Beauty From Pain Reloaded

photo from emt.com

If you caught the first comment on Beauty From Pain, I hope you will see that it was written to put a face on the often faceless.  To put a heart in an often ignominious picture  of some ignominious stud or studette with some awesome glorious fire in the background.  Makes it look pretty awesome, right?  But we know the truth.  It is really some guy or gal doing what others can’t or won’t.  They chose to be there.  Wish I had a grasp of what makes us do what we do. 

The Best Partner That Never Was

We have all had crews, partners, supervisors, ride alongs.  Many are worth forgetting, some are not.  This is about the best partner that never was.

It goes down like this.  Long, Long ago, in an agency far, far away, was this Dude.  You can see him here.  Here he is two years into a 27 year total career.  Notice how young and scrawny he looks?  He’s 6’5” here, and only about 200lb.  Maybe.  But just so you know he doesn’t go out scrawny, at the time of his separation he was nearly 240lbs and about 8-10% body fat.  His interests include forcible entry, vehicle extrication, high angle and confined space.  Don’t tell his chief, but he preferred ripping and buckling doors off their hinges to legitimate extrication tools. And a proper application of weight and innate desire to punish inanimate objects with his body, than proper tools.  Mommy issues?  A knee to a door is more fun that a Halligan.  A gloved fist more handy than getting the ax that was within reach.  Oh.  Forget about the Chief.  Statute of limitations and all?

About Fire and The Granite 19

You all have own circumstances.  Our careers speak speak for themselves.

I feel compelled to offer a shout out to ALL smoke eaters, however you get to work.  For me, I was a fire junkie.  Drive big red trucks, kick in doors, leave a mess for someone to clean up.  I was a mere child of 20 years.  I never gave a thought to how my chosen profession affected others that loved me.  Multiple fatalities?  A family homeless?  Crack babies with bread ties on umbilical cords?  A 24 hour shift where you never get a break?  A flashover that you notice just in time to pencil the ceiling and stumble out laughing, too hot to touch?  Childs play!  Your wife and kids wondering if when you walk out to your chosen “passion”, whether or not you’ll come home?