My wife the firefighter

[Ninja Geoff]

Are you going to keep a Halogen on the bike now?

Absolutely!! I discovered during our auto extrication class that a halogen can come in handy for popping tires! That'll teach so-and-so for messing with my bike!

the auto ex class was one of my favorites. These guys (local, mostly volly fire fighters) made it look easy. Halogens are also good for opening locked doors it seems

[Loonette]

Are you going to keep a Halogen on the bike now?

Absolutely!! I discovered during our auto extrication class that a halogen can come in handy for popping tires! That'll teach so-and-so for messing with my bike!

the auto ex class was one of my favorites. These guys (local, mostly volly fire fighters) made it look easy. Halogens are also good for opening locked doors it seems

I love auto extrication! By far, my favorite session was that and then putting out a car fire. I thought the hydraulic "jaws" and cutters would be difficult to use since they're so freakin' heavy, but that's why God gave me such large hips, apparently. It was much easier than I thought. And breaking class, cutting pillars, ripping off the roof, busting the hood open - it's all so much fun. However, we still have to do all this with as little movement as possible since there would be a patient inside who needs to be managed delicately. It's a great skill from both the EMT and Firefighter side of things.

Cheers,
Loonette

[-Holiday]

Congrats Loonette!

[Nibblet99]

Just wanted to add another good luck with the exams Loonette

[scan]

Alright, I spoke to soon last time......

But not anymore. Loonette is now a firefighter! She passed the state test last night. Good job honey!

She just needs to recover from the hangover from celebrating now.

[Wrider]

Yay! Congrats Loonette!
Wrider

[Loonette]

Yes, indeedie-do! It's official. The two days of practical evolutions were grueling (but most of my muscles have now recovered). And the two different written tests created a lot of anxiety, but I did well with it all. I did a lot of drinking last night in celebration, but the hangover was minimal.

In a couple of weeks we'll have our department's official "swearing in" which is when I'll receive my fire helmet.

Best of all... I turn 40 in less than three weeks, so getting my EMT certification and now Firefighter really gives me a lot to add to my birthday celebrations. Life is great!!

Pic #1 - Me as "nozzleman" during our live burn evolution. Since there were no buildings up for grabs to use for our class, we had to borrow an burn trailer from a neighboring department (it's an old metal cargo container refurbished to meet NFPA Standards). Me and by backup guy were entering from a balcony of sorts, to attack the fire from a stairway - it's meant to simulate a basement fire. Loads of fun!!


Pic #2 - Me with my badge...

[fireguzzi]

Too f%#ckin cool loonette. Congratulations

[sv-wolf]

Hey Loonette! Congratulations! That's truly brilliant!

If my house ever caught fire, I think a 'motorcycle mamma' with a fire hose is exactly what I would need to feel safe.

It can't have been easy beating down the doors of male privilege. You're a gutsy lady!

My respects

Richard

(PS. Great pic of you with the badge)

[Loonette]

Hey Loonette! Congratulations! That's truly brilliant!

It can't have been easy beating down the doors of male privilege. You're a gutsy lady!

Thanks for the kudos!

In actuality, our fire department (much like our village itself) is about as unique of a department as you can get. Not in how we fight fires or provide EMS care, but in the general makeup of our members. Unlike the rest of this nation, where females account for only about 10% of firefighters, our department is at roughly 30% females. So being a female in this department is more of a normal thing. Also, we'll take new firefighter recruits up to the age of 55 (EMS recruits up to the age of 65). This is virtually unheard of in most departments.

I don't think I'd want to work for most departments out there. Here, we get the same training as any other firefighter and we face the same sorts of dangers as other departments (well, maybe with the exception of larger city departments like New York City - they do receive a different level of training for things like high rise buildings and whatnot). We just don't put up barriers when it comes to age or gender (or sexual preference or religion or any of it).

Incidentally, I had my first real fire just last night. When I got to the station to put on my gear, I pulled my coat off its hook, and underneath was my brand-spankin' new fire helmet. Nobody had a camera handy last night, or I would have gotten a pic of me after the fire. In any case, today our township is mourning the loss of two out buildings and a couple dozen chickens. That's right folks - you might think twice about using a propane heater to keep your chickens warm (the chicken building actually exploded before we even arrived on scene - sorry chickens...). The other out building was only 10 feet from the main house (and it was stuffed full with just about anything and everything you could imagine), but we were able to knock the fire down before it became a threat the house. I spent most of my time swinging a pick axe to expose the walls as well as inspecting the roof for hot spots. Lots of fun!

Cheers,
Loonette