Side Note: Toilets...

Okay, so I forgot in my last post to state that I walked into another Japanese innovation in my travels. Something so advanced, something that is a facet of everyday life. The thunder mug, the john, the infamous toilet... This toilet had more buttons on it than most tv remotes. Exaggeration yes, far off no. It has buttons that make noises so when someone breaks wind people can't hear it. Oh also, the seats themselves are heated! Now here is the dilemma, I myself prefer a simple toilet, do your thing, flush, go about your business. But I can see where the heated seat would be nice. I mean no one likes to in the middle of winter be the first person in the morning to sit on the kamode. I mean it's so cold the shock itself has you on the ceiling. So yeah, good idea. 

Okinawa Week One

So the flying was pretty uneventful. I ran into Patrick Stewart as I was heading to my next gate in Salt Lake City. For those of you who don't know, he is most famous for playing Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Xavier in the X-men movie trilogy. I smiled and said hello, he said hello back but that was about it. Then I spent the next seven hours waiting for my flight. In that time I had a beer, some pizza and watched Monday Night Football. Then I got hit with some bad news. Salt Lake had an hour weather delay meaning that they were limiting the flights coming in and out. The culprit... fog... So our plane was late coming in and if it had to be de-iced I would get into San Francisco at 11:40pm. My plane left at 12:05am. So yeah, 25 minutes to get to the airline counter and through security. Luckily they didn't need to de-ice the plane. So the flight was only a half an hour late. That still put me into the terminal in San Francisco at 11:15pm. I still had to run like hell from Domestic flights to International flights and so on. I barely made the plane. I sat next to a little Japanese woman who glared at me a lot. But that is okay, I tried to sleep through out the trip but, I was woken up every hour for food or something ridiculous. They give you two full meals on the plane. That was sweet. Then I got into Taiwan, waited an hour then flew to Okinawa. Customs and quarantine weren't bad. Once I stepped out of that area Maddie and her mom were there waiting for me.

We then went to the car where I was hit with my first bit of culture. The steering wheel of the car was on the right side. They also drove on the opposite side of the road. Once I got over the fear that we were in the wrong lane and thus were going to get hit, I started taking in the sights. I was a bit overwhelmed with everything. Gone was the sparse areas of Montana where you could drive for 10 minutes and be in the middle of nowhere. In its place were mass amounts of urban sprawl. We drove through the city of Naha on our way to Camp Foster. The thing is, I really have no distinct idea of where one city ends and another begins. It all just seems to be a blend of flashing lights, signs written in Japanese, mixed with various areas of stores and hotels. Afterwards we met up with Maddie's dad and got my passes to get back on base. We then ate at Coco's Curry. It was really good considering it was my first curry experience. Afterwards we got settled in and hung out. The next night we went to the Botanical Gardens to view the lights. It was neat to see all the lights. Christmas we spent here inside the house as it was raining. In fact it didn't stop raining all day. I'm not talking the constant wet drizzle we get in the U.S. but down pouring.

The next day we stopped by a pottery village and checked out all the hand made pottery. Afterwards we checked out, Cape Zampa. The water was rough and it was crashing on the rocks. That was neat to see and feel as the wind blew the spray up at us. Also they have vending machines for everything. It's amazing. They even have hot drinks in them. The fire hydrants are weird too. Basically there is a sign and then a lid in the ground that you pull out.

During the weekend we went to Cape Hedo at the northern point of the island. Again the waters were rough and crashing. The waters are an awesome blue color and watching them crash on the rocks is just something else. Over on the other side we saw a bunch of little fish swimming about. Then we went back a different way through the jungles. There was a bike race or something going on because there were a ton of road bikes that we had to pass.

Monday Maddie and I then checked out Jusco which is like a mallish type place with department stores in it. We also stopped by American Village. I don't know how it's American really but I just went with it. Tuesday we checked out the 100 yen shop which is closely related to a dollar store. They had some silly stuff. Wednesday, Maddie, her mom and I went to Kokusai Street. Basically it's a street of shops and restaurants. They have Habu Sake. Basically they take the habu snakes which is a poisonous viper here on the island that they stick in sake. Apparently it ferments or something and the poison gives it a real kick.

Tonight is New Years Eve. We are going to Peace Prayer Park to see the light show there. They are also lighting a torch. So that will be awesome to see.

Anywho, I have to apologize, everything I have talked about is not in detail, because I've had a lot to experience my first week here. I'll write in more detail later. Stay tuned! Oh and a Happy New Year!!!

Winding Down the Semester

So the end of the semester was like most with one twist. Papers, finals and stress galore plus the added benefit of the Silver Nozzle Competition. What that is, as was explained to us, is a competition where fire teams of three compete against each other for their names being engraved on the Silver Nozzle we have. We would compete in first floor search. This however was not the twist. The twist was that it would be done in the main entrance of the College. It wasn't graded for school but more of a benchmark to see how far along we have come and so on. For some of us, the change was significant and for others, not so much. The one rule we had 100% no give on was nozzle control. Open the hose in the school, you get disqualified. As Dave our instructor said. no one had that problem before.

We rolled up into the parking lot and the hose guy would drag the hose up to the door. We then sounded for victims and pounded for floor integrity. We had to tape a towel to the halligan tool because the floor in the main area of the campus is marble. Forceful pounding and marble don't mix in case you didn't know. Anyway, we made entrance and searched, checking for victims. We found the victim down the end of the first hall. He was a 280lb fire fighter. There is one thing that I learned in the beginning of classes back in September, 280lbs of weight is heavy. There is another thing that I learned in the end of classes here this last Wednesday, 280lbs is still heavy.

We got the victim packaged up and the tool guy started dragging him. As we were pulling him out, the tool guy made it 10 ft before he got tired from dragging the guy. After that it went down hill for our group, Team 4.  Our nozzle guy lost nozzle control. Water sprayed everywhere down the hallway. There was a giant puddle. In our defense the floor needed cleaning. After that I had to take over in dragging the dummy. Now this is where some of us discover how far we've come or not. When I first started, I could not drag 175lb dummy out of a building, much less a 280lb person.

At the competition, I got behind the guy and started pulling. It hurt. My muscles screamed from lack of oxygen and over-exertion. I started sucking air from my mask. I almost got over-excited. But I calmed myself, started to control my breathing and started getting into a beat and pulling the guy out. By the time we were half way back down the 100ft hallway, the tool guy was low on air, as well as the hose guy. We all started at full tanks. By the time we were 80% of the way, they both had to take off their masks. We managed to get the victim out of the building and walk back to the truck before my low air alarm started buzzing. I was amazed. I managed to keep to under a tank of air.

Well needless to say, we got disqualified. It's okay though, because I improved in every way possible. I can control my breathing, I have the endurance I need to move a person out of a building. I can step in and help as needed. It was nice to do.

After that I had to turn in my proposal in for English. Got an A in that, as well as my other classes. So for my first semester in the Fire & Rescue Program I have a 4.0. The test in Incident Command seemed hard but I did way better than I thought I would. I got a Pass in Physical Training because I improved in all four of my baselines. So I feel somewhat accomplished and relieved.

Today we had a party with money we put into the swear jar. We had 58 dollars total. I had one dollar. One kid had $20.75. Dave our instructor, gave us his retirement speech as today is his last day, and sent us off. It was a pretty epic way to end the semester.

Now all I have to look forward to is hanging out in Bozeman for the weekend, then my trip to Japan. I leave Monday. I can't wait. Which reminds me, I need to continue packing. Stay tuned for our international version of Smoke Before Fire. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Obstacle Course, Club Duties and Truck Driving...

So it's taken me a while to get back to the blog to update everyone on my adventures in Fire Fighting. It's been a busy few weeks. One of my co-workers gave me his cold. So I've been dealing with that. We have a lot in store for this blog, I've been busy. Alright, here we go.

So Wednesday of last week was filled with fun. We were in the class room that day and learned about venting and tiers of Incident Command and how they apply to fires; Such as tier two fires becoming tier three fires. Basically that means that when a tier two fire becomes big enough they call in an incident commander who has more experience and can handle the stresses of bigger crews, bigger fires, etc. Thus it becomes a tier 3 fire. While one instructor went over that sort of stuff, the other instructor blindfolded a few of us and explained to us which end of the fire hose faces towards the truck. The male coupling faces towards the truck. We then based on that were told to follow the hose through a hose maze sort of deal. We crawled over a fork lift, crawled under the fire truck and around the drive bay.

After that we had english then PT. PT was a blast. We did part of the CPAT (Candidate Physical Ability Test) for it. We carry hose up, down, and back up flights of stairs. Then we lifted more hose up through a second story window. After that we ran back down stairs and pulled an extension ladder so that it was fully extended it and then let it back down without losing control of the ladder. Then we had to drag the 175lb mannequin about 100 feet then dragged hose and pulled 50 more feet of hose. We were timed to see how fast we could do it. I got 2 minutes 1 second. The fastest time was 1 minute 15 seconds, but that kid took a supplement to increase his stamina and he was jacked on enough caffeine to drop a bull rhino. But average was about two minutes so I was pretty happy about that.

Thursday we had our first meeting of the Fire & Rescue Club. We met at Jorgenson's because the club president works there. We went over the constitution and figured out a little. As the treasurer I am in charge of the clubs finances. I get to buy stuff when needed. After that we closed the meeting.

Friday was sweet because it was the day that we started to learn driving the fire truck and ambulance. I started off with the Ambulance. That wasn't too bad. Basically driving a giant van. We went to the fair grounds so that way I wouldn't maim any people or ducks*. Afterwards I drove the fire truck. That was pretty sweet. It's big but it corners well. The air brakes are a little touchy. I had to back it up and get it close to this parked truck. I did pretty well.

Other than that not much is going on. We have one full week of school left. Then finals week. After that I will be on my way to Japan. I'm really excited. I can't wait. Stay tuned for competition news next week then Jack Does Japan!

The Ropes Course and EMT Evals...

Today was pretty good. I took a test. I did not get the grade back for it, but I'm pretty sure I received a 100% on it. I got flak for being the fastest test taker again. But that is okay. Afterwards we went to Memorial Park for an obstacle and ropes course. Below will be a few pictures of me plugging along through it with my partner. It was good, we had to crawl through tight areas and keep in constant contact with our partner. We got turned around a few times, it was disorienting not being able to see, I almost got stuck in the tire swing. Afterwards I participated in EMT scenarios. Everyone did well, but we were outside and it was freezing. I got backboarded and c-collared 5 times. It was a hoot. After that I participated in a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) as a fubar'd patient. It was a car crash, I didn't wear my seat belt. Always wear your seat belt. Anyway it was good, got backboarded and stuff again. After that I came home and thawed out. Other than that, there is nothing too exciting going on. I have one more day of classes then it's time for turkey! Until next time, Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

What Failure Breeds....

Failure is a funny thing because it is a stepping stone into two completely different directions; one of despair, or one of triumph. Those who follow the first are doomed to live a life of sorrow. Those who follow the latter, will use failure as fuel to create a better life for themselves. We either learn to overcome it, or we are overcome by it. There is no middle ground..."

~ Anonymous

Today we spent the first little bit of class trying to figure out where everyone was. One of the instructors told us to go to the smokehouse, the other told us to go to the school through text messages. So as we went to the school one of the kids in my program was in charge of telling us to go to the smoke house. After we got all that sorted out we spent the first part of the morning going out the window, swinging down onto the ladder and sliding down from there. In the blog you will see a few pictures of me doing it. After that the morning took a turn for the not-so-awesome.

We were going through timed second story search tactics. Each group for every mistake they made had to do 30 push ups. For those who didn't go on air in time had to do 30 individually then after that each group mistake added 30. We didn't have the greatest of runs, it wasn't bad, but we had a bunch of little mistakes. I wasn't in as good as shape as I was before apparently because I was struggling. I had a hard time lifting the 50 ft of house into the second story window and dragging the victim out. Then the victim wasn't placed on my arms properly and we dropped him. Rescue Randy died from trauma. He will be missed. All in all after everything was tallied up we sat at 210 push ups. The comments that were said by certain folks during and after were out of line and rude, but I won't repeat them because I don't want to dwell on them.

In that moment though, I realized a lot about myself, it was a serious reality check into why I am here, and if I really want to be here. Most of my life I have spent time with a few people in my life telling me who I was and how I would not succeed. I would be nothing without them. I tried to shrug it off but after years of it, these things kind of sink in. I overcame it, and got help. I am working on a lot of it still because these things don't go away over night. There is someone in my life that will tell you that. Sometimes when you believe that you will fail, you will. Today, I gave it my all, and it wasn't enough. Before I would shut down and give up, but today I realized that I need to push harder, I've been doing the gym and running two or three times a week, but I am going to hit the gym everyday working different groups of muscles, I'm going to run everyday. I'm not going to do it, but I know I can achieve better so I am going to.

What I learned today, I guess, is something that I have subconsciously overcome the worst in my life to make the best I can out of it for me, and I will do the same for this. I don't know how to give up on a grand scale and I just need to use my minor defeats as a way to improve myself. I want this more than I've ever wanted anything so I am going to work for it. It's that simple.

Other than that, nothing exciting is going on. I have spent a lot of time on a few of the machines at work, so I am no longer bumping into stuff. I spent some time slinging bathtubs which are more awkward than they are heavy, but after 10 of them you get a little sore. I got done earlier than everyone so I got to go home. I'm counting down the days until Japan, 34 at the last count.  I cannot wait to get over there and spend a near month exploring and hanging out. I'm excited. Other than that, stay tuned!

Holding My Breath... Part 3

Today was a good day for school. We had a test which I completed in like 30 seconds and received a 100% on. That was cool. Dave just looked at me all astonished like and shook his head after he graded the test. He didn't know what to say. After that we went to the Smokehouse. Apparently there is a chance that we are going to be losing that building. The Helena Airport folk do not like us. But not because of anything we've done, but because others who use the training facilities do not clean up after themselves. So we're in talks about that. If it happens that we can't use that place we will find something else.

Anyway, we learned today how to rescue fire fighters that have falling to a floor below. I watched but I didn't participate because I was asked to instruct the class on how to backboard a victim. It was nice to do but I am nowhere certified to teach. I just explained what I knew and how I did it. One of the instructors interjected a lot with how he was trained but it went well overall. Apparently I remember a lot more than I thought I did. So that is cool. But it was good. People actually listened to me. Then we learned how to change our own air tanks which let me tell you is scary. Working against your own panic button. Once you get passed the I don't have air thing, it takes a bit of dexterity to turn the bottle, get the tank off, put a new tank on. I didn't make it my first time. I died if you will. But it comes with time.

This weekend I will probably hide out, I've been battling a mild case of the flu, my roommate had swine flu but I don't think I have that, who knows, I'm not going to a doctor to find out. I'm laying low, drinking fluids and not overworking myself. I'm probably going to spend most of the weekend playing x-box. Homework is light this weekend, I only have a 500 word paper to write. So not bad. Anyway, Monday we get to do second story diving onto a ladder techniques so I can't wait for that. I hope I feel like I am in a Bruce Willis movie. But I'll have pictures and a blog up for that Monday! Stay tuned!

Next Year...

So today we spent most of the day running scenarios. I got to drag two heavy people in a first floor search. It sucked because we didn't have enough air for everyone so we had to pretend to be on air. But we did do well in rolling up on scene and going through the motions. I didn't do too bad at toolman either. Pounding and sounding are pretty easy. After that english went quick. I talked with my english teacher who thinks we are long lost relatives because we have the same last name. She and I discussed the proposal I have to write for my final paper. I asked her to critique it really hard as I am going to use it for a presentation to the City of Helena so I want it to be done really well.

Yesterday I forgot to write that I registered for classes for next semester. I wasn't supposed to be able to until next week because I am a first year student but being that I have credit for my EMT class I am considered a non first year student or something. The classes I registered are as follows:

• Wildland Fire Fighting
• Personal Physical Fitness II
• Hazardous Materials
• Electronic Communications
• Emergency Equipment Maintenance
• Fire Apparatus Operation
• Fire Fighting Tactics and Strategies
• Basic MS Office

So yeah, 19 credits worth but some of the classes are broken down into half semesters or quarters. I have 3 classes at 7:00am and one class from 8:00am - 4:50pm on Saturdays. Yeah it sucks that I don't get a Saturday to relax but I get to learn how to drive a fire truck and besides I spent a few years fooling around in Bozeman so I don't mind buckling down for these two years. Anyway my roommate is full of the H1N1 so I am bunkering down in my room and I am going to take a nap to battle that and prepare for work tonight, so stay tuned until next time!

A Whole Heck of a Lot....

So these past few weeks have been pretty busy. I started a job at home depot and I've been trying to get used to my new classes. Well let us just say I am trying to get used to one class.

So I recently got a job at Home Depot. Six weeks after I applied there. I know right, one heck of a wait. I got hired on as freight crew. Yep that's right I stock shelves. I spent 4 days straight doing orientation. Sitting there and watching videos and taking online quizzes for that long can be rather boring. But I learned how to use a "Home Depot Saftey Knife" which is like a utility knife, but for 3 year olds. Seriously doesn't cut through much of anything. I did go in on Tuesday and learn to drive a fork lift, OP machine, which i forget what the exact name for it is but it is used to get heavy objects up to the top shelves. If you're afraid of heights I don't recommend that machine. It gets awfully wobbly the higher you get. I worked on a few more machines and I became certified to drive 4 of them. It is fun tooling around on each machine but it can be nerve racking.

I am the youngest guy there by about 20 years so making work friends, not so much. I basically work by myself stocking shelves and I wish I could use my iPod, but oh well. My boss is pretty cool. I think he's part of the mafia. I mean he had his hair slicked back. OH! He also had a prison tattoo on his hand. So yeah, he's pretty hardcore. His favorite phrase to say is, "The numbers don't jive man." That means that the SKU product numbers don't match. It's a pain in the behind.

School is going well. We are week three into our second set of classes. One of them is basically a continuation of fire 101 but for school administrative purposes it has to be divided into two classes. The other class we are talking is Incident Command systems, that's cool. We are going through scenarios and learning how to do scene size ups and do tactical worksheets (see picture).

We learned to do pitched roof ventilation which consists of using a roof ladder, a chain saw and a big hole in the roof. We touched on punching ceiling and walls but we will do more of that tomorrow. I will have pictures of it then.

For our final we are going to participate in something called the Silver Nozzle Competition. Basically we are going to practice first floor search in front of the school. The paper and local news crews are going to be there. So that will be cool.

We started a Fire & Rescue club and I was voted treasurer. So I get to handle the money. Also we are getting a new faculty administrator that will hopefully push the program further. We were asked by the school administration to select one of the students to be on the hiring committee as a voice for the students. Some people told me to do it, so I will probably volunteer for that.

Other than that not much is going on. I'm impatiently waiting to go to Japan. It's coming in 47 days! I really can't wait. I'm going to see my sweetie and hang out with her and her family in Japan, I really can't wait. I am kind of nervous though. But I'm sure it will pass with time. Anyway, that is about it, stay tuned for the continuing saga of Smoke Before Fire!

Chain Saws Again

So I used a chain saw for the first time today. Yeah I'm from Montana, it's in the Montana code of conduct of being a Montanan to have used a chainsaw before I was ten. I dropped the ball I guess on that one. Well I redeemed myself today. I had a few hiccups but then again first time doing roof venting with a chainsaw.

We did two runs. The first run I was crew leader. That was cool. Easy. Second time I was chainsaw guy. Note to anyone who does roof venting, when you get to the top of a ladder with the chainsaw, go high enough that you aren't trying to swing the chainsaw over your head. Just saying. We all had to do the chainsaw today, so I wasn't the only one who did it. So we all had mini hiccups. My biggest one was the chain break. Don't forget that. But I went up there, and I was cutting some pretty sweet lines.

Afterwards we cleaned up and went to english. I have secretly become addicted to the Office, so I am going to go watch some of that. Stay tuned!

Ladders, Chainsaws and Credentials, Oh My!

Wednesday we started going over Roof Ventilation and how to do it. We went over various ways of doing roof venting. Then we whipped out the chainsaw and pike poles and went over how to use these tools. Afterwards we went out into the engine bay and "practiced" how to sound a roof then cut the roof.

Friday we went out to the smoke house and practiced what we had learned on Wednesday. We only had 5 boards so only 5 people got to cut. That's okay though because the rest of us will get to cut on Monday. In this post are a few pictures of us without air. One of me on the ladder sounding, and one of us practicing group integrity.

We all got credentialed to get on and off the airport because that is where our training facility is. It's not exciting i don't get my own badge and card to open the gate, but it does mean that I am not considered a terrorist. That's pretty sweet. I do however at some point have to get my student ID turned into a name card. Meaning I have to wear it. But oh well.

Other than that nothing else exciting is going on. So stay tuned until next time!

Ladders Are For Climbing....

So I was reading in my fire fighting book that a ladder is a device used to move up and down from one height to another. Deep I know. It was a good thought to start out our new training exercises: second story search and vent. What that consists of is:

• placing a ladder
• busting out a window
• bringing the window to just under the the window sill
• cleaning the window up of any attached glass
• going in as a crew and searching the floor for victims
• If a victim is found extricating them safely and quickly

The first few runs we went through and practiced without our air packs and a fully charged hose, just to get used to all the steps. Then we added a charged hose. Then our air packs. Then we added radios to practice speaking over them correctly. Then we added the incident command aspect to it. Scene size up, crews needed, assignments etc. At first it was kind of chaotic because everyone wanted to run through it as many times as possible. Some people struggled and we had some problems running through each scenario at first but that is the point of the class, to run out the kinks so that we can start doing it flawlessly. By our third time we had everything down and it couldn't have gone more smoothly.

I've been busting my butt in all my classes. I'm sitting in the A range for most of my classes and I have been doing really well on my Fire 101 tests. It's just been a lot of work, but I guess that is to be expected when you try to push four years of school into two.

I volunteered for a local cause last weekend. Women in Gear is a program that tries to get girls and women into the trade programs such as welding, fire fighting, etc. We had a good turn out. We let the girls try on our turn out gear, showed them crew integrity and let them try victim/patient rescue scenarios. We explained to them some of the training we are doing and how we go about getting into shape to do it.

Other than that nothing too exciting is going on, we're trying to start a Fire & Rescue Club so we can have fundraisers and do other things that require a club for. I don't know what that consists of but I hear we need a club to do most of it. So we are working on that. I have set up the Facebook page for us to post pictures for everyone to see. It's good for putting all the pictures up rather than having to put just a few up on here like I have been. It will give you more an idea of what we do.

Anywho, I'm off to upload pictures to Facebook. Stay tuned!!!!

Holding My Breath... Again...

So it is cold again, not really that cold but it's snowy and we had a winter storm warning from Sunday to Today. We met at the smoke house this morning for some evolutions. Four people didn't show up so we had to change teams around a bit. We are slowly adding stuff to the mix. This class or set of classes as we divide the semester in half, will just give us the basics of what we need to know. We won't do an actual Fire Fighter I course until next fall. I don't care just because I enjoy being out at there working. But anyway, back to the story, we divided amongst ourselves which added to the general chaos of today. After spending some time trying to figure out where everyone was going to be we took some time to figure out who was all gone.

The group is fading fast. Some won't make it because they won't show up, others won't because they make poor decisions and so on. But the smoke house today was filled with smoke today. It was a good time. We did Primary Searches and threw a victim variable in there. The first time I went through I was on the initial team that found the victim, just to see how it would be with the smoke. Then I was on the RIT team. That was a hoot. The picture to the left is me in full gear waiting to be called in. Next I played the victim. I got tossed around worse than a crash test dummy but it was fun. We all had a laugh when one of the fire fighters ran in without his helmet.

Instructor: *taps guy on shoulder* Um... where is your helmet?

Fire fighter: *Feels around on his head.* Ah F%$#!

We all had a good laugh at that. The guy who I wrote about throwing a temper tantrum ended up doing it again, this time towards an instructor. After that failed attempt at a Primary Search our instructor grouped us up and started lecturing us about having a poor attitude. Then the kid started to talk back and finally after listening to it enough three of us snapped and told him to shut the heck up and listen. Seriously, attitude in this field is everything. Well attitude is a lot of it for most fields, but in a field where lives count on you, and people count on you to protect them and their belongings it's even more important. One bad attitude can mean the difference between life and death. So the rest of us were a little less than forgiving about this second tantrum.

After that we went to the school and received our shirts and hat. Tomorrow I'll post a picture of me fully outfitted up. I'll probably look dorky but that is okay. Anyway, I threw some pictures up of our training today. Enjoy!

Holding My Breath

-------***Radio Transmission***------

"I.C. this is Engine Crew 41..."


"Engine Crew 41 this is I.C. go ahead..."


"We are on the Bravo Charlie corner of the structure with downed fire fighter Holt who has a low air warning. Requesting Scott 30 minute tank and an extrication."


"You have a downed fire fighter Holt from Engine crew 41 in the Bravo Charlie corner, you're requesting a Scott 30 minute bottle and extrication..."


"Affirmative..."


"We are sending in a RIT team in with a 30 minute bottle and to get you guys out of there hold tight..."


"RIT Crew inbound with air bottle and extrication..."


"Affirmative..."


Laying there I did the best I could to control my breathing. After all once the air was gone I would either be sucking mask or worse. I could be sucking in the contaminants in the air around me. It seemed like forever as I laid there with my crew telling me that a Rapid Intervention Team was inbound on our location. I don't remember what happened. All I knew is I was down, couldn't move. They were there in what seemed like an eternity. I was told slow my breathing and as they undid my air pack I would at the count of three have to take a deep breath in and hold it as they shut off my oxygen and changed the air pack. I slowed my breathing down the best that I could, not knowing what was going on around me other than my pack moving around. The one fireman that told me to slow my breathing counted to three.


"1...2...3..." tapping my shoulder at each count.


I sucked in as much air in as I could until I couldn't pull in anymore. I pushed back the thoughts of not making it and not being able to breathe again into the back of my mind. I was going to get air again. I was going to be extricated. What seemed like minutes passed which in actuality was about 40 seconds, I was tapped and told to suck air in. I heaved a sigh of relief. I could breathe again. 

-----************-----

Then the training exercise was over. I got up and dusted the dirt of the engine bay off and popped off my mask. Our instructor Grady looked at all of us and said good job.

"Now that is what a RIT team response and bottle switch over is supposed to look like. Get used to radio chatter because that is what we will be practicing from now until you graduate..."

We had a test today that we were supposed to have on Wednesday. I rocked it and then we went over the chapters we are going to be tested on next week. After that we learned about the Incident Command System and general radio talk. Then we were set to our groups and we were told to have a man down so we could practice radio chatter and RIT team response involving a downed fire fighter with a low air warning. The downed fire fighter had to hold their breath until the next bottle was attached. I was the first downed man in my group because I can hold my breath the longest. We practiced that and rotated through that.

After that we left class with the announcement that we would be filling the smoke house with smoke on Monday. Which I am really excited for,. What I am not excited for is the Winter Storm Watch that will be taking place on Sunday.  This next week I start my CE hours for my EMT-B certification. I have 24 hours to do which I can do amongst six, four hour classes.

Other than that just doing the counting down thing until December. Stay tuned!

The First Snow

September 30th - 6:00am. I awoke in a daze. There was a sound near my dresser that sounded like a mouse or small critter clawing their way out. I turned on the lights and couldn't find anything. I went and made coffee. Then I came back into my room. The sound was still there. Then I discovered what it was. It was raining. It looked like a dark and gloomy day. Nothing too exciting just your general run of the mill gloom. Well okay that isn't true. It was cold. 39 degrees cold. Which in Montana is yes, shorts weather still. But there was wind. The biting wind that accompanies the rain and cold. I left my house and went to my car. As I was driving along I looked up at the mountains to the west of me like I normally do. What I saw should not have surprised me but it did! SNOW! I was stunned! I drove to school amazed. We got to class to take our test but it turned out that our instructor was snowed in at his place in Butte with the reports of a downed electrical power line. 10 inches in Butte. To the left here is a picture taken by my roommate from the top of Mcdonald's Pass.

After sitting around trying to figure out if we were going to take a test or not we ended up bagging that and going to the Smoke house. We practiced inner search techniques with patient rescue. Dragging a dummy is fun, but a lot of work. We went through a few tanks of air. We had some back ups but 15 people rotating bottles on a consistent basis makes having a bunch of bottles over having a few bottles a thing of paramount importance. So once we drained the bottles we ended up going back to the campus. It was cold and rainy and wet over at the smoke house and it felt good to be in our turn out gear. Back at campus I got my pack and went to English. Then it was time for PT.

We were going to be doing calisthenics by cards. Here is an example. Each suit equals a work out. Push ups, sit ups, etc. So say if hearts was push ups. For every hearts card that was drawn you would do 10 push ups. However Dave (our instructor) decided that we would just run. So we set out to run from campus, up and around the capital building and back. A two mile run up the mountain and back. It wasn't bad. The cold kept us from over heating. We were supposed to go as fast as our slowest person however a lot of people did not like that pace so they ran ahead. I went at a comfortable pace. I didn't want to over do it and I have nothing to prove. I'm just wanting to get in shape. From what I gather, in fire fighting, it's not how fast you can run, but how far you can run.

After that I went home and thawed out. Took a warm shower and started doing homework. Today October 1st is the only sunny day we're supposed to have a for a few days. After that it's supposed to rain and storm and be cold. But it sounds about right for this time of year. But that will help me keep my butt studying. I have big projects coming up. But anyway enough procrastinating, time to get my English Project done. Stay tuned for more news as it develops on Smoke Before Fire.

* Here is a photo taken outside of my house of the snow the day after it happened.*

Montana State EMT License

Good news, I just got my Montana State EMT-B License, so I can now be a practicing EMT here in the state of Montana. I received a shiny certificate that I could put next to my other one. I may do that. I'm not sure. But the good news is, I will be more likely to be hired on a volunteer company now.

Smoke House Awesomeness

So there I was a week ago. Sitting, and thinking about my trip to Bozeman. When my instructor told us that we would be going to Butte this upcoming Wednesday to try the smoke maze there. Well, that got changed to Friday because the instructor wanted to make sure we got our weekly dose of PT in. So yeah, standard week, up until today. This morning was like any other morning, talk to my sweetie, made breakfast, then I drove to school. I got there, turned in my paper that was due, then brought my bunker gear to one of the vans that we had borrowed for our college field trip. Yeah that's right, a college field trip. Well anyway, we start loading stuff in the vans, then something happened that ended up making the whole trip extremely more hilarious.*

Student One: Hey, can I put my stuff in here.

Student Two: Nope, looks like we're full, you'll have to carry your stuff in your lap!

Student One: Well F#$% this I'm not going,. I quit this F#$%ing program.

Student Two: What the hell did I say!?

After that we were ordered to pile into the vans to meet our instructor in Butte (he lives there). As we were driving off, Student One was seen throwing everything he had. Sunglasses, His EMT Book, etc. He threw a giant temper tantrum. Then he got into his truck and drove to Butte himself. Claimed that we had left him. We spent a lot of the car ride ribbing on each other and poking fun at the situation. Nothing too crazy but generalized good times.

We got to Butte and toured the Whalen Tire Fire, and a few other burned buildings. After that we drove back to the maze building to get ready to run through it, but it turns out we decided lunch was more important. Now since the first day of school our instructor, Dave, has been talking about this sandwich in Butte that is supposed to be delivered from God himself via the wings of a unicorn or something. Anyway, it's called the Wop Sandwich. It's like a deep fried porkchop sandwich that is supposed to be amazing from The Freeway Tavern. It was pretty good. Afterwards, we went back to the maze to get started.

We donned our PPE and SCBA gear and got ready to go in the maze. I was the ninth person or so and people weren't allowed to speak of what happened to them in there. When it was my turn I was a wee bit nervous but more excited. I got in and the first thing that I had to do was crawl. See it was pitch black in there, so the other way we could figure out where to go was to feel around. I had to climb up two stories, the first time it was hard because I wasn't used to compensating for the extra weight my turnouts and pack added. But I got it figured out and went on my way.

I was going along fine, then something happened that scared the crap out of me. One of the things that the second year students did was come from behind us, and turn off our airpacks. I'll tell you this, nothing causes you to panic more than trying to breathe air in and having nothing come back but your mask suck in back at you. I started to freak out just a little, but then I checked my pack and turned my air back on. After that I got through the maze pretty quick.

We then went in again in teams of two, this time with the goal of finding something. That something, piping cuplinks. We had to feel around while staying in contact with our partner. I found the cuplink, then led us to the back door. We were told not to go that way and we were to go back. So we found the actual exit, and that was that. We were told to pack our gear and get ready to go back to Helena. But first we had to take pictures. The one below is of all of us, taking by a first year student in my class named Angie.

So once we were done with the snap shots, we packed in the vans and drove home. Nothing too exciting happened. We mooned the guy who drove his truck there when he was passing us. We also continued to joke around and have a good time. We got back, put away our SCBA's then went home. Thus ending the smoke house field trip. Stay tuned to Smoke Before Fire for more late breaking news.

* - There are a few more fires popping up here. It's really smoky out and it's making it difficult to breathe for some, itchy throats for others. News on the fire can be found here. - *

Pluggin' Along

So school has been going well. We have been doing evolutions Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Also we have had two tests in Fire 101. So far I have scored a 100% and a 96%. The second one might change to 100% because one of the questions we had said one thing while the book said another. So we will see. Either way I'm doing well. We had a contest today for our 1 minute and 2 minute PPE/SCBA drills today. I didn't win the PPE 1 minute drill, but managed to don (put-on) the gear in 43 seconds. I got third place in the SCBA 2 minute drill with a time if 1 minute 43 seconds. It would have been faster but people kept talking to me and tugging on my gear. So that was a bit distracting. But for my hard earned efforts I won five dollars. Over the past few weeks I have been making some friends in my department (classmates). I mean I don't see them outside of school but I have a few I hang/talk to during class.

So classes are going well. I talked to one of the instructors of Fire 101 to see if I could get on a volunteer crew. I told him that I am EMT-B certified and that my state license was on its way. He said that was good because the company was very selective about who they hired on. So I have an in. Other than that, not much is going on. We are going to be down at the smoke house on Wednesday to try out Offensive Fire Tactics and what not. Then friday we are going Butte to do the smoke/fire maze and feel what a house fire feels like. I'm pretty excited about that. Then this weekend I will probably stay here and start on my second Costumer Service (Fire 120) Project. That seems fun, we are to make S.O.P.'s for the fake fire department we made in the first project.

Other than that not much is going on. Spent the weekend in Bozeman. I went to get new tires for my bravada but turns out the size of tire for my car is rare and that makes them more expensive. But now that I have them, they make my car look beastly. Speaking of my car, I have decided to name it after the late Patrick Swayze being that he was a movie bad ass. My car which had been nameless for 10 months will now be called.... (pause for dramatic effect) The Dirty Dancer. It just sounds epic.

So yeah, school is school. Life is life. I'm plugging down the 91 more days until I go to Japan!!!!!!!! I can't wait. New culture, warm place during Christmas, seeing my lady. It's going to be good. But stay tuned until next time for another dramatic episode of Smoke Before Fire.

Physical Training

So I was awake this morning at five a.m. That was fun. I arrived at the school this morning, to find a few people waiting for Physical Training. I was kind of out of it, and while I am not the most happy of morning people, I was doing alright. The one kid in our class who talks all the time anyway, was chatting up a storm. A few people were hung over I was not. Our instructor was late, so we all thought about leaving but then he showed up. The first thing we did was figure out what we wanted to do for our six tests. See we have six areas that he will take a baseline on then after that he will measure on if we improve our times and reps. I thought we were going to do the baselines today but we didn't. We started off after that with a mile run. A mile run when it's 43 degrees in the dark is a wee bit chilly. I pulled that off in about 10 minutes. Which is fine because I will improve on that.We were then set to see how many push ups and sit ups we could do in 2 minutes time. I did 60 and 50 respectively. I could have done more but I'll get there. By that time, the hung over boys were starting to get sick to their stomachs. The next thing we did, was drag a tire 150ft. Which let me tell you, was no easy task. It was a standard fire engine tire and unless you get a momentum it get's to be a struggle. The hung over boys ended up puking after that.

By that time everyone was dead tired and some people had to get back to their kids, so we cut out early. So now I'm just sitting here watching Back to the Future:III debating on starting my homework.

Side Note - On a side note as I was starting my laundry this morning I looked out the living room window to see six deer, just grazing outside. It was crazy to see. I have two photos here that show just how close they are. It was like how I explained in a previous post about how the deer are rampant here. They don't mind people and mostly keep to themselves. As you can see in the pictures They looked right at me. They didn't spook at all and just went back to eating, hell one went to relieving itself. Deer have no shame.

So yeah. So far it's been an interesting Saturday. I think I may go for a hike, or I may rest today and go for a hike tomorrow. There is a huge fire up near Holter Lake which has been blowing into Helena and causing the air to be somewhat harder to breathe. I mean the smell of the logs and stuff remind me of camp fires, but the implications of the fire don't help. You can read about it by clicking here.

Other than that, it's a homework, tv and studying day. I have a job interview on Monday for Home Depot which i hope will let me get some physical work in but we will see. Stay tuned to Smoke Before Fire as these late breaking stories develop.

Something To It

So yeah, I write to you guys today, Wednesday the 9th, to tell you of all that has happened since our last installment of Smoke Before Fire. There hasn't been much excitement since I last wrote here. Well that isn't true, a lot has happened since then. But I will get to that shortly.

School is good. We've started going over the books we bought so they aren't a waste of money. Not that they aren't if we don't read them, but getting some class use out of them is nice. Today I dropped a few hundred bucks on my PPE (Personal Protective Equipment.) The boots, Nomex hood, and gloves are mine to keep because the chance for leaving body fluid in them is higher than the turnouts. We watched a movie on PPE gear and what not, then we did drills for the rest of class. The goal is to get the turn outs on in under a minute (state and national time.) Everytime we didn't get it on in under a minute after a few practice drills resulted in 15 push ups. I had 30. Then we did it as a group and the first time we tried to do it, for anyone that did not get it in under a minute we all had to go again. Then the last time was if everyone did it in under a minute we wouldn't have to do 20 push ups. Let's just say I did 50 push ups total. Which isn't hard but doing it in full PPE gear gets to be warm, and rather tiring. To the Left and Right here are pictures of me in just my turnout pants, and one in my full outfit. I have to get new pants because as you can see in the one in my suspenders the latch is broken. But I am doing that tomorrow.

Other than that school seems pretty straight forward. Technical Writing is good. They are teaching us how to write to the point and not write in essay format. Which I prefer because I hate writing so many word essays or so many paged essays.  I ordered for my passport and I'm looking forward to Japan, it'll be warm in the Helena December cold. I can't wait.

Other than that not much is going on. Helena is plugging along, and so am I. Stay tuned for your next dose of Smoke Before Fire.

Getting there...

So I started school this past Tuesday. It'll be my third attempt at school, but this time it's what I want and feels right. Helena is slowly starting to warm up on me, I've found my way around and even the malfunction junctions it has can't make me get lost. I've figured out that the easiest way to get to and from places is usually to take the interstate. Everything seems to be coming together.

So school started this past Tuesday and I've been plugging along. My first class was Customer Service. Our homework was to read the book for the class, which I have started but haven't finished. I'll probably read it when I am done with this. Our professor gave us two assignments for the class. One is to act as a Fire or EMS chief and figure out how our pretend department would handle Customer Service. Our second assignment will be to write out S.O.P.' s (Standard Operating Procedures) for a detailed account of how we want Customer Service handled. They are due on the 25th of September and the 22nd of October respectively. Shouldn't be too bad. That was my one class of the day.

Wednesday was not bad either, I have Fire 101 first at 9am and it's a 3 hour class. We spent the first day going over the syllabus and watching a documentary called "9/11." It isn't a Micheal Moore America is lame documentary but one that started out with a rookie fire fighter getting on the New York Fire Dept. Well, the rookie got on with the crew that was first into Tower 1 after the plane crashed into the tower on September 11th. It was kind of shocking to watch and see what happened in there, but it was good. Friday we are going to work on the engine we have which I'm really excited about because it'll be my first shot at getting to know what's all in a fire engine.

I then had Technical Writing, which is pretty self explanatory. It'll be a very involved course with a lot of writing but I'm not too worried about it. The text isn't hard reading and the assignments seem more busy work than they do hard work. I'm supposed to have Physical Training on Saturdays at six in the morning but this week being the labor day weekend we won't be having it. But I've been running a mile in a little under 8 minutes, about 9 minutes consistently. I can do the 25 push ups and 50 sit ups in about 23-25 seconds for the push ups and a minute thirty or so. So I'm where I need to be starting out. When we work out we're going to do the baseline test first so we know where we sit officially and can get better from there. Again a lot of work, but none unexpected.

My uniform for August/September weather is really toasty. I didn't realize that Nomex was so warm. It's comfortable. I get my turn out gear Wednesday September 9th. I can't wait, you'll get a picture of that when I get it. To the left here is a picture of me in my uniform. Notice that the shirt is just a standard navy blue T-shirt. We ordered our shirts today. I ordered 2 t-shirts, 1 long sleeve, and a ball cap. I don't know when we get those, but that is okay.

So all in all, classes are going well so far and they will be time consuming, but I have a goal in mind and I plan on accomplishing it and I have my celebratory vacation to Japan for winter break planned. I got the ticket and put in for my passport today. The gentleman helping me said it would probably be about four weeks. Once I get that, I'll be officially set for Japan! I can't wait, I have somebody very special and important there waiting for me.

Helena seems to be warming up to me. I have places that I go to, landmarks if you well that have grown on me. Rileys Pub is one of those places. This place has great bread bowls with Irish Stew. Another is the Staggering Ox. They have a good philly steak there. The deer here are ridiculous. I almost hit one last night coming home from Rileys. Well, almost 4, it was a doe and her three fawns. Every where you look they are just hanging out. All the gardens and plants in peoples yards have mesh or wire to protect them from the deer. I guess they are a real problem.

Other than that not much is going on. School, homework and life. Oh! Actually a sequel to one of my most favorite movies is finally coming out. The Boondock Saints: All Saint's Day after years of being rumored is finally coming out October 30th! The trailer can be seen here. Go there and enjoy. I'm so excited I could pee! Which reminds me...

Birthdays, School and the End of Summer

So this past Sunday was my birthday. I turned 24. Not the most exciting of birthdays as say, 21 but thanks to my friends it was still a good time. We went to Old Chicago in Bozeman and had food then the waitress said that if I wanted to I could have a birthday shot on the bar. I thought this at first meant that the shot would be free, so I accepted. Turns out that when they meant on the bar, you had to be on top of the bar in front of everyone. I had to do the shot with some random Old Chicago worker because our waitress wore a skirt and didn't want to get up on the bar.

What happens after that folks (thanks to the reenactment of the dinner party) could be taken out of a Whitesnake Video. Shawn, was the guys name that I did the shot with, he asked me if I had ever done my shot of choice before. An

Irish car bomb, I know my way around them. But he went on to explain a little on how to do them. Afterwards everyone sang happy birthday to me in the restaurant then it happened. It was epic, a purple fog machine was in the background, I was surrounded by unicorns, and naked babes on 1950's muscle cars. The smoke from the fog machine hit the ceiling and condensed and became purple rain. I had my shot down in about a second and a half. Defeated Shawn the Old Chicago worker left defeated. After about an hour of a pyrotechnics show I came out victorious. I got on the magical unicorn and went off into the sunset.

Okay so it really didn't happen that way, I downed the shot in a second and a half, beat Shawn, people cheered. I went back to my table and got my stuff and left. As you can see, the other way sounds more epic, so we'll stick with that story.

After that we went to a buddy of mine's house and played beer pong and sat around a fire. I got a homemade clock, gift card for Subway and a pretty sweet laptop case/cooler (got this in June but it was a birthday present). I almost for got though probably the most awesome present of the actual birthday, a beer mug with a bike bell attached. In fact, here it is in all it's glory. After that I passed out because I had to get up early on my actual birthday to help a friend move to a town three hours away. That went well, however I hate driving u-hauls.

Fire and Rescue starts a week from today on September 1st. I went in today to see where my school refund check was but they said it was mailed yesterday so I should get today or tomorrow. Hopefully that is, because I need to get my books. I'm getting excited for it, mostly because I don't enjoy sitting on my ass and doing not much of anything. But I'm fully moved in and I am starting to go out to explore Helena. It's crazy so much wildlife around. I have a squirrel that just chills outside my bedroom window, I have named him nutsie and if it weren't for the fact that I would probably get rabies I would go pet him. Also it's crazy, the deer here just hang out and graze. They don't spook as easy as other deer. I may try to ride one.

Anyway, as the summer is winding down I'm kind of sad. It's been a good summer except for the fact that it rained for a good percentage of it, but there are less fires to contend with which makes it nice. I plan on just doing my workouts until school starts then and keeping in shape. Maybe do all the stuff I never got around to doing. Stay tuned.

Home Sweet Home?

So the move to Helena was uneventful at best. My buddy Jake helped me move. Itwas an early day. I had to pick up the u-haul trailer around 8 am. Took about an hour an a half to to load the trailer. 3 cups of coffee later I had to pee like every fifteen seconds. On top of this I was wired beyond belief. We dealt with a lot of Washington folks driving like morons. I know, I know that is a generalization but one that hit the mark usually. We got up to Helena and it overcast with a hint of sun and then we unpacked everything. Took about an hour. We spent the night unpacking and hanging out and then drove over to Bozeman Sunday to drop off my U-haul. I drove back after that.

I was kind of sad to realize that I missed everybody back home, and was hating being alone, but I've since then got over it. I've been spending my time getting everything situated and unpacked. I discovered my new roommate keith's awesome tv, and the x-box 360 has never looked so beautiful.

I spent most of today driving around seeing the sights, the capital, Carroll College, etc. I got really lost but I somehow managed to make it back to my house. Anyway, dinner time, off to cause trouble. :D

A Few Hiccups

Alrighty, well here we go, round two. It's been an interesting week so far. First I sent my girlfriend off to Japan for a year and I hope nothing but the best for her. Second, she's not even gone for four hours and I'm almost arrested.

Here is how it went down. I was out for a walk listening to my ipod and this cop drives by. I cross the street towards the apartment im staying at and the same cop parks his car behind me flashing his lights blocking the entrance way towards the apartment so cars cant get in and out. Here is the dialog from my best recollection of how it went down.

Officer: Hi I am officer so and so (forgot his name) and you look like a suspect we're looking for.

Me: Huh, well I don't think I'm the guy you're looking for but I'll do what I can to help.

Officer: Can I see your license please, you don't have a criminal record do you.

Me: No officer, not that I am aware of. So what happened?

Officer: We'll get to that in a second. Where were you friday night?

Me: Um, okay. well sir i was over at my girlfriend's cousin's house for a family dinner.

Officer: Well we're looking for a guy that approached a Dominos employee and tried to steal his car.

Me: Well i assure you it wasn't me officer I haven't been in a Dominos in years.

Officer: You didn't have to be it happened in the parking lot.

Me: You mean the suspect and not me right.

Officer: I'm still on the fence like that, do you mind if i take some photos?

Me: Um, sure I guess.

*this is the point where he made me stand profile views, and front, walk towards him, he then flashed his flash light on my shoes and my pants, give him the place that I am living and give him two alibis as to where I was friday evening*

Officer: Alright sir, I'll just make sure these alibis stand up. I'm sorry for the inconvienence I just have to eliminate everyone.

Me: Well I thought it was my boyish good looks.

Officer: It's definitely something, have a good night.

After that I continued walking into my apartment all shocked like. I so far have not heard anything back. I saw the police blotter thanks to my friend Ali and here is the description of what happened.

* On West Mendenhall Street at 3 a.m., a pizza restaurant employee said they were approached by an assailant who demanded the employee’s car. The suspect told the employee that he had a handgun and might use it. The employee got away and flagged down a police officer. The man remains at large and the investigation is continuing.

So yeah the guy threatened to use a handgun. I don't like guns. In fact I loathe guns. So that was that hiccup.

*This just in, a picture of the guy is there, I look nothing like this.*

So unless I am picnocio and have bad hair like that one corrupt illinois governor I think I'm the wrong guy.

Other than that, I am just gearing up for some moving here in 4 days. My little sister is going to come with me. Pictures will be soon to follow. I recently received my nomex pants so my legs will be fire free, and people can't call me liar liar pants on fire.

That's about it for now. Stay tuned for some more zany excitement.

Hello!

Alrighty, well I decided to start a blog to catalog the times I'll be having in going to school for Fire & Rescue. I was accepted into the Fire and Rescue program at the University of Montana. I could have done it either in Missoula, or in Helena. I decided that the Helena College of Technology branch seemed to be a better fit. I currently live in Bozeman and plan on moving to Helena here in a few weeks. Until then, stay tuned :D