Hey ya’ll!
It’s me again! Hope you all are doing well, and folks in your family circle are healthy, and if not, I am praying for those who are sick. It’s been a crazy year and a half, hasn’t it?
It’s been rather busy at the Fire Department lately. Of course, we have had an influx of calls on folks who are ill. Some with COVID, some with other illnesses, and some, just sick. It always touches my heart when we make calls on folks who are truly sick and are just worn out from it. I say many a prayer each night when I lay down in my bunk at night to try and catch some shuteye.
For those of you who follow along with me, know that at my Department, we have our own fleet of Ambulances and we make a lot of medical calls each day. We are all cross-trained as at least EMT-Basics and we can all help on any call.
Because of that, the Truck or Engine company always responds with the Ambulance on all our medical calls to help. A lot of folks don’t realize we respond that way and look confused when we all march into their house as a group. They almost always respond with, “Ya’ll brought an army didnt’ ya?”, or “We called for an ambulance, not a Firetruck!” or, “My goodness, there’s a lot of you!” I get tickled sometimes by their responses.
On a lot of calls we make, it’s actually a blessing there are a few extra hands and strong backs to lift patients and move them, or extra hands to work a full arrest. We pride ourselves at being very good at what we do, and we do have a lot of very good Firefighters and Paramedics. Best in the area in my opinion, but I’m biased I suppose.
As a Fire Truck Driver, I have the best seat in the house in all regards, as far as I’m concerned. I am responsible for getting my crew to each call safely and with a quickness, and back to the station safely after the call is all over. Whether it be a medical call where we respond with the Ambulance to assist them, or a Fire call, or an MVC (motor vehicle crash) or anything else they may call us for, that’s my job, and I LOVE IT!
Sometimes, I get a few long stares on the way by other motorist, when they realize a ‘woman’ is driving that Truck! The other day we made a medical call to an elderly couple’s house. When we got inside to treat the gentelman’s wife, he turned to me and said, “You’re the one driving that big ole truck!?” I told him, yes I was, and he just couldn’t believe it, lol.
I’m not sure why, but ever since I was a young girl, I have ALWAYS wanted to ride the biggest horses, and drive the big trucks…..of ANY kind.
My Daddy drove a lot of big trucks in his lifetime, and he would take me with him occasionally. I guess maybe that’s where my love of it first started. As a farm girl, of course, I started driving way before I was old enough to be out on the road. I drove in the fields and around the house for years before I was old enough to go get my Driver’s license.
Driving a 12′ high, 38′ long Fire Truck with a 78’+ ladder on the top tends to give you a bit of an adrenaline rush. Kind of like the adrenaline rush of going in to a burning building, just different, lol. I love coming to work every day! And who wouldn’t want that, right!?
So, driving the Fire Truck is the fun part of it all, but with it comes great responsibility. I take that responsibility very seriously.
Every morning, at the beginning of my shift, the first order of business is to get with the off-going Driver to find out what happened the last 24 hours. How many calls were made, sometimes the nature of the call, what if anything was used, and if there is anything missing or broken. Also, usually general information about the station or department as a whole; what’s happening or what is to come.
After I relieve the off-going driver of his responsibilities, I am officially responsible for everything until the next Driver comes in to relieve me in 24 hours.
To get the day started, of course, COFFEE!!!
After the first cup of JOE, I check in the truck personally. We have a computer program we use that I can pull up right on my smart phone that has the check-in log on it. I go through each compartment and put my eyes/hands on each item, then mark it there/missing/broken etc. We have several pieces of powered equipment on the truck which has to be checked in as well. We check the gas level, oil level, and start and run them to be sure they are functioning correctly. On a scene, when you really need a tool, is not the time to figure out it won’t start, won’t stay running, or is out of fuel or low oil. If anything like that happens, it’s on ME!
We also have several tools and equipment that are battery powered. I make sure all batteries are charged and ready to go. Again, you don’t want to look incompetent by a crew member needing a tool and it won’t function because the batteries are dead, or their radio dies while they are inside of a fire and we lose communication with them. It could get someone seriously injured or killed!
Saturdays are ‘Equipment wash day’, but if the truck and/or ambulance is dirty, we wash it….unless it is raining, then we will wait until the rain moves out and then shine-er-up! Everything lasts longer if it’s kept clean, whether it’s the truck itself, tools, or life-saving equipment we carry.
Each crew member is responsible for checking in their own gear, air pack and radio, BUT, I also like to check the radios and packs to be sure they have sufficient air, in case for some reason it leaked and no one realized it. It’s more for my own piece of mind I suppose to know my guys have what they need to do their job when adrenaline is at it’s peak at a fire or a bad extrication.
One thing that a lot of folks don’t really think about, or don’t make a priority sometimes, is the water cooler. I get it, we don’t use it on 90% of our calls, but that 10% of bad fires or wrecks or any other call you’re working your booty off and sweatin’ like a waterfall, you don’t want to drink stale, warm water to try and refresh and rehab! So, the water cooler is a top priority of mine.
I have earned the name ‘MOM’ here at the department. I have earned this name in the terms of endearment for sure, and I proudly wear that name around here. After all, I am older than most of these knuckleheads around here. But, also, they know I will do all I can to take care of them……and I will!
I am proud of the respect I have earned over the years. When I was looking to get hired almost 18 years ago, I was told by another Firefighter (from another department), that because I was a woman coming into a male dominated career field, I would have to prove myself to have full acceptance. I think I have accomplished that, and he was right! But, you know, I really don’t blame them for being sceptics. I mean, they have to rely on me to be able to drag their butts out if they go down. It’s not a male/female thing really…..it’s a life or death thing. And let’s face it, most men are typically stronger than females. Not all, but most! It’s the way GOD made us!
I consider myself my Lieutenant’s left arm and hand. I am his reliable source for whatever he needs. My goal is to make sure he has whatever he needs to complete his tasks. Him and I a lot of times discuss our ‘plan’ on the way to the scene. Then, when we actually show up and see exactly what we have, decide if we will follow through, or change that plan in an instant. I try to be that reminder to take the steps for safety before they leave the truck, (ie: safety vest, face mask, etc) because like I mentioned before, when the adrenaline kicks in, and there is a hundred different things to be thinking about, it’s easy for them to forget little things that can make a big difference.
I also try to be his own ‘Safety Officer’ on scenes where he cannot be the eyes outside of a building because he’s busy with his Firefighter trying to put out the fire inside. We train to read smoke and building safety, and I can view those things outside while I’m operating the truck.
My Lieutenant is very open to suggestions on scene, which is a great thing for all of us. He’s not against his Driver and/or Firefighter making suggestions about maybe something he hadn’t thought of that would be very beneficial to all involved. Extra hands, eyes and minds are a great benefit for a company.
Being a Driver is a great position on the Fire Department, and one I am very proud of. Yes, it’s fun to drive a big truck fast and blare the horns and sirens, but it’s a position you can take great pride in. My career goal is to the best Driver I can possibly be, and have ANY Lieutenant on the Department say, ” I would LOVE to have you as my Driver!” That is the greatest compliment that could be given. I will continue, until the end of my career, striving for that EVERY DAY!
I would love to hear from you with comments and/or questions. Please contact me and send me your comments, questions, or suggestions on what you would like me to talk about!!
Until next time! Be Safe and be Blessed!