23 July 2008

rescue me...

so, this week is BSST week of training--basic safety and survival training. what that means is that over the course of 5 days i will have to learn how to fight fire and actually fight one, learn cpr and first aid, learn survival techniques and learn water rescue...full week! we have longer hours this week and more physical than the last three weeks of mostly sitting.
monday was fire lecture day ending the day with getting kitted out in fire gear. tuesday very early (but i wish we had done even earlier to miss some of the heat) we went down to the barn and did timed trials of getting into our gear...boots already in pant legs so you can just jump in and pull them up. neoprene head cover under the jacket, fully buttoned. face mask (SCBA) around neck, compressed air tank over the head onto the back, face mask on, neoprene cover over, air hose attached, helmet on, gloves on...done. all in 2 minutes. (we did get to split it into basic gear on in 1 minute and breathing gear on in 1 minute.

then, it was on to work. we had to don full gear only twice...once with the neoprene head cover backwards to simulate smoke non-visibility and locate and drag a "victim" to safety, and the other to actually go in to a container with a fire in it and use the hose to spray down the smoke and cover the floor. the other three checkoffs were fighting two fuel fires in different manners and an electrical fire.

it was blasted hot! i only got really freaked out after it was over and i had "fought the fire" and i was freaking a bit while i tried to get my gear off. this is me in my gear, i will add more pics from the day later.


please pray for our safety, strength and health this week b/c we are tired.

also, please pray for the "manny" sam as he has the kids for longer periods of time this week and they are tired of not being with mummy and daddy all day so not minding as well. and sam and the kids are just tired in general.

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