Posts Tagged ‘firefighting’

Deep into #writing (coffee, candles, music, la-la-la) #EMS pager set on BUZZ goes off in pocket, po-go’d right off the dang yoga ball.

First responder training last night. Which leads me to say: So lucky and grateful to do what I do. Deep in a book and up against a deadline, trying to get this out (and a big thank you to Alissa and Blakeley, who keep the paddleboat on course), my family putting up with the grump who disappears into the little room over the garage…but man, I’m grateful for this writing life.

That said, I’m also never happier than when I’m hanging out with people from all walks of life – tow-truck operators, nurses, mechanics, truck drivers, electricians, farmers, retirees, office workers, pretty much whatever y’got – who are gathered to speak the language of Fire and EMS. At training last night we practiced inserting Combitubes and King airways, worked with the defribrillators, rehearsed epi pen protocols, and worked some spinal cord stabilization scenarios that included a close examination of the underside of a fire truck. In between, of course, there were the smoke-n-joke (without the smoking, not allowed) sessions, the wisecracks, the friendly needling…all part of the reason that I’ve stuck with some element of Fire and/or EMS for the past 23 years even as the rest of my life has gotten progressively busier. I stick with it because it’s “boots on the ground” in every sense.  Emergency calls – even just a handful per year – keep me tethered directly to reality and provide a perpetual sense of scale. When it’s time to hang it up, I’ll hang it up. But for now that pager is either A) on my hip, B) under my pillow, or C) in the console of the car waiting to be switched on as soon as I return to within range of the county line.

So – from those earliest calls through the “Nobbern” days and right up to the present – a big thank you to my EMS/Fire brothers and sisters for allowing me to play in the sandbox.

Because of my background in Fire and EMS, I’m often asked to participate in related events. Unfortunately, time and travel rarely allow it. Brule Fire Department Chief Keith Kesler made a similar request of me recently, and although I can’t be there for the “Be Somebody” campaign, I thought I’d share some of their materials…perhaps they will be of use to departments elsewhere in the United States. We’re all doin’ the same thing, just with different accents.

Please note: more information below the photo gallery.

After the page break, more details on this year’s event. (more…)

This get-together in Alabama looks familiar…love the similarities that transcend geography.  Also, they’re selling their old fire truck.

If you’re anywhere near the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, today, you’ll be able to get yourself some spaghetti while seated in close proximity to fire trucks and helping a couple of fellow volunteers currently facing serious medical issues.

I’ll be on the road, but the silent auction and/or raffle will include some signed books and CDs.

I’m grateful to say that I am an auxiliary member of the department, serving in a first responder capacity.

If you’re anywhere near the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, area on Saturday, April 2, you’ll be able to get yourself some spaghetti while seated in close proximity to fire trucks and helping a couple of fellow volunteers currently facing serious medical issues.

I’ll be on the road, but the silent auction and/or raffle will include some signed books and CDs.

I’m grateful to say that I am an auxiliary member of the department, serving in a first responder capacity.

Last night as part of our monthly first responder training we were given a tour of the local dispatch center. It was my first time to peer in and see the dim-lit room with all the colorful screens where the people with the headsets try to keep track of all the trouble in the county. It’s a difficult job. In Population 485, I wrote:

Dispatchers have a tough gig.  They function as interlocutor between two parties occupying various states of panic.  They sort it out the best they can.  It’s fascinating to think of them wherever they are, with their phone, their microphone, their maps, playing such a critical role in a drama where they never meet the other players.  The dispatcher is hip-deep and detached, all at once.  Think of a football coach locked in an office during the game, calling plays and relaying them to the quarterback based on reports given to him by a fan on a cell phone

So thanks, dispatchers. Next time I’m keying the mic from some ditch or logging trail or porch or from the cab of my pickup truck for “case number and times”, it’ll be nice to be able to conjure where that voice in my radio is coming from.

Mid-forties at dawn, raining, melting, fog so thick I can’t see the granary from the garage. Shucked corn for chickens (last load of cob corn is stored in the back of the Binder), now to get some typing done.

Tip of the helmet to everyone who got yesterday’s MABAS reference. Don’t make me pull the Life Safety card…