Foundation

Fire calls are down, and medical calls are up. I can remember back in the day only hearing one or two medical calls a week while running at least that many fires a day. Now, you'll probably run that many working fires a month, but one or two medical calls a day...minimum! What does this say? That we have become safer, but less healthy? Were we healthier in previous years? Being from the south, I doubt that. What does this mean for the Fd? Skilled medical responders are in demand. If there were 3 of us per response area, there would be enough experience on scene to handle the call plus backup if needed. You'd also have backup if another call comes in. I went through this exact situation recently. I was responding to a call involving a child to the south of me. I don't play when it comes to kids! A few minutes away, I was cancelled. A little agitated, I prepared to turn around and return home. Just before I could even make a turn, they sent us another call close by. I was able to arrive within a couple short minutes. When I walked in the door and gathered the complaint, I quickly noticed a problem that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. I formed a solution and quickly administered it. I felt accomplished when my solution produced some relief. My skill and awareness to my surroundings was paying off. I may not have "saved her life", but I did make her feel better..and that was good with me.

In the fire service, everyone MUST work together. If this teamwork is not possible, is not obtained, or fails...objectives cannot be completed effectively and efficiently. I am both around the station more than I probably should be and not around the station alot. Make sense? Yeah, me neither. Nevertheless, even I can see that our structure is falling apart. The bricks that hold up the house are crumbling under pressure. The volunteers, for whatever reason, aren't working well with the paid guys. I would be willing to bet that some of them are a even little hesitant to follow their leaders (officers). Well, I don't blame them! These kinds of officers are exactly what I had when I was coming up. When I started this journey, I vowed to be the best officer that I could be. Now, I'm not tooting my own horn here, but I'd have to say that I don't do too bad of a job. I am knowledgeable in our policies (for the most part), I am VERY familiar with my firefighters on both a personal level and department level, I take the time to work with ANYONE wishing to learn more, and I go to bat for anyone that I feel deserves a defense. I have no doubt what-so-ever that my group of firefighters would follow my lead any given day of the week. I can work well with just about anyone, and try my best to diffuse situations where I can, but some things are just out of my reach. The point is, if the bricks keep crumbling...the house is going to fall. Then what?

 I have been single, still, for quite some time. I have been reaching out, conversing with ones that I find interesting. If it turns into a "friendship", then we move on from there. If it moves further, great...if not, oh well. It should go without saying that I've had more "oh well" moments lately. It's discouraging, but I keep the thought that something better waits for me. In a series of unplanned and unideal circumstances...I have actually met someone. Well, I wouldn't say that I met someone as much as I simply became reacquainted with her from somewhere around 20 years ago. I will pause, for a moment, and say that thinking back 20 years amazes me. I would have never thought that I would reference such a number of years in my life. I look back on 20 years ago and remember myself and my life. My father was the age that I am now, we had just moved into a house in a subdivision, I had started a new school, and I was nowhere NEAR thinking about this point in my life. Alot has changed, my friends. Back to the story. Like I said, through a series of unplanned and unideal circumstances (that I wont get into), I met someone. There have been a couple of set backs, but I can say that things are better than I would have ever expected at this point. Despite the circumstances, and say what you will, but this is the first time, in a long time, that I have felt this much for a woman. So many more factors are here now than I have seen in a long time. These are things I hoped for in other relationships, but could not find. I see happiness in my sights....finally. There are still some things ahead of us, I'm sure, but we are building a stronger structure by the day. I cant stop smiling. I know she is reading this...and I hope she is smiling too.

I always said that it was my life goal in the fire department to become lieutenant. I wont lie, before our departments merged, I dreamed of being fire chief of the local department I was with. I wanted to be the leader that everyone looked up to, everyone trusted, and that turned the department completely around. I honestly envisioned someone inquiring about volunteering at the department. As the paid guy would be explaining things, I would pull up. Young, skillful, and motivated forward.....I wanted to be looked at as the youngest, coolest, most motivated and professional fire chief in department history. Looking at where we were located...that may have been a reach. However, I have noticed that I now aspire to climb a step higher. Yeah, I still think about being the chief one day, but I see his work load...and I'm not ready for all that yet. I'm looking to be a bigger, better leader. I want to be the leader to the leaders. I want to show the leaders how to be leaders and how to lead future leaders. Make sense? I want to be Captain next. I have much to work on to reach the level that the ones above me hold, but I doubt not that this can be achieved.


No philosophy here, just the same old lines. Work hard, learn more, inspire others, make time, take time, take advantage, be a team player, reach higher, and most importantly....never give up.