You guys know I hate this cycle …. Monday, Wednesday, Friday …uggggg!!! Well, it’s almost over. About 9 more hours and we’re headed to 4 day break! It’s been a crazy cycle …. heck a crazy WEEK for that matter. This is a cycle where you (or I anyway) feel like you can’t get anything accomplished on your days off. The Buckaroo and I have both been sick and for whatever reason, things just haven’t gone my way.
This weather in Va is killing me! Cold one day and warm the next. Mother nature can’t seem to make up her mind. Frozen ground to knee deep mud! #@%$&^$#!#%& The older I get, the less tolerant I am of even the simplestthings. I was having this discussion with the Buckaroo yesterday day because 1.) he’s the only person who will listen to me and 2.) he’s also the only one who understands me…LOL. The little fella even tried to make me feel better. He went and dug out his Halloween mustache collection and put a “special” one on just for me …. he said for me not to worry because he’s “getting old too” … LMAO
Now how could something like that not make anyone’s day better?
Of course now, I’m thinking the little fella may be color blind because you guys can plainly see from my shower pic (in the post before last) that I don’t have a grey hair on my body… LOL
I guess it’s just an aaccumulation of things that have me feeling like I’m “in a rut” here lately. It seems like you work your tail off but can’t see any progress. That’s one of the things I love about being on the job. Most of the time, you can see the rewards of your work. Speaking of that, I received several e-mails on the fire we had last day.
I need to get with my “tech guy” and change how my pics are uploaded. I’m sure there is a way that I can have them to where they will enlarge when you click on them… I just haven’t figured it out yet.
I received several questions as to the smoke condition from the attic / roof. Apparently, the picture wasn’t large enough for some to see so I’ll put it up again in a larger size … I’ll also highlight some smoke for ya …
To answer a few questions, NO we did NOT cut a hole in the roof (vertical ventilate). We DID however open both vents in the peaks (as in took out … sides Bravo and Delta). YES we used positive pressure ventilation but only AFTER our lines were in place (and YES that included one in the attic …. that’s where I was). The fire had run from the basement all the way to the attic but it had done so upon our arrival … we did NOT push it to the attic with PPV. And YES, there was a report of a male subject trapped in the rear bedroom and NO nobody was located inside the structure. All searches resulted in “all clear” ( with the exception of the cat “save” by “Alphabet” … that’s what we call Jason Anuszkiewicz because we can’t pronounce his name and plus he uses almost every letter in the alphabet to spell it..LOL).
The guys at “The Deuce” were going to go in a buy Alphabet an axe or some sort of trophy for his heroic efforts but apparently there wasn’t enough funds. You see, it was his day to cook and some how or another he must have went over budget at the store! Yea… $96.00 for some gourmet cluster smack smothered in cat hair … LMAO!
I also didn’t do our County Brothers justice in that post. Apparently, I was “picking on” them with the “roof” and “wagon” comment. NOT TRUE. … Ok … maybe true but I could have picked more. I didn’t even mention the fact that what they call a “Wagon” isn’t even the right color for either definition. I’ve already said that “Wagons” are on a farm … “Engines” are on fires .. what I didn’t say was that both of em are RED! Who ever heard of a “little yellow / green wagon” ? Huh? It’s RED … my “little RED Wagon” … the same as fire Engines … RED … LMAO
They know I’m just picking and like I said in the earlier post, Those guys do a great job and we were happy to have em on the scene. Not only did they lay us a line, they even hooked it into OUR rig! Imagine that!
Photo from Captain Johnny Lester ( Retired)
I guess I really shouldn’t pick on their yellow (green or whatever color that is) trucks because at one time, we had a few of em too. Actually, we’ve had at least 3 different colors here in the city. Some of our most talked about trucks were called “Grey Ghosts” because they were painted battleship grey. Mike Saunders posted a great article a little while back over on VaFireNews.com titled Going Back in Time Roanoke, Va He has some really good shots of the 1950′s Orens.
We also had some yellow rigs. I can remember visiting my dad at station #6 (old and new) when they were running a 1978 Seagrave(it was actually purchased for station #3 who didn’t like it and pawned it off on #6). Stations #3 and #2 then ended up with 1982 Grumans which were also painted yellow.
Some of the yellow paint remained even after I was hired ( but they were soon sold or painted red) Maxim Ladder trucks …When I came, we only had one left and it was a reserve piece but we DID use it. My Captain (Ronnie Renick) would give us candy to toss out on the days we had her because riding that piece was like driving in a parade LMAO.
Ok, it’s getting late and I’m rambling….. DON’T FORGET to make plans to attend EMS Today in Baltimore, Md. March 1st – 5th. While there, don’t forget to attend JEMS CONNECT (click for details) on March 3rd from 8-11pm.
Rhett Fleitz (Fire Critic) and I will both be in attendance as well as many other of your favorite bloggers … here’s an excerpt ..
“Connect with hundreds of EMS professionals at the Meetup, Thursday night during EMS Today
Stop by Uno Chicago Grill at Harborplace in the Inner Harbor from 8pm-11pm. Enjoy beer, wine, soda, appetizers and tons of connections. Plus, meet your favorite Fire & EMS bloggers from the FireEMSBlogs.com community, contributors from JEMS, our Facebook Fans and more!
Pick up your invitation to the event at one of these booths in the exhibit hall on Thursday, March 3rd (5:00-7:30pm) “
Also start making plans to attend FDIC March 22-27th in Indianapolis, IN.
Rhett and I will be attending this event as well. We will be there along with John Mitchel and Firefighter Netcast. What’s even more exciting is the fact that Rhett will be teaching a class on Social Media ….
“Social Media: The Fire Service’s Next Big Innovation
Lieutenant Rhett Fleitz, Roanoke (VA) Fire-EMS Department
Learn the “in’s and out’s” of social media for the fire service. Many questions about these media (blogs, twitter, facebook, MySpace, YouTube, skype, podcasting, text messaging, and so on) will be answered. Learn to be proactive by developing a social media standard operating procedure. Become acquainted with some of the ways departments are using these media for recruitment, retention, informing journalists and citizens, and publishing news. The benefits and potential consequences for personal use of these media by employees are also discussed. ALL LEVELS”
Our good friend and fellow Network Blogger Dave Statter will also be presenting at FDIC this year …
“The PIO Reporter: Telling Your Story in a World Where “Spin” Doesn’t Work
Dave Statter, Statter911 Communications, LLC
What you do before an image problem occurs may be more important than what you do later. Building reputation equity in your community could be the key to your survival when things go bad. In this “post-media world,” where the public can access news immediately on the Internet, the fire department can easily lose control of the message. Learn how to communicate so that the public knows what you know, when you know it instead of waiting until all the details are in. Learn how to take control, put out the bad news, build trust with the community, and repair your department’s reputation.
INTERMEDIATE”
What could be better than that you ask??? How about if I round up the Black Diamond Boot Gals for ya???
NOW WE’RE TALKING!!! Wooooo Hoooooo! Register today boys …. the slots are filling fast!
ok…. one more thing… DON’T FORGET the Roanoke Firefighter’s Auxiliary “Sweetheart Dinner” tomorrow night at Corned Beef & Co. at 6:30pm. There is also a “comedy show” located in the same building beginning at 9:00pm ( The Star City Comedy Club ). Contact an Auxiliary board member to RSVP for the dinner. You may have to call ahead to reserve you own ticket for the Comedy show (the Auxiliary purchased only a limited amount and you are running out of time) … it’s sure to be a good time so make plans ASAP to attend.
Alright, we’re sitting on a bunch already and it’s Friday night in the “Noke” … I’m going to BED! I’ll check back in with ya over 4-day. Until then, stay safe and in house!
Captain Wines
