Hamilton's RDVFD Training Log

I went to the Big D Station last tuesday; I was running late though. I had totally spaced it. Dad needed help down in the woods hauling trees up and I wasn't going to let him do it alone because his knees, elbows, and back are all shot. I spent most of the day helping him down there then settled in to relax for the evening watching a film with the family and then I saw that it was five thirty and I had to be there a quarter to six!

"Oh shit!" I yelled as I leapt up and blurred to the hallway to start putting my gear on; dad leapt up wide eyed, "What's wrong?!" I laughed, realizing I accidently scared him; "I have to be at the Station in ten minutes!"

"Oh shit!" yelled. Mom chuckled lightly on the sofa. It was a funny little moment. dad and I were out the door in like thirty seconds; we've both worked forestry in the wilderness so we're pretty good at having to up and run at a moment's notice haha.

The Big D Station wasn't too far away; we live in Big D, it's just down the highway but we had to go the dirt road to get there and the gravel shakes your car apart. I thought dad was going to inch over it like he usually does but he floored it haha. Felt like being in a space shuttle. We got there right on time with a minute to spare. Wasn't looking good though. No cars parked out front, and there were one set of tracks leading out of the garage where the ambulance is parked. I already knew they had got a call to a vehicle accident and there probably weren't any on staff at the moment. I got out and tried the door anyway. It was locked and I don't know the combination for the electric lock on it. I hopped back in the suburban and said we should wait a little while in case they came back. We waited a while, but no change. Dad got sick of waiting so I left a note saying "Hi this is Hamilton; guess you guys got a call!" then left them all the phone numbers they could reach me at and shoved the note into a crack in the door so that it would fall out when they opened the door, high so it almost falls right on them. Didn't want them to miss it. Now that my ass was covered we went back home and continued our relaxing evening after a long day's work.

I just called the chief to confirm the training schedule and I am to be at the Clearwater Station tommorow at six.

RDVFD Stands for Rural Deltana Volunteer Fire Department.

I just started and am on a six month probationary period.

At the meeting last night I learned what running a Minute Man means. On the VFD Engines they have a lot more hoses. I'm used to having a shit load of camping gear strapped on the top of the fire engines haha.

There's a metal box towards the front on top of the engine with a metal blade going down the center, two lines of hose are layed down in each cloumn the blade/wall forms, and it's tucked in nicely and straight so that you can grab a nozel and start running with it without it getting caught up on anything or tangled. It takes four guys to do the minute man. One on the ground feeding the hose up to a guy on his side of the engine on top and the other guy on the other side tucking it down on his side while his partner tucks it nicely on his side and another guy on the other side of the engine to make "tails" so that you have another place to grab and run; folding the hose out a bit further than the rest of it.

I also learned the big engine can fill it's large tank on the back (looks like an oil tanker) in about a minute and a half from a pond or lake. That's.....some powerful water pressure right there haha! XD

Next Tuesday I have to show up at the Station 172 at a quarter to six. Or eighteen hundred. Gotta learn military time again. We're going to the Missile Defense Base a couple miles out of town; Fort Greely to train with their Fire Department at their awesome club med firefighter training facility!

Looking forward to some actual training now and not just sitting around talking about radios and fire behaviour; I'm already good at those areas from working in forestry. We'll be running a simulation in the Burn Building so I'm pretty eager to get into a situation i have never been in before and get some new training and experience.

Missed the meeting last tuesday due to bad weather. We've been having blizzards and storms and winds over 70 miles an hour. Headed to Station 7 tommorow at 1800.