Burn baby Burn

My knees hurt and unfortunately for Scott and for the rest of the two of you who read it is not for the sexual reasons you might be thinking.

Last night was my last fire class before graduation for the citizens fire academy and we had our live fire event. We went to a neighboring city to their training facility that they graciously let us utilize and got to fight an actual fire. It was amazing and scary and just beyond what I had ever imagined or thought to imagine. All I thought was that is not what I would think you would do. I only know from what I would see on TV and that is crap. I feel a bit foolish now, but how else would you know if that was all that you were exposed to? There was no busting through doors, no running around in a room filled with fire and smoke, in fact we never were on our feet. I asked while I was outside waiting for my turn to go in, if in fact do they enter each fire on their knees like we were instructed to do so. I was told yes because you have the best air close to the ground and you run less risk of flash over when you are low. So all this running in with water flowing out all over the place is crap, it is not like that at all. We walked in and then about three feet inside the door we went to our knees and walked on our knees while holding the fire hose in total darkness into the room that was on fire. We went in to the room in pairs, two students and one firefighter, we stayed close to the wall on our left side went all the way down to the end of the room on our knees, turned our bodies then turned on the hose nozzle to spray the water on the fire, after we put out the couch fire then the control room would send flash over fire over our heads and we would then fight that fire, then they would start up the couch fire again, and it would go back and forth like that over and over.

After you put the fire out, the room is pitch black. You have to follow the hose out by this time I am so freaking hot and breathing so hard I cannot even stand up, so someone had to come help me get up from the kneeling position I thought I would be in for the remainder of my life! I did the drill twice, the second time they made the room hotter and I just helped with the hose I did not do the nozzle end, that was fine, I walked on my knees out of the building this time and had to have people help me up this time due to my noodle legs. Walking on your knees while fighting a fire and then walking back takes a lot out of you. Wearing bunker gear and an air pack and your helmet and face shield makes you sweat like a pig. I have so much respect for the job the firefighters do. I have no idea how they physically can do it. I wish I had the physical and mental ability to do it, what a job, what dedication, what a group of people.