So just a day or so after our family Christmas celebration I began to notice a catching in my throat, which proceeded to become a dry cough. I have visited this exhibit before! Sure enough by Monday night the 19th I was getting a full on attack of Bronchitis, the viral kind (and I have had it before!).
An interesting side note: my daughter had sent an e-mail that said that if you want to stop coughing at night while you sleep you rub Vick's VapoRub on the soles of your feet (wear socks to keep the stuff off your sheets). When I read this I scoffed! What would rubbing it on your feet accomplish when it is your chest and throat that are hurting? On Monday evening as I was entering the sickness freeway my wife decided I was going to try this. Already in bed (and hacking away) I wasn't going to argue. SURPRISE! I felt calmed almost immediately... in fact before my wife could remove the latex glove, wash in the bathroom and return to our room.... I was asleep! Didn't cough all night either and that was a blessed relief - though it didn't stop the bronchitis.
So I picked up the phone at 0700 hrs and called the on-duty BC to call in sick. When he answered I literally croaked "This is Dan... I won't be in to work today." His reply was to thank me for identifying myself since he would have never recognized my 'deeper than Darth Vader' impression. (Luke.... I am your father!) I have over 2,000 hours of sick leave on the books! I hate calling in sick! I had to use 48 hours of sick leave and it was my debit cycle to boot! My debit was scheduled for Christmas Eve. No way am I going to call in sick on Christmas Eve unless I am hocking up a lung or something. I hoped for a quiet day... no such luck.
Well.... it has been an interesting year. I have enjoyed this blogging experience even though I don't do it much more than once a week or so. Maybe my 'New Year's resolution' will be to blog more regularly and also figure out how to incorporate pictures into the ruddy thing! You might actually appreciate that - my reader (s?)
Have a great 2012.
Saturday 31 December 2011
Monday 19 December 2011
Christmas celebration for the fam...
My family celebrated Christmas early for a couple of reasons... my youngest son and his wife were able to be here this weekend but not over Christmas. I am also scheduled to work on Christmas Eve and so will not be able to with the family except on Christmas Day. Fortunately our family is used to these re-scheduled holidays.
So the traditional meal of Swedish meatballs, mashed potato, corn and raspberry jello with the trimmings of pickles, black and green olives was enjoyed by all. Then, after dishes were done, we retired to the living room to distribute and open presents. As an added touch, we Skyped our daughter Shawna and included her in the event. Our grandsons dominated at first but soon a TV show gathered there attention and our daughter was able to focus on the opening of presents.
It was a fine time of fun - savoring each gift and watching others as they opened theirs. Then we topped off the evening by watching the film - "Stupid, Crazy Love". It was fun.
So the traditional meal of Swedish meatballs, mashed potato, corn and raspberry jello with the trimmings of pickles, black and green olives was enjoyed by all. Then, after dishes were done, we retired to the living room to distribute and open presents. As an added touch, we Skyped our daughter Shawna and included her in the event. Our grandsons dominated at first but soon a TV show gathered there attention and our daughter was able to focus on the opening of presents.
It was a fine time of fun - savoring each gift and watching others as they opened theirs. Then we topped off the evening by watching the film - "Stupid, Crazy Love". It was fun.
Thursday 8 December 2011
Rekindle!!!
There is nothing that a firefighter hates more than a rekindle. It is embarassing. It is a royal pain. It is no fun. For those who are not of the firefighting persuasion I will define a rekindle. It is a fire in the same occupancy where you extinguished a fire earlier. Usually the same day but not always. What it means is that when you thought you had gotten every possible pocket of hidden fire... you didn't. Rekindles usually happen in occupancies where there is a lot of "stuff" strewn everywhere and also in places where there are lots of potential hidden pockets. There is only one thing that can make a rekindle marginally better...one where you were dispatched to assist BUT it was not your jurisdiction. I was on just such a fire last cycle.
The first dispatch was around 3 in the afternoon (1500 for you fire types) and it was to a neighboring jurisdiction. This is how it works for us. We have two dispatch agencies in our county. We received tones from the one we do not regularly use. The clue for us at our station is that the tones go off but we do not receive a CAD printout. For me that means a quick trip to our computer, a command to remotely access the other dispatch center to get the printout they are sending to the other agency. I do that because it lets me know more information... like who else is responding, any occupancy information they may have, and the type of emergency. I can do this before our dispatch agency can send the tones and a printout.
We were the 3rd engine to arrive with a Battalion Chief, aid car and ladder also arriving before us (this is normal when going to another agency because it isn't your first due area but you are close). The occupancy was an older home: a 50's vintage single wide mobile home that had at some point in time had an additional two or three rooms added to the side of it with at least two different roof systems. This may or may not have been done legally (meaning permits and inspections) and they can be a real problem. The fire appears to have started near the chimney and appeared to be in the roof between the different roof systems. My crew and I reported to command to await assignment. After 5 minutes or so we were assigned to assist with overhaul of some of the contents considered salvagable. We spent 10 - 15 minutes helping with that task and then the crews onscene 'cut us loose'. This too is standard in that 1) they want to handle their own fire problem and 2) since we are mutual aid it is common curtesy to get you back in service in your own area as fast as possible.
Then around 1930 hrs (7:30 p.m. to you normal folks) we get a tone for a structure fire with our neighboring department at the same address! No need to look this up! As we were responding the Battalion Chief was the first to arrive. You could hear the disgust in his voice as he reported "B... onscene. Fully involved. Establishing ________ command." This wasn't going to be much fun!
Again we arrived last and moved forward to report to command. This time command was nowhere to be found! So we moved forward to the fire (and it was ripping!) and finally found him. He didn't even want the accountablility tags I offered him (that means he was pissed off about the rekindle...) We got a nozzle and began knocking down fire from the outside (known as a 'surround and drown') and then worked our way inside. I was helping my crew by feeding line to them. As I always do I looked up to check what was going on over my head and saw the moon and stars through the smoke! No roof! Burned away!
So we spent a couple of hours this time helping dig out this fire from the rubble (this person had bookcases covering every wall full of paperback books!). Finally they cut us loose again so we could get back in our area. Even then we had to go to another station and fill our SCBA bottles.
Rekindles.... I hate 'em!
The first dispatch was around 3 in the afternoon (1500 for you fire types) and it was to a neighboring jurisdiction. This is how it works for us. We have two dispatch agencies in our county. We received tones from the one we do not regularly use. The clue for us at our station is that the tones go off but we do not receive a CAD printout. For me that means a quick trip to our computer, a command to remotely access the other dispatch center to get the printout they are sending to the other agency. I do that because it lets me know more information... like who else is responding, any occupancy information they may have, and the type of emergency. I can do this before our dispatch agency can send the tones and a printout.
We were the 3rd engine to arrive with a Battalion Chief, aid car and ladder also arriving before us (this is normal when going to another agency because it isn't your first due area but you are close). The occupancy was an older home: a 50's vintage single wide mobile home that had at some point in time had an additional two or three rooms added to the side of it with at least two different roof systems. This may or may not have been done legally (meaning permits and inspections) and they can be a real problem. The fire appears to have started near the chimney and appeared to be in the roof between the different roof systems. My crew and I reported to command to await assignment. After 5 minutes or so we were assigned to assist with overhaul of some of the contents considered salvagable. We spent 10 - 15 minutes helping with that task and then the crews onscene 'cut us loose'. This too is standard in that 1) they want to handle their own fire problem and 2) since we are mutual aid it is common curtesy to get you back in service in your own area as fast as possible.
Then around 1930 hrs (7:30 p.m. to you normal folks) we get a tone for a structure fire with our neighboring department at the same address! No need to look this up! As we were responding the Battalion Chief was the first to arrive. You could hear the disgust in his voice as he reported "B... onscene. Fully involved. Establishing ________ command." This wasn't going to be much fun!
Again we arrived last and moved forward to report to command. This time command was nowhere to be found! So we moved forward to the fire (and it was ripping!) and finally found him. He didn't even want the accountablility tags I offered him (that means he was pissed off about the rekindle...) We got a nozzle and began knocking down fire from the outside (known as a 'surround and drown') and then worked our way inside. I was helping my crew by feeding line to them. As I always do I looked up to check what was going on over my head and saw the moon and stars through the smoke! No roof! Burned away!
So we spent a couple of hours this time helping dig out this fire from the rubble (this person had bookcases covering every wall full of paperback books!). Finally they cut us loose again so we could get back in our area. Even then we had to go to another station and fill our SCBA bottles.
Rekindles.... I hate 'em!
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