First Call
Well today was my first call. I was just about to get ready to meander over to the hall early for the training drill we do on Wednesdays, and I hear the tones go out. Sure enough I jumpped into my clothes and ran out the door. Fumbled for my key to lock the house, and then ran across the road to the jeep. One of my shoes even flew off I was running so fast. I grabbed it and put it on in the jeep. Flipped on the lights and off I went. Everyone pulled over for me, and I was even waved through a red light by people who stopped for me. I still stopped to ensure it was clear of course. I was the 2nd at the station, and was originally told that since I was a probie, I likely wouldn't get on the truck (which is understandable). But none the less, I geared up just incase. Only 3 people including me showed up, so I was told to get on the truck. As we pulled out, 3 others showed up, so we had a full crew. Turned out to be a difficult to reach fire in between some retaining bolders on the shore of the river. I stayed by the truck as a 'gopher'. Then it was time for Drill. Tonight we burnt some tires. I was on the nozzle first, along with George who was my line-man. We approached the fire with the water off to see if we could stand the heat. We could. So Rob taught us about different methods for putting the fire out and also using the water to create a wall with the fog stream setting. We then backed away - and switched places. This time I was on the line. Honestly the line is a lot harder then nozzle. You have to try to keep the weight of the line off of the nozzle person, and also move the line (which means pulling it when advancing, and pulling it back when retreating). A charged hoseline is heavy... Don't let anyone else tell you different. I think overall I did okay - there were a few noobish mistakes - but... I am still learning afterall. However I was never officially debriefed. During overhaul (cleanup) I ended up on the wheel barrow which got tangled in the wires from the bunt tires. I also ended up getting some debris in my eye during overhaul which the paramedics had to be called out to tend to. It wasn't anything serious, but you don't mess around when it comes to the eyes. All in all, it was a good day. However it was exhausting. I was a lot more confident with fighting a fire. I'll tell you tho, it does wear me out. I still need to get into better shape!