Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...November 6, 2008

I am writing this post from my kitchen laptop with sore shoulders right now. Yesterday was a two-fold day for me. It was my one year anniversary at my firehouse in Morris Township, NJ. It was also the day of my first live burn.

Since I did a vehicle burn on Monday I was anticipating a bigger fire, more instructions, and a tougher situation. I know you can't really compare a vehicle fire to a burn in a building, but when you are at school no one says "This is how that burn will be different." They just tell you what the task is, do the dress drill, separate us into groups and then we are on our way to the drill.

I was working myself up into a state of nervousness. Do you know why? Because I was overanalyzing the situation. I was thinking of all the steps...the correct way to open the bale, the S pattern on the ceiling, the floor, being the backup hose person (the mule I heard it's called), etc.

My husband gave me some advice before I went. He said to seek out the instructor who has been especially helpful and instrumental in getting me through the 'drillitis' I have and ask for help. I got to the Academy early but he wasn't there. I saw two instructors, spoke to the first one and felt a tiny bit better. But then I spoke to Frankie, the other instructor who remembers me from the summer and was happy to see me back at the Academy, he made me feel 100% times better. He said I was just like him.

I am detail-oriented and a perfectionist. I guess you would call it an "A" personality or something. He told me he was the same exact way and it's not bad to be that way. There may be some times you shouldn't be that way, but the most part when you arrive at a scene you go through the mental checklist in your head but the situation can change at any time. That's what I took away from that conversation mostly. Be ready for anything.

When we did our drill, I was fine. Although when it was my turn on the nozzle, the person behind me (much bigger than me), just kept pushing and I wound up with the nozzle on my lap, which wasn't good with the bale closed partly because of the force. We also learned that the way you back the nozzle person up at a vehicle burn is different than in a structure. Thirdly, I learned the proper stance -- not totally on your knees, but with one foot out in front so you can test the floor. Our group all learned from the experience and we will do better on our next burn. We were told each time it will get harder and hotter.

When I got home? My boys were so proud of me. All they said was we knew you could do it Mom. The husband - he has no clue but equally had no doubt in me.