ICE=CALLS=GOOD!

I love it when it gets icey out.  Not so much for the slip and slide that is my sidewalk, but thr fact that some idiot is going to allow me to go for a ride in a big red truck due to the fact they didn't slow down.  Caught 5 in one hour Thrusday night before the wife and I went out for a much needed date night.  I really love days like that...LONG LIFVE THE TONES

Chcago LODD

2 of our brothers were lost Dec 22 2010, my thoughts and prayers are with the famlies (that includes the Department family).  While I understand the Chicago Fire Department's SOP to take no building as un occupied, I can't help but thinking that the Chicago sceene is very reminisant of the Worchester fire that killed 6 of our brothers in Massachusetts...big industral building, perhaps some squatters inside due to the cold, a large truss construction. 

I am truly at a loss for words at this time....

R.I.P brothers

Local Coverage of Fire Training

http://hubvideo.kearneyhub.com/?p=4081

We are sometimes big kids

So there are times when we act like children and the video is proof.  Hope you enjoy the pictures of us breaking the smart kid dorm

Like a strip joint for a Truckie

I should start this off by saying that I love training! Any and all training...yeah sometimes the classes are rather dull (Haz Mat) and the instructors can be like the voice in the Charlie Brown cartoon (wah wah wah wah), but I have met some of the best people in the word (that's right the WORLD) training.  The great thing about it is had I been a slacker about training I would not have had the chance to met these people and learn from them, and maybe teach them something too.  That being said check this out!

http://kearneyhub.com/news/local/article_94283e02-0878-11e0-aa72-001cc4c03286.html
and yes I know that most of this talked about how the cops are blah blah and more blah, but think about it...a whole dorm to burn in, a roof to to truckie work on, and holy crap all the walls I can breach and try to squeze my ass through.  I am getting excitied just thinking about it. 

It didn't come with out a price mind you...
I had to call in  many a favor with the local free sitter club (my sister) to watch the kids, and I will be getting up at "normal" people times (I work overnights) to help with set up and the rest of the tasks, but you know what...SCREW IT!  I am tearing up a dorm. 

What makes this even better is that it's an honor dorm.. There are possibly 10 or 20 smart kids who called me a neanderthal in college who are crying into thier chardonay (or what ever the high brow smart kids drink) becasue we tore down the room they played D and D in during lonely nights wishing they had a girl to take out, let alone a girl to talk to....now that was a wee bit off sides...sorry

First Post

I was looking (and if I didn't look hard enough tell me) at fire blogs and I didn't really come across one that told the story of volunteer firefighters; the joys of the job(firefighting), the hassles from the boss (what pays the bills), and the tears (from the wife, kids etc.)

I will try to keep my words as clean as I can, but I may get fired up from time to time.  One thing you will know is that I will be writing on real life...sometimes it's not all that pretty.

I guess I should maybe write a little bio about myself, a short blurb, that may give an indication as to who I am and what I know to be true.

I've been a volunteer firefighter here for 6 years, serving a protection area of 272 square miles, with a population of roughly 37,000 (the pop. is a guess using the city and surrounding area).  We are best described as a combo department due to the fact that we have 10 full time drivers manning our two full time stations 24/7 and near 80 full time volunteers.  We run (a guess once again, as I am not a numbers guy) roughly 400 calls a year (all fire and/or heavy rescue...EMS is run by the local hospital). 

In my time here I have been a fire Lieutenant, and rescue crew chief...seeing the good the bad and the ugly...and trying to keep the peace at home was sometimes the hardest task.

I just hope I can share what I've learned and know with others...oh...and maybe whine a bit from time to time too