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Comment by Fabulous Heather Days of Summer on April 22, 2011 at 10:56pm

nite chief mike. stay safe. hugs...

Comment by Fabulous Heather Days of Summer on April 22, 2011 at 10:55pm

I found honoring my emotions is better than stuffing - for me stuffing my sadness and grief - just led me to be very angry.

It sounds like you Josh were honoring your true feelings and there is no shame in being human. It is actually a position of pride to be real. Let your crew support you and let them understand how important this young man is to you.

Comment by Ernie Scheinert on April 22, 2011 at 10:52pm

Night Chief, Stay Safe and thank you again

Comment by josh tompkins on April 22, 2011 at 10:51pm

nice to meet you chief - thanks for the opportunity to be a part of the group. little background on myself - pro FF for the city of clarksburg WV. just finished my probie year and loving it more every day. i also moonlight as an EMT for a small town ambulance service when i'm not on duty for CFD.

heather - i've known don for almost 10 years. i have several friends who are avid kayakers and we were introduced through them years ago. he was a good guy, and loved to boat. WV has some of the "sickest" rivers around so it is a very popular spot for expert boaters. after all the rain we have had, the rivers are running really good right now so you do the math. but why in the world did he go down in there alone.

local volunteer FDs were on scene but yeas of course i helped with the recovery and then assisted my medic and the ME and then sat in the back with the brothers while they said their goodbyes and then transport 40 miles to nearest hospital. good grief it was a downright horrible experience all around.

Comment by Fabulous Heather Days of Summer on April 22, 2011 at 10:51pm

yes josh - i have lost LOTS of people I love. At one stage I had lost 24 people close to me in 27 consecutive months.

Self-care is important. Sharing with others is important. Can you go see your boating buddies after your shift?

Comment by Fabulous Heather Days of Summer on April 22, 2011 at 10:49pm

yes Chief Mike - i slept from 12-8 am, then 1-3 pm - today alone...

Comment by Fabulous Heather Days of Summer on April 22, 2011 at 10:47pm

hey kyle

Comment by Fabulous Heather Days of Summer on April 22, 2011 at 10:47pm

what does losing it in the back of the ambulance mean?

as far as professional - no one has any grounds to judge that you lost someone you cared about and were showing your feelings for that friend.

that actually shows respect and honor for your friend - that he was cared for so deeply by you.

it is the nature of life and this industry - we all will eventually care for loved ones - and lose loved ones

we do the best we can for everyone - but the most important reason that we are good caregivers - he because we have human emotion and open our hearts to CARE for others - this is a strength not a weakness

Comment by Fabulous Heather Days of Summer on April 22, 2011 at 10:41pm

I understand. It is tough when you are restricted on personnel options. I have nothing going on tonight - so I will be here all evening.

Chief Mike meet my friend Josh. Josh meet Chief Mike - he is the fearless leader of this group.

Josh tell me how you knew this young man?

Did you have to go do the search and rescue portion as well as the transport?

Comment by josh tompkins on April 22, 2011 at 10:40pm

what's hurting me the most is all my boater buddies right now. i know they are hurting bad and i wish i could be with them. i don't kayak...too darn dangerous for me, so i race motorcycles. we all need a little adrenalin i guess. losing it in the back of the ambulance with the brothers was not the most professional thing i've done either. jeez any words of wisdom from the vets in the room? i'm so new to the fire service, and have dealt with many deaths over the last two years but not someone i knew, let alone a friend.

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