Electricity...the Invisible Killer

We had a pretty intense but facinating lesson in safety around electricity and downed power lines. In the video at http://www.electricity.ca/theinvisiblekiller/ you will see where a police officer touches a car in the effort to help and he himself gets killed. This blog is more serious and perhaps not as funny to read as my others but I'm hoping if I can save at least one life, let it be yours or your kids'.

If you are working around
powerlines, trimming trees or painting the side of your house, please contact your local power company for advice on the best and safest practices. If you are working around lines, trimming trees or painting the side of your house, please contact your local power company for advice on the best and safest practices. 

Ideally you want to be a minimum 1 power pole distance away from the downed line. the ground is charged by the current and can kill you at any zone. The video link above demonstrates this.

If you see a car accident on the road, don't get out of your vehicle to go help. You could be come a casualty yourself. If there is no emergency vehicle in sight, call 911 and report it. Stay in your vehicle until you are given instructions from the emergency team at the scene. You'd be surprised at how many people try to be a good samaritan and end up getting seriously hurt or dead themselves.

As my instructor for the electrical safety program says "When in doubt, Don't." 

Take care of yourselves and I'll see you on the next blog date.

Four of us volunteered to show a group of kids and their parents through the Fire Hall today. The kids were aged younger then 3 up to 12 years old. The tour took only an hour of our time, but I'm sure those kids on the truck, hearing the siren and see the lights come on on the truck, will remember this all their lives. I love my job! Kids grinning ear to ear, excited to sit in the driver's seat is just an example of what a fun I have here at the Hall.

Birthday boy Riley, sitting in the new truck.

The group listening to one of the Captains explaining the function of a pumper truck.

Here the group is seeing what's being held behind closed doors of our Rescue truck.

Kids getting a taste of how loud the siren is and seeing the lights going on the truck. You can see one plugging her ears. It's pretty loud out side, and here we are in the hall :)

Call out and fire practice back to back

Just after 6 we got a call out for First Responder, Fire Practice is at 7. Feeling almost normal after a week of migraine symptoms but actually a nasty flu, no longer contagious, I figured I'd go. Need the practice.

Yes! It was something different! 5 of us in a truck, drive across the street from the hall and oh by the way, possible heart attack! Ok, I'm not certified to help so I get to truck sit. Sweet, I can do this. I'd seen Lyonel block the driver's wheel many times, that I can handle. Out of the truck I go, grab the blocks and put them in place. Done, guys have gone in with equipment. Now what? I'm standing guard, pacing rather...ta de dum ta de dum... Stop on the side walk glance up the road, down the road, glance in the dark, chilly evening towards a couple people walking by... smile, nod, while I'm thinking, "this is boring. Where's the ambulance? Did I hear the radio in the truck? What's going on? Is the patient ok? What's taking so long? Ugh, can we go to practice now? I'm sure it's 7!"

Well, needless to say Ambulance did get there, guy was taken to hospital and we went back to the hall. 20 min from start to finish! Really? It felt like an hour!! I asked the driver, "So? What happened? Is he going to be ok? How come he was walked out? Wasn't a heart attack? What happened?" He laughed and answered my questions with, "It's ok, not a heart attack, just taking him to make sure though."

Actually it was kinda fun. I never knew what the driver went through while waiting for us to come back out. He really is left in the dark. I'm, of course, a curious duck and ask way too many questions and often get the patient older member answering me with sighs and sometimes I'm sure they feel like patting me on the head and telling me to go get a cookie so they have quiet again.  Just like the kid going "Huh? Well? Huh? Can I?" while hopping from one foot to the other and back again, clapping hands in excitement.

As for practice I still asked lots of questions. We were practicing the gear up, air tanks on, masks, etc. I did really good. My best time was 1:27. Some of the older members were 1:42, etc. But I was happy, I held my own.  One guy did it in :58. Which is awesome!

Next week we have to make sure we're read up on Power Line practices and regulations. Cool!

Attended My First Structure Fire

A call to a shop on fire the other night.

As you can see it doesn't take long for the building to be gone. Most of the time the guys were there to contain the fire, keep it from spreading to other buildings. 

Some of the debris after the fire was out. You can see the wet foam all over the place.
The concrete retaining walls were still steaming long after we left.
It takes hours for the concrete to cool down.

You can see me working with the pike while my partner is  hosing things down, keeping everything cool. Long night but it was a great experience for me to be able to see how things are done.

5 Call-outs This Weekend

Busy weekend for call-outs, at least Friday night and Saturday were busy. Sunday was just the way we like it... Quiet.

I got to go for the ride-along on the CO2 alarm call-out. In a mobile home the alarm kept going off and the couple worried about what was happening, did the smart thing, went to the neighbour's place and called us. Our Captain on scene went around and did an inspection before calling "All Clear". He let the owners know the alarm needed to be replaced (had been installed in the 80s) and they could go back in. Smoke detectors and CO2 detectors have an average 6-10 year life span. The best way to know is to look in where the battery is. It should have the date to replace there. Batteries should be replaced at least twice a year. This particular detector was hardwired into the mobile home and had no date. Still these types should be replaced after 10 years. Contact your local fire department if you have more questions or more information about the type of detectors you have in your home.

Another  of the call-outs from Saturday wasn't fun. Withdrawal from drugs isn't a pretty sight, even prescription drugs can be a problem. If someone has multiple prescriptions to take it can be a bit confusing as to which ones to take and when to take them. The pharmacies have a great idea with blister-paks for those on multiple prescriptions but it still can be overwhelming even for the spouse to monitor all the time. And tiring.

After a busy, adrenaline rush and crash day Saturday I think we all deserved a good rest day, Sunday. I know I did and I wasn't hands on as much as the others on the calls. With all the listening to, learning and writing down, let alone remembering (yes, I've been told I'm going to be tested on this stuff...lol) I am more aware this job isn't just about getting involved in the community. It's a big responsibility and not glamourous all the time.

Yes, I love to wear the bunker gear and proud to wear the uniform, but I also take it very seriously while I'm on the job. Jokes and cute pictures aside (you can see some of them on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/TLynneWrites ) I really believe that Volunteer Fire Fighters do an amazing job and deserve the respect and admiration of the community that we do see coming in because we give up a social life to be there on call 24/7. But we wouldn't be who we are if we didn't do this job.

The guys I work with are awesome and I'm sure each of your Fire Halls have a great team there too. So if you get the chance today, thank your local Fire Fighters for being willing to give up some of their own time to help you stay safe.

First Practice of the Year

Fire practice? Not exactly. It was more of a clean up bee and preparation for future work. Ahhhh but what fun...hee hee

Cheeky, funny, quirky... all I could do to keep up with the rowdies. Seriously! I mean you try being a female in with a bunch of yuk yuk guys :D But I must admit it's funny to hear them go off amongst themselves and in mid stream of inappropriate language hear "Sorry Tammie!" and a quiet chuckle. I have to admit that since joining it's become a joke in itself...watch the language! Oh wait, she's one of the guys, never mind...or maybe we should anyways.

Ha ha ha ha

Rolling up hoses, putting Christmas decorations away, sweeping, taking lights down, turning exterior Christmas lights off for the year and all the while joking and laughing. What a great way to start the year. Oh and some of the guys had a refresher on blood pressure equipment. I watched a bit and listened...I am nosey, what can I say?

Except that I think for me, the best part of the evening was my new bunker gear came in! I had a fitting...that was interesting...lol Hearing a Captain yell "Tammie, Bedroom now!" Uhmmmmm do I go? Oiy! Hee hee the actual bedroom is a office/bunk room with wall beds in it for emergencies. I wonder if it's ever been used? There's so much stuff in that space that I really doubt it. I think it's more of a drop for now before putting in storage space. hee hee

Gear fits great! Like it  was made for me...oh wait it was. LOL It even has my name in the label! It's sooooo new that even the knees are shiny. I was advised to throw the outer part into the wash machine on cold without soap to take out the starch so it isn't as stiff. I said "it's not stiff like the other one I was using." But I'll head the experience of the fire fighter and do what he suggested, as soon as we get time to do such things on a weekend. For now, it'll work.

Well, now for the boots (coming) and new orange jumper (haven't been fitted for yet, but it's going to come).

Wonder what we have in store for next week?

Two Call Outs in the first two days of 2013

I got a page for a first responder call-out, January 1st. Early morning ones, aren't always the best, but we go because we want to make it easier for others. We were lucky this one was fairly easy, she was alert and able to tell us what the issue was. Both of my partners were great. I took notes and listened, while they asked all the questions, calmly and diligently. The husband was soooo calm with all that was going on, you'd of thought he was the one conducting the interview. Me? I'm sure I would have been a wreck knowing my spouse couldn't breath. But not this man! He was a rock. Quietly getting whatever was asked of him or answering questions. Kinda reminded me of my Dad.

The second call I attended, was in the evening of January 2nd (I worked on the 2nd so missed 4 calls) but I got home just in time for the 5th call of the day. It was a lift-assist call-out. I didn't know what to expect from this call because I'd never heard of such a call. Ohhhhh something new!

This one was awesome! Well, awesome for me, cuz it was something different and I actually participated and it didn't require ambulance or hospital visits. It took three of us to help. No paperwork needed on my part...hee hee In the end we helped the gentlemen back upstairs and had a nice visit with him. Needless to say, he is calling to have his elevator fixed.

The calls I get the privilege to attend, if you can call it that, are simply amazing. Seeing such compassion, support and humanity being given freely is probably the best part of this job.

I had fire practice on the 2nd...that's another blog in itself...