On Thursday, September 18th, Isabel roared ashore in North Carolina slightly after noon. 12 hours later, her effects were being fully felt in Montgomery Township. High winds and horozintal rain made it fun to watch out the bay door windows.
Fortunately, for us, we didn't have any calls during the height of the storm. I would've HATED having to go out there during that time.
But we did have some false alarms near the end of the overnite shift. Nothing major.
More Media Interest
The Reporter, based in Lansdale, published this article:
The Reporter Article
I've had some people coming up to me and discussing the article. It's gratifying to see the gears turning in their head when they walk away.
Sunday, September 21, 2003
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Media Interest...
A very well written article about me and what I expect going forward in regards to the department.
I'm glad the author didn't try to make me out to be "more" than just a regular guy who happens to be deaf joining the fire department. Two more stories to come out shortly. I'll post those links soon.
The Intelligencer - Bucks/Montgomery County
Tomorrow night will likely be my first overnight duty assignment at the station. Some of us will be spending the day/night while Isabel pays a visit to ensure the station is fully staffed. I'll keep a journal and post it here later.
(by the way: whose bright idea was it to put the 'd' next to the 'f' on the keyboard.. i keep typing "dead" instead of "deaf". )
I'm glad the author didn't try to make me out to be "more" than just a regular guy who happens to be deaf joining the fire department. Two more stories to come out shortly. I'll post those links soon.
The Intelligencer - Bucks/Montgomery County
Tomorrow night will likely be my first overnight duty assignment at the station. Some of us will be spending the day/night while Isabel pays a visit to ensure the station is fully staffed. I'll keep a journal and post it here later.
(by the way: whose bright idea was it to put the 'd' next to the 'f' on the keyboard.. i keep typing "dead" instead of "deaf". )
Thursday, September 11, 2003
9-11-01 Rememberance
Today, we had a memorial service for the men and women who were killed on 9-11-01.
The Chief asked officers to read portions of "Report from Ground Zero", a book that compiles the stories of various firefighters who told their 9/11 stories and the stories of the cleanup work afterwards.
He then asked one of the senior firefighters in the department to read the names of all firefighters who were killed in the attacks. Reading 343 names takes a while and the entire time, I was thinking to myself, "Would I? Would I have gone up when everyone else was going down?" It's hard to answer that question today as a new firefighter and a father of two little boys. Could I leave my boys without a father and Sarah without a husband trying to save the lives of strangers?
I don't know the answer to that question and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I do know that those who died didn't plan on dying that day. I guess not knowing the answer means simply living one day at a time. I know it's trite but that's the only answer I can think of that provides any comfort.
At the end of the name-reading, the senior firefighter presented the department with a heavy steel cross welded together from the remnants of the World Trade Center. In the middle, the number 343 represents all the firefighters who died.
Not much I can say after that.
The Chief asked officers to read portions of "Report from Ground Zero", a book that compiles the stories of various firefighters who told their 9/11 stories and the stories of the cleanup work afterwards.
He then asked one of the senior firefighters in the department to read the names of all firefighters who were killed in the attacks. Reading 343 names takes a while and the entire time, I was thinking to myself, "Would I? Would I have gone up when everyone else was going down?" It's hard to answer that question today as a new firefighter and a father of two little boys. Could I leave my boys without a father and Sarah without a husband trying to save the lives of strangers?
I don't know the answer to that question and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I do know that those who died didn't plan on dying that day. I guess not knowing the answer means simply living one day at a time. I know it's trite but that's the only answer I can think of that provides any comfort.
At the end of the name-reading, the senior firefighter presented the department with a heavy steel cross welded together from the remnants of the World Trade Center. In the middle, the number 343 represents all the firefighters who died.
Not much I can say after that.
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
My purpose, defined.
During the drill last night (phsaw.. drill shrmill.. it was check-the-equipment and clean-the-apparatus-bay day! Very necessary work though), I had a long talk with the president of the Fire Company. In it, I told him what my goals were as far as contributing to the department.
1. I want to become THE expert when it comes to pre-planning for emergencies and training firefighters on how to properly respond to calls that involve disabled people and the elderly.
2. I want to become a resource when it comes to vehicle extrication. I figure this is where I can contribute most in terms of operations. In a vehicle extrication, I have a fairly good view of the entire staging area.
Additionally, vehicle extrications are not fast-paced activities. There's an almost slow motion ballet going one during an extrication, with the portable compressors and the slow movements of the extrication tools. Every firefighter has a buddy and the slower pace means my communication efforts with other firefighters will be clearer and less impeded by the natural adrenaline rush that comes with structural fires.
3. My role at structural fires will be limited to manpower assistance (helping with tools and SCBA packs), running hoses, etc.. These limitations are completely voluntary. I don't want to put myself or any other firefighter in increased danger because of my hearing loss.
In return, the department president asked me to do the following:
1. Develop standard operating guidelines for safely evacuating disabled/elderly people. For example, a paraplegic poses very unique concerns from a rescuer's perspective: carrying them using the outdated "Fireman's Carry" poses a risk of severely damaging lungs or exacerbating the existing injury.
2. Promote the message that deaf/disabled people CAN contribute to their communities by joining their local volunteer fire/EMS/police departments. The roles they play may not be as varied as those available to an able-bodied person but the work is just as honorable. Getting a hose to the right place makes sure the firefighters can do their work. Making sure the computer system is up and running to receive dispatches makes sure the ambulance can get to its destination without delay.
3. Teach the firefighters the gospel truth (my words) on how non-verbal communication is the best way to communicate in a noisy environment. People have a habit of just raising their voice if it's noisy. You can save time by gesturing and getting your point across.
That's it for now. I hav emore later.
1. I want to become THE expert when it comes to pre-planning for emergencies and training firefighters on how to properly respond to calls that involve disabled people and the elderly.
2. I want to become a resource when it comes to vehicle extrication. I figure this is where I can contribute most in terms of operations. In a vehicle extrication, I have a fairly good view of the entire staging area.
Additionally, vehicle extrications are not fast-paced activities. There's an almost slow motion ballet going one during an extrication, with the portable compressors and the slow movements of the extrication tools. Every firefighter has a buddy and the slower pace means my communication efforts with other firefighters will be clearer and less impeded by the natural adrenaline rush that comes with structural fires.
3. My role at structural fires will be limited to manpower assistance (helping with tools and SCBA packs), running hoses, etc.. These limitations are completely voluntary. I don't want to put myself or any other firefighter in increased danger because of my hearing loss.
In return, the department president asked me to do the following:
1. Develop standard operating guidelines for safely evacuating disabled/elderly people. For example, a paraplegic poses very unique concerns from a rescuer's perspective: carrying them using the outdated "Fireman's Carry" poses a risk of severely damaging lungs or exacerbating the existing injury.
2. Promote the message that deaf/disabled people CAN contribute to their communities by joining their local volunteer fire/EMS/police departments. The roles they play may not be as varied as those available to an able-bodied person but the work is just as honorable. Getting a hose to the right place makes sure the firefighters can do their work. Making sure the computer system is up and running to receive dispatches makes sure the ambulance can get to its destination without delay.
3. Teach the firefighters the gospel truth (my words) on how non-verbal communication is the best way to communicate in a noisy environment. People have a habit of just raising their voice if it's noisy. You can save time by gesturing and getting your point across.
That's it for now. I hav emore later.
Monday, September 08, 2003
First General Meeting
This is going to be a quickie because I have drill night tonite in 20 minutes. Last night, we had our first "drill" night. Since it was my first time, I was going to go in and basically watch and see how the meeting progressed before making any definite changes to how I'll participate.
BUT:
Before the meeting started, we received a call to an automatic fire alarm. I was walking to the soda machine when I heard the tones go off. Since I can't really hear in the high pitches, I didn't realize they were OUR tones. I saw guys running to their lockers and it hit me: a call.
Adrenaline rushing, I got my turnout gear on and got on the ladder truck only to find it was full. The Squad truck, however, had seats and I rode on Squad 18 to the call. It was my first call and I must've looked like a kid in a candy store with a big grin on his face and his eyes wide as dinner plates.
Fortunately for the homeowner and unfortunately for me, it was cancelled enroute and we turned around.
Awesome high.
Tonight is the weekly drill night. It will cover tanker tactics, etc.
I'll post soon regarding our department's 9/11/01 rememberance ceremony on Thursday evening.
I've been in touch with 3 other deaf firefighters. I'll be meeting up with another one in the SE PA area soon and hopefully, we'll use this as a "team blog" to cross-post our experiences and questions on the blog.
BUT:
Before the meeting started, we received a call to an automatic fire alarm. I was walking to the soda machine when I heard the tones go off. Since I can't really hear in the high pitches, I didn't realize they were OUR tones. I saw guys running to their lockers and it hit me: a call.
Adrenaline rushing, I got my turnout gear on and got on the ladder truck only to find it was full. The Squad truck, however, had seats and I rode on Squad 18 to the call. It was my first call and I must've looked like a kid in a candy store with a big grin on his face and his eyes wide as dinner plates.
Fortunately for the homeowner and unfortunately for me, it was cancelled enroute and we turned around.
Awesome high.
Tonight is the weekly drill night. It will cover tanker tactics, etc.
I'll post soon regarding our department's 9/11/01 rememberance ceremony on Thursday evening.
I've been in touch with 3 other deaf firefighters. I'll be meeting up with another one in the SE PA area soon and hopefully, we'll use this as a "team blog" to cross-post our experiences and questions on the blog.
Friday, September 05, 2003
It's been a while..
Yours truly is an idjit. I figured the new AOL journals might be a better place to host the journals because I thought they offered more functionality than the freebie blogspot does. While this is true, AOL doesn't really make note of the fact that EVERYONE has to have some type of AOL screenname in order to access it. That is definitely not cool.
I have several posts over there. When I have a chance, I'll be copy/pasting them over here.
Not much has been going on as of late because of summer. Some of my postings in the AOL journal has more information.
I have several posts over there. When I have a chance, I'll be copy/pasting them over here.
Not much has been going on as of late because of summer. Some of my postings in the AOL journal has more information.
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