Posts Categorized: Personal
“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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Thoughts on the writing process.
It's been a wee bit since I last posted; between wedding plans, a new dog, and writing a very in-depth post that I can't seem to find the proper way to finish, it gets far too easy to say "ah, I'll just write that thing tomorrow." Well, too often, this h…
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Charity bike ride; any interest?
A simple Google search reveals several firefighter-centric charity bicycle rides.
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Confessions of a (former) Probationer.
My tags: significantly more beat-up since the last time we saw them.
Yes, that's right. The title says it all; not only have I completed my probation, but I'm willing to share all the stupid stuff I did while I was in that period. Some things are more…
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Hockey Tournament Pictures – still up!
They've been available for a few weeks now, and I wasn't sure if all participating team members were made aware that they're still up for sale. Below are a few favorites of mine; if you see anyone you recognize, please let them know!
The gallery col…
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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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The long-awaited Dublin Fire Brigade update!
A voice rang out from down the hallway, with it's owner appearing around a corner seconds later.
"Hey! We've got a call near the Liffey!
Glenn turned his head from us and cursed quietly.
"Are we goin' swimming?" he asked, tentatively.
"Na…
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“Documenting the Decade” – or, how I made the New York Times!
A few weeks back, the New York Times website asked for submissions to be considered in their "Documenting the Decade" feature. I figured I'd toss some of my work into the ring, and two of my photographs were selected! I mean, it's not the print version (…
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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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WeLoveDC.com; publicity for RL!
Tom Bridge, co-founder and author of WeLoveDC.com came across Raising Ladders the other day, and he liked it so much that he posted a brief write-up in the WLDC daily feed.WeLoveDC.com is a collective blog written by a diverse population of authors who …
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A different view of D.C.
The John H. Glenn Jr., Washington, D.C.'s 70'-long flagship fireboat. It was built in 1962 for the FDNY, and was purchased by DCFD in 1977 for one dollar.All the air inside my drysuit escaped with an audible whoosh as I stretched the rubbe…
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The next hoop.
Some good news is being passed around today. I've received word that a handful of us paramedics are being pushed along into the next stage of the DCFD pipeline, starting Monday. There's some meetings, some more paperwork (I'm sure), but it at…
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Day 31: From water to fire.
First and foremost, congratulations to everyone who donated to, participated in, or otherwise supported the members who did the Polar Bear Plunge this weekend! The Department raised almost $12,000 in total for the Maryland Special Olympics, and we had a …
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Photos, round 1.
I've decided that instead of retrofitting posts with photos (which would require a bunch of work on the readers' part, digging back through the blog to see them), I'll just present them sequentially in today's post. My friend Sean did som…
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An open letter.
An open letter to the members of the Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS Department, as well as all readers/fans of RaisingLadders:Every single
day, I’m damn proud to polish my boots and walk into the Academy with our patch
on my sleeve. Some don’t unders…
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Day 24: Tower blitz
Okay,
good-news/bad-news time. Good news? I brought the camera along today, and
snapped some great photos. I’ll be retro-fitting blog posts with relevant
pictures of the academy or our apparatus, as needed. I also have some nice
atmosphere shots that p…
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Day 23: Almost Truckies
(N.B. - Friday's post is one below, and it's a good one. I know, I know... it was a busy weekend. Cut me a break, would ya? It's worth the wait.)______
Over the weeks,
you find that every so often DCFD gives you a gift. It has no price, nor a…
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Day 22: Just a taste
“Ah, fuck this
classroom shit. Let’s go light something on fire.”
…and thus our
Friday began.
Sgt. Paulson
revealed to us that there really was no agenda for this particular Friday, as
everyone had already passed their EMT tests and it was too ea…
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Day 21: False start?
Firefighting
starts on January 26th.
At least,
that’s what we’re told will happen to the rest of 994. As for the medics? Yes,
that’s right—nobody knows!
As of today, the
orders came down to start the fire suppression section of the academy early,…
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Day 20: How not to cut wood.
Lest we begin
to feel comfortable in our academic setting, DCFD is always sure to remind us
that we can at any time be used for cheap labor.
Fairfax County
is coming back on Friday to use the flashover box again, and a handful of
recruits (myself includ…
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Day 20: Tension
Note to self: I
have to stop backdating posts. (Perhaps a useful New Year’s resolution?)
Interested parties will find Monday’s post below this one.
The roll of
tape went up into the air, pausing a second before coming back down. It landed
neatly int…
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