SUPRISE!

***WARNING*** THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS IMAGES OF ALCOHOL, VIDEO OF VIOLENCE AND CAKE NUDITY. IT'S CONTENTS MAY BE CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE BY SOME. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE EXPOSED TO HOW FIREMEN ACT ON THEIR DAYS OFF, CLICK here or here FOR A MORE PLEASANT EXPERIENCE


Opie has a big day coming up ... he's hitting the BIG 30 on Wednesday March 4th. With his actual birthday being mid-week, his wife decided to throw a surprise birthday party for him last night. Well, if you put the Melrose Misfits together off duty, then turn them loose on a Friday night, lets just say...it's a gamble. Any combination of the boys from C-shift could result in good or bad conditions. Last night ended ....??? Well, you decide.

The first red flag was that their was alcohol involved.

Trying to use good judgement, we DIDN'T go across the street from the station (to the "Quicky Mart") and buy up a bunch of 40's or 22 oz Magnums. Instead, we high jacked a truckload of Old Milwaukee ... and NO, not Best or Lite. Captain says Old Mil has been voted the #1 beer in America by national brew masters for 4 years running. They don't tell us how to fight fire, we won't tell them how to judge beer. Too much of anything can be bad and as quickly as you can drink a case or 3, a fight broke out.

You can guess what happened next. Drinking and fighting equals only one thing..the PoPo. It's hard to watch one of your own be "cuffed and stuffed" but life ain't easy. I'm just glad Tyrone didn't resist, or attempt to "Judy chop" or do his little "finger of death" to the adam's apple move.

With drinking, fighting and the PoPo, the Melrose Misfits only lacked one other element to make the night a complete success. HALF NAKED WOMEN! You guessed it, WE HAD EM!

Belly button ring and all! All kidding aside, Kristie opened her home for the boys of C-shift and a few good friends of Opie. Great food and a good time (a VERY civil gathering considering our reputation). Anyone drinking switched to soft drinks in ample time before leaving or had a designated driver. No animals were harmed in the making of the video or pictures but I am sad to report that the cake was molested and then eaten. HAPPY BIRTHDAY OPIE!

B-SHIFT UPDATE

Tired of dishwasher hands, B-shift took the task, applied some "firehouse engineering" and executed a reincarnation of our beloved dishwasher. Dixon has nothing on the B-shift road doctors. After a few defibrilations @ 360 joules and some deep pump cleaning, our ol plate licker is up and running again.

We also failed to report that our beloved little "kidney puncher" Dennis Hayes is not the only bachelor now off the market. Rumors are of an October wedding for Josh Holmes and now fiance' Kyle. We are not aware of any fancy, lovey dovey, feel good web sites for Josh and Kyle (as linked to in the post on Dennis' engagement here ) but if we find one, we'll get the address out to our readers. We also don't have a picture of Kyle but below is a pic of the groom to be (from left to right is Josh, Lt. "Chicken Hawk", and Dennis).

Other exciting news is the planning for the future purchase of a new gas grill for the house. Fire Engine red and everything .... that's how we roll at # 9. you can preview our future meat master here

Following discussion between the 3 Captains, the following press release was posted at the station:

"We've decided to purchase a new station grill. The current grill continues to cook unevenly, and often catches on fire. It was also decided a larger cooking surface along with a rotisserie, slow and low barbecuing option and infrared heat sears to keep food moist is greatly desired. We all know Capt. Wines can not stand dry meat. Take a look at this one from Home Depot. Priced at $899.00, divided by every man in the house comes to $50.00 / man. The Captains have agreed to cover the taxes, sign below when paid in full, Capt. Wines to collect."

Sounds pretty straight forward right?? Apparently NOT. Yep B-shift has one man who has yet to pay. We just went through the same ordeal with our new TV. and it's the SAME GUY! Newly transferred in .. maybe they didn't do it like this at station # 13? Or, maybe "Stuart" is a little like Kevin's shirt....

TIGHT!!

A word of advise Zuga... PAY YOUR BILL or don't open the door if there's a midget holding a halligan ringing the bell. That's about it for B-shift, tune in later today for an update from C-shift. They had a little get together last night and from what we hear, you're gonna love this story!

CANT TOP THE "SAW" MASK

There's noway we can top A-shifts last post so we're not even going to try! LMAO that was BEAUTIFUL! The purpose of our blog was to show everyone a little bit of firehouse life from the inside perspective and, they nailed it! (see what happens when the Captain takes a day off?) There are tons of "shenanigans" in every house. Some days more so than others but everyday, finding some sort of comedy or something to laugh at helps to ease the stress level and makes the day go by. So, C-shift is back on duty and it's been wide open since our first run @ 07:26. Our first stop was a visit to #2 station to donate a couple gallons of blood to the city nurses. Then it was back to the house for a little "spring cleaning" and a meeting with a local lawyer concerning a past incident. (we are often called to testify following shootings, stabbings vehicle accidents etc). A quick run to the store and back for lunch. The top picture shows Jimbo" Jimmy Jennings (retired and rehired as one of our 2 messenger truck drivers) breaking bread with the boys of C-shift. Jimmy and my dad worked together for several years before they both retired in October of 2004. It's always good to see Jimbo and hear some of his tales. Soon after lunch, the Engine was up against it. Here in the city, we don't see a lot of brush fires but today...well lets just say it was bad. Pictured above, you'll see Coon flaking line while Wheezy "flanked" the inferno then moved into position to cut it off at the head. If you look closely at the tree stump just off center, you'll notice she was about to crown! The good news?? All of our wildland firefighting training paid off, 2 helicopter drops, a few chain saws, a Radford (or is it Pulaski) tool and the boys were able to cut a line and snuff her out before she got out of control. Another nail bitter. Look out Roanoke County, we have our sights set on the 2010 Governor's Award. At 14:00 our guest Seth Gitner from the Roanoke Times showed up for the photo shoot. Now his equipment and skill level is not as fancy as the dig. camera we carry on E9 but he probably got some good shots regardless. LOL.. all kidding aside, Seth went to the new "green" Station 3 and then came here to take some 360 degree photos. The shoot will compare living in an old firehouse vs a new state of the art station. He has some really cool plans and we are excited to see how they turn out. We'll get a link up as soon as it's out. "Nukie" stopped in for a new badge, helmet and coloring book. The local kids love to stop in when the front doors are up. Warm days bring out more than just the kids though. Darkness is fast approaching and so it has begun. The video shows the last of about 10 Police vehicles enroute to an assault just up the street. YEP, we were the next to hit the pavement, Engine 9 and Medic 2 were dispatched to clean up the mess. Later, our Battalion dropped in for a late night visit and had us all rolling with his "Ernist T Bass" impressions.... Chief Dale Barker of C-shift..if you see him, get him to do the impressions..pay if you must, it's worth every cent. I almost forgot Tyrone's new helmet. BRAND NEW and shinny..guess we wont sleep tonight. It took some time to convince him, but after seeing how good he looked in it, he didn't want to take it off. As mentioned in an earlier post, when working under "by the book Wines" and whenever Tyrone is involved it's ALWAYS SAFETY FIRST! Taking that to heart, pictured below is Tyrone throwing together the morning's egg sandwiches.

Rhett Fleitz from #13 C has completely redone his site and put it back on line. We'll add the link to the top left of our site or check out his new look here http://www.roanokefire.com/ It's getting late and today's just the first of our cycle. C-shift will return on Saturday...B-shift in the morning. Thanks for all the hits, keep checking in.

Sorry Dixon, had to do it.

I know...I am going to hell for this. Love you Dixon. This is just HOW WE USED TO check cardiac function.

Last day of the cycle for A-shift

We are heading on a 4-day break in the morning. It's been a quiet cycle. First thing this morning we saw the Vampires at the city nurse to get our blood work done. We have our physicals starting up again. Next was an emergency response to Sheetz so we could introduce FF Noell to a Schmagel. We had been fasting since midnight for the blood work and our gas tanks were low. Next we wrapped up our station chores. We took some time to walk through our local 9-story residential structure to stay current on the property. We really enjoyed seeing the folks there. They call us several times a day but, today was nice to go for a visit and not take a toothache or stubbed toe pt to the ER. We may have planted ideas in their heads, M9 has been there twice at last count. Afterwards we heated up the left over Ziti for lunch, while in the oven a 10-50 (car wreck) toned out for both Medic and Engine 9, possible entrapment. Thanks to Wheels and Captain for stopping by on their day off to do some fire-prevention (pulled the Ziti out). We arrived to find a single vehicle into a telephone pole. Luckily it was the support pole with guide wires for the real pole across the street. No difference for the patient and her car, but less of a hazard for us(not hot wires). We have enough to worry about with cell-phone drivers or drunks hitting E9 or us. Regardless, we shut down Shenandoah Ave. and did our work. Thanks go out to Roanoke's finest and their quick response with traffic control. Later we ran a few fire alarms, polished the brass in the station and found time to see our friends at Rico's Pizza on Shenandoah Ave NW for a nutritious dinner. We have FF Slaughter on loan from Station 13 and will try to treat him well. Sorry buddy. (He's on the box with Dixon) That's it for today. If anything exciting happens we'll get it posted next Sunday on the return of A-shift. Good night and be safe. Oh, E3? We'll let you know when we're ready for water.

Sunday at #9 House

Well A-shift is back again. The day started off slow for the Engine, however Medic 9 was hard at it. Just as well, FF Franks and FF Noell were again under the expert tutelage of Paramedic John Dixon. More like he watched them do everything and ensured proper care. They are in the final stages of being cleared by the city. Sporting those National Registry and State Intermediate cards is not enough. Judging by past performances they will do just fine. We wish we could say the same for 2 very important people here at #9. In addition to FF/EMT-I Wheeling our automatic dishwasher is now broken. It served us well. With the new station a year away we are hoping we can get one, even if we have to take it with us. We held a small ceremony this evening in the kitchen to show our appreciation for all the hard scrubbing D. Washer had given us. In true NW style you can see us pouring out some detergent for our fallen homey. Below there are pics of our Baked Ziti dinner, along with our rocking Fun-fetti cake that I am sure Captain Weeks will be upset that he missed. FF Noell made up for all the batter licking he missed as a child by slopping the mix straight from the bowl. An added bonus is rare footage of our temporary dishwasher: Paramedic (softens my hands while I do the dishes) Dixon. You have no idea how much we appreciate him taking on this additional task. Check out the video.

Until next day....Be safe.

Sunday pics.

Short Tour with C-Shift

It's been quiet so far today but it always picks up at night (there's a 10% discount on 40's at the Quicky Mark after dark on weekends). That said, we haven't gotten any good "on scene" pics for our post tonight. I've had a couple ideas for the direction of C-shift posts and I'll start with one tonight. I have been wanting to do a "meet the members" post, maybe introducing 2 of the boys at a time as well as a "station tour" post. As fate would have it, we are scheduled for a virtual / 360 degree photo shoot with our local paper, The Roanoke Times. My understanding is that they will be going to the new, fancy, "GREEN" station 3 and then coming here to "The Rock". I guess they will show the difference in new vs. old firehouses but I'm not sure a photograph can capture the history and memories stored in a house like this (guess we'll have to wait for the article). If you want to see an example of this type of picture, it can be seen here http://www.roanoke.com/wb/xp-193664 . Until then, the pics above is the short tour. The 1st shot is looking through the kitchen towards the Captain's office. As in most firehouses, a lot of time is spent in the kitchen not only cooking but sitting around the table to train, BS, and solve the Department's problems. You kind of notice the nice table. It was made by the men here at the station. A-shift did the bulk of the wood work, B-shifter Dennis "kidney puncher" Hayes was the lead for the special coating while C-shift handled the lettering. I'll try to do a future post on the table and it's history. The 2nd pic is the 2nd most sat in room ... our day room. Note those oh so comfortable "cargo furnishings". I know, it's hard to look at the chairs with those 4 milky white, stud pedestals (legs) of Wheezy and Opie jumping out at ya. The 3rd picture is our fitness facility. Now don't snicker or laugh because it's in the bay behind the apparatus. It is actually a high tech facility. Note the TV to the right of the bay door... complete with VCR and "Thigh Master" tapes when both are rented from Blockbusters. Just out of the shot, atop the RC Cola and Cool-Aid machine we have a fully functioning radio with working 8-track. Nothing like busting a sweat to a little Charlie Pride. This state of the art facility also reduces our response times by keeping us so close to the rig... no phone booths needed, superman doesn't have SQUAT on us. The final pic is of the pole from up stairs. What is not seen is the hardwood floors or doors that remain in our house. All of the hardware is brass and is cleaned weekly. What you do see pictured behind the pole is a draft we were going to use on the table but later made into a tee-shirt. True to our word, we have STILL have not forgotten! Sorry we don't have any fancy / smancy door mats or rugs (I knew we should have stolen the ones from # 3 the other night) but we do keep a garden hose out back in case you step in dog poo or get pepper sprayed (see "E9 makes a "grab" during gut busting funny tour" post from Feb. 8th). So that's the tour, short and sweet. We hope you enjoyed it. We assume everyone is enjoying the site. We haven't had any negative comments concerning our posts and just when you thought blogging was dead in the Roanoke Fire Department, new blogs are popping up everywhere. Our brothers and sisters working at the "big show" at Fire Headquarters Station # 1 have just started their blog. It looks really good and we can't wait to follow along. Check out the link here http://www.bigshowstation1.blogspot.com/

A-shift returns.

It's great to be back! Update on personnel: Captain is on break and Wheels is looking at 6-8 more weeks off. Get better soon big guy, it's a sin all the left overs we are throwing away!

Been a decent day so far with some burned food on the stove, a couple of EMS trips to Melrose Towers and another run to an apartment complex we ran last day. Which brings us to our topic of the day. Seems folks think Fire Lanes are no big deal. Pictures above show what we had to deal with on an alarm, smoke detectors activated in 3rd floor hallway. Arrived to find nothing showing. If you look at the first picture, you'll know what Lt. Good O was thinking when he saw the SUV on side A.

Whats really funny is that we had a car fire call today at the same apartment complex. Vehicle nosed into the front overhang on side A!!!! Same exact spot as the SUV last day. A woman was putting oil in her car, well, all over the exhaust manifold really. It smoked it up pretty good. No flames on arrival. Would have been bad if it caught the overhang on fire. Wait! I am not done yet. On the other side of this fire lane, yes you guessed it! Another SUV parked with no one in it. You can't make this stuff up. Until next day, everyone be safe.

Follow up to Feb. 17th post

This pic is what we used for our last tee-shirt. We wanted a shirt that would be up to date but also include some of our station history. After some digging, we found the patch that now retired Chief Obenchain and others had made years ago (I have an actual patch). The patch production was pre-merger days so instead of a medic, a ladder was housed with the engine. It was even early enough that the ladder was identified as Ladder 4 instead of the later Ladder 9 (now ladder 13). Anyway, the patch is located in the center of our design. Blow it up and look closely. The jack"ass" even has on SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus... the yellow air tanks we wear when fighting fire) on his back. They had him kicking some flames...thus the "fire kicking ass". We went a step farther in our new design and added a newer "ass" . We wrapped him around the image so he could watch over the station and equipment. A new station logo, keeping some of the old.
I also forgot to mention the new shift calendar we added at the bottom of the blog. We have all 3 shifts noted so our readers can keep track of who's on duty (Thanks to Rhet Fleitz from # 13-C for making it and getting it to work on our site). Take a minute to let us know what you think of how the blog is looking / going etc.

A RIDE ON OUR WAR WAGON

We posted some time back with some audio of a working fire from C-shift titled "what we do best" (use the site search or look under older posts on the left side bar if you missed it) so I thought it would be cool to let you go on a little ride with us as well. The video above is us pulling out of the station and responding to a residence on Golfside. All members were seat belted in, we didn't blow any red lights and no animals were harmed in the making of this video. It's been all EMS runs so far today and the good news (knock on wood) is that we didn't killed any of em. We had an A-shift brother stop in for a visit earlier today as well. Pictured at the top is Brad Creasy of Ladder / Engine / Quint / Medic # 7 (it's more like the "piece of the day" over there, you never know what they will pull up in). Brad worked with me back in the days of the OLD # 3 located at 6th and Rorer. By now you all have figured out that I brand all my boys with nick names and Brad was no exception. He is more affectionately known to me as "Bedford" due to his vollie connections with the Town of Bedford Volunteer Fire department (Bedford County Va.) or the BFDNY as I like to call it (he sometimes gets confused and thinks Bedford is a little Brooklyn). LMAO... all kidding aside, "Bedford" is now the paid Chief for that Department and has always been a "Top Jake" here in the city. It was fun to sit down and hash over some old memories and stories. Come back anytime Bedford. We also got to talk to and see Rachel Winter from the new station # 3 today (She doesn't like it when you pronounce it Winters so, you guessed it.... I call her Winters). We posted Tuesday about her getting injured on the Norton Fire. Turns out, her wound took 3 stitches but she was able to return to duty afterwards and is pulling her tour today. Joking with her, I explained that I didn't see what all the fuss was about. I guess if you live in a nice, new, fancy, "green" house with high dollar rugs to wipe your feet on, a wound like that would need medical attention BUT, at an Old run down, paint chipping, dish washer broken, toilet leaking, windy windows, brick cracking, history filled FIREHOUSE like # 9, it seemed more like a paper cut (HaHa). Again, all kidding aside, Winters took 3 stitches to a nasty looking laceration. She posted pics up on # 3's blog (link on the left side of this page). We were happy to learn that her injury was not more serious and glad to see her back on the job today. Don't forget to place your order for a # 9 St. Patty's Day shirt and let us know your feelings concerning the Post Parade Party.

C-shift Day in reveiw

With Wheezy "getting his learn on" again, Zach Obenchain was filling in at # 9 during EMT-I class. Zach is pictured at top. He is the son of now retired Battalion Chief Billy Obenchain and is assigned to # 2-C, which just happens to be the station and shift his father retired from. Chief Billy was assigned to # 9 for some time early in his career and was involved in making the station patch that shows the "fire kicking Ass". I'll try to get a pic up of the patch soon. We recently brought it back out and Incorporated it into our 2007 "Melrose Misfits" shirts. Another neat tie in for the Obenchains to our station is that Zach caught his first "working fire" while transferred in for the day on C-shift. We all know you never forget the 1st one and I'm proud that # 9 will be a part of that memory for Zach. Our runs for the day didn't start off so good this morning. The first run of the day was a "code 34" or DOA. Routine duties etc followed and even included a stop by the site of our future home. The middle pic shows the progress being made. This evening, #2, #3 and # 14 caught what sounded like a pretty good "job". Multiple calls, heavy fire showing etc. Well, # 9 didn't make the action on this but rather got the royal treatment. Royal treatment? you may ask... we were assigned to transfer / move to cover station # 3. I don't know about the "green" part but, WOW what a nice house. It was almost like staying in a fancy hotel until the manager finds out your planning a party and kicks you out. As soon as they figured out who had transferred in, we were quickly released and sent in the direction of home. That said, a fancy hotel is nice for a visit, but there's no place like HOME. The bottom pic is of 9's WAR WAGON sitting inside # 3 (don't cry Capt. Firebaugh...she misses you too). Another note on the fire (which has not been confirmed as of yet) is that Firefighter Rachel Winter was injured. Not too serious but a visit to the ER. We will post details when available pending her approval. Until then, we hope she is doing ok and have her and the boys at # 3 in our thoughts. Check out their site for possible further details...the link is o the left of this page.

TAKING ORDERS FOR # 9 ST. PATTY'S DAY SHIRTS

Well, the rumors were correct. Station 3 had indeed beat us to the top design (and that's the only time they have beat # 9 to anything / anywhere...Ha ha). All kidding aside though, they had the same design first, obviously with a # 3 instead of # 9. Well, we are still going to print our version with the 9 but also went ahead and developed another shirt as well Thanks to C-shift's Lt. Bug for the design work). Both shirts will incorporate one or both Galeic phrases.."Fir Na Tine" and “Braithreachas Thar Gach Ni” which translate to "men of fire" and "brotherhood above all else". Of course they will have the date etc. as well. As of now, each design will be on the back of the shirts. The top logo will go on white and we are thinking the bottom one will be on a green shirt (still deciding). We will have prices soon, but obviously the more we order, the lower the cost. E-mail orders to willie.winesjr@roanokeva.gov Be sure to include which shirt you want, the quantity and sizes. Take the time to read the post below concerning the post parade gathering at the Union Hall. Hope to see you there!.

POST PARADE GATHERING

Roanoke's St. Patricks Day Parade is just around the corner. The date is Saturday March 14th. Rumor is of several stations working on shirts so, that would lead you to believe that we're headed for a good turnout. Local 1132 will have our fire engine registered again and we hope everyone will bring their family out to ride / march as a group. We are also considering an after parade gathering at the Union Hall. The plan is for the local to provide free food and beverages as well as some fun activities for the kids. Last year, we had the Engine loaded with our Firefighter's children and hope to see the same this year...the kids had a BLAST. What we're looking for is your input. what we need to know is.. 1.) Are you interested in marching as a group (attire will be station or Union shirt and turn out pants) ? 2.) Will you have children / family with you ? If we can get an idea of how many will attend, we will know if there will be room on the Engine or if we need to make additional plans..ie I can bring a tractor and hay wagon, load some bales of hay to ride on, ask our Women's Aux. if they would decorate the wagon etc. 3.) Will you attend the gathering afterwards, and how many people will be in your group? Again, this will allow us to have an idea of the numbers for food, drinks etc. 4.) What kind of activities would you like to see for the kids? We have suggestions such as Party Pony Rides or using a party planning service such as Dave's Moonwalks (a company that comes out with all the "blow up" games / rides ..ie rock climbing wall, bungee run, velcro wall, etc.). This is our Local giving back to it's members, your input and attendance will make it a success. I hope to see you all there. Please comment here with your response or e-mail them to willie.winesjr@roanokeva.gov Thanks, Capt. Wines

Design out for station 5 St. Patty's shirt

Lt. Brown sent us the design for Station 5's St. Patty's Day shirt. This will be on the back. The front will say Happy St. Patty's Day with the date. The color of the shirt will be black. Call Mark at #5 to place an order. The logo was drawn by a brother from Salem Fire Dept. station 1 Erin Barger. GREAT JOB and nice touch with the "343". C-shift is at the helm today so stay tuned.

A-Shift rides again

Well we are at that time. Not too much today. FF/EMT-I Franks and FF/EMT-I Noell spent the first 12 hours on the box under the expert tutelage of FF/Paramedic John "well this is how we used to do it" Dixon.

We begin our 4 day break in the morning. However, Captain Weeks was sure to remind everyone he was off next cycle. He calls it reminding, we say bragging. Either way we will be back to post again on Friday. Brother Wheels is not looking to get back that soon just yet. We miss him, but want him at 100% when he does get back. Get better soon big guy! Goodnight folks, and Engine 3......I'll lay the manifold out for ya!

Top Roanoke Bachelor off the Market.

Dennis of Station 9-B shift was one of Roanokes Most Eligible Bachelors not to long ago but has now been officially taken off the market. Dennis has recently become engaged and seems to be a very happy man these days. Dennis is a Paramedic/Firefighter and on his days off owns/runs Hybrid Martial Arts of Roanoke. Who would have thought he would have time to find a wife with his schedule, but he did and we are all happy for him. We love to fret around here just like any other Firehouse, but with Dennis you have to be careful due to his Karate Kid skills that could tie anyone up in a knot if he wishes. All kidding aside we wish Dennis and Kristy the best and good luck for a long future together. If you would like to see more about the lovely couple you can find them at http://ewedding.com/

Friday the 13th!

Well here we are, Friday the 13th. There is lots of tradition in the fire department. There is also a lot of superstition. The day started off quiet, knocked out our daily chores, apparatus checks, etc. We even had IMS training downtown to acclimate everyone to the new terminology we will use on the fire scene. No hitter so far. On the way home from downtown an alarm went out for a highrise with smoke in several rooms. Well, this must be the Friday the 13th call! Nope, didn't amount to much. And we are still clutching a no hitter.

Not for long. Ran a few calls as soon as the cooking started. Maybe we shouldn't have put 13 gallons of fuel in E9. Turned off the pasta and sauce about 4 times. Only happens when we have guests. FF/EMT-I Noells Dad stopped by to break bread with us and thanks go out to him for stirring the food while we ran in/out. Above are pics of the day: FF/EMT-I Franks is really embracing this whole medic thing. I know one day he will be an outstanding medic like Dixon. Who knows, he may even have an "Ask Franks" column one day! We catch him sometimes talking to the box. Its like they are one!

Next 2 pics were our call for smoke detector sounding in an apartment with bedridden occupant home alone. E9 and L13 handled what was a faulty oven. Could have been bad. The star of this pic is FF Noell. He just looks like he has fought some fire with that soot on his head. No worries Duane, we won't tell it's just new sweatshirt lint. 8 more hours to go...Tune in next day to see what we got into, this Friday the 13th.

Melrose MVC

03:40 am, the wind is STILL blowing and it's COLD. Of course, as the Capt. says.."it's February, it's supposed to be cold". The wind is another story. Capt's electric blanket is set on "broil". The blinds on the bunk room windows have stood straight out all night and the wind coming in from around the windows has blown Coon's covers off twice. Guess we're gonna have to do a little caulking work on the windows. No electric blanket for him, but the good thing for Coon is that he's sleeping in his footy pajamas tonight, otherwise he may have froze. The pics above are of a MVC in the 2900 blk of Melrose. No injuries, handled with Medic Unit # 4. Going back to bed!

A request from 5 Engine

5-C has been bugging the boys to get a post up for them. I'm not sure why he's so excited but Gish can't stop talking about wanting to show his " goat", "bat wing", and "brain". He rambles on about sitting in some bubble gum, talks of his love of fruit baskets and above all else, he wanted to make sure the Capt. got his request of putting his "hog on the blog". Well, I didn't realize the boys of 12th and Loudon were so into farming, and I'm pretty sure the bottom picture is NOT Gish's hog, but we liked the shot. Let it not be said that we are not accommodating...ask and ye shall receive. Enjoy the pics.