Hello everyone,
I’m a firefighter for the Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD)! Well, a firefighter in training anyway.
Here is my fancy locker!
I have not blogged in a long time, and for that I apologize. I’ve done a lot in the interim, but becoming a volunteer firefighter is definitely the most significant. I’ve had multiple people ask why I did this, so I pasted my response to the essay section of the firefighter application here:
“I have learned that there are many reasons to be a volunteer firefighter. Some are looking for experience so as to be a paid firefighter. Some want a truck with lights on it so they look like a bigshot. Perhaps some are older and wish to give back or impart wisdom on their juniors. My reasons are none of these, but instead fall into the category of altruism. I have only lived in Ned for a little over a year, but I like it here. My wife and I have been welcomed by everyone we’ve met, enjoyed many a festival or gathering, and made use of many public works. I therefore feel obligated to give back to my community. I am young and able bodied and I cannot think of any higher calling than helping those in need. Some would call it naïve to willingly accept risk to help others, but I prefer the term noble instead.”
I have been to four training sessions thus far, and they’ve been extremely interesting. Firefighting is one of those things you don’t see done very often. You don’t usually happen to walk by a fire, or a medical issue, or ice rescue in everyday life, so everything is brand new.
So technically my first training was with the fire chief, but it was very informal. He did mention though, that my first job when responding to a call would be driving the ambulance! How ridiculous is that? It kinda makes sense I guess given that most of our calls are medical and that I have 0 medical training, and yet have tons of everyday driving experience. Therefore, the real heroes are in the back saving the life. Still, it kinda scares the crap outta me. I think most of the situations I’ll be in for the first time will scare the crap outta me.
My first formal training was ice rescue. What a way to start! Apparently ice rescue is pretty straightforward. Normally someone wanders out onto thin ice, falls in, and is left clinging to the ice shelf around the hole. The NFPD pulls up and someone like me puts on a wet suit. From there you basically get out to the victim wrap a rope around them and people on shore pull you in. There are of course many scenarios involving things like victims under the ice or swift water. I don’t know what to do in those situations but you gotta start somewhere.
Second was bunker gear. This is the gear you picture firefighters wearing…the pants, the jacket, the helmet, the whole deal. Here’s a picture with all the gear on.
Me in my bunker gear (including respirator)
The next training was medical and consisted mostly of getting someone on a backboard. This is done any time someone sustains physical trauma. Thus it is executed in almost every accident.
Then we did a rundown of all the vehicles in the NFPD. I can think of 10. 2 ambulances, one huge engine (the prototypical fire engine), a ladder truck, a tanker truck, a general assist vehicle and a couple more I don’t know the names of. They all have names and numbers and are used for specific tasks. A lot of them have 6 wheel drive, which I’ve never heard of before, but is pretty damn badass.
Me and “Big Red”
Mixed in somewhere we reviewed various tools of the trade. Jaws of life, SCBAs (self-contained breathing apparatus) a football helmet used for dog rescue, axes, and my favorite…the Halligan. Wikipedia says “The Halligan has become the most versatile hand tool used for the past six decades for a multitude of fireground tasks.” You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halligan_bar.
Here’s me holding the Halligan tool
This coming Saturday I have “saturation training” which will be my first exposure to a hose. Sounds fun!
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