Skip to content

Archives for

See all posts in the network tagged with

WeLoveDC.com; publicity for RL!

1 comment

DSC_3677 washout low

Tom Bridge, co-founder and author of WeLoveDC.com came across Raising Ladders the other day, and he liked it so much that he posted a brief write-up in the WLDC daily feed.

WeLoveDC.com is a collective blog written by a diverse population of authors who all have one thing in common: they are all enamored with Washington. Whether about politics (of course), food, culture, technology, or any other topic beneath the tip of the Monument, these authors have got it covered.

I honestly didn't expect such kind words, and for that I'm very grateful. Many thanks to Tom and the entire WLDC team!

—————

Last night 15 had a typical "no-sleep-due-to-a-call-every-forty-five-minutes" kinda night. I felt like a zombie this morning, which I've concluded is due to walking throughout a run-down four-building complex for an hour, forcing doors to try and turn off a malfunctioning fire alarm. 

Sure, I understand you don't want building occupants messing with the utility closets, which is why you've placed four different damned locks on the two doors that are barricading the one doorway. Okay, fine. We got through 'em anyways. 

Yawn. Let's pretend it's a forcible entry drill, reset the alarm, and get back to the firehouse already. 

Nope. 

3 a.m.: Respond for the "tummyache" (yes, that was actually the complaint).

4 a.m.: "I think there's a bug in my ear." (Actually, it was more like "AHH HOLY MOTHER OF [censored for the children] THERE'S A BUG IN MY EAR GETITOUT GETITOUT GETITOUT!")
Sigh… I don't suppose it'll even be worth it to try and sleep next tour. Friday night in Southeast? Not a chance.

I, however, wouldn't want it any other way. 

—————

Who knew a vinyl Halloween costume could mean something after so many years?

(I don't think I'll still be able to fit into it, though. I should probably stick to the gear I was issued. It seems… safer.) 
Posted by raisingladders on July 28, 2009 • Filed under: DC Fire, DCFD, DCFEMS, Fire Academy, Fire Photography, Firefighter Training, Firehouse Life

A different view of D.C.

2 comments
DSC_3312 bw
The John H. Glenn Jr., Washington, D.C.'s 70'-long flagship fireboat. 
It was built in 1962 for the FDNY, and was purchased by DCFD in 1977 for one dollar.

All the air inside my drysuit escaped with an audible whoosh as I stretched the rubber neck seal outwards, à la Rodney Dangerfield. I struggled to stay upright in the water as air compressed upward from every limb of the suit, mindful of the multiple warnings to keep District river water out of my mouth ("…you won't leave the bathroom for a few days, kid.")

Once I had finally settled myself, I looked around again to marvel at what I was doing today (and I'm getting paid for this?!)

DSC_3568

Rescue 3 and Engine 15 had put the boats in at Anacostia Park, and we had motored our way over to where the DCFD Fireboat is harbored. Shortly thereafter, I joined a few other guys who were repeatedly dragged over the bow as the crew of RS-3 practiced "saving" us.

I had never seen the city from the Potomac or the Anacostia before, so the views from the water were an interesting perspective. Needless to say, just zooming around was relaxing enough; it was a beautiful day to be on the water, and everybody had a great time while we ran our drill. 

(Nevermind that my suit had a leak in it; I doffed the outfit to find my clothes completely soaked. Thank God I bring an extra uniform to work with me…)

DSC_3566

DSC_3596

DSC_3607

I took a few neat bridge shots that I thought lent themselves well to black-and-white.

DSC_3605

—————

As far as my recent meeting with the Medical Director goes, it was a very well-structured test of our knowledge up to this point. While the Doc ran us through varying scenarios to assess our medical knowledge, the Assistant Chief of EMS asked us operational questions to see if we had picked up on the nuances of being an engine company paramedic. Apparently we're all satisfactory, because we were released a few hours later with word that we'd have permanent assignments within the next few weeks. For now, we all stay with our current preceptors.
Posted by raisingladders on July 22, 2009 • Filed under: DC Fire, DCFD, DCFEMS, Fire Academy, Fire Photography, Firefighter Training

The next hoop.

1 comment

Some good news is being passed around today. I've received word that a handful of us paramedics are being pushed along into the next stage of the DCFD pipeline, starting Monday. There's some meetings, some more paperwork (I'm sure), but it at least it means that we're moving forward. 


Sadly, it means that I may be leaving Engine 15 rather soon. I knew it would happen, but it's just been way too much fun for it to be over this fast. 

DSC_2852

—————

Besides, I got to run at least a couple fires, this one most recently. (For posterity, please note the second sentence in the article. I may not be assigned there, but I can still have pride in my temporary home.)

I mean, it was only a car and a detached garage on fire, but what can I say; it's better than running a medical local. And after all the "food on the stove" and "report of smoke in the area" calls that turn out to be nothing, I remember looking up while running the 400' and being surprised that something was actually on fire.

—————

I've learned a lot thus far from the guys at E15 and RS3; I think I've still got a few more tours there before I go somewhere else, so I'll try and get the most out of it that I can. 

DSC_2841
Posted by raisingladders on July 17, 2009 • Filed under: DC Fire, DCFD, DCFEMS, Fire Academy, Fire Photography, Firefighter Training, Firehouse Life, Fires/Incidents

History.

1 comment

"Y'all better be alert! Best pay attention over here!"


The members of Engine 15 and a truck company were standing around the scene of a gas leak; we had just shut the supply off when our attention was drawn to the shirtless man quickly walking up to us. 

"You know why? You know why? Because I'm about to go smoke this rock right here."

He thrust his clenched left hand proudly in the air, pumping his fist like he had just won the lottery.

"…and if I smoke too much, and I need y'all… Imm'a call you on my phone right here."

In mirror image, he reached deep into his pocket and switched his dramatic pose; now wildly brandishing a cell phone with his right arm, he stared and waited for some reaction.

Indifferent to the man's statements (and probably growing bored), one of the guys from the truck company turned to our newfound friend and extended a pudgy finger in my direction.

"Well, I'll tell you what. The man you need to talk to… is right there."

Dammit. 

("Probationary Manual, Chapter Eight: Talking to Excited Crack Heads for the Laughter and Enjoyment of Older Firefighters.")

Mr. Rock Addict began sauntering over to me, when he stopped short. His eyes looked me up and down for only a second, but it was enough to make him spin in place and hightail it back the way he came.

"Naw, f*** that guy. He a rookie… I ain't talkin' to no rookie."

Great. Even the southeast crackheads know I'm the new guy. (Damned red tag…) 

—————

This, of course, is nothing new for the area. Highly entertaining stuff has been happening down here for years. A few tours back, another firefighter and I went looking through the archived logbooks for Engine 15 and Rescue 3, and we were browsing through a book from 1987. They ran a hell of a lot more fires than the department does today… some of the logbook pages were just unreal. A big house fire in the morning, followed by a nasty car wreck, then another working fire, then seeing smoke showing from an apartment and filling out the box on the way back from the previous fire! I suppose the only comfort that today's crews can take is that they ran a whole bunch of medical local calls back then, too; I've included a few of the more interesting excerpts I found.

Medical Local, 1635 hrs / E-15 stood by for medic unit with 1 male who broke his shoot-up needle in his neck, E-15 performed miscellaneous acts.

Medical Local, 2306 hrs / RS-3 obtained a signed release for who knows?

Medical Local, 1258 hrs / E-15 for a man wanting to go to the hospital to get away from the little green people!!!


Seeing as we had access to the entire collection, I had to read about what this house did on my birthday (not that I was anywhere near Anacostia, much less the east coast in general.) So, digging up the proper book, I found:

DSC_2442-2

We were even able to go all the way back to 1948. Seeing the old script, and the ink bleeding through the fragile pages was like staring back through decades of history. Call it cliche, but there's something slightly poetic and awe-inspiring about having access to a written account of everything that occurred in this firehouse since the Cleveland Indians last won the World Series (yes, that was 1948. They're really just awful.)

DSC_2454-3

Every call, every announcement, every single thing that happened on that shift, was recorded on paper in the once-prized scrawl of proper penmanship that has fallen into nonexistence today. 

DSC_2457-2

(It made me wonder about the oldest book in the Department; where is it kept, and whose logbook is it? I'd imagine it's up above Engine 3.) 

Either way, the books haven't changed much. It did, however, serve as a fascinating way to pass the time at the watch desk until the modern-day E-15 had to go run our own medical locals… little green men and all. 

DSC_2446-2
Posted by raisingladders on July 9, 2009 • Filed under: DC Fire, DCFD, DCFEMS, Fire Academy, Fire Photography, Firefighter Training, Firehouse Life

Enjoying the fireworks.

1 comment
DSC_2521

We pulled up to the building on 12th street and hopped out. Taking a second to scan the street, I saw only a single truck company and Rescue 3 pulling up beside us.

"Uh… aren't we fourth due?"


"Yep. Come on, rook… let's run the 400."

And so in the front door we went. We stretched as much line as we could, eventually heading down to the basement of this typical Southeast apartment building.

I flicked my light on, and panned it slowly across the room. 

"This is too smoky to just be the idiots setting off fireworks inside the building… something's on fire here."

My mentor's voice cut through the haze of smoke, and the outlines of the guys from Engine 15 were visible as we moved through the debris in the basement.

(I stopped for a moment, remembering my old Sergeant telling me to follow the smoke as you see it in the beam of light.)

"Is it over here? The smoke's going that way, so…"

As if on cue, we all moved towards a big pile of wood that was blocking a small hatch. Two of us started tossing doors and hunks of wood out of the way (one of which gave me a pretty good smack in the face), and we were able to open it up after a minute or two.

I'm not 100% on how it happened, but a mattress was smoldering under the first floor. Extinguishing the fire was pretty anticlimactic, but that's how we found ourselves running the last few feet of our 400' hose line into a four-foot-high crawl space littered with old beer cans and trash. 

—————

Was it a rockin' good fire, full of excitement and good stories? Nope. Was it a chance for me to learn something about working on a fire scene? Absolutely. I mean, I'm happy for whatever I can get to do while in the street—I'm still technically assigned to the Training Academy, so I appreciate the time I've spent crashing on E15's couch (figuratively speaking, that is). 

Besides, the best "tips and tricks" seem to come from the guys when they're actually working a scene. Sure, they can sit at the watchdesk with me and tell stories, but the stuff they share while we're in the middle of doing something can be infinitely more valuable.

—————

As we crawled out and began gathering up our sections of hose, it was impossible not to notice all the fireworks going off around us. I mean, I expected people to be setting off fireworks on the eve of the greatest pyromaniac holiday of the year, but this many?

Damn near every apartment building around us had something exploding, whistling, flaring, or shooting into the air above it at some point. Courtyards, roofs, steps, middle of the street; not to mention the Nationals Stadium was putting on their own show, so we had quite a spectacle to watch as we racked hose. (I had a slightly better view, because the new guy always climbs up into the hose bed for this process.)

It was Friday night, a little after 11pm, and we still had a long night ahead of us.

I love this city.

—————
DSC_2622

I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July, and I bet the crews on #4 had a good bit of fun.
Posted by raisingladders on July 6, 2009 • Filed under: DC Fire, DCFD, DCFEMS, Fire Academy, Fire Photography, Firefighter Training, Firehouse Life, Fires/Incidents

A refreshing viewpoint.

No comments

As paramedics, myself and my colleagues in recruit school have been hearing the same story since Day 1: "Well, just because you're a paramedic, you're going to catch flak from people in the department because they don't like EMS in general." And it's true—not everyone on the job (particularly the older crowd) is keen on the idea of integrating Fire and EMS. 

"Why are the firefighters going on stupid ambulance calls?"

"Why can't these guys just stay on the shitbox* where they belong?"

Granted, it's not common; but it's there. However, such is the burden of working in a department where the administration has embraced the combination system—especially the idea of a paramedic engine company. 

Either way, we've become fairly immune to the groans and (mostly) good-natured ribbing that occurs when someone reads "Firefighter/Paramedic" on our nametags. For the most part, the medics I came through rookie school with actually enjoy the job, and that's been our saving grace throughout this whole process.

Every so often, however, you find a voice in the crowd who offers a hopeful, uplifting viewpoint on the situation. Such was my experience on Monday, when I was bounced around like a pinball to finally come to rest doing a ride-along with the EMS Supervisor for the 4th Battalion. (My original preceptor at E15 was off, and I had an ALS evaluation test to go to, so I was at three different locations until I finally found a home for any reasonable length of time.)

Having joined DC in 1987 after many years of both volunteer and career fire/EMS experience, this Lieutenant has been involved in EMS for longer than I've been alive. Extremely laid back, he carried an easygoing mix of confidence and humor about himself, which has apparently served him well for decades. 

There wasn't too much going on in the 4th, so we didn't have the chance to go to any interesting scenes. We ran a few calls here and there, but they were mostly uneventful. The large majority of the time was spent talking, and he was able to pass on some advice that I would have been unwise to pass up. 

Like I said before, you can learn damn near anything from the experienced guys around you; you just have to know when to shut up and listen. 

I suppose it was surprising to find someone who spoke so highly of EMS and the medical aspect of a fire department. He really loves his job—a rare find in a world where most people would rather complain.

—————

With any luck, I'll be back to my (sort-of) home at 15 for the next tour. I think these occasional adventures in other houses are a good way to gain perspective on different houses, but it's fun over on the other side of the river.

No matter what happens to me, I'm usually guaranteed an interesting twenty-four hours no matter where I go. That's just how my luck goes.

As the EMS Lieutenant said to me as we drove along the Mall that night: 

"It's a great city. You'll get your share of it eventually, but just keep your head up and you'll get through all these hoops."

Well said, sir. I suppose that's all that any of us can do, really.




* Shit box [\ˈshit \ˈbäks\] Slang. An ambulance, particularly one with a notorious history of being poor quality or generally non-working. 
Posted by raisingladders on July 1, 2009 • Filed under: DC Fire, DCFD, DCFEMS, EMS, Fire Academy, Firehouse Life