FIIIIIIIIRE!

I just fought an awesome fire, doodah, doodah
I just fought an awesome fire, all the doodah night.

THAT is why I do this.

Call came out as a structure, further was that the house next door to ____ was on fire. Always an indicator of a real fire - called in by the neighbor. I went POV and got there right after the engine. You could see it from a mile away. Charlie and a guy (who turned out to be Jeff, who was a the station studying) were attacking from the east side. I parked on the neighbors lawn (sorry) and geared up. I surveyed from the east and pulled a second crosslay off the truck, with Brandon's help, thank goodness. Charlie put me in the doorway as a fire break between the front of the trailer, which was fully engulfed, and the kitchen window they were shooting through. Charlie was funny taking the door out - trailer doors always open outward, but this was burning, so he hit it inward and it buckled. He hit it a second time and then had to shake the door off his axe. One of those scenes that you freeze in your mind to laugh at later. We had the kitchen dark and I was pushing the fire back out the front...when we ran out of water.

Roanoke hooked up to us, but Brandon had left our lines charged, and when the water hit the pump, their 80 psi and our original 120 psi knocked Jeff and I both on our butts. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't hold my line, (I didn't realize that the same thing had happened to Jeff) and it spun me and was shoving me back down the stairs and I was fighting it to hang on and shut it down...I got it off just as a Double Oak guy tried to come to my rescue. Being a big macho man, he walked up the steps and turned it on full bore - and got knocked on his butt, whereupon he fell through the porch. I suppose I could have helped him up, but catching the hose seemed more important at the time. And I felt extremely justified, although still a little pissed off. :) The fire had got it's hold back by then, but we jacked it back down and actually saved half of the trailer.

I fought a good fight, was on nozzle with no back the entire time except when I gave the nozzle to Roanoke who were going in (Idiotic - there are no floors left in trailer fires.) They didn't even get in there when Jon came and yanked their butts back out. Jeff's Double Oak team had already pulled out. I shot it through the kitchen window while Jeff had the window on the southern room. I don't know who taught Double Oak how to withdraw, but they ran like scared kittens and Jeff and I had to pull his hose back out through the window. After the worst of it was out, I went for an axe and pulled the crap out of the walls to get at the insulation (from the outside, I'm not dumb.) I was proud of my stamina, only once did I feel like I was going to have to give up my nozzle, but I kept it. I think I may have a bruise from letting the handle push back against my shoulder, but I did good.

Charlie came and told Jeff and I we stopped that fire, and he was proud of us. We went on knees after we suppressed it, and Jeromy brought us in water. I said we loved him, and he bonked my helmet. Probably the most positive interaction we have ever had. Brandon gave me fists and said good job. When we were overhauling Charlie was knocking the heck out of a kitchen cupboard, and Guy and I had the line (He was backing me, and it was awesome! You forget how great it is to have a good backer until you work without one for a while!) Anyways, Charlie was spewing some crap and we were getting sprayed, but I thought it was water, then Guy goes..."Aunt Jemina!" Happy homeowner apparently had syrup in the cabinet Charlie was demolishing, and it was all over us. The funny part? Some wierd sticky goo from a burning building sprayed all over us...and Guy *tasted* it! He was hilarious. Later, he said - "Geez, what if that had been caustic?" Duh, now you think of that! I got some burning goo on my face from the AC unit earler and it freaked me out, I wet gloved it real quick and it didn't even leave a mark. I am reinstalling my shield on my helmet, those goggles *suck*.

Anyways, it is 1:34 am, and I cannot go to bed this stinky, so I am off to the shower. But...

I fought an awsome fight today, doodah, doodah
I fought an awesome fight today, and won in every way!