Posts Categorized: Dc Fire
Waterways
As the radio crackled to life, sputtering forth the first clear transmission I could hear in several minutes, I stared at the black plastic clipped to my lapel in incredulity.
Shouldn't we move off this rickety-ass dock before th—
[FLOOOOSH]…
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“The Lost Art of Firemanship” – an excerpt.
I was recently digging through the supply closet at the firehouse when I came across this withered citation in a battered frame. I had seen similar items littering the walls of other firehouses, but I had never paid much attention to them—nearby,…
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A consulting gig on 15th and East Capitol, NE.
4:06 a.m. - Engine 8 is dispatched on a single-engine local alarm for smoke in the area.
4:15 a.m. - Everyone else is dispatched to deal with what they found.
A great video clip can be found at this link; credit to Vernard Green on Medic 8 at the time.…
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Resolutions.
It's a yearly thing that I notice in my gym; right around this time of year, the stations seem to be busier, the cardio room is more crowded, and the wife can never seem to find an open elliptical machine. "What gives?" I always ponder, as I turn away from yet another several-deep line in front of a station. Then it hits me, just like it always does.
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Some old history for the new year.
Inspired by an image on the cover of the most recent Capital City Firefighter magazine, I re-read the brief history posted online about the DC Fire Department.
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Building Walkthroughs: How Thorough Are Yours?
Last tour, the engine went on a walkthrough of a new building in our second-due area: 2323 Pennsylvania Ave, SE. I humbly offer my writeup of our exploration of the building, and ask that readers contribute their thoughts. What questions would you have a…
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Trench drill; or, playing in the mud for fun and profit.
One of the unique things about being assigned to Engine 15 is the occasional need to support Rescue Squad 3 in their technical area of expertise: trench and collapse rescue. We're expected to know more than the average bear about the various tools an…
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Early morning basement fire.
I think I'm getting sick... photos only today, with brief captions. All photos © me unless stated otherwise.
/RL
This was our view on approach as the third-due engine company. E15 brought the 400' through the front door and backed up first-due E32…
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Recruit Class 362 on the Fire Boat; a quick photo set.
This past Friday, I was given the distinct pleasure of accompanying Recruit Class 362 to the Fire Boat for their class picture. They seemed excited and appeared in good spirits, seeing as their graduation is just over two weeks away.
(We all remem…
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Caught another one…
Bobo poking his head in and surveying the damage after the fact. Click on the image for full-size.
Expecting another "food on the stove" box alarm or "nothing found" gas leak (like the last two had been, at 2 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., respectively), I grumb…
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Obstacle courses; also, my farewell to The Farm.
"Shit. Uh, Sarge? There's no stairs back here."
We were second due on a reported basement fire, and we had seen smoke as we pulled up. The wagon had come through one of the legs in an H-shaped alley, and the house was dead smack in the middle of the…
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Demotivational Posters, among other things.
I've been gearing up for Ireland and redesigning RaisingLaddersPhotography.com, so I haven't had much time for writing lately.
I do, however, have a few gems that I made a while back tucked away for just this occasion—enjoy the photos!
They'r…
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I used to like snow. Really, I did.
I used to like playing in the snow, stomping through it... snowball fights, snow angels, the whole nine wintery yards. But after working in all this?
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Finally, a first-due job… and a pretty good one, at that.
Our wagon driver's voice came from the front of the cab, punching through the audible mess of sirens and air horns as we screamed a left out of the firehouse.
"It's off! This one's off!"
The other back step guy and I looked at each other.
What? …
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Recruit Class 360: congratulations, and good luck! (w/pictures)
Happy New Year! Yes, I haven't put up a new post since last year, but there were several factors that led to this:
I wanted to leave the Nikon Festival instructions up for a while, so visitors could make sure to see them (be sure to vote if you haven…
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The Gauntlet.
"You should stop..."I froze in place, realizing for the first time how sweaty I had grown in only a few minutes in gear."...drop..."I crumpled to the ground, covering my face and bashing my knuckles in the process. Come on... stage tr…
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National Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial – Live Streaming Feed!
For anyone who is unable to physically attend the memorial ceremonies in Emmitsburg, MD this weekend, Firehouse.com is offering live streaming coverage of both the candlelit vigil Saturday night and the ceremony on Sunday. More information is avail…
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Random thoughts from last tour.
Don't stick your head too far out the window to look at stuff when driving around—while wagon drivers are quite adept at avoiding obstacles, tree branches don't really count.—————Chicken gravy is a rather unprofessional thing to find …
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Expectations.
"Holy shit—she's having a baby!"I couldn't help but laugh; what is this, a bad movie? Get me some towels and hot water! And ring Doctor Swanson, immediately! The way-too-excited MPD officer went sprinting past me; admittedly, I …
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We’re everywhere…
News sites, blogs, beer, wine, art, barbeque sauce, cookbooks, workout programs...The list goes on and on. Every time I look online, there's a new product/service/business offered from, inspired by, or aimed at firefighters. It's always interest…
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The Farm: a brief introduction.
"Weren't you guys trying to grow something out here a while back?"The wagon driver turned from the engine's pump panel and rubbed a thoughtful hand on his chin."Yeah, we had tried growing corn out back of the firehouse... don't…
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Raising Ladders Photography, open for business!
Phew. Between work and a recent house guest, it's been a little crazy around here. From a writing perspective, the past two shifts have been kind of unremarkable, so I don't have any crazy stories off the top of my head. However, enough int…
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Many thanks to WeLoveDC!
My interview with WeLoveDC was posted to their website on Wednesday morning. (I'd have gotten around to this earlier, but I was working that day and spent the entirety of Thursday sleeping... it was a long night.)Lots of credit is due to Katie, the i…
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Projects.
On the way back from a call, I often think that there were certain situations/moments that would have lent themselves very nicely to a photographer's presence. It's the potential action shots, mostly; but there are of course some interesting, com…
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Details.
A page from The Writer's Block, a cube-shaped book (get it?) full of random ideas to jump-start the creative half of your brain. I was flipping through it the other day and found this page."Paramedic Engine 15 and Ambulance 15…
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