Qualified… For Now

Started this morning at fifteen of five o’clock in the morning due to an EMS call. Due to the fact we transported I didn’t get a chance to go back to sleep. I knew I would be tired during training today because I had only slept for about three hours.

I picked up Ross and Melcher at Ace and we headed down to the shooting range in Clarkston. Today is the first day we are doing any shooting. We started with some shorter distances. My very first shot was at five yards. I hit the small “X” in the middle of the target. I thought I should call it a day because it couldn’t get better than that. But I still had to keep shooting.

As the day went along the targets were moved back more and more. Finally ended up at twenty-five yards. My first ten shots at twenty-five yards were bad. I was all over the place only hitting the target four times. Jimmy worked with me and had me work on my trigger pull. That made a big difference.

We spent some time doing some weak-handed shooting. I was doing very well left handed leaving a decent grouping at seven yards.

The last thing we did was shoot a practice qualification round. It involved fifty round at distances between three and twenty-five yards. I was doing really well. I ended up shooting the third best in the class. I got four hundred and six points out of five hundred. That was good.

When we were done shooting we headed home. I was tired but I stayed up for a while watching some TV to include COPS. I talked to Ryan for a while on the phone. He was in Seattle and had seen Russell. He heard about the boyfriend. But I told him the whole story to include the fact we are not together anymore.

Movie Night at the Station

Today we had Building Construction training at the station. That lasted a good portion of the afternoon between calls that we had to go on. For dinner we had “Breakfast for Dinner”. It was very good stuff.

Later on we watched the movie Shooter with Mark Wahlberg. It is about a sniper who was set up as an executioner, but he had an FBI agent who believed that something was going on and believed that Wahlberg was not guilty.

We ran several calls through out the evening, but they all turned out to be non-transports.

Almost Threw Up

It was a pretty busy day starting out with EMS rounds at the hospital. It was packed there and I had a hard time finding parking. The rounds went pretty fast. Only about an hour. We went over several cases and had a topic of discussion. It was pretty much a standard EMS rounds.

I hit lunch and then went back to the station for the Table Top exercise. We had a building that was on fire and as things went along we needed to work on setting up command. It was a good training.

After that was done I went home and started to get ready for the academy. Tonight the Sheriff came and we went on a run. I was hurting more than normal during the run. I don’t know if it was the air or what, but I felt like I was going to throw up at the end of the run. I don’t normally feel like that. I was sweating a lot after it was done as well.

A New Run Starts Today

I got up this morning to do my workout for the next Body for Life run. For the next twelve weeks I am going to be eating right and working out. My goal is still out there. In the next twelve weeks I would like to lose thirty pounds. That is ten pounds a month. It is very doable. That is what I have averaged over my last many runs.

After work I went to Safeway to stock up on food that I need for my next run. I was getting low on food in general. I also found many other deals where I stocked up on several longer terms things like peanut butter and more.

I was going to go to training but while I was there a transfer came out. I said that I would do it. Blake and I ended up going to Spokane. I have been building a lot of overtime this month. It will help me get back on track with my finances.

When I completed the transfer I had to wash the ambulance before I went to Colfax for the Coroner’s training. Cy helped me dry the ambulance. A. Wilcox stopped in as well. He said he didn’t mean to forget about be during Clark’s going away party. He explained what happened. He never really said sorry but I think that is what he was getting at.

I made it to Colfax for training. I got the photos for the ID cards. I also got the information for the business cards for the new Deputy Coroners. We went over some cases and I got a half rack of Diet Pepsi from Anna for my birthday. This meeting was supposed to happen on my birthday, but it kept getting cancelled due to the weather.

Final Day With the Whole Shift

Today was the final day with the whole shift together. The plan for dinner tonight was home-made pizza’s, to include the “Manza”. Which is a deep dish full of meat.

We knocked out the rig checks. I got some time on the PL. Then we made breakfast. I brought in some cinnamon rolls and bacon. We had a huge breakfast and I was stuffed after eating.

I spent a fair amount of the afternoon laying on my bed and watching TV. I was a little on the tired side and I just wanted to relax.

Dinner was very good. The pizza’s were very good and everyone ate until we were all stuffed!

Transfer Rather than Training

I was going to be going to training this afternoon with the fire department. Just before training I was going to get some lunch at Dairy Queen. It was while I was there that the tones went out for a transfer.

I called in and was assigned the transfer. Keeton ended up going with me. He made me do the patient care. I really didn’t mind it so much, it is just the way he uses his seniority to make me do the things he doesn’t want to do. It makes me made because no everyone is like that.

We had lunch at Rocky’s. I called Ryan and he met up with us there. The pizza was good as always.

When I got back I went home and watched some TV. I just enjoyed my night. I have class in the morning so I didn’t stay up too late.

Pretty Tired

This morning the only task we were assigned was to do some building inspections. But we had some calls happen. It started out with a call towards Palouse. But that was cancelled. So we came back and started to do some inspections. We got a couple knocked out, but before we started the third we got another call. So we ran off to campus where the call was.

Later in the evening I got a call from KStew about softball for this coming summer. He said he wants to get together and remain on a team together. But there was confusion about my status. That was the last piece of the puzzle. Now that KStew is planning on coming back I know what my team will be all about. So now I have a decision to make.

I went to bed sort of early because I was tired. About thirty minutes after I went to bed there was a loud bang. It was the guys playing some more jokes on everyone. I didn’t get up because I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction. I think that depending on the results they get from me the more or less I will get it from them.

It really didn’t bother me so much. I could hear them down the hall giggling and doing the same thing to the others guys as well.

Christmas Break is Over

Today I was pounding through the final testcases for the NU/LP interface. Those are nearly done. While doing that we got a tone for all available reserves and career to help with a snow detail. It turns out we had to clear all the snow from the roof at station thirty-one. There was seriously tons of snow and water on the roof in all. We shoveled for hours. It was back breaking labor.

I left around four to go home and get ready for the academy. I did some studying of my notes from the previous classes. Ross and Melcher carpooled with me to class. It was a short class started an hour late and ending an hour early.

When I got home I did the final testcases and have them ready to get sent off tomorrow. I am excited to have all this completed.

OT Shift

I knew with the snow that fell last night that I would be called for an OT shift because I was very high up the list. As I sat in my office doing some testcases the phone rang. It was the OT shift I was expecting. I took it and worked out at the Deuce.

It was a pretty slow day. We started with a call that due to the snow on the road took us a while to get to because of the fact we had to go around to a different road to get to the scene. Then the engine got stuck due to the snow and we had to get a plow and a gravel truck up there to help with it.

As the day went on I worked on my testcases. We did get one more call later on in the evening, but overall it was a quiet night.

We watched Tropic Thunder at the station. When it was over we took that movie and the others ones back to Safeway because they were due at midnight. I got some pie for everyone to have for dessert.

Ten OT Hours

The plans of the day were simple. Go to the Cougar Basketball game. But I did more than just that. I got home from the fire department. I kept my uniform because I was going to have to go to the Deuce to head to the basketball game and I didn’t want to drive all the way down town just for the uniform later on.

When I got home I did some plowing of the driveway and sidewalk. It was pretty cold outside while I was doing that. A neighbor asked if I could do a portion of her driveway where the road plow had deposited some heavy snow chunks.

I went to the Dodge dealer to get my new antenna for my rig. The old one was slightly damaged. I also found out how I could fix it from being unpluged. The coax cable that goes from the radio to the antenna was unplugged and I had to plug it in, but the area where it was unplugged was too tight to get most tools, let alone my hands in. I also found out the traction control that my ought-seven Durango had was also in the ought-five and ought-six, but not the ought-four. So I am thinking about upgrading to an ought-five. But I just don’t know if I want to take on the new debt load. I may wait it out a little bit until the prices get a little better.

I went home and got the antenna on my rig fixed and now I have a radio that gets more than ZFun. I started to get ready for the basketball game. I wanted to get to the station early and get the van started, warmed up, and the snow taken care of.

I met up with Turpin, Robinson, Walker, and Pauly down at the Deuce and we headed to Beasley. The first half of the game between the Cougs and Huskies was good. We lead most of the way, but went into half down two points. That is as close as it would get. Coming out of the first half we couldn’t score and they couldn’t miss. The Cougs really let it get out of hand and we ended up losing by around twenty points.

After the game we were heading back and the tones went out for a backfill of the station. I called in on that. I went to station one and worked there for five hours while the guys did a transfer to Spokane.

John was doing an OT shift so he made dinner for everyone and invited me to have some. It was homemade lasagna, his wife made it. It was good. We also had garlic bread. After dinner I helped to clean up and I did the hand dishes, but there wasn’t much to do.

John, Chia, and I played some poker for about four hours. We had a lot of fun making fun of each other and pushing money around. At the end of the night John was even, I was up six bucks and Chia was down six.

Practical Jokesters

This morning we spent time dealing with the heavy snowfall with winds. We went to several utility problems around the town. We were done with that around eleven o’clock. Young and I went to the hospital to get stock meds and then to the store for dinner items. Tonight was “dip night”. That consisted of making several different kinds of dips. I made two of mine. Chili-Phily and the bean dip with Catalina. Both were good.

After dinner we went back to the store to get a couple movies and I bought some ice cream. As we were leaving one of the calls I didn’t turn off the emergency lights. I actually hit the button, but they didn’t go off. I didn’t notice that fact. I was reminded by the guys in the engine as we were driving down the road going code, on accident. So I bought ice cream for the error.

After we watch one of the movies we started on a second one, but I was tired form the last couple days with little sleep. So I went to bed. Shortly after going to bed I fell asleep. I was woken up by waterdrops hitting me in the fact. I remember says “very funny guys” as I was getting up. But no one was in the room. I started to think there was a leak in the roof. But that wasn’t the case. As I inspected the ceiling tiles closely I found the end of a catheter in one of the tiles. The guys had set me up.

I went out to the kitchen where they were all watching the movie. I started to tell them what happened as I was woken up. They were laughing pretty hard.

A Review of Ought-Eight

Jan – Body for Life – While I was researching that [number of calories in a Big Mac] I hit upon (I should say hit BACK upon) the Body for Life site. I am going to give their twelve week program a try that combines weight training, cardio, and nutrition into a program that lasts twelve week. That is eighty-four days.

Feb – NU Sold to MH – Today was the day I was going to get fired from NU. But it was one where I was told I would be fired. It was more of a formality than anything. They had to “terminate” everyone to close out the books. Then start the new company. I was hired back on.

Mar – Truck Traded for a Durango – I test drove two of the Durangos. One was a Ought-Seven and one was an Ought-Three. I like the color and seats of the Ought-Three. Plus the cab reminded my of the look and feel of the old Dakota. But the Ought-Seven was nicer over all, had many less miles and some other things I just couldn’t pass up. Plus it wasn’t a ton more than the older Durango.

Apr – Last Radio Show… Ever – This last semester or two the show has suffered from my lack of time preparing for the topics, getting guests, and whatnot. I don’t have the fire in my gut like I did. I just don’t have things to talk about like I did at one time. … I decided it was time to pull the plug on the show.

May – Multiple Softball Tournaments – Brandon came to the camp site and I got to see him for the first time a while. He got his uniform from Kelly and went to put it on. The team went to do some warm up hitting. I didn’t do so hot there. Brandon was crushing the ball as normal for him.

Jun – Snow and Fire in June – I opened the door and saw snow. I thought to myself “Am I more shocked over the fire or the snow?”. Then I looked up and saw heavy brown smoke coming from the south-east area behind my house. On the way to the station the guys leaving Station Two quickly called or a second alarm. I drove by the scene and saw the whole front of the building involved in fire.

Jul – Pullman Fire Temp Full-Time – I went to Heston’s office and said I that I am going to take it. He shook my hand and we scheduled my first day to be Monday of next week. I am going to only have three more shifts as a reserve. I am sad about that. I am going to miss working with those guys. I am now in a little bit of a haze as this is a big event in my life and I have a lot to think about now.

Aug – Playing in Nationals for Softball – We didn’t score enough runs and lost the game ending our hopes at the Western ASA D-league Nationals. It was fun to be here and I have my t-shirt to show for it.

Sep – Passed my Physical Test for Sheriff’s Reserves – I crossed the finish line in thirteen minutes and fifty-eight seconds. That was so huge. I passed the test. It felt great. I finally did it. We had some rest, then we had to run a sprint. That was seventy-one seconds for three-hundred and thirty yards. I knew I could do that without a problem.

Oct – I am a Sheriff’s Reserve – The first day of class I got a chance to meet up with some of the other students. We had the Sheriff tell us about ethics and what he expects from us. It was mainly a day of introductions and laying some of the groundwork of the academy. I am excited for the academy to get over with so I don’t have to worry about getting days off from work and then I can go out on the road and work on becoming First-Class solo patrol.

Nov – Met a Man – When the game was done I met up with Gunnar. We have been e-mailing back and forth the last two days and decided that we wanted to watch the movie Scream. So he called me up. We met at Starbucks. We sat there talking for a while. He is working on a project and he told me a little about what he is doing.

Dec – Treating Myself Well – I don’t usually splurge in the way I did over the last week. I have spent thousands of dollars on a new Tempurpeadic Rhapsody bed, a fifty-eight inch plasma TV, a new TV stand, and a new Sprint Touch Pro cell phone.

Looking back over the year some months I had a hard time picking out one thing because several things could have been listed as big events for me. But if I had to pick out three major things from the year I would say being a Pullman Fire Temp, a Sheriff’s Reserve, and making it to Nationals in Softball were the real big events.

Happy New Year

I am working at Pullman Fire today for New Years Eve. That is okay, because I had no other plans for the day.

We didn’t have a lot going on during the day, but in the evening we ended up getting called out to a couple people. One call came in around three in the morning. It was someone who was not very cooperative. Those are some of the calls I like to deal with. I was on the engine, but I was told to go with the ambulance because the captain wanted me in the back. I suppose that was to make sure that if things went bad I would be there to help deal with the situation.

Second Twenty-Four

The day started out sort of bad when we got called to a car fire. I was driving. On the way we were told to park behind the other ambulance. As I got to the scene I saw a cop car and I went past it and parked near the other ambulance but on a different part of the road. The Lt yelled and told me to move it behind the other ambulance. The car fire was out. We just cut off the hood and put more water on it.

After it was done he asked me why I didn’t follow his directions. I told him the cop car appeared to be in the way until I was past it. He said in the future I need to slow down and take a better look because I cost time by having to move the ambulance.

We ran on a couple more calls through out the night including a fire sprinkler going off in someones apartment. I used a tool to stop the flow of water, but I got soaking wet in the process.

We all watched Superbad following our dinner. That movie was pretty darn funny.

Repaying the Twenty-Four

I had someone cover for me on Christmas Eve so I could stay in Renton. Now I am repaying it back.

Today I did the rig check on Engine Thirty-Three. I ran all the tools and did the fluid checks. I also helped to wash all the rigs and then we went through the kitchen and reorganized everything.

We ran one call all day and it was a fire alarm. Overall it was a quiet night.

Busy Day Ends Busy Week

This week has been a busy one at work. We have worked a lot of calls. Today would be no different. We started with a structure fire. I was able to save a three-legged cat. It was a small house, small-ish fire. But I was able to find the cat and take him out to the owner. That was great. We spent more time doing more calls through out the day and evening.

I went to Safeway towards the end of the night and bought some ice cream for everyone to share. I had BKoe come and have some with us.

IC on Second Fatal Wreck

I was down in Colfax for my reserve class. I was sitting in Ross’ truck waiting for class to start. I was reading my notes for the test we had coming up. A phone call came in. I looked and saw it was Jessie. I was going to give her a hard time when I answered it because I figured she was running late. But I didn’t.

She said that someone spun out in front of her, she T-Boned them. She said to get the ambulance and rescue and get up there now. I ran to Colfax fire. I jumped in the first out ambulance and we went to the scene.

It wasn’t long after we were en route that we were getting updates. I wasn’t clear whether we had no injuries with all the patients, or one non-injured with others being injured. But I did get notified that there was one death. I started to feel really horrible for Jessie.

When we got to the scene I set up command and made sure our resources were coming. I had two people, including myself, check on the deceased to make sure. We got everyone transported and then I went back to Colfax so I could get to class.

We had Anderson doing the teaching. The class went by fast. We got through everything shortly after the two o’clock hour. So we got out of class early.

I got back to Pullman and we were busy there. I got on an ambulance and went to the hospital so Blake could finish one of his reports. But then we started to get more calls. It was a very busy day.

We had a very good dinner together. We ran calls together. Blake bought everyone a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. It was a stressful and long day.

Criminal Procedures

I went to the store this morning to get some donuts for the class. I also bought some of the fire department. I saw Malakowski at Dissmores. He ended up buying the donuts for the class. I dropped off the donuts at the fire station and got in with Ross to go the class.

The class was good today, but towards the end I was starting to get really tired. I was dragging for the last couple hours of the class.

After the class was done I got back to the station and I went to get some dinner with Blake. We were just getting back when I heard BKoe say he was arresting the “female half”. Within seconds another cop was calling for an ambulance. After getting there I gave BKoe a hard time about being a bully.

I had one more call around two in the morning. It was a night without a lot of sleep.

No Rest!

Started this morning hitting the floor running. I was doing rig checks and other related work around the fire station. I had some time to sit at lunch and then it was off to the races with training then a call then more training.

I got back to the station in time to go to training for the SO. We ended up having to do two-hundred-and-twenty-five push-ups because people didn’t know how to spell the Sheriff’s last name.

When class was done I got to the station grabbed some dinner and did the dishes that needed to be done. I just sat down to do some stuff on the computer when another call came in. Following that call we had another. I finally was able to get to bed around two in the morning. It was just a crazy busy day.

Nine Plus Hours of OT

Today I was working on my stuff for NU. Around lunch time I heard the tones go off for a transfer to Colfax. I figured I could take that one. But before I knew it we had two transfers. I also had plans to go see an Aspen at the Wysup. But with doing both transfers I was butting up to the time where I needed to be set up for my CPR class this evening.

I went to the dealership and took a quick look. I liked what I saw at first, but I have some reservations. Then I got some dinner followed by my CPR class. I had a pretty good group of guys. They were pretty lively and asked a lot of questions. That really helped the class move along. I enjoyed doing that class and got some positive feedback.

Search Training

I spent a portion of the day yesterday looking up information to find out a way to prove to the city I should be making holiday pay. From what it looks like I am being told I don’t fall under the contract with the fire union at all because I am a temp. But there are provisions they are going by. So either I do fall under the holiday pay provision of the contract, or I will argue that I should be going by the city’s policy and procedure manual which says a work week is forty hours.

If that is the case then I am going to argue the city owes me lots of overtime hours for those weeks when I worked more than forty hours in a week. That would actually make me earn a lot more money over all. I think I have a pretty strong case with this one. I have to be careful, however, because I don’t want to this to screw me in the long run.

I had my reserve training tonight. We spent time doing searches of people. I was doing okay. I missed a couple items on the searches, but I am trying to learn a new way to search because what we learn to do on the street is a lot different than we do in the jail. I am going to have to learn a whole new technique.

Setting up a Get Together

After getting off work today I did have much work to get done. I wasn’t sure what my plans for the day were but I would just see how it goes.

I had been e-mailing Gunnar back and forth for a while. We are setting up a get together for tomorrow. It should be interesting. I am looking forward to meeting him. I hope something clicks.

I did come in on some overtime. I did a transfer for the fire department. It wasn’t much. But that was about all I did today.

Thanksgiving at the Fire Department

This morning went by very fast. We didn’t have to work the whole day because it was a holiday. So all we did was rig checks and cleaned up the place. We got called out on three calls, one after another. Mine turned into a slight trauma. It was interesting.

I was working on making some more stuffing because I didn’t make enough the first time through when I made it yesterday. We also were making some breakfast for everyone to enjoy.

As the evening started to get closer we were getting set up for dinner. BKoe and two other cops were invited. They all came in as well as the guys from the Deuce and their families. It was a good dinner.

We had a couple hours of “My Time” after the dinner. We sat around talking and joking and laughing. I had a really good time.

Preparing for Thanksgiving

This morning we had to wash the rigs after only a couple hours of sleep due to the trip to Spokane last night. Once I had the rigs washed it was quitting time I went home and got onto my computer. I spent a couple hours to get myself caught up. I was away from the house for the last seventy-two hours doing a three-day tour of duty.

I spent some time getting the photos for the photo board at the fire station. I had several new photos to end and print off.

I made a trip to Safeway to get supplies for my Thankgiving meal assignments. I am making the deviled eggs and stuffing. I am doing both by a recipe that I have never tried before, but also that gives no information about ingredient amounts. Just says to add this or that.

I boiled the eggs, but having looked up on the Internet how long to boil the egg. Then I had to peal them. That was a pain in the butt. I lost a couple eggs because they were getting damaged as I was pealing them. The filling turned out okay.

The stuffing was the same way, but I think it turned out okay. It took about two and a half hours to get everything prepared and cooked. When I was done I was not in a mood to cook for dinner. So I just threw in a frozen pizza an called it a night.

Late Night Transfer

It was a quiet day, but busy night. We did some training up at the training house. We were practicing pulling people out of a hole from the basement to the first floor. This training went along very well.

After training I started to get ready for heading to Colfax for training. I helped to get some of the dinner items ready before meeting up with Ross and heading off to Colfax. We did more on patrol procedures. It was a good class. Cooper is doing a good job.

Following that I got back home. The guys were out on a call. I had some dinner before they got back. But before long they were back and I would be on my way to Spokane for an emergency transfer. That made it so I would be up for a fair amount of the night. We finally got back and in bed around three in the morning.

First Twenty-Four Hour OT Shift

Today is the first day that I had a full overtime shift. I was working on A Shift. I helped to do the rig checks. We had some hose testing to do.

Because I was working an OT shift I bought dinner for both stations. I also invited BKoe to come down and eat with us.

He stopped in and ate pizza with us. After dinner I cleaned up the dishes. Brandon and I went into the training room. I was showing him some of the video from the SWAT training. We spent time talking about different defensive tactics. Then Keeton got all of us to play some video games. We played several rounds but that was about it. It was pretty late by the time we started to play.

I Get to go to the Game

Today is BKunz’s birthday. He is turning thirty-one today. We lived in Stephenson together as next door neighbors. That was when he was a freshman at WSU. Over the years we played sports together and hung out. He was married a couple years back and I went to his wedding. Now here we are thirteen years later. He is a great person and also a fellow firefighter/EMT. I called him up to wish him a happy birthday, but I only got his voicemail. I still left a message for him.

I went to Pete’s for the Palousitics lunch. We have five people there and just talked about some of the recent election news and one of the topics of discussion was aircraft, including military aircraft and some stuff about WWII in the Pacific. It was a nice lunch.

I went to look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is a nice vehicle, but the back is not roomy enough for me to store my stuff without having to put it sideways. It has a comfortable seat, but I need something that I can fit all my stuff in easily. So I am still at the Durango or maybe something from Chevy or Ford. But I really like what the ought-eight Durango has to offer.

I got called for a transfer to Spokane around seven o’clock pm. I went to the station and ended up working it with Drew. I was the attendant and he drove us to Spokane. It was an uneventful trip up.

We went to dinner. While at dinner we were talking about the Apple Cup. We are both working the game. He prefers to stay at the station and not go to the game. I much prefer to go to the game. So we switch positions. I was supposed to be stuck at the station. He was supposed to go to the game. Now I will be going to the game and I am very thankful about that. I am excited!

The Ladders Were Switched

This afternoon I went to the fire department and did the walk-throughs of a couple buildings around campus. As we were going from building to building I got a chance to drive the PL. I need to get ten hours of drive time. I was able to knock out another half-hour of it. It was fun to get a chance to drive it.

After that training I went to Colfax and Tim was working. I asked him what rigs had a twenty-four foot ladder. He said only the ladder truck. I asked if we could pull it out. He asked why. I wouldn’t tell him, but I said it would be worth it.

When we got it out, I said that we were looking for a one-inch long piece of black tape. Sure enough it was on there. The twenty-four footer from our PL and Colfax’s ladder truck got mixed up sometime last year during the Whitman County fire academy. We had a good laugh about that.

I went to the reserve training afterwards. Cooper is teaching now. We are learning patrol procedures. This is where things start to get more fun. More hands on.

Running to Spokane

After getting off work this morning I was so tired I wanted to go straight to bed. We were running calls all night. Enough of a break I would get an hour of sleep or so, but enough length that I didn’t get much sleep either.

I was in bed sleeping until the tones went off for a transfer to Spokane. I took it and traveled to Spokane with Young. After the trip up there we stopped to get some lunch.

When I was back at the station I figured out that the training tonight we all could go to. So I stayed for an hour at the station before the training started. It was OTEP on head injuries. It was a good training.

It lasted a couple hours. Following the training I spent some time chatting with Wilcox and Clark. We were talking about working out and whatnot.

A Long Night

I was feeling a lot better this Sunday compared to last Sunday. We did our rig checks, had a nice breakfast, and washed the ladders on the PL. While washing the twenty-four foot ladder we found a City Of Colfax sticker on it. So I am going to have to see if they have our ladder.

The day was pretty quiet. We only really had one call along the way. But as the evening went along we watched some football. We had ice cream riding on it. Everyone picked the winners of the various games. The overall winner got to choose the ice cream. The overall loser had to buy the ice cream. Everyone else would just enjoy the ice cream.

After going to bed though we started to have our calls. They would come out and it would last about two hours when it was all said and done. By the time I was in bed we would get about one hour of sleep until the next call came in.

Feeling Sort of Ill

I was feeling sort of sick this morning when I got up. It goes along with not feeling well most of the day yesterday. I was sort of slow moving around this morning as we were doing our morning tasks.

Around noon there was some callback due to multiple calls. I cam in for that. I also worked on the photos of the new reserves. It was a pretty laid back day for the most part.

Seeing Keith

I just didn’t feel wonderful at all today. I got into work and started to help with the rig checks. But I was just a little blah. It caused me to move along ever so slowly. I was able to help out, but I just didn’t feel like I was worth a darn.

Once we were done with everything I still hadn’t eaten, but I didn’t have much of an appetite. I had some soup. Then I went to my room to lay down and watch some TV. I did that for most of the afternoon. I spent some of the time do photos for all the new reserves.

I got a page that someone was here to see me. I went walking out to the kitchen and it was Keith from the Marine Patrol. I had not seen him in months, maybe more than a year. He was impressed with my weight loss and commented that I was looking good. He was in town to talk to some of the criminal justice classes and he was going to talk to the reserves about the marine patrol as well.

I went back to bed and watched some more TV until dinner. I ate pretty well at dinner then back to bed after everything was cleaned up. But the problem was I was tired enough I missed some of the Sunday night shows I was hoping to watch.

Worked An Event

I did some studying of the stuff for the reserve academy with Jessie. She came over and we went over a lot of the slides as well as the objectives of learning to see how well we knew everything.

We did our studying until around four. Then I had to head off to the fire department to get ready to work a basketball game for Beasley. The women’s team was playing an exhibition game against a team from Australia. The other team had high school students on it. Our women’s did well and beat them.

During the game I spent a lot of time reading and studying for my reserve academy.

Exhausted

After only two and a half hours of sleep I got woken up by back to back calls on campus. We ended up transporting both. I was lucky that we were starting class an hour late. So after the calls I went to Colfax for training.

I spent some time studying. Then our instructor got there. He tore into us a whole lot more. As a class we are getting into trouble over what a couple people in class are doing. If this continues I think it will be time for some of us students step up and have a chat with the people not pulling their weight. I really don’t enjoy getting yelled at by the instructors over someone else.

We did a re-take of the written test from the other day. Everyone seemed to do better on it. I know I improved my third-best score to something even better. The class covered search. I was really tired and as the class was coming to a close I was really having a hard time staying awake.

When I got home I stayed up for several more hours because I wasn’t all that tired anymore. Plus I didn’t want to go to sleep at eight o’clock at night. That would throw my sleep patter totally off.

Crushed with Calls

I got my third swim in this week this morning. I swam five-hundred-and-fifty yards. That is a eleven laps total in about twenty minutes. So I had a fair amount of rest through out my time swimming.

Today at the fire department my plan was to work on my reserve academy studying and case law reports after five o’clock. During the day we did some hydrants and got one inspection review completed. We also had the day interupted by some calls. But it wasn’t until later when we would be running hard.

I started to work on my reserve work when it was five o’clock. But then I was getting interrupted by calls and dinner. I needed to go through three cases as well as cover all my notes. Due to how bad some people did on the test, they were re-administering it to everyone. So those of us who did well need to do even better. We also had three cases to do.

That was taking me hours to read through the case and work on the write up. That is partly due to the calls we were getting. The first one came out at eight o’clock PM. Then it just rolled. We were getting back to the station and then getting called out again. It took place like that all night long.

The only sleep I got was from three-thirty until six in the morning. We ran a total of thirteen calls on the day. I also had to stay up a little bit trying to study. I knew that I would be hating life tomorrow due to my lack of sleep tonight.