Rookie School

I just finished up the final weekend of my Firefighter Essentials/Live Burn class, also known as rookie school. I fought LP gas fires (propane), class A fires (wood, etc, but with a little diesel fuel to make the medicine go down easier), and pulled rescue dummies out of a building several times. That dummy was heavy -- easily over 100lbs!

Here are some pictures from the first weekend. They should post pictures from the second weekend soon. (They'll probably be better.) You can even see me in a few. (a, b, c, d) (You gotta look real close in that last one. Way in the back on the right.)

I got hot; I got dirty; I got wet. I was covered in sweat and soot and smoke from head to toe. All in all, a helluva fun weekend. It wore me out though, and it was a test of my endurance -- what little I have. I saw a few folks get hurt. We had someone twist their ankle, throw their back out, and a few get those falling-down-the-steps bumps and bruises. A couple of people did get burnt, but don't worry -- nothing any more serious than a sunburn. All in all, we did well.

I learned that I don't really like fire. A lot of these guys, kids really, mostly between 18 and 20, really get turned on by the idea of fire. I don't. I don't look forward to going into my first real house fire. I'll do it, especially to save a life, but I won't enjoy it like these guys will. I'm not there for the guts & glory -- rookie school showed me that.

I guess I'm there to get a little balance to my life. Seeing how fragile we are as human beings, how easily we're hurt or lost, really keeps my life in perspective. It's hard to get bummed out at work when I realize how precious our time here is. It's easier to realize what's really important. (It's still not easy. I guess it never will be.)

I think that this balance, and my being able to help others when their life gets unbalanced, is what's driving me into the fire service. I'll never be G.I. Joe Firefighter or a professional firefighter, and I'll never be the best firefighter out there. But if a call comes in and I can do something to help, well then I guess I will. Anyway....