Saturday, January 30, 2010

A-Shift snow day


Yes this (The snow storm) is my fault. I was gonna buy a 4x4 at the dealership yesterday and decided to stick with the Mustang. So this is my fault. If I had a 4x4 it never would have snowed. We figured out a way to beat that wicked mother nature and hooked up the stang with some snow removal equipment.

Other than the back yard fabrication, we haven't done much today because it's been freakin' COLD! We shoveled our vehicles out and cleared the front pool so we can get the trucks out. The chains are on the wheels and we are ready.

We do have an announcement to make.....Our very own Dr. Jerry Franks has been turned loose! He is the supreme commander of Medic 9! That's right....Mr. AIC himself is out there as I am posting this, saving lives by placing his healing hands upon the sick and injured. It's almost as magical as watching Dixon perform pt. care, except Jerry's patients live. Congratulations FF Franks. We are very proud of you. Especially Wheels and I, we were gonna have to take up the slack. Stay tuned next week when another "Hero of the Healing" gets turned loose. No names just yet, this is Jerry's day. Sleep well buddy, no pressure. It's only their lives in your hands!

We are still rolling in our Grumman reserve while the beast is fitted for her armor and 50 cal. door guns. We don't know when we will get it back, or if it will have a 9 or 5 on it when we do. Seems like there were some lengthy repairs to be made.
Well that's it folks. We are sitting on a NO-HITTER. It's QUIET and SLOW. So there isn't much to post today. I guess everyone wised up and stayed out of the snow and indoors. If anything hits tonight we'll get a post up. Until next day, be safe out there. Stay warm!
A special thank you to FF Kincer from the Big Show for clearing all of the stations with the service truck. Now I can drop my plow off of the Mustang.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Too Busy to Blog

The last few days have been extremely busy here at the #9 house. Lt. Bugg is off this cycle so I will try to do the best I can. Last day of last cycle Station 9
c-shift got to start training with Engine 5 on some of the extrication tools and equipment as we are preparing to move into the new station in the next few months. We are started early in hopes that we can be of assistance once the move to the new station happens. Below are some pictures of the training taken by Lt. Bugg. Thanks again to Station 5 c-shift for all the help.









On to this cycle. Monday was our first day back. A busy day on the northside. We had an MVA on Shenandoah Ave. with entrapment with M7 and E5. Had a ride along on the medic truck and a few EMS runs but nothing much to talk about other than the wreck. E9 and M9 were first due for a working structure fire a couple blocks away from the station. E9 arrived with smoke showing from the front of the structure. Had a quick knock down on the fire in the kitchen. Had a fill in from #2 for the day. EMT-I Shannon was riding backwards and got some nozzle time. Good job to all on scene.
Today has also been busy. E9 and M9 were first due in on another fire right up the street. E9 arrived with heavy smoke showing from the roof. Another quick knock down on the second floor and attic. It seemed half on the northside battalion came to this one. Good job to all on scene. Below are some pictures of the fire today.


Everyone have a safe night and stay in house. Lt. Bugg will be back next cycle so if nothing else exciting we will wait for him to get back so you will enjoy reading this blog. Until next time, which is hopefully never. Good night.
Schrader





















Always remember to keep all hands and arms inside the ride at all times!!!!!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Better late than never....A-Shift

We are finishing up a cycle here on A-Shift. Its been pretty busy for the Engine and it's been borderline insane for the Medic truck. But so far no one has lost their mind, just yet.....

Franks and Good O were on the box last day, so no post was made. I apologize. Riding with Franks was no great time. The feeling is mutual when I say I hate his guts. So that is punishment in itself for not posting.
Last day we got some hands on with our extrication equipment. The great move is coming in April and we will be housed with Ladder 5. On that beast, there will be vehicle extrication stuff. Ladder 5 will handle the North Side of the city Extrication. All three shifts will be doing some training over the next few months to sharpen their skills. Most of the personnel have experience in the field and we are all enjoying the new task assigned to us. Here are some pics of training for A-shift. Thanks go out to Garcia Towing for providing the vehicles and putting up with the destruction.






Today we break shift to find Engine 9 is still waiting for some new pipes. We are still out there in Reserve 902. So we put up an indicator so everyone knows who we are. Being that Engine 5 is riding in an identical reserve, hopefully this will help avoid some confusion on scene. Another indicator is...we are most likely first in! That's for you Broadway. Yes, Lt. Bradbury from the Green House is at #5 now and will be joining us at New #5 along with 1Lt Gardner, Fulton and Tyrone.

Today we had a few runs. Nothing too crazy. Christmas got to put out some evicted folks trash on the front lawn. I guess they wanted less to move, I don't know.
Here is a shot of FF Noell battleing....uh...the beast?

I apologize for the WW Jr. type post, but I had to cram in 3 days worth of junk. Here are a few pics of the new #5 for your viewing enjoyment. Everyone have a good night and be careful out there.
P.S. We miss you Dixon..sorry...I forgot you old blind guy:
WE MISS YOU DIXON
See you next cycle!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Simma Down Naw!

I promised I would try my best to keep everyone on the up and up so here goes. I apologize for not getting anything up last day. It was vacation sign ups and a day of getting the "new" guys settled in to their new home.



Speaking of "new" guys, lets get them introduced.

First Captain R.T. (Skippy) Flora-


Skippy was hired in '89 and most recently spent time at Company 13 before coming to us. Here you can see he is doing important phone call captain stuff.

Next is Charles Schrader-


Schrader was hired in '03 and is a medic/preceptor. Which means sometimes they let students follow him around. He most recently spent time at the Hippie Hotel and before that spent most of his career at Station 2.

Finally Billy White-


White was hired in '07 and I believe spent time at 8, 10, and 3 before landing here. He's a new EMT-I and seems to be excited to be here. At least I think that's what that expression is.

So far everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Call wise we haven't done much. I'm sure they'll all get a taste soon enough. Who knows maybe tonight. We've got a busy schedule already in front of us. In preperation for the new station we have to get up to speed on our vehicle extrication and ladder ops. I'm sure I'll have plenty to post once that begins.

I wish I had more to post but so far it's been really uneventful. I'll leave you with something I spotted driving home the other day. Stay safe! Lt. Bugg

Thursday, January 14, 2010

9-A Shift says......Goodbye Dixon.


Our buddy FF/Paramedic Dixon is packing his things on his last day here at 9 A-Shift. John has been here at #9 for roughly 10 years with a small break at #10. With all of the moves and promotions, everyone is effected in one way or another.
Dixon has had a good run here, even hosting his own advice blog "Ask Dixon". He earned the nick-name "Doc" from his many many many many many many many years as a medic here in NW. John was around when EMS didn't wear gloves. He remembers hanging glass IV bottles in his horse pulled EMS wagon. The man has honed his skills to the point where he can diagnose illnesses if you tell him what southern state you were born in. He worked side by side an Anesthesiologist in creating our very own Gold Alert criteria. Some say he has x-ray vision and he can determine injuries inside the human body with his transplanted diagnostic deer eye.
The boys at the Ocho (Station 8) have been blessed. They are getting a top ALS provider, a great friend and one heck of a coffee maker. We will miss you Doc. Enjoy the quiet.
The rest of us are waiting on the new station to be completed. Within a couple of months, we will be moving as well. FF/EMT Zimmerman is joining us here at #9 next cycle. I hope he can make coffee.
All kidding aside, we will miss you Dixon. Here is a little slide show for you. Get some tissues, it made Jerry cry.
We'll see the rest of you next cycle. Be safe out there. Hang in there in case there are any more changes or promotions. Remember it could always be worse.........

Dr. Death's last day at 9


Today is Dixon's last day at 9-A. He will become a Southie. Next cycle he reports to the Ocho on A shift. We are gonna miss him. Tune in tonight for our special photo tribute to our good pal. Be safe today.

Monday, January 11, 2010

GONE!





The title says it all today. Take for example...
It's our last day together here on C-shift. Next day Coon, Opie and myself report to #3 station.... GONE!
Unfortunate circumstances caused the Dept. to resend promotions. Coon's boomerang bugles.....GONE!
Last but not least, my lip is FREEZING...Mustache GONE!
Hey, it aint so bad. We've had a really good run here at #9C and half the boys are staying. Me Coon and Opie are really just moving up the street so we'll see each other I'm sure. We've made some great memories here together. Some we can tell and others that will have to wait a while. Several visitors stopped in today to wish us luck. Our good friend from the shriners Roy Lane. Retired Lt. Mikey Overacker and retired FF Kenny Walker.


Opie came in from his day off so that we could all have a last meal together. Steak, baked potato, salad ummmm ummm! Kind of an eventful day. A lot of stress, anxiety etc. The word on the street is 50 some moves department wide...who knows. A lot of unknowns and questions. Schmoe left some good advice in last days comment section..."It's never as good as you think it's going to be, it's never as bad as you think it's going to be. It is what it is and we'll try to get by." The look on Coon's face says it all

I'm not sure what will happen with the blog here as far as C-shift goes. I hope the boys will keep it going. As far as from #3..who knows.. I haven't decided yet. I want to say thanks to all the folks who follow us here. I must admit that I wasn't too keen on the idea at first but grew to really enjoy our postings. Most of all, THANKS to the "Boys of 9C". They're not misfits at all...ok maybe Tyrone. I'd say that not too many Captains get the honor of going through doors with a crew like mine. Top notch all of em! They should and can be proud of the work we've done together as well as for their personal accomplishments. They made coming to work fun again and I will always cherish the memories we've made together. I'll leave you with a few pics of us ....


Oh wait here's another..... all the beer

GONE!
And the shot of the missing mustache. A lip not seen since 1991 (last pictured with now Battalion Chief Teddy Adkins)

Hey #9...THANKS FOR THE RIDE LADY!! Capt. Wines

Saturday, January 9, 2010

The Chief stopped by today!


KaBoom!

Morale.

BULL!

WOW! What a pile of manure.

Look at that guy spreading all that manure.



Yea, our new Battalion stopped by for a BRIEF visit today an gave me the official word that we've been hearing for the past few days anyway. We've mentioned in recent post that some moves may be coming. Well they came! B-shift got their news yesterday and we got ours today. I assume A-shift will get theirs tomorrow. Big shake ups across the Department and especially here at #9 and #5. I wont use the names of the brothers or sisters involved, but I will tell ya that a lot of the moves leave you wondering. As for here, they've split the C-shift Misfits in half. Coon, Opie and myself will be packing our bags Monday and reporting to the Hippie Hotel on the 16th. My birthday of all days! Yea....I'm ECSTATIC! I really don't know what to say just yet. I know what I want to say but don't want to tarnish or take away from the purpose of this blog. Our intent here has been to stay away from the political and personal opinions and show a glimpse of life inside our firehouse. That said, the firehouse IS OUR LIFE. This is not a 9 to 5 job. We're here 24hrs at a time. This station is our home and the men here are family. This profession forms a special bond between its members unlike any other... our lives depend on it. Our profession was built on Honor, Pride and Tradition and it's difficult to see some of that fading. The moves hurt. We've built a great company here at 9C (and I know we're not the only one in the city). We've worked hard and sacrificed to get to this point. The boys especially. OUTSTANDING work from each of em! To have that all taken away for no given reason....Grrrrrrrrr OK, OK, I'd better stop here. I know I'm not the only disgruntled member tonight and I also know that some are happy (a select few WAY more happier than others) but I also know that each of us will report to duty our next day and do the job we love to do. Me, I'm going into the construction business. I'm gonna build a FIREHOUSE over on Williamson Road!
OK, off the rant.... we had another visitor today. This one was MUCH cooler than the first. A brother from the Conway SC Fire Department stopped by. Jason Perzan says he has been following the blog for some time now. He has family here in Roanoke and is down for a visit. He said he wanted to drop by and meet the guys to see if we were really like portrayed on the blog or if it was all a rouse. LMAO he had to pick a C-shift day...He knew each member by name right away...well all except for Tyrone and he didn't recognize him without his swim suit on. He knew past stories and mentioned several pics and videos. A very nice visit. He got the tour and a t-shirt. I hope he enjoyed it as much as he seemed to. Thanks again for stopping in Jason, come on back anytime. Here's a shot of me and Jason

And hey, it's no wonder he found us...we're leading the polls for the 2009 Fire/EMS Blog of the Year over on Firecritic. If you haven't yet, take the time to check it out. All of the candidates are GREAT reads. Oh yea...while your there VOTE.
We got an update from our newest dad Richard "lips" Lipes. Here it is in his own words.." Thank you for the well wishes, the baby was a bit early, he weighs 2lbs 9oz and is doing well in the NICU. Mom is doing well also. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. R. Lipes"
We also want to pass along the passing of Captain Loren Thompson's father. Loren is assigned to station #2C. The viewing was tonight from 19:00-20:30. The brothers / sisters from the Deuce were able to make the trip. The funeral is tomorrow @ 14:00 at Arritt Funeral Home in Covington, Va. Keep Loren and the Thomson family in your thoughts and prayers.
Enough...Captain Wines

Thursday, January 7, 2010

1st day back for the C-shift Misfits

Another up and down day! We have a lot of news and event to pass along and you all know I'm long winded so hang in there. 1st of all, we want to officially say CONGRATULATIONS to our very own Scott "Coon" Boone on his promotion to Lieutenant. I don't know why he worried so much through the process... I've always told him that he's a winner!
There were 11 promotions total within the department (2+2=4). Congratulations to all of them, here's the list and YES... we got it up before Rhett! Captains: Brian Conner, Mac Craft, Doug Hurd, Chad Riddleberger, Clarence Turpin. 1st Lieutenants: Jamey Brads, Randy Smith. Lieutenants: Scott Boone, Andy Foley, David Lucas, Trevor Shannon. We are also in the waiting process to find out who's moving where. Obviously there are going to be some moves due to promotions but there's a bigger "shake up" on the horizon. Vacation sign ups are next week and in anticipation of our new station opening (along with all the promotions) there are a LOT of moves coming. Just as stressful as the promotional process! The Chief's will try to get the "right people" in the "right places" and that means everyone from Firefighter to Captain could be on the slate. We just went through a total Battalion Chief relocation so these additional personnel moves will give our shifts an even different look / feel. Anyhow, we continue to patiently await our fate. One things for sure, at the least; Coon or Bugg is moving out and either will be missed. Tune in next day and hopefully we'll have some news..good or bad (5x4=20). In other shift news, one of our brothers from "The Deuce" has become a father. They had to perform an emergency c-section on Richard lipe's wife. She had not reached her due date yet but we received a report of the mother and baby doing fine. Congratulations and best wishes to the Lipes family. We'll keep them in our thoughts and prayers until we get moma and baby home. More big news.... there are some people out there who seem to like us (LOL if they only knew). Not only were we nominated for 2009 Fire/EMS blog of the year over on the Fire Critic's site, we've even made the cut to the top 10! Now all we need are the votes to seal the deal. You can vote every 8 hours until the 12th. Here's a link to the voting page. How cool would that be if we actually won? A bunch of firemen...LOL..oh wait... all of the candidates are firemen. Whoda thunk it? And hey, the competition is tight! I follow most all of the blogs nominated and everyone is worthy. We've even caught a few good comments from our competition. Check out what The Happy Medic and Fire Daily had to say about us. Good luck to all of the candidates...take the time to check em all out but remember to vote for us! (10-2=8) Ok, so it's no A-shift "hat trick"...well not yet anyways but we did catch one today. One of those THICK black smoke garage fires. Our 1st of the new year and with our new Battalion Chief Slayton. Units assigned were E5, E9, E2, L7, L2, M9, M7, M101, RS1, B2, B1. Our brothers from the 12th Street Express made a great knock down with a 2 1/2" ..The ladders opened up, made the searches and did a great job with salvage and overhaul. Good work from all members on scene, here's the pics (5+4=9) The bottom pic was stolen from Mikey Overacker. He has more pics over on his site. Thanks for making it out Mikey. Check out the local news coverage here as well. We had a "fill in" riding backwards. Captain Martin from up at Lucky Ladder 13 was just leaving after filling in during class when the tones hit. Well you know Clayton, he jumped on. We had smoke showing pulling out of the bay door so after getting my pack on, I turned to him and said... "Clayton..we're going to work...STICK WITH WHEEZY AND DON'T GET HURT!" (pause) "WHAT??" (now louder) "DON'T GET HURT!" (shorter pause) "*&@^#%$@^^#&*@*...OK!". What happens when we roll in? Yep. As I step out of my door, there's poor little tink tink HANGING from the rear door by the head set cord. LMAO! Tied to the truck... running 100mph and going NOWHERE! Woulda burnt a treadmill up! The good news was that we got him untethered, put his helmet back on and he got to work. (7+2=9) He was actually in there "doing it" until he figured out that the pit bull he was going to save was actually alive and wanted OUT! Damn near hung then almost eaten alive Hahahahahahahahahaha...BEAUTIFUL! (3x3=9) Ok.... so I guess your wondering what all the math problems are about and I wish I could tell that story but Coon wont let me. Just trust in me that there are a few people who will know the meaning and several more who will laugh their butts off. That said I'll leave you with yet another video....

OK, that's enough for tonight..The Southies are on a worker of their own as we speak, the forcast is for snow and more cold so its time to make a tall glass of "fire juice" and hit the hay (or try to anyway). Don't forget to vote for us (every 8 hours) and pass it along to all your friends (use picture book, churp churp, cell phones or what have you). Thanks again for keeping up with us..C-shift is back on Saturday. Until then, don't take no wooden nickels Captain Wines

Melrose Misfits need your help

Hey folks, this is cool. Not only were we nominated for one of the top Fire/EMS Blogs of 2009 over at the FireCritic, we were also lucky enough to make it to the final 10! Now all we have to do is win the thing. That's where you guys come in....we need your votes. Go here to cast your vote and remember that you can re vote every 8 hours. Pass it along to all of your picture book friends etc. Thanks for the help and for following along. Check back tonight for our regular C-shift post. Captain Wines

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Last day of the cycle for A-Shift.

At last count, we have 7 runs on the book for today. We had to run around in the morning getting "Fit Tested". Its where they check the seal on our air masks so we don't accidentally breathe in the bad stuff. Here are a few shots, one of Lt. Good O and one of Captain Weeks going through the grueling task.


And of course our very own Bevo....please note the custom mask he needed due to his abnormally huge cranium!

We have been busy today, but nothing like the last day with multiple fires. Today the Captain and Christmas(Noell) got a little nozzle time on a 1 story, metal structure(Dumpster)that had some flames and smoke showing on arrival. A quick knock down and we were on our way. Again, some more pics for you.........



That's all folks. The pipes are busting, so bring your "cold weather bag" you just might need it tonight. Everyone out there, be safe and have a good night. We'll see you back here in four days. Goodnight.
P.S. Congrats to all of those promoted today!