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Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...August 21, 2009
Chatham Township Groundbreaking for New Firehouse

Did I ever tell you I work across the street from the Chatham Firehouse? And that the owner of my company is a volunteer there? How impressed was I at our first office meeting when he came in with is bunker pants on after a call. I thought it was the coolese thing I ever saw.

Every day at 12 noon there is this foghorn sound that comes from the firehouse. We don't have that in Morris Township; we have radio tests over our pagers and text messaging to our cell phone. But oh that foghorn! I get a chill everytime I hear it. In Chatham the foghorn also goes off when there is a fire call. It's weird...I'm on the computer and all of a sudden it sounds like the Fire Island Ferry pulled up outside my door.

There is a gentleman in my office named Tom. Tom's daughter is marrying the brother of a Chatham firefighter. A new firefighter I should add - he passed Firefighter 1 after listening to yours truly's CD of the course review from Firefighter 1. There was a groundbreaking last week for the new Chatham firehouse, and my co-worker and his daughter's soon to be brother-in-law were there and took some pictures.

I wanted to share them with you because I haven't seen a groundbreaking before in the fire department except for the old pictures from our fire company's move to our firehouse on Burnham Road.

Enjoy!