Hear ye! Hear ye!

A big congratulations goes out to Brian Hollins for passing his NREMT-Paramedic.  Way to go Brian, you worked hard for this!  We wish you all the best in your pursuit of education.

The 2 House Crews

B shift - Last day before break.

The last day before the awaited break for B Shift was not to bad of a day.  The Rescue Engine crew along with the 802 crew started in on some remodeling task for the station improvement project.  I'm pretty sure some hands on halligan time was had during all of that.


Company training had been postponed for the day, so Ben Flinchum put together a nice knot and haul back
system review for the afternoon.  A good review for some, and some new info for Joslyn Merideth who was detailed out to us for a few shifts.

Ben and David Guynn work diligently under the watchful eye of Phil" you boys know what you're doin;?" Dillon

A 3:1 Z Rig

 




 


 




4:1 with progress capture LRH

Ben and Joslyn working on dinner prep for fish taco's

Dinner was a hit and the comedy at the table was in rare form.  An EMS run after dinner and that was it for the rest of the shift.

 Until next time, stay safe.

The work has begun

Yesterday the Brothers on A Shift started working on the improvements for the house.  Led by Lt Tracy Coe, the destruction and removal of some "fine" 70's vintage paneling took place, in it's place came the drywall.  From what I understand, other than the usual house chore and runs, the Bothers worked into the early part of the night.

Congratulations are in order for Jason Morris from A Shift for passing his EMT-I.  Way to go! 

 Stay tuned for more 2 House action and adventure.


Stay safe!

 

Well..the day after Christmas

Usually I try to get post out in the morning, but this morning I was feeling like I got run over. 

 A Shift after Christmas was, well...very uneventful.  The Rescue Engine went out on a fire alarm right after shift change and that was it.  House chores were taken care of, a visit by the Captain to drop off mail, and good eats throughout the day.

Coming up very soon it will be time to meet the crews that work here on the "East Side".

Map drills are not everybody's favorite training, but it all pays off in the end when you need to know your primary and secondary water sources.

 Stay safe.

Christmas Day with C Shift

The Brothers on C Shift came in Christmas morning with a blanket of snow covering the ground...awwwww isn't that so seasonal.  Well it wasn't the sound of jingle bells that they were hearing Christmas morning, more like the sound of tire chains going on the Rescue Engine.  The guys went out a couple times and that was it for the day.  Not too bad for Christmas on the East Side.

Stay Safe

Twas the shift before Christmas and all through the East Side

Twas  the shift before Christmas and all through the East Side, only the  802 crew went out for a couple EMS rides.
The gear hung, and the Rescue Engine sat there, So the Lt. went to prepare some culinary fare.
Croissant's, with eggs, cheese and bacon of swine.  Oh yeah! You know that breakfast was on time.
French toast, with syrup completed the meal.  At no local restaurant could you get this kind of deal...
Ok, that's enough of that.


So the day was pretty much a slow day for B Shift.  802 crew went to assist Engine 1 and M801 on a MVC, then an EMS run later on in the afternoon, and that was it for the day.  There were cookies, crock pot meatballs, and brownies brought in.  Stories being told around the kitchen table over coffee.
Dinner was a beef roast with au jus, steamed veggies with a creamy basil sauce,  yorkshire puddings, and for dessert a homemade mocha/chocolate cheesecake (Thanks Deb).  More stories were told and everybody finally turned in for the night. 

I looked out the window and what did I see...  It was snowing!!  Snowing on Christmas morning adds a nice touch to a quiet (silent night).

This is a hard time to be away from family, please keep our  military personnel that are deployed away from their families in your thoughts and prayers this Holiday season, say a little word for all those in public safety working today and tonight, and for the families of all the Brothers in Chicago.

Merry Christmas everybody.

A Shift's last day before break.

It was an A Shift Wednesday for Brothers, EMS runs throughout the day, a MVC, a fire alarm and a smell of gas in a basement.  Lt Coe and his crew also started getting in construction materials needed for the station improvement project.  Along with general housework, a pretty steady day. 

Once again, out thoughts and prayers go out to the families and Chicago Fire Department for their tragic loss.

If you get assigned RIC, RIT, FAST how ever you designate it, just don't stand there and grumble about it.  Be proactive, stage your tools,  size up the building, monitor radio traffic, throw ladders, improve sites of egress.  Get the picture?

Stay safe.

Chicago LODD

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and the Chicago Fire Department,  for the tragic loss of two Brothers that made the supreme sacrifice this morning in a fire in an abandoned warehouse.
Four other Brothers were critically injured and 12 others were hospitalized.  

Information from Firegeezer http://firegeezer.com/2010/12/22/double-lodd-in-chicago/.

Any LODD is a tragedy in the fire service, but during this time of year, it is even worse.   Keep the families, and the Chicago Fire Department in your thoughts and prayer this Holiday season.

God Bless,
Big Mike

Monday, Monday...

Monday was a typical Monday.  Engine 2 and the 802 crew, with the assistance of Lt. Coe's guys, moved the new kitchen table into position.  A few EMS runs were handled throughout the shift, a few errands run, and the highlight of the day...The Reserve Shuffle!  A few minor repairs had to be taken care of on the rescue engine, and a few more things around the house knocked out.  Not too bad for a Monday.

A big congratulations goes out to Jeremy McAlexander, one of the Station 1 crew.  Jeremy passed his EMT-I.  Best of luck to Jeremy.

A Shift Sunday

Sunday was a laid back day for A Shift.  A few EMS runs and a fire alarm.  Station maintainance was preformed, then a relaxing day was had by all.

Remember, check your air pack at the beginning of your shift.  Your life, and others depend on it.
Until next time, stay safe.

Cloudy, with a chance of...

Saturday for B shift's crew was somewhat uneventful, but not necessarily a totally wasted day.  A few call were run over the course of the shift, and a little bit of training.

Training was a quick hip pocket drill on tool knowledge. A halligan was passed around and each person had to come up with a use for the tool.  A broad generalization of use was not allowed, you just couldn't say "you can pry with it", you had to describe the technique to everyone.  We made it over 40 uses before the 802 crew had an EMS run.  Small hip pocket classes like this help to add to your tool box of knowledge.

Well that's all for now.  Stay safe.

Friday fun with A Shift

A quiet day for A-Shift as far as calls on the east side. 2 EMS assist and 1 fire alarm at the college this AM. We had to do some snow removal this morning and some salvage work this afternoon due to a leaky roof. Of all places, right over top of the MOS-CAD boxes. Then it was on to squeegeeing the roof and cleaning frozen tundra out of the gutters. A special thanks goes out to Phil Dillon and "lil" Dixon for their assistance today. Until next time.

Snow day. First blog day.

Well, this is the first day of our blog.  It's all about the daily activities of the crews at Salem Fire-EMS Station 2.

The firehouse is home to a rescue engine, staffed with two firefighters and a lieutenant.  A medic unit is also housed here and staffed by part time paramedics and EMT's.

Over the next several weeks, other than the calls and training, we will be posting some projects and other stuff going on here.  New sleeping quarters are on the horizon to accommodate, and provide privacy to the individuals that work here.

We recently completed our kitchen table which  was donated to us by Lt. Tracy Coe (A shift)

Not too bad of a day for B shift, a fire alarm, a few EMS runs, and tire chain practice.  We will see how the rest of the night goes...Start the shift with a fire alarm, end the shift with a fire alarm.  Until next time, stay safe.