A Night Off

Finally, we have some time off. Finished up class today and our afternoon conference with the Chief was canceled, leaving us with the afternoon AND Sunday off. Thirty-six hours of freedom. What am I doing with it? Taking it easy. A lot of the guys went down to Octoberfest again tonight, but I'm too tired for it. As a result, I'm catching up on a few things and updating this blog. I'll probably be more productive tomorrow, but we'll see.

A recap of the last few days:

Today was a big day. After taking the ARFF class for six days a week since we arrived, we finally had our last day. I received my certificate of successful completion after taking my final exam today, though I will have to wait several weeks to hear if I passed my IFSAC test and to complete the required aircraft familiarization on the Ice before I'll get the certification that counts.

Yesterday (Friday) was a ton of fun. We had our final burns, and had a blast. They essentially set the entire prop on fire and let us use the trucks to suppress the exterior fire and left us with an interior team to make entry, extinguish, and rescue a dummy.

Our first run had some issues. I took Red 1, and definitely put it in the wrong spot. Me being on the wrong channel on the radio did not make this any easier. The rest of our first evolution had some other issues, mostly with coordination and figuring out what we were actually doing (We were the first group to go, so we were the guinea pigs.) but was so-so for a first run.

After all the groups went through once, we were given a lecture by our instructors, and we went at it again.

The second time around, things went much smoother, with one fluke exception. We controlled the exterior fire with no issues, the rescue team made entry with no issue, and the line (myself on the pipe) made it up and coiled up line with no issues. As I opened up the pipe and started hitting the fire in the cabin, a never before seen fluke occurred. At each entrance there is a emergency shut off button the stops the flow of propane to the simulator. It is protected by a steel cover. Normally this would be sufficient, but the ladder we used to make entry with happened to get snagged by the line and leaned to the side. As it leaned to the side, it happened to be set at the perfect angle to slide in under the cover and hit the shut off. This left me a little surprised (and disappointed) when I started hitting the fire and it really started to just vanish. Aside from that (any my lack of getting some decent heat), the evolution went smoothly. And who said truck work (an errant ladder) doesn't put out fire?

By the time we got to the third and final run through, we were really starting to get the hang of this. Exterior ops went well, and then we went in. I was on the rescue team this time, and gladly got ahead of the line. Since the emergency shut off had not been hit, it was at least moderately warm. I think they were out for revenge for our previous fluke of fire control, and had left us a nice present in the middle of the cabin.

The rows of seats in the simulator are all made of metal and are movable. As far as I could tell, all of the other groups had most of these movable seats on the sides and with little obstruction in the aisle. For us, however, they had stacked every single movable seat in the middle of the cabin to happily obstruct our way.

After doing some chucking around of these benches (and thinking to myself that this would be a great place to hide a dummy), we finally made our way past the mess. After searching all the way to the rear of the cabin, I still hadn't found the dummy. So I made my way back and started chucking around some more of these benches. Lo and behold, right where I'd been before was the dummy, with just his head poking out from under a bench. Some more chucking and a good drag by my rescue associate, and we were done. We were pretty happy about that and pumped about getting it done right.

That sums up our final burn day. By the end, everyone was coming together pretty well and things were getting to where they should be. Even the old man was pleased with our performance.

Going back another day, briefly, we did a lot of practical evolutions again. Mostly working with handlines, practicing rescue in a Metroliner (that thing is miserable), and some turret work. Below is a quick video I shot riding shotgun in Red 2 (the four axle monster). You may not be able to tell, but driving and operating the turret at the same time is far more difficult than you would think. Enjoy.

In other news, while the group has really come together well in the last week and a half, I'm starting to notice some cracks forming. People definitely have some different opinions about what is supposed to be happening, and I think some nerves are getting slightly frayed. This doesn't surprise me since we have really been spending a lot of time together. I definitely need some time to myself again, and will probably just wander off (as I'm apparently known to do) tomorrow and explore the city.

Lastly, we received our shift assignments. I'm joining "A" shift on the Ice. I'm fortunate to keep both the Captain and LT from our class as my shift officers, as they have a lot they can teach me.

Now, to study my technical publications for the aircraft we'll be seeing and to finally sack out.

Catch you all later.

Oshkosh T1500

That's a picture of my new favorite ride in the world. It's the Oshkosh T1500 ARFF vehicle. It's equipped with a turret and 1500 gallons of water. It drives like a champ and is a blast to use.

As you might be able to guess, I had the opportunity to take this vehicle out for a spin today. Although we didn't really do much with it other than run around a small obstacle course and hit some targets with the turret, I had a blast. I managed to impress the instructor and one of the other guys riding up in the cab with my driving, which made it even better. It felt a lot like tillering to me, except I could finally turn the wheel in the right direction.

Overall, she handles very well and is a ton of fun to drive. We also had the opportunity to take out a much newer model ARFF truck, but I did not have as much fun in it. It had lots of buttons and automatic features, but didn't feel like you were actually a part of the unit. Driving it felt like a game and didn't feel real. This coupled with the plastic new car smell it had kind of ruined it for me.

Maybe I'm just used to using old, beat up equipment. Maybe I'm just more comfortable with something that's old and battle worn. Either way, as long as it works without some fancy gadget malfunctioning, I'm pretty happy.

We're doing a lot of burns tomorrow. I'll try to get some pictures. I'm hoping I get a chance to take the old Oshkosh for a spin again soon.

Of Cockpits and Kiwis

A quick recap from the last few days:

Spent the entire day Saturday in class learning about aircraft (something that's a little redundant for me so not really the most exciting thing). The high point of class was getting the chance to walk through and tour many different aircraft over at DEN. We had the opportunity to walk through and open every door and hatch on a retired Fedex 727. (Yes, they do still exist. This one was from 1952 and was retired in 2007.) Also, we were able to take a look at a Frontier A318, a United A318, and a United 757. Getting the chance to crawl around all of these was thoroughly enjoyable. I got plenty of pics, but the internet here is being disagreeable so I can't upload them right now.

Following the day at work, most of the class including myself went downtown for steak dinners (I love my per diem.) and giant mug beer at Octoberfest.

At Octoberfest, I had the opportunity to watch one of our Kiwis and a former football player battle it out American Gladiator style on an elevated, narrow beam with the big foam sticks. The Kiwi added a little bit of flavor by doing some kind of native battle/warrior/cry. I managed to get it on video, but it's not uploading right now, either. In the end, the Americans lost to the Kiwis, though by 2-1 both times. We're okay with this, as we plan to give them a run for their money at rugby on the ice.

Sunday was a nice, quiet day. Didn't really do much except rest up, get some studying and other paperwork done so I would be ready for Monday. My productivity lasted about two hours before I dozed off.

Today (It's Monday, right?) we went back for another day of class. There was less lecture today and some more wandering around the airfield and fireballs. Aside from being startled by the cat that resides at the training academy as it jumped up in my face and the brief snow, there weren't really a lot of surprises.

We did get a chance to look around one of the airport's firehouses, though. We got the chance to take a look at the giant four axled monster ARFF rig that we'll actually be getting to drive around in a few days. I'm looking forward to hopefully not running over something by accident.

Past that, I actually did catch up on a few things tonight. Went back to the now imfamous Night Shift Saloon for dinner as the hotel restaurant was packed. I didn't mind the good food and cheap beer. Also, we're regarded as some kind of heroes over there. Not sure if it's because we're the youngest people that have been in there in twenty years or the fact that they all think we're nuts for going to the Ice. Either way, they keep buying us coondogs and are always friendly. We're hoping we get our picture up in there before we leave.

And that's all I have time for today. Need to get some sleep before I wake up to nap in class. Hopefully some more pics soon. Also, I'm on the Ice in about 12 days. Crazy.

For those of you waiting to hear about the mini adventure last night, I won't keep you waiting.

On the trip back to the hotel from the airport, I met the two Washingtonians and the Californian. Once we reached the hotel, we all decided to go out and get something to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. Since we had no other transportation, we all decided to share a cab. $26 and over an hour later (the cab was far from prompt), we finally arrived at our destination.

We enjoyed a good meal over at the restaurant and some local beer. I am now a fan of Alaskan Amber, something you don't find back east.

After dinner, since we were in a "town center" type mall, we decided to explore some. We ended up wandering into a REI and stared at lots of toys that none of us bought. For the first time, however, when someone asked us about where we were going they were not left standing there in awe, confusion, or some form of dumbfoundedness. Apparently we weren't the first ones to come in there looking for last minute supplies. However, they did keep wishing us luck on our trip "up there".

After some conversation with the employees, we were even able to obtain the directions to the nearest light rail station (since none of us had any patience to wait for another cab or pay for it). After a moderate walk to the nearest station, we hopped on the first train that came in, though we had no clue which direction we needed to go in.

After consulting the map on the train (which showed the stops and not the landmarks), we decided that we couldn't really be all that far from the hotel and got off after a few stops. We then proceeded to wander in the correct direction, though we were unable to spot our hotel.

After walking for a while, we finally stopped in a random hotel to ask for directions. We then discovered that we were a mere ten minutes away. By car.

After considering our options, someone called our hotel and attempted to get their shuttle to come pick us up. Following a brief conversation with someone, we were informed that our shuttle would not come pick us up unless we first took the shuttle at the hotel we were standing at to the airport to meet the shuttle from our hotel.

A quick consideration of the facts made the decision easy. We would walk the five miles back to the hotel instead of taking two hours and several American dollars to get back.

So, a long, long, long walk later, we finally arrived back at our hotel. I'd like to say that something ridiculous happened during that time, but aside from amusing conversation, we did little else of note.

After getting back to the hotel, we finally figured out where the train station was, and have since determined to not screw up and have to walk back again. The above picture is the view of a train just outside the station from my hotel room.


In other news, we had our first day of actual work today. I am officially an employee of the company now, with health insurance and a 401k.

The first day of ARFF training was not particularly exciting. We did a fair amount of book work which left us all struggling to stay awake. As the afternoon approached, we did start to have some more fun. We were given sets of the shiny silver proximity gear that is sometimes issued to airport firefighters. It mostly fits and doesn't even smell that bad.

The rest of the afternoon gave us a "confidence maze". This is nothing more than your standard makeshift fire department maze that you wander through blacked out. The only really challenging part was a wooden box with wires strung out in every direction designed to trap you. Overall it was a good time.

Tomorrow we actually get to do some walkthroughs of aircraft which should be pretty fun. I know I'm looking forward to it. I'll see if I can't get some pictures for my two loyal followers.

Nightlife with a bunch of firefighters can prove interesting. Every night after class, we all need to eat. The nearest local eatery is a small hole in the wall dive bar that seems to love us. It goes by the name of the "Night Shift Saloon".

There food doesn't sound all that exciting, but is actually incredibly tasty. Also, since it is a bar, I have had the opportunity to discover some new beers. Tonight I am able to say that both Fat Tire and Buffalo Gold are tasty beers that get my recommendation.

Finally, since the bar seems to be so honored that soon to be Antarctic firefighters have now made it a temporary home, they have decided to give us the house specialty for free.

The house specialty is known as "Coondog". It is raspberry brandy and Crown Royal and goes down frighteningly smooth. Apparently the bar record is twenty-four Coondogs in a night. I have a feeling that the record may be challenged by someone on our last night in the country.

That's all I have time for today. I'm sure I'll come up with another good story or two by the next time I post. In the mean time, I'm going to get some sleep before my 0600 wake up call.

Leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again...

So today was the big day. After staying up into the wee hours of the morning enjoying some priceless final moments with friends and packing, I was able to finally get to sleep. At 0400.

The resultant process of waking up was less than desirable. Getting up at 0730 and greeting an unusual cool and rainy Maryland day is far from ideal. Even so, I was able to make it to the airport courtesy of a ride from the family. It was probably a less than spectacular farewell as I was about ready to fall asleep standing, but it will have to suffice.

The flight out of BWI to DFW was fairly unexciting. I was able to manage to secure an exit row seat, so I enjoyed added legroom as I dozed.

We were greeted at DFW to a pouring rain. That struck me as odd, as for some reason I didn't believe it rained in Texas.

A brief layover and another MD-80 later, we were in the air headed for DEN. It was a mostly uneventful flight except for a slightly intoxicated crazy lady a few rows ahead. She provided some mild entertainment at the end of the flight.

When we arrived in DEN, I was a little concerned at the bleak expanse of nothing that I saw during the approach. I became worried that the big Colorado city was little more than a farce. I have since been relieved of that concern after a long drive in DC like traffic through the sprawling expanse of the mile high city.

As a brief side note, I would like to state that DEN has what I now consider to be the worst baggage handling system that I have seen yet. The terminals are sprawling and spread out, connected only by trains. As a result, when your flight arrives at one far end of the airport, you make your way to the baggage claim (on the absolute opposite end of the airport) far faster than your baggage. It took nearly a half hour before our bags reached the carousel. Far from ideal in my humble opinion.

Anyways, I met up with the Red Lion shuttle outside. Didn't even have to wait too long which was wonderful. I wasn't the only one in the van, and as it turned out, the other three passengers were also contract firefighters. One was a Californian and the other two hailed from Washington. We chatted on the way back to the hotel and I was relieved to find them all easygoing.

Once we finally made it to the hotel, I was pleased to find that they have us all set up in very nice single rooms. I think the next twelve nights will be very comfortable.

That's all I have time for today. I need to get up early in the morning for the first real day of work. I do have one more story from today that some might find amusing, but I'll save it for the next post.

Lastly, for those of you who remember me mentioning the "I'm an idiot for doing this" light in the corner of my eye, it did flicker briefly. I don't think it will stay on, though. As much as I'm missing some of you back home, I'm already having a great time.

Humble Beginnings

Well, I finally have a blog up and running. Not too much detail to go into at this point, but I'm sure more will come shortly.

I've been running around lately getting everything ready in preparation for the first leg to Denver. It's involved lots of packing, lots of shopping, and sinking an inordinate amount of money into things that I'm hoping I'll be able to put to good use.

Also, I've been trying to see off as many people as possible. Not an easy task when you find out how many people will actually miss you. My social schedule has never been this busy before.

Briefly, I'd like to try and give a quick overview of my next few weeks. First, I leave Thursday morning for Denver. Then, roughly two weeks there getting aircraft rescue firefighter training and orientation with "The Company". After that, it's a long flight through LA to Sydney to Christchurch, New Zealand. A few days after that I'll hop a flight down to my new home. And then...we'll see.