Few terms can strike such primal fear and terror as the words "buried alive". Burned Alive....Drowned....both terrible ways to die, but the idea of being suffocated under the weight of the earth in blackness, soil filling mouth, nose, and ears, reaches deep into our souls and stabs at the deepest pit of our stomachs.



For six hours last night, we toiled, shored, and dug for the man trapped in a 12 foot trench under 6 feet of hard, cold, clay soil. Sweat poured from under our helmets,… Continue

For the second time today, I stand in line at the local ice-cream shop. This time, I manage to get my order in and make idle chit-chat with the couple sitting next to me. The boys wait outside, in the medic, enjoying their treats while I, the probie, wait inside with a grumbling stomach. We were here about 30 minutes ago before the tones dropped, sending us on an engine run that would be cancelled before we even got there. This time, however, the tones drop and the voice on my walkie tells me… Continue

In the quiet little town of Baltimore, Ohio, fires don't happen very often. And, it seems that when they do, it's never during my shift! For two months, I'd been working both as a volunteer and as a paid firefighter/EMT, taking a few medic runs, but never seeing fire. All that changed last week! I had picked up an overnight shift on Tuesday and was preparing to go home Wednesday morning. Freshly showered and packed up, I was ready to go as the day crew had all arrived. I'd started up my car (it… Continue

Yep. Been 2 months since my last blog. I've been spending a lot of my time at the firehouse, just learning and acclimating. I'm officially on the schedule now. I've worked 2 paid shifts this month, and I have my first 36 hour shift this weekend, between our 2 stations. Hopefully, nobody will want to kill me by the end, and vice versa.



So far, our little fire department is a rather quiet one. I've not had a fire yet, and only one ladder run for "smell coming from the basement" which… Continue

I got the call this morning! I got on the department that I tested and interviewed for this past weekend. I feel strangely calm about it; I guess partly because I sort of knew I was going to get this one, and partly because now my joy is mixed with sheer terror. It's no longer a dream...now I have to walk the walk! I couldn't be more pleased and my family couldn't be more proud, although, their pride is also, like mine, mixed with terror. I don't actually get to work until February, because the… Continue

So, I had my third interview today. It also included a written exam and physical agility test. All of it went well, I think. I have had a curious sense of peace and satisfaction all day today, as well as a hint of soreness in my glutes from climbing ladders...that included the 80 foot aerial. What a rush THAT was! I wanted to stop at the top and look around for a bit, but it was COLD up there! If I had wiggled a bit, the ladder belt would have slipped down around my knees; guess they're made… Continue

Last night I filled out YET ANOTHER application and I turned it in this morning. This department is VASTLY different than the last one. The last one was fancy and pretty and in an upscale community. This one, not so much. A bit ghetto, slightly shabby, not fancy at all. The department shares its lot with the clerks office, road department, and police department. It took me a while to figure out how to even get in the building! All the buildings are painted white and locked up tightly, versus… Continue

Well, thanks to all who wished me well on my interview last week. Unfortunately, I got my rejection letter today. I can't help but be disappointed, but I'm trying to tell myself that it just just wasn't meant to be. It's a hard sell. I haven't had an interview in a long time, and I know I made some mistakes, so I guess this will be a learning experience for me, and I'll be more prepared next time. I was totally blindsided by some of the questions. Damn damn damn. Their loss, I guess. Back to… Continue

Tomorrow, at noon, I have my first interview at a fire department. It's the original department I wanted to work at. It's for a volunteer position, to move up to paid part-time in a few months. The interview is a formal panel interview, with 4-6 on the panel. I'm so excited and nervous...I'm not sure what to expect.

This totally came out of nowhere-I put the application in back in June, before I graduated fire school. They called this past Sunday to schedule the interview. I literally fell… Continue

Well, for all of you who want to know, I still don't have a job to speak of. However, most of that is my fault, because I haven't exactly been pounding pavement. Between work and family, it's been nearly impossible to get to departments during normal business hours when the folks I need to talk to are there. BUT, that's all about to change, because Thursdays the wee man will be in preschool for three hours and I don't work on Thursdays....so that will be the day devoted to showing my face at… Continue

Well, I've been out of fire school for 2 months now. I've applied for volunteer positions at a few departments with no luck yet....who knew it would be so hard to get someone to let me work for them for free? Thought I had it in the bag, but I guess not. So, I've got a stack of app's that I'm going to fill out and deliver, then...fingers crossed!!



Still, I hang on to the thrill of fire school....the emotions, the pain, the sweat, the bruises, the frustration, the joy, the pride, the… Continue