In another life…
A local fire department offered a mini-media fire academy to a group of my company’s writers and photojournalists. The official explanation given to our editors for missing more than a half-day of work is that we would be better able to report on emergency situations if we better understood the job itself. Unofficially, dressing up in turnout gear, sawing sedans into convertibles and crawling in a controlled 600-degree burn situation sure beats sitting in a cubicle being hounded by voice messages and emails. Here are some photos from the day:
Strapping on an air tank
Me vandalizing a car
Me and co-reporter Shauna (I’m on the right) using the jaws of life to cut apart a car. The spreader tool weighs 75 pounds!
Better angle shot of us using the spread tool to pop open the rear door
The result? A new convertible!
Because nobody looks good after sweltering in too-big thermal turnout gear for three hours.
I was the only one of our group to have even an iota of experience in this kind of work. I was in two Fire Explorer groups as a teen, where I got to legally help burn down houses and scale the sides of buildings. I had my own turnout gear and regularly rode with local departments and later, after getting my EMT certification, with Cincinnati. So, when our firefighter instructors would call for volunteers, I’d look around, see everyone shuffling their feet in hesitation, and then raise my hand like an overeager Boy Scout.
The academy was made especially poignant by the department hosting it, Colerain Township. As locals will remember, the department lost two of its own earlier this year in a house fire. The whole morning really reminded me of how much I miss the whole firehouse culture and EMS work. When I finally finish my master’s degree (hopefully in June of next year), I’d like to become recertified again and begin volunteering with some local departments.
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