The Melrose Misfits want to wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween. We've got our "firemanzzz" pumpkin out and have gotten to see many trick or treaters thus far. I think I'll just post a bunch of the pics instead of my usual ramblings. It's gonna be a long post either way. Oh, and by the way, Lt. Bugg was the artist who carved our pumpkin...great job huh? And let me back up a and explain just a little about the first pics I'll post. Everyone knows that the FD is loaded with traditions. More often than not; for the men and women on the job, traditions are carried over into our family life, job related or not. Well, in my life, I have always helped my girls carve the pumpkin. This year is the 1st Halloween for my 1st grandson (the Buckaroo) but I've been on duty for 3 days straight. So, my daughter (Reba) brought him by the station yesterday so I could carve his 1st pumpkin with him ... BOO! Ok so today, the Buckaroo came back by to show off his costume...and to get some CANDY! Tyrone's wife and boys (Jackson and Noah) also came by to show off their costumes...some great family pics at the station. There's 3 future members for the Melrose Misfits.. (L-R) Jackson, Noah and Wesley (Buckaroo).And hey, Halloween isn't just for kids... we've had some adults stop by in costume... and NO, not the usual drag queens but just as scary... here's Raggedy Ann/Clown And who needs the Million Dollar Man Steve Austin when you have the Hundred Dollar Girl? You know..."it takes a $100 dollars to make me holler, I get paid..." ok ok but it was a good song LOL WILD THANNNNGGG! A couple of witches (non-firefighter wife types...WITCHES...with a "W")
and just a good, all around collection of goons, goblins, cheerleaders etc. we even had Micheal Jackson (back row, far left). All in all, a good night so far. Wheezy's still on vaca and Bugg tricked Lt. Crouch into riding the night tour so he could take his daughter out trick or treating. Thanks Jason for filling in from #7-A. You know though..I think we could have gotten by and allowed Jason to spend Halloween at home with his family as well. Think I've found a pretty good fill in driver... really doesn't look much different than Bugg either. LMAO!! Just kidding Bugg, enjoy the night off with Cora. I'll close with saying that tonight is fun and special for alot of kids but others use the occasion for mischief and shenanigans. Our brothers and sisters all across the country are often put in harms way several times a shift on Halloween night and for no good reason. None more so than our brothers and sisters in Detroit where "devil's night" has become famous for raging fires. To our brothers and sisters out there, wherever you may be pulling your tour, STAY SAFE!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN !! Captain Wines
I'll start by saying that our Department as a whole as well as the Brown family continues to receive much needed prayer and support. For that, we are all grateful. The "Big Show" posted a thank you note on their site found here. It was discussed at our Union meeting last night that some calls are still coming in asking where you can send cards etc. The address is as follows.. (address has been removed until approved by the family, we will add it back following authorization). It should also be noted that donations can be made to Captain Brown's daughter's ( his "girls" ) college fund. Checks should be made to Stephnie Brown c/o Caroline and Hannah's college fund.Donations should be sent to the Daleville, Va. branch of SunTrust Bank 72 Kingston Drive. Daleville, Va. 24083 Phone (540) 992-6972 to the attention of Tonya Brown. OK, in our last post I added a clip from Ladder 49 and in it, the Captain (John Travolta) told the men that getting back on the truck was the way to honor their fallen. "Brown's Hounds" down at #1C have done so and so will we with our postings. Our regular readers know I can get long winded but, I'll try to be brief tonight. I want to try to catch you up on a few of the recent happenings here at Station #9. Back on Oct. 13th our brothers from A-shift posted on a motel fire they had up Melrose. The were pretty humble with the facts though. They were 1st in to our "technically" 3rd due. Multiple companies were out of service for one reason or another. The call was received with a report of a handicap person trapped! They arrived with smoke and flame showing and WENT TO WORK! Fire knocked down, exposure doors forced and rooms searched before the 2nd due made it in. Luckily, the victim was able to self rescue just as they arrived. Reminds me of the other fire service movie Back Draft ... John Wayne time boss.. HELL OF A JOB THERE BOYS!! HELL OF A JOB! Ok, on to C-shift, we've had several more nursing students ride along with us and I promised them a pic on the blog ( told em we'd make em famous). Sadly, this will all soon end because the part-time Medic Unit will be moving over to "The Deuce" aka Station #2. Here, Medic #101 has been parked outside and with cold weather approaching, admin felt the need to move them inside. The good news is that they'll be back when we move to our new home, hopefully sometime in March 2010. So here's our latest students Megan Caldwell and Virginia Vaughn at the top and Rebecca Dunham and Margy Bacon below.
Yea yea I know..it's a hard life here at #9 but someone has to do it. Our very own "Ninja Cook" has been making remarkable improvements. With a little guidance from yours truly, he even baked a few pies. Our old friend Officer Combs (aka "Evil Knievel" or "Awful Kanaful" now that he's assigned to a motorcycle) couldn't believe Opie was baking so he stopped in to sample the results. You can't tell be the expression but he did have 2 slices lol. In our last post, I listed the names of the County and Salem brothers and sisters who covered our rigs during the funeral. I'd like to point out again the ones who covered here for our B-shift Misfits. They were Geoff Tuck, Ron Stone, Matt Bradshaw and Brandon Carroll all from Roanoke County Fire / Rescue. The City's own Captain R.T. "Skippy" Flora (from Lucky #13-B) also missed the funeral to cover as the Officer here. Again, I want to thank these guys before busting their balls...and you know I gotta. You see, there's always been a little friendly "competition" if you will between the City and County. Good, clean firehouse fun. Well, C-shift worked the tour the following day and at 07:30 when Lt. Bugg went out to check and prep our War Wagon, SHE WOULDN'T FIRE. The County boys worked a 1/2 day on her and she just laid down a QUIT! I don't know if they tried to take her in the woods or up in the mountains somewhere looking for brush fires or what.. but she wouldn't crank. We had to pull her out with the "Cowboy Cadillac" and call the hook. Oh the shame of it all..LOL You guys know I'm just kidding and again want to thank you for everything you did. They actually made a few runs and caught a kitchen fire. Speaking of catching one, we did that ourselves today. Looked BIG. HEAVY black smoke from 9 blocks out. Marked it a worker from that far away. Got there (a junk yard) and there was so much fire and smoke, thick, black smoke, that I really couldn't tell what was burning. I had the boys pull the 2 1/2 and they WENT TO WORK! Man am I proud. Wheels, Tyrone and Opie did one hell of a job knocking her down. In the end, it was 2 cars, 1 van, a motor home (next to a building) 6 industrial loader tires (400 lbs each), vehicle tires, gasoline tanks, and general rubbish burning. Looked worse than what it was but a good job by everyone involved. Also on scene was E4, E5, L13, E3, L7, M9, M4, BC2, ST2 our PIO, FM1, and Chief 1 (who opened the hydrant). Here's a shot moping up.. And yes, we kept it out of the building..just melted the door a little. If you noticed, I said "Wheels" Tyrone and Opie. Wheels (an A-shift Misfit) is covering for Coon so he can attend the Va. Tech Chokey game...oops I mean Hokie, must have been thinking about the Ga. Tech game :-) Anyway, I hope the tailgating was fun cause at this point, Tech is LOOSING. Thanks to Wheels for making the trade, and "well done" today humping that 2 1/2". Wheezy's off on vaca, no doubt at Allsports catching the game. We're back on Halloween so, see ya then. Stay safe and in house, thanks again for all the support. Captain Wines.
I'm sure all of our readers know by now that we buried a brother yesterday. The unexpected loss of Captain Chris Brown has affected every member of our Department in some way or another. Chris was assigned to Station #1 C-shift aka "The Big Show". He is survived by many including his brother Mark Brown who is also assigned to C-shift as Lieutenant on Engine #5 (The 12th Street Express). There are several things that need to be said and talked about and I'll try to hit them all while being as brief as possible. First, the service was documented by Rhett Fleitz (Lieutenant Station #13-C, published and noted author) and Mikey Overacker (Retired Lieutenant #10A). Please take the time to view the coverage here, here, and here. Winters, over at Station #3 (The Hippie Hotel) also made a nice post (yea, I stole her title but we steal from them all the time anyway) to their blog found here . The brothers from Station #6 also had a nice tribute here while Chris' men posted their own memorial on their blog. You can see one of our local news channel's coverage here. The service was awe inspiring to say the least, and a true testament to the man that Captain Brown was. The attendance alone was impressive. That said, it is almost unimaginable how much effort, sacrifice and dedication it took to make it happen. I know I'm bias, but I think that only the Fire Service could have pulled this off. In the City, we needed 35 members to cover our rigs during the service. Our Brothers of Roanoke County Fire and Rescue and Salem Fire / EMS Department were quick to offer their assistance. These brothers and sisters came in, OFF DUTY, WITHOUT PAY manned our trucks and did it in a BIG way. They didn't just man the trucks, they staffed em with 4! We haven't had 4 on the trucks city wide in forever! IMPRESSIVE! The list is long, but their names need to be shared. I want to personally say THANK YOU to each and every one of them and say to everyone how proud I am to work in this profession and share the brotherhood that only we know and have been fortunate enough to witness over these past few days. Here's the list. Roanoke County Listed by Rank, Name, and Assignment covered in the City Div. Chief Joey Stump Southside BC Div. Chief Todd Maxey County Engine 5 running out of City #2 BC Sexton Northside BC Capt Daryl Burks Station 4 Capt. D.M. Jones Station #3 Capt Troy Gray Station 6 Capt Brian Weeks Station 13 Capt Brian Witt Station 13 Capt Jeff Lawson Honor Guard Lt Don Altice Station 6 Lt Kevin Gresham Station 5 Lt Toby Martin Honor Guard Lt Riley McClure Honor Guard LT. Danny Irvin County L-5 @ #7 Lt Lynn Hudson Station 5 PM/FF Brandon King County Engine 5 running out of City #2 PM/FF Jeff Johnston County Engine 5 running out of City #2 PM/FF Gary Hostetter Station 6 PM/FF Geoff Tuck Station 9 PM/FF Ron Stone Station 9 PM/FF Matt Bradshaw Station 9 FF/EMT J. Arnold County L-5 running out of City #7 FF/EMT K. Maciel County L-5 running out of City #7 FF/EMT Tim Webster Honor Guard FF/EMT Brandon Carroll Station 9 FF/EMT Jarad Hall Station 11 FF/EMT John Gillespie Station 3 FF/EMT Kevin Harbour Station 3 FF/EMT Zach Graybill Station 13 FF/EMT Tim Craighead Station 7 FF/EMT Lannie Hoosier Station 13 FF/EMT Drew Willis Station 13 FF/EMT Todd Hanson Station 5 FF/EMT Adam Amburgey Station 6 FF/EMT John Richardson Station 13 FF/EMT Robert Mauck covered County position to keep them at min. staffing as well.
Salem Fire / EMS
FF/Medic Betty Tottin Station 2 Lt. Jimmy Poindexter Station 2 Captain Eddie Hite Station 2 FF/EMT Jeromy Hartman Station 2 FF/EMT Jason Morris Station 3 Ff/Medic Stephanie Richardson Station 3 FF/EMT Robert Paxton Salem Engine 1 out of City 4 FF/Medic Brian Buccola Station 4 FF/MEdic Jonithan Huffman Salem Engine 1 out of City 4 FF/Medic Mike Spalding ?? sorry FF/EMT Jeromy McAlexander Salem Engine 1 out of City 4 FF/EMT Tod Bedwell Salem Engine 1 out of City 4 Lt. Tracy Coe Ladder 2 FF/EMT Chris Fuqua Ladder 2 FF/Medic Chris Smith Honor Gaurd FF/Medic Mike Elliston Honor Gaurd
I would also like to say thanks to the Chiefs for allowing the covers to take place, for handling the scheduling / assignments and then attending the service. Chief Richard Burch and Chief Dustin Campbell of Roanoke County. Chief Pat Counts of Salem. Chief Melvin Saunders from Roanoke City, Capt Chris Trussler and Lt. Chris Franklin both from the City a well.
I don't have an official number, but the Uniformed personnel in attendance was impressive as well. Not just local members either. I was able to meet, thank and shake the hand of LOTS of brothers from out of town. We lined both sides of the drive into the cemetery and then followed the Capt. to his final resting place. EVERY shoe shinned, buttons polished etc. Uniformed movement, salutes and stances. The pics can be seen on Rhett and Mikey's sites linked in the beginning of this post. The Honor Guard... leaves me speechless. TOP NOTCH! Again, I am humbled and filled with pride because of the job these men did. They served 2 shifts of viewing and the burial service. I am going to try to list their names and hope I don't forget anyone. Chris Trussler, Daniel Goodwin, Richard Lipes, Phillip Dillon, Robert Reid, Travis Meador, Roger Manual, Daryl Songer, Travis Simmons, Michal Jenkins, Collin Humphries, J.D. Reynolds, Zach Obenchain, Todd Reliegh, Jacob Palmer, Josh Hull, Jeff East, Chris Smith (Smitty),Tim Webster, Mike Elliston, Toby Martin, Tom Gherman, Jeff Lawson and Riley McClure. I'll add that Honor gaurd members Rob Reid (Bugg) and Daryl Songer stood on post for 1 hour and 20 minutes straight during the church service...again, an unbelievable display of RESPECT, HONOR AND PRIDE! The flag folding team.. FLAWLESS! The dispatchers of Roanoke City announced Chris' passing and placed him on his last alarm. Later, following an explination of the tradition by Chief Hoback, members from the Honor Gaurd rang the bell to signal 5-5-5 and place Chris in quarters. Our Brothers and Sisters from Lynchburg Fire / EMS Department sent 3 bagpipers. I wish I knew all their names and don't. I did get to thank each one and shake their hand. I'll tell ya, when they hit that first note, there wasn't a dry eye around. WELL DONE men and THANKS! Captain Toby Bedwell 1st Lt. J.J. Price and Lt. Jamey Brads stepped in to handle all of the arrangements and see to the Captains family. I know that Chris' wife Stephnie and his "girls" Caroline and Hannah didn't have to drive anywhere nor were they without a fireman by their side. Framed pictures and video slide show at the service...so much to do and it all handled professionally. The members of #1C...WOW! What a great company Chris built. Stuck together like glue. They had each others back and a shoulder to cry on. Rallied around Jeff (Battalion Chief Beckner), Mark, Stephnie, the "girls" and Marqueta (Chris and Mark's mother). An example for every company to follow. They drove their rigs to the cemetery (Battalion 1, Engine 1, Ladder 1, Medic 1, and RS1). They got out at the gates and walked their Captain home, hands on the hearse. Again...RESPECT, HONOR AND PRIDE! They each removed their right glove and placed them atop the casket, Battalion Chief Beckner among them. He then paused, removed the gold badge from his uniform, laid it atop the gloves and through tears spoke "God's speed Battalion Chief Chris Brown" (Chris was up for promotion having just completed the testing process). We buried Chris yesterday; today, 1C reported for duty! A work ethic handed down through generations of firefighters and one Chris passed to his men. It reminds me of a scene from the movie Ladder 49... The crew is dealing with the loss of a brother and the Captain breaks in and explains how to honor him. I'll add it here..
( It's a long clip but the first 63 seconds is what we're referencing) I know it's hard and you men are hurting but know that the Melrose Misfits, every other member of our Department, and brothers and sisters from departments near and far are here for you to lean on. ANYTHING..ANYTHING you guys need, let us know. I'll close with this poem, author unknown..
In Honor Brother when you weep for me Remember that it was meant to be Lay me down and when you leave Remember I'll be at your sleeve In every dark and choking hall I'll be there as you slowly crawl On every roof in driving snow I'll hold your coat and you will know In cellars hot with searing heat At windows where a gate you meet In closets where young children hide You know I'll be there at your side The house from which I now respond Is overstaffed with heroes gone Men who answered one last bell Did the job and did it well As firemen we understand That death's a card dealt in our hand A card we hope we never play But one we hold there anyway That card is something we ignore As we crawl across a weakened floor For we know that we're the only prayer For anyone that might be there So remember as you wipe your tears The joy I knew throughout the years As I did the job I loved to do I pray that thought will see you through Captain Wines.
Rhett and Mikey Overacker have posted their coverage of the funeral yesterday. View Rhett's here and Mike's here and here. I'll post on the the issue later tonight. Capt. Wines
We need people to staff the trucks. If you are not planning to attend the funeral on Monday, please contact Captain Trussler @ Station #2. He needs a list of personnel now, to organize coverage. Thank you.
It is with great regret and sadness that we post the passing of Captain Chris Brown. Captain Brown was assigned to station 1 on C-Shift. He has been with the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department since August 2,1994. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his crew.
Funeral information has been released and can be found on roanokefire.com
Feels like fall now. Cloudy cold day and a belly full of Lt. Bugg's 500 bean chili. Bet the bunk room will be right tonight! I never knew there were so many different kinds of beans. Anyway, it's been a so so return for the misfits of C-shift. A bad run for the Medics (Coon and Tyrone)and the guys over at Lucky L-13 that I'm not sure how to tell about and keep everyones privacy so I'm not gonna. On a brighter note, I didn't post last day but we did have some pretty comical runs. I'll add a few pics of one and let you decide the caption / title... check it out. LOL I can't wait to see what kind of response those get. Moving on, Wheezy has been gone all day working as an evaluator for our regional CPAT (ok, I know we are not in Ca. but it's the same test.. google CPAT here and look for yourself). Sounds like we had several candidates competing for a shot at working for a Department here in the valley. The good news is that we heard some of the part time guys we work with here on Medic 101 did very well and will advance to the next step. Good luck to Alex, John, Josh and all the other candidates who have chosen to make ours their profession. With Wheezy gone and Tyrone all jacked up on Ritalin, it turned out to be Opie's day in the "hot seat". It seems as though each day, someone has the privilege of being the one everybody else pokes at. Today, it was Opie's turn. Seems as though he had a bad experience hunting yesterday. He's looked, searched, photographed, mapped, documented, you name it, he's done it in preparations of killing this ONE deer. Now this is not just "ANY" deer mind you, he seen this monster way back in the summer and called "DIBS". Well apparently, he forgot to tell his neighbor or maybe he's just not doing something right. Either way, the neighbor got the kill.We've gone over it a thousand times today, retracing every step and we can't pin point exactly where he went wrong. It couldn't have been his stand placement..that was perfect Even his secondary stand was in a good location... a great view of the near by soybean fields.. Maybe this deer was just smarter than Opie? Could have been that Opie is a little behind in today's hunting technology I guess it really doesn't matter at this point because the deer is dead and that's that. How do we know for sure you ask??? With all the EMS training we've had lately, as soon as Opie heard the deer had been shot, he sent the Stewartsville Medical Examiner out for verification.. DRT...Poor Opie, he did everything right for the hunt... everything except the part where you shoot the deer (which I thought was the most important). He's been heart broke.. HEART BROKE!! I tell ya. I've told the boys to lay off, but between us, I think they've still been fretting a little. I even offered to let him hunt over around my place but he said he was after a "wall hanger", a"trophy" deer, some "antler stew" something he could be proud of... not those thin, small, mountain farm, garden eaters like we have over in Catawba **(NOTE: not my kill. Shot by Chuck Hartman 2008 / 2009 season)** Anyway, the good news for all you PETA members out there is that Opies has sworn off hunting. It's the Kroger meat Dept. from this point on, well, Kroger and what he's eligible for from Hunters for the Hungry. I'll close with a reminder of the upcoming meeting on October 20th for our newly formed football team. Plans are well underway and it looks as if it's going to be a BLAST. We have been accepted into the National Public Safety Football League and need to get to work ASAP in order to be ready for our 1st season. Capt. Stone and Chris Price have been hard at work on our behalf. They have created a web site found here and will be able to address any questions at the October meeting. Make plans to attend and PLAY! See ya there... until next day (Tuesday) be safe and stay in the house. Capt. Wines
We have made it another cycle. A-shift station 9 including our friends on Medic 101 have been pretty busy on this cold, wet day. A few alarms and ems calls kept us running. We have an announcement to make....FF/EMT-I has passed his 427 part skills test today allowing him to operate as 2nd medic. Good job Noell!
To wrap up this post I have added some mobile pics our captain sent us. He says they are killing deer left and right out there on the way to Colorado. It seems they are cruising the interstate at night after laying strategic piles of corn every 1/8 mile. Here is a pic of there last kill with another of the Captain himself holding his trophy buck. Outta here for another 4 day break. Be safe out there.
Well look up at the sky at 1000 this morning and all of the planets and stars were aligned. E9 caught a working fire at a motel with report of a disabled man still inside. 1st in our 3rd due! No... slow poke 3 wasn't coming......one engine was on a call, another playing AARF testing, Ladder running an ems with our M101 buddies, one engine o.o.s. That leaves us. Working fire was called a few blocks away. E9 arrived and found smoke from the entire roof with heavy showing at the door. After a quick knock down and forcing a few doors on a search, we realized it is still us! Ugh, here they come....Engine 5, the bottle truck and Salem E2!!! Our guy crawled out before we got there, a quick knock down kept the fire contained to one room and out of the common attic. It was a good day tater. The investigators got there detective thing done and we headed to Burger King for the lunch we didn't have time to cook yet. Back at the house, we watched the repair man pronounce the oven dead for the last time, we all paused for a moment of silence. The legendary meals cooked on/in ole sparky....like rubber chicken, fish soup and Dixon's famous Hot Dogs. We will miss you buddy. Special thanks to everyone at admin, service truck and light duty for the delivery of our new stove. Also thanks to Rico's on Shenandoah for the great pizza for dinner. That's it for now everyone. We had another run for wires smoldering in the basement...thanks to an early catch the family is safe. Goodnight out there in Alaska to our fearless leader Captain Weeks who today and tomorrow is clubbing baby white seals. He says its not the thrill of the hunt with seals, but choosing the best stick, aluminum bat or fireplace poker to bash their little heads in. Rumor has it he is making seal mittens to give us all at Christmas this year. Can't wait. Be safe out there everyone. Nitey nite from NW.
Who can make a cat forget old facts? You can't follow a horse to a pond but if he finds one, he'll swim in it. The grass is brown in Cleveland. HINTS. The grass is never mowed on my side of the gate. KETONES. If you live in a stone house, don't wash the windows. A butterfly in a bush is different than ten in your hand..... wait wait wait that aint right. It's you can't teach an old dog NEW tricks. You can lead a horse to water but, you can't make him drink. MEND. The sky is blue in Cincinnati. The grass is always greener on the other side. If you live in a glass house, don't throw stones. A bird in hand is better than 2 in the bush. You know..that Cincinnati Stroke scale thing-a-ma-jig... know what I'm talking about? Well that's what we've been doing all day. EMS continuing education.. WoooHoooo! Endocrine and stroke testing on our beloved "Moodle Room". Ugggggh! I think I may have just HAD a stroke. Check out these 2 examples of questions..after reviewing a gazillion power point slides, and reading for days on top of days.. 1.) ____ stimulates calcium release from bone, calcium uptake from the GI tract, and calcium reabsorption in the kidney, all of which increase the blood calcium level. A.) Oxytocin B.) Thymosin C.) Parathyroid hormone D.) Calcitonin
2.) This syndrome is a result of a disorder of the ______. It may also be due to steroid therapy used for asthma and COPD. Long-term cortisol elevation from this syndrome causes atherosclerosis, diabetes, HTN, hypokalemia, and increased response to catecholamines and susceptibility to infection. A.) Addison's; pituitary B.) Cushing's; thyroid gland C.) Cushing's; adrenal cortex D.) Addison's; hypothalamus
Feel smarter? Remember this from EMT-B class? What's even more shocking is that we all PASSED! And you thought we were all just a bunch of misfits! ROAD SCHOLARS I tell ya. Doctors, gynecologist in the making. Einsteins! Now hand me that scalpel..STAT! I couldn't find the video of Sid the Sloth (from Ice Age and DON'T ask how I know that) saying " I'm a geniushh" so Einstein was the next best thing. Here's a few quotes from the man himself:
"A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem."
"Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."
"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."
I've always wondered why he wasn't bald cause we've been about to pull our hair out all day! If I've said it once, I've said it a million times... this stuff is NOT that complicated. With band-aids, it's ALWAYS.. STICKY SIDE DOWN. Laying sod, GREEN SIDE UP. Geesh. Ok, enough of this Einstein / training smack let's talk about what else has been going on. It seems our ride-a-long "nurse Candi" left too early last day because we ran ALL NIGHT. Up all night and all the boys had big plans for yesterday (everyone except Wheezy who pulled a tour at Ladder 7). Travel, tail gating / ball games and hunting... a full day for everyone. Some good news too. Tyrone didn't get hurt, cut, stabbed, impaled by an arrow, shot nor did he shoot anyone else. Both Va. Tech and UVA won their games! Tech KILLED Boston College and the Cavalier Man didn't fall off his horse (always a good thing) so everyone made it in to work in a happy mood this morning. Past all this training, we're sitting on 8 runs total 3 and 5 so all kidding aside, it's been a pretty pleasant day. We stopped by the new station to snap a few pics of the progress ("measure of progress" that is) and also spotted a pretty cool license plate check em out... I'll wrap it up with an old video of Tyrone. We've posted this one before in another post, but it's still funny every time you see it.
That's all for now, we'll update if need be, otherwise, we're back on Tuesday. Stay safe and in house. Capt. Wines
I was actually sure it was but damn if it hasn't gone like a Monday! Pulled a tour last night for a brother over at Ladder 7 so he could go to the Zac Brown concert. Good tour and thanks to the brothers of B-shift over there for taking care of me...that Burrows is one heck of a cook. Anyway, due to the extra shift, I was a little late getting to #9. I roll in about07:20 to a sight that completely stopped me in my tracks. Everything was backwards. The War Wagon was parked in the medic bay and the box was sitting in her spot. WTF??? Captain Bedwell met me in the bay shaking his head. When they returned from a 04:00am run, they found the door "ajar". Ajar my butt.....more like BROKE! Anyway, the men went to work, got the door most of the way up but not enough to put the Engine back to bed. Some quick goat thinking, and the Medic unit was able to fit under the door while the Engine was parked in the other side. Now, some of us remember the Ladder (Ladder 9 ) running out of that side but I don't think I've ever seen the Engine run out from over there. Anyway, it was strange to see. Overhead door made it out quickly and soon had everything back up and operating so we swapped again and at least had the apparatus looking normal. Just when I thought things were coming back to how they should be, I kept noticing some bright red rosy cheeks and an ear to ear grin. I had almost forgotten. "Bedford", "little Brooklyn" Brad Creasy was trading a little time today. Bedford and I worked together when I first made Captain back at the real...errrrr old #3. Those were some GREAT times, went through a lot of doors together and made plenty of bonds and memories along the way. It was good to have him back on the truck with me again and I feel like he enjoyed the day here at #9. Here's his mug shot Wheezy was off getting his "learn on" at EMT-I class, had to transfer Coon over to "The Deuce" for the remainder of the shift, order supplies, wash out, mow the grass ugggggh! I thought today was FRIDAY! Opie was cooking, we had 9 for lunch and a broken stove. By now, you all should know what this does to our little "ninja cook". Yep, the stress level was through the roof. The result?? Red Bone Brauts ummm ummm (ok I know brauts don't have bones but you get the point). We had 9 because Medic 101 had a student. Ooops, not a student, another nurse ride along. This time, a little different than when the last rode. This time, we had the boss... Candi. I wrote a little about the program in the post when John rode. One of our local hospitals sends new hire nurses out for tours with us so that they can see first hand what happens on the "other side" of the emergency and what it takes to get the patients to them. A really great program and concept. I think it will benefit our medics just as much as the ER personnel by creating a better understanding and communications between the two. Anyway, Candi came out to ride and even stayed the entire shift to evaluate how the program is working. I think she found some areas that are doing well, and a few minor areas that need "tweeking". She seemed very excited and pleased and I'm sure she will work to ensure this program continues, expands and delivers positive results for everyone involved. We also had a new hire ridding 101 today. Cassie was hired part time about 1 month ago and has only worked about 3 or 4 shifts. Today was her first with the C-shift Mis-fits. We didn't catch a run with her but she seems to handle herself well around the house and I'm sure she'll do fine. Here's a pic of Candi and Cassie moving out to the veranda after dinner. Not much excitement for the gals run wise, that is right up until time for their shift to end. Just before 21:00, a fire alarm went out for another one of our local hospitals. No big deal, we run it ALL THE TIME. The next tone was for 3rd alarm companies! WHAT?? Holy crap talk about your heart in your throat. Straight to a 3rd! Thankfully, the incident was quickly brought back to a 1st alarm assignment and the brothers and sisters on the South side were able to handle. Just a few more quick notes and I'll quit. A few Sundays ago (Sept. 27th) was "Big Joe" Riley Peters last day on the job. Big Joe was known for many things throughout his career but I think most memorably for his pumping ability (as FF and Lt.) and how he handled the old "Grey Ghost" engines. Any of the brothers who worked with or around Big Joe will tell ya that he could drive the wheels off those old Orens. I'm sure he'll be missed by many and we wish him the best of luck and a happy retirement.. he's EARNED it. Here's a shot of him at his last assignment, Engine 11, B-shift. That's enough for tonight, everyone stay safe and in the house... Hookie game tomorrow and back on Sunday. Capt. Wines
