Warm thoughts, extrication and Santa's Sexy Helper Day 17!

I just got a call from a buddy who is down in Florida. The Temp is in the upper 60’s and he’s walking the beach in shorts. Another good friend, Captain Joe Schmoe; over at Report on Conditions titled his last post  “Heat Wave.  The temp there yesterday was 78. He even has pics but he’s NOT gloating. Grrrrrrrrrrr! It’s not even officially Winter here yet and our temps can’t get much above freezing. Factor in the wind chill and I don’t even want to talk about it! I used to love this time of year. Now, all I can think about is the beach … the Outter Banks … OBX.

Boots kicked off at the beach’s edge ….

The peaceful, WARM feeling you get from the sound of the waves crashing onto shore ..

Lazy days by the pool or out fishing ….

I think I need a vacation!  AXE  just sent me a package of “Travel Size” product .. maybe (in order to give it a fair review /trial) I should have them send me to a beach somewhere to try it out. What good is “travel size” bottles if you don’t travel?  Hummmm? No need to send the Company jet Jill … just plain ol “coach” tickets will do ( I’ve been needing one of those NSA  “pat downs” anyway). LOL … who am I kidding … the closest I’ll come to a beach before spring would be a litter box by the fireplace!

Alright .. moving on. Extrication. Today, we had a very good class on Vehicle Extrication “awareness”. I haven’t been assigned to an “extrication truck” since I was a Private. We cut a lot of cars back then but that was long ago. Today, everything has changed. I have tried to keep up with the advancements and new technologies but, nothing compares to hands on. Here on the Fire/EMS Blog Network, we have a great site (resource) dedicated to extrication. Check out  Boron Extrication . If you cut cars, it’s a good   MUST read.

Here in the “Noke”, we have 2 companies to cover our extrications (pin jobs). Ladder #5 covers the North Side while Ladder #1 handles the South. Our class today was with L5. Here’s a pic of her set up…

Our Department (and committee) did a great job of designing this truck. Her entire right side is dedicated to extrication and each tool / piece of equipment has a spot. Well equipped, very organized and easily accessible. Here’s a shot of Lt. Brown giving us “the tour”…

I did have to ride Engine #5 for a few hours last week. While I was there, we caught a MVC involving a school bus. School was out by this time and the kids had all been dropped off. Luckily for everyone involved, there were no injuries. Lucky! This is what it looks like when the “A-post” of a Pontiac Sunfire meets the bumper of a school bus while traveling in opposite directions ….

Add a Jag to the mix and the picture doesn’t look any better ….

Do ya recognize the member on the left? Yep … that’s Paramedic wanna be “Doctor” Travis “Wheezy” Meador.  Rumor has it he asked Santa for one of those fancy Littmann Stethoscopes for Christmas … hope he’s been a “good boy” LOL.

Speaking of asking for Christmas… I’ve figured out what I’m gonna get (of course I’ll have to buy it myself). I’m gonna get one of those fancy, big screen Robot telephones.

Oh yea! Then, I’ll be able to approve comments for the site, check stats, update my status, check and post to “picture book” etc. all from my phone, regardless of where I’m at. I could also then show off some of my “robot” dance moves …

What?? Don’t like the “moves” ? Check out these “Robot” moves…

Those guys look more like “Androids” than “Robots”…. Maybe that’s why they call the “Robot Phone” a “Droid”? Hummm.

 

Ok, enough with the cheesy videos… let’s get to why you are all here (well, why all the guys are here anyway). Here’s tonight’s installment of Santa’s Sexy Helper .. Day 17

Day 17

I’m gonna wrap it up for tonight. I have a long day scheduled for tomorrow so I had better try to get some rest … that hasn’t been working so well around here lately. Even our Brothers and Sisters on B-shift caught some work yesterday. Heavy fire from a single story, residential structure. Another quick and aggressive attack held damages to a minimum with no injuries. Well done fellas.

Last thing, don’t forget to tune in to Tiger Schmittendorf’s show tonight on Firefighter Netcast. Tiger is the host of Firefighter Story Tellers. Tonight’s guest is Retired Buffalo Lt.  Patrick Coghlan.  The direct link to the show is HERE.

Ok, until next post, keep warm and dry. Stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines