Not on home field

I was recently asked to work a shift at another station in another part of the county. I accepted since I was available, could use the money, and was familiar with the area. I didn't mind the shift at all. We ran a couple of calls and even had a house fire. Not having anyone around to talk to was a bummer, but I always seem to get by. I even got to try a burger joint that I had been wanting to try since they opened. I would say that I was pleased with my 24 hours. 

Being there quickly reminded me how fortunate I am that my department has the participation that it does, with or without our requirements. When you're one of 4 people on a fire scene...you find yourself doing even more multi tasking. Thankfully, the fire supervisors actually enjoy running calls and doing a little working here and there. They were a welcomed hand that day. 

I would have to say that, even though I enjoyed my shift and some new scenery, I quickly realized that I wasn't on home field. I had no clue where anything was in the station, where to shower, where to sleep, or even what more was expected out of me other than what I already knew. It was like starting a new job where you work alone all the time or going to a new school. I knew hardly anyone there. I checked all my trucks, ran a couple calls, and spent the rest of the time wandering around aimlessly while doing little odd jobs to keep me awake and busy. I guess what bothered me most was that I was more unprepared than I thought. I had more questions than I had answers for, and I had quite a few answers. Maybe it's time I did a little more learning. 

I've been realizing more lately that I'm trying to juggle so many things at once In my personal, professional, and department lives altogether. I've tried to plan for so many things with such little time that I end up rolling things over to the next day. This causes more suffering in my personal life than anything. My priorities are still in line, but there's not much room left to relax. No rest for the weary I guess, or maybe it's just to keep me moving and active. Either way, all things cease when those tone drop! 

My beach chick is back, yet again. Only this time, it doesn't seem permenant. I have, however, gotten more information and truth now than I ever have since asking myself all these questions. In a nutshell, she's a woman and women are crazy. She wants everything and at the same time, has no clue what she wants or when she wants it. I'm just gonna keep doing what I'm doing and if it happens, it happens. 

The fact of life is, you're never going to know everything. There will always be room to learn and make improvements. You're also going to notice that nothing ever goes accordingly to plan, something is gonna get jacked up. What's important is how you deal with it. Sometimes you can take what you're given and roll with it. Things will work out somehow, it's not going to be all bad all the time. 

Have faith, and keep fighting the good fight. 

Winding down

In my particular department, we have a required minimum of response to calls that we have to meet. When you look at a requirement such as this, everyone tends to automatically think of the negative aspects. They think about making requirements of volunteers and about how it seems more like work than a hobby. When you look at it from an officer's standpoint, this ensures that enough personnel respond to emergencies at any given time. Those that argue that requiring us to have a minimum standard will say that this will deter us from wanting to volunteer. I feel this to be false. I'm going to run calls whether or not I have a requirement. I did it when I was the only person working a fire, and I'll do it all the same with help. 

My department is testing various participation methods this year to give the department a first had look of different options. I can already see that not may ppl are as dedicated as a few of us are, myself included. Maybe it's because I enjoy it so much an that I may have found my passion. I've never really understood completely, but for some reason, I've always made the protection and safety of my community a priority. Since the age of 18, I've always been ready to go at the drop of a hat. Ready to pull someone from a mangled car or man the hose on a house fire. Some of my proudest moments were tearing down the street in a fire truck on my way to a call. These days, everyone has gotten a little more safety conscious. In the eyes of safety, this is a good thing. 

In the interest of a positive image and public information, we created a Facebook page. I figure that most everyone uses Facebook anyway, it should be one of the easiest ways to get information out, people in, and generate support for the department. Our calls have went down lately. I figured we would be running ourselves ragged before it was all over with, but as it turns out, it wasn't all that bad. It would seem that the tensions we've had have subsided...for now. Back to normalish operations. We have hit pretty hard on our preplans this month. We are hoping to have every business preplanned before the end of the year. Time to go searching every nook and cranny. 

The volunteers have had a little more responsibility dumped on them due to some events. You can already tell who is up to the task of handling responsibility and who is not. It's nothing to frown upon, not everyone is up to the task. This is a point that leaders are realized. These men and women step up to challenges and take point amongst a team of their peers. Everyone gets into this business for different reasons. Some get into it for fun, some for education and experience, and some for novelty. When you find a person that is here for all the right reasons combined, you find the potential for leadership. 

Things won't always stay the same way. In this business, you have to be able to roll with the punches dealt to you at a moments notice. Your training and knowledge can be put to the test at the drop of a hat. Keep up on your training and remain at the ready. 

Keep fighting the good fight.