2 In...2 Out

Today marked the 5th residential structure fire Central Square has responded to within the last 2 weeks, and the 3rd within the last 2 days alone. Each fire up to this point, Martha and I have been somehow unable to respond (at least not right away). Today...that all changed.

At around 7:30 am, the pager went off for a possible structure fire on Little Canada Road in Central Square. Martha and I were still sleeping at the time, but quickly got dressed and were on the way to the station within a minute. After getting our turnout gear on, we ran over to 511 (our primary engine), and climbed aboard. Chris, the officer, was the only interior qualified member on the truck at the time. Once Martha and I got on the truck he turned to me, told me to put on an air pack, and told the driver to roll the truck. This being my first real fire since my Firefighter I class, I was very excited.

Arriving on scene, Martha and I pulled the 2" hose and headed for the door. Martha helped to prep the hose and grab tools while Chris and I put our masks on and made entry. The fire was in the attic, and after going up the stairs into the now superheated attic space, we made a good attack on the fire, knocking most of it down. Mutual aid arrived shortly thereafter, and we started overhaul. This took about 3 more hours, since the fire had spread into the walls and we were left to chase it for a while. After going through 2 air bottles, I was sent to rehab to rest. See the video at : http://www.9wsyr.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=252044@video.wixt.com&navCatId=5

Chris and another of our line officers, Brett, took me over to the Chief where they asked him to officially qualify me for interior firefighting, seeing as I'd already been inside and worked well. Dennis agreed, and I am now the newest interior qualified member of the Central Square Fire Company :-).

After the fire, Martha and I returned home where we spent the rest of the day napping. This was Martha's first actual fire, and no amount of training can prepare you for the physical demands firefighting puts on you. She loved it, but we were both completely exhausted after all was said and done.

Tomorrow, we will be heading down to Washington DC to attend the National Collegiate EMS Conference. It should be a great time, and will give us a chance to wind down after a very stressful few weeks. Still waiting on Martha's interview status...keep checking her blog for details.

Shining through the Smoke

I know I already posted one today, but much more has happened. Martha decided to remind me of how amazing she is, and stopped by with her crew partner, Curtis, in the ambulance after taking a patient to Upstate. I made them lunch, and was extremely happy to have the chance to see her and hug her one more time before she made the trip back to Norwich.





About the same time Martha pulled into the driveway, we got toned out for a reported structure fire. Martha could tell that I really wanted to go (and I'm not gonna lie, I did...), but for the first time in my life I have truly felt that spending even 5 minutes with the person I love is so much more fulfilling than anything else I could do. It made me so happy to see her, and I still can't stop smiling thinking about her....

Also, I got to meet Curtis. Martha had told me alot about him, and I'm not the type of person to be completly comfortable with my girlfriend sleeping in the same room with another guy...especially if I haven't met them. Curtis was a really nice person, and it made me alot more comfortable with the situation. It's not that I don't trust Martha, because I know that she loves me and would never do anything to hurt me. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I am just so afraid of losing her that sometimes I worry too much. I'm working on my issues. She deserves someone who loves her without worrying so much, and I want to be the one to give that to her.

After Martha and Curtis left I headed down to the firehouse. After a quick jog down the block, I entered the man-power pool at the fire scene. 4 hours and 10 fire departments later, the fire was out. It wasn't a total loss, and at least it's still standing.

Back to waiting for the next one, and wishing tuesday would come sooner...

Empty

Martha left for work at around 5am this morning. She got to Norwich safely, and is slowly pushing her way through a 24 hour shift. So far they have had one call, and are enjoying some peace and quiet back at the base.

With Martha gone for the weekend, I'm left here to try and find something to do with my life. I've shoveled the driveway, and I'm planning to clean out the garage a little bit before the end of the day. My pager is fixed (just needed to dry out a bit... yes I know I should have listened to you honey), and I'll probably spend at least part of the day up at the fire house.

Still, just having Martha here would be a lot better. I can't explain how it works, but I always feel like a part of me is missing when she isn't around. I always worry when she isn't here, even though she says I don't have to. I hope she knows how much I love her, and I can't wait until she gets home so that I can remind her of it.

For now, it's back to work...

White-Out

For the past few weeks, the weather in Central New York has finally taken a turn for the better. Temperatures have generally stayed around the mid-30's, and the snow has melted down enough to make travel much more pleasant. Today however, Winter has made a comeback.


7am is my normal wake up time for classes. Monday, Wednesday and Friday make up my college "work week," with classes ranging from 9am to 3pm after a 30 minute commute. I had made the decision to stay home last night after listening to the weather forecast, in which the weather man made it a point to say, "The band of heavy lake effect snow will drift South in the over-night hours, finally settling in the Southern Oswego County area, right around Central Square. It will then sit in this spot for about 6 or 7 hours...with snow accumulations totaling around 10" by daybreak and continuing into Saturday morning."

The pager rang at around 7:30 for a 3 car MVC (motor vehicle crash). Martha and I hurried down stairs and out the door to find...a wall of white. 10", it seemed, was a severe understatement as we were now walking out into snow level with the front porch. Needless to say...we didn't make the truck for the rescue call (turned out to be property damage only, so no harm done).


Since I didn't get to the gym today, shoveling all of this snow has served as my workout. Martha and I have taken care of most of the snow, however I'm sure we will be back out again before the day is done since the white stuff is still falling from the sky. The rescue calls are still pouring in as well. My pager fell off my belt on the last one and I've now learned that pagers don't like snow :-(. I'll hopefully get a new one tonight while mine is sent away to be fixed.

Martha goes back to work tomorrow. She is working a 24 out of Norwich on Saturday, then 14 hour shifts Sunday and Monday nights. It'll be a good paycheck for her, but it means she wont be home for 4 days :-(. At least this is the last weekend she is going back down to work.

Back to hot chocolate, a movie, a fireplace, and cuddling on the couch :-)

First Ones In...

This is my first blog attempt, so bear with me...

Narrator:
This is the ongoing tale of two young lovers who have a passion for serving others. Martha, a recent college graduate, is working toward a teaching position in local high schools. Whether it's saving lives on an ambulance or helping a child get through a tough math problem, she loves the thrill of thinking on her feet and helping others grow to their full potential. Sam is currently a sophomore in college pursuing a public justice degree. Although he loves his classes and professors, his real passion lies in firefighting and the emergency medical services. Upon graduating, he plans to work as a firefighter, then possibly enter into fire investigation or with an Emergency Management Office.

Ok enough with the narrator... most of this blog will be told form my point of view. I am Sam from the aforementioned paragraph (and no...I do not like green eggs and ham). This is the first time I have ever considered putting a blog together. Between school, the fire department and a whole slew of problems that always tend to strike at the same time, life tends to be a little hectic. Oh well...here we go!

Currently, Martha and I live at my home in Central Square, NY. We moved here after she graduated from SUNY Oneonta, where both of us attended college before I decided to transfer to SUNY Oswego. I have lived in this house most of my life, and my mother still lives here with us (not the ideal situation, but it is working out for us for now). I am able to help my mom, a single parent, around the house while saving money for down the road. I have been a member of the Central Square Fire Company for about 3 years, and I love every minute of it. Martha joined the company last month, and after being informed that she is more qualified than half of the department (big ego boost I might add), she has resumed her firefighting activities. Firefighting and EMS is more than a passion...it's a way of life.

Recently, Martha and I have been plagued with financial difficulties, mostly due to car trouble. Her car, known to many as Evergreen, has met an untimely doom after suffering a blown head gasket and an inadequate repair job. She is currently leasing a new Subaru Forester (since it's gold...it's earned the name 3PO). As if her previous car didn't put us enough in debt, my Ford Explorer has recently suffered 3, (yes... 3) broken wheel barrings and a broken window...turning me into the absolute definition of "broke college student." Thus begins the mad scramble for employment.

Martha currently has applications pending for multiple teaching jobs, as well as for other various odd jobs at restaurants, EMS agencies, and small shops in the area. I have also been applying to EMS agencies and restaurants, but neither of us have heard any good news yet. With the desperate situation facing the economy, it seems that whatever jobs we've applied for we have been either over or under qualified... so in short, we're haven't found anything yet (see martha's blog at martha-studentteach.blogspot.com for her career updates). Our hopes are still high, and we can't wait until this bump in the road has settled so that we can feel more comfortable in our new location.

The one thing that has kept me going through all of this has been love. I can definitely say that although we are in dire straits at the moment, I have never been happier in my life. I will not get into my religious beliefs at this time, but I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Our relationship has been tested to extremes throughout these past few weeks, yet there hasn't been a single moment where I have doubted its integrity. I'll quote a movie I saw once..."You never see the bad days in a photo album, but it's those days that get you from one happy snap shot to the next." I plan to fill many more albums with the happy memories still to come...

"Life Is Short...Forgive Quickly, Kiss Slowly, Love Truly, Laugh Uncontrollably, And Never Regret Anything That Made You Smile."