged" table to a local Fire Station. With the arrival of the table, the FDTTF has been formed. Last night, we held our first tournament. While I was knocked out in the first round, I was not as bad as I thought I would have been.



You must always make an entrance........(not me, this is the prankster)







And to keep you wired throughout the long tournaments, we now have a station "vending machine." This was donated and filled by the Captain. You simply take what you want, and put the correct amount for each item into the collection bin. We work on honesty and trust.....so people not paying is not even a consideration.



*We actually did run some calls and do some training today...in fact, quite a bit!! But sometimes the ordinary is just that....while the other things are the highlight of the day.

Unusual Calls We Deal With From Time To Time....

This story is from Southern Maryland. People come up with "bright ideas" that turn out to be the dumbest idea they could possibly have ever had. Just read on and see for yourself......you be the judge!!



Headline Reads:


Unusual Rescue: Power tool and sex toy are bad combination. Woman is flown to trauma center from Southern Maryland.

On Saturday they had one of those calls they are likely to remember and talk about for some time at the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department and the Lexington Park Rescue Squad. It is also one of those calls they are not likely to issue a press release about or post on their website.

At 1:30 Sunday morning crews responded to a 27-year-old woman who was bleeding. According to both BayNet.com and our wusa9.com, firefighters and EMS workers quickly determined the cause of the woman's distress.

The man who made the 911 call said he had placed a sex toy over a saber saw blade, and then used the power tool on his partner. The blade cut through the plastic and injured the woman.

The injuries were serious enough that the woman was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to the trauma center at Prince George's Hospital Center.

St. Mary's County Sheriff's Department officials said they would likely follow up to make sure this was just an accident and involved consensual behavior.

It is unclear exactly what prompted the experimentation in Southern Maryland, but it appears there are commercial devices sold on the Internet that combine power tools with sex toys that don't present the problems experienced with this home made device.

Someone once said "Women do not know how to drive!!!"

For the next 2 shifts, I am assigned to the medic unit. The Captain wants me to get as much drive time as possible (both non-emergency and emergency) in order to be turned over as a driver. Essentially, I would get off the engine on a call and get onto the medic unit and drive to the hospital, while the two medics were performing patient care.

Today was a GREAT day to be on the medic unit. We only ran two calls, but they were both accidents. The first call went out as an accident, with the patient no longer on scene. Apparently the accident happened around the corner from her home and some passerby assisted her in getting home (leaving the car off the very narrow road where it came to rest). We quickly left the station and went up into the mountains to assist. Upon arriving at the residence, we had to squeeze through the cluttered hallway in order to get to the patient. She was an elderly woman with some obvious "loose screws," but otherwise she was okay. She refused treatment as she thought she didn't need any assistance and after some paperwork, we were on our way. While in the house and doing a visual search (it is recommended to size-up houses while doing medical calls as it gives us access to areas while there is no fire or emergency). She had a little dog that was running around and jumping up and down....I thought (and verbally said to another FF) that we should "Go for the three." It was one of those dogs that would fly perfectly through the uprights.

On the way back down the mountains, we passed by the vehicle and I managed to snap a few pictures while police and the engine company waited for the wrecker. Fortunately for the woman, the tree stopped her from going down the side of the mountain.







After fueling up and heading back to the station, we quickly tried to eat lunch. We were already about an hour and a half late for lunch and the engine company had already eaten. Two of us managed to scarf down a meatball sandwich while the third medic had to complete a respirator fit test. We were then dispatched out to another accident.

This accident went out as a rollover with possible entrapment. When we arrived on scene, we found a vehicle laying on its side. The driver was trapped in the vehicle, and the vehicle was pinned against the guard rail. While waiting for the patient to be extricated, I managed to snap a few pictures. After securing and stabilizing the vehicle, the rescue squad cut the roof off of the vehicle and peeled it down (similar to how the door opens on Noah's Ark). During this process, another firefighter was kneeling down by the patient speaking with her and keeping her calm. Other firefighters were climbing in and out of the vehicle to get access to various pillars that would need to be cut in order to remove the roof. We then managed to slide a backboard in and remove the patient. During the removal process, it was determined that she fit the parameters for a flyout. We quickly called for a helicopter and setup a landing zone nearby. Upon questioning her, we found out that she had been drinking (mind you this is at 1:45PM). We quickly put her into the medic and transported to the landing zone where we met with the flight medics and attempted to transfer patient care.

After the patient refused transport via helicopter, some words were exchanged between the intoxicated patient and one of the flight medics. In the end, we put the patient back into the medic unit and transported her nearly 20 miles to the hospital specializing in her type of injury.