Day 98 - More Patientassessments...

Very quick and to the point. We had lecture on communication and documentation. After a great lunch at Zaxby's, we did patient assessments and blood pressures.

We took a ride to Ralph's place and did the famous 4-minute drills. It was 16 hard minutes.

Day 97 - Monday, Monday, Monday

Today started the third and final short week of the academy. We began the day practicing skills. We brought out the combie tube simulator and the KED. After a few attempts, we headed upstairs for our test. After a quick review, we all took the test, and we all passed....another 100. We got started with lecture at 10:30. We broke for lunch at 11:45. After a quick lunch, a short game of home run derby, and another few minutes of break time, we all headed to the gym for patient assessment. For the next 3 hours everyone took turns practicing their assessments.

PT was once again postponed to Wednesday. Tomorrow is a Ralph day.

Day 96 - Another Day Down

Friday began like the rest of the week. Classroom in the morning, skills in the afternoon. Today it was patient assessment day. We covered half the book work, received our practice sheets, and drilled them in during skill time. I've been helping Lieutenant teach the skill stations. It's actually great...Helping others learn the material ingrains it in my head.

Our PT run was postponed, but will get picked back up on Monday.

Day 95 - Down the chute

Today was another great day. We started in the classroom (luckily without any stories) with some lecture on airway. We broke for lunch and 15 of us all went with Lieutenant to Amigo's. I has the Speedy Gonzales....always a winner. Isn't is funny how every Mexican Restaurant you go into has the Speedy? Cancun, Amigos, They all have that same dish.

After lunch, it was skill sets with the oxygen tank, combie Tube, KED, and the IT tubes. Lieutenant is keeping me busy. While he teaches one group, I teach the other. Luckily I know this stuff. Hopefully I'm doing a good job.

Tomorrow...Patient assessment...

Day 94 - Backboarding Fun

Today was a relaxed day. We started the day with some interesting discussion on ethical issues. Some how those discussion turned to weird fetishes and ice fishing....Something you had to be in the room to really understand.

We then had instruction on moving and transporting patients. We then broke for lunch.

After lunch, we put our skills to the test. Because of my past experiences, lieutenant called on my to aid in demonstrating. Having not really used a stretcher, I was a little unsure on all the levers and such. It was easy to grasp. We split up into two groups. Our first task was to extricate a patient out of a vehicle using a backboard. This was an easy task, and one I remembered.

The second task was loading and unloading patients from the back of an ambulance. After a few tries, I had no problem doing this task.

We ended the day watching a continuing education video.

Tomorrow we move on to airway...

Day 90, 91, 92 & 93 - EMT and the Test of all Tests

Here are the last four days...

Day 90 - Brought the beginning of EMT. We started in with History of EMT. Mostly a lecture day and some power point slides. We ended the day with a Ralph workout. Different stations this time - more hose waves, a simulated heavy shovel, pushup rows, and a weighted ladder raise.

Day 91 - The 2nd day of EMT. Two chapters this time. EMT responsibilities and EMT ethics. Not much to the day. We ended the week with no PT.

Day 92 - EMT Day three....Human Anatomy. We covered a whole bunch of material in half the day. After lunch, we took our surprise Weekly Test. I say surprise, because we did NOT expect it. No biggie. We all did well.

We ended the day with 50 rep exercises. Tired, we all headed home.

Day 93 - Today was our State Haz mat tests. Unsure of what we were expected to know, one by one we were all escorted outside for our practical. Once there, we were told our scenario. I recited my steps word for word. I then had to pick up a charged hoseline, open it to a fog stream, and apply it to extinguisher fog. It was actually quite fun. Captain kept spraying it high and low, and I would bank it down with the fog stream. After that, we had a 5 minute dress out drill to complete out practical.

We all headed to lunch.

When we got back, we headed back downstairs for our written test. We actually had to take two tests. A haz mat awareness and a Haz Mat operations test. If you remember, we passed a practical and a written test to become Haz-mat Technician(a level higher than these tests) trained, but that's neither here nor there.

We filled out our two scantrons and began the test. It was soon evident that these tests were not going to be easy. 150 questions later, we all drug ourselves up the stairs with stunned looks on our faces. That was by far one of the toughest tests I have taken.

We ended the day with a push-up, sit-up, two mile run test. I completed 50 pushups in two minutes, 77 situps in two minutes, and a two mile run in 16 min 35 seconds. Not bad. I should have done more situps. I didn't speed up in time to complete more.

More emt tomorrow....

Day 88 & 89: Mark 1's and a Day with the Chief

Day 88: Not a whole lot happened today. We did have a short class on Mark 1 kits. For those of who may not know about these, they are a last resort survival tool. Should a Nerve Agent get spread around, you take one of these kits and inject yourself in the legs. Fun times. We got to practice with the training shots.

The rest of the day we prepared for EMT class, and ended our day with a Ralph Drill:

Wave two 1 3/4" hose lines 100 times (50 per arm), run to the other end of gym, pick up weights and seal walk back carrying the weights, run back to the other end, pull a weighted dummy across the gym via a rope, pull the dummy back to the other side, end the drill with 50 sit-ups.

Day 89: Today we started the day helping Captain pack away the Haz-Mat Suites. We then were told by Chief to head to the gym for dress outs. We did two dress outs, each time he would check us to make sure everything was in it's proper place. After my second one, he said "Good Job Mr. Keene..." It was nice to hear that. I'm sure all of us appreciated that. We then dressed out one more time, and headed out to the drill ground. There we climbed the tower, walked around the ventilation station, climbed up a ladder, and then went through the confinement tubes (something we have all wanted to do).

We then headed back into the classroom for some Haz Mat test preparation. Apparently we have more Haz-Mat to cover.

After lunch (and a nice dark nap in the classroom), Chief went over some slides and then went into some of his "war" stories. It was very interesting to hear his experiences.

We ended the day in PT with Lieutenant. We even had an audience.

Tomorrow...I think EMT starts...

Day 87: The Second Wave

With the EMT-9 gone and the weekend behind us, we started on what I like to call the Second Wave. Most of the second wave will consist of EMT class, but first we have to get through this week.

We arrived to gym being all out of wack. Apparently they had something going on over the weekend. The tables were gone, the blue suits thrown to the side, our name tags littered here and there. Someone had started to the moping process, and since it's been about three weeks or so...I jumped in to help.

We were called to the our new home. The upper classroom (AKA the EMT room). After a really good laugh from the lieutenant, I headed to our new space. It didn't take long for us to find our seats. The Haz-Mat Captain came in and gave us our tests....again a fairly simple test....I missed one. I say it was simple, but maybe that's because I actually retained the information.....

After the test we were called back up to the classroom, ran over the coals by captain, sent out to get our gear, and before you know it...two dress outs had been completed.

We then helped load the Haz-Mat Trailers. The rest of the day was spent talking about Domestic Violence...both on the job and off. We watched a view videos that were pretty dramatic. It's hard to believe that Domestic Violence goes on, but it is one the main reasons women visit the emergency room.

And guess what? NO PT!....I was dreading this day...and for no reason.

Tomorrow...Mark 1 kits and Outlook? Who knows...

Day 86: The End for Two

The last day of Haz-mat. The day started with a quick review for our final exam. This involved all 30 of us giving a short speech on one of the questions. We were given our topic on Wednesday and today we presented it to the class. Mine was on Flammable properties. Up I went, and a speech I gave.

After the speech and a short break, we took our test. No worries. I missed one.

After a the test, we headed to lunch. Today was Sushi at Green Life. A different crowd, but very enjoyable.

After lunch we prepared for our final practical. Again, we had a truck leak. This time, my group was in charge of decon. If you have seen the video, this involved setting up and washing the folks that had made entry to the hot (accident scene) zone. We had one entry, and then the skies opened up. We had to cut our practical short due to lightening and heavy rain. Of course the sun came out after we got the entire scene cleaned up.

After a brief de-briefing, we cleaned up and got ready to head home. It was the end of level A's, the end of fun practicals, and the end of Haz-mat.

Today, was the end of the academy for 9 of our classmates, cadets, and friends. They were sworn in as Chattanooga Firefighters and given assignments. They will be missed, but it won't be long before the rest of us will join in their ranks.

Rush, Guerrieri, Swindell, Hensley, Bishop, Battle, Bryant, Garcia and Muse...good luck, be safe, and I (as well as others I'm sure) will be praying for you every day.
See you soon...

I thought I would post this picture of a few of us at dinner the other night. This is what firefighting is all about....

Day 84 & 85: Two Entries and a Locomotive

Day 84: We started the day with a review of knowledge. My group than made entry into a hazardous environment involving a victim and three leaking drums. It was quite the experience being in Level A's and doing a rescue. It was a great learning tool. We spent the rest of the day learning about Transportation Vessels. Our day concluded with a guest speaker from the Norfolk Southern Railroad.

Day 85: We started the day on a bus heading to the Norfolk Southern Rail yard. Chattanooga has the 3rd largest Norfolk Southern Rail yard, complete with a locomotive shop. Talk about a ton of rail cars. The whole yard stretches over 4 miles. We also got a tour of the locomotive shop, and waited in the rain to go inside an operating train.

Once back at the training center, we filled out some paper work and headed to lunch. After lunch, we made another entry. This time we had two areas to cover. A trailer and tank spill. My partner and I contained the tank spill and protected the nearby storm water drain. We then went over to help the rest of our team pull a victim from inside the trailer.

All in all, another great day. Tomorrow...the last day of hazmat.

Day 83: A Trip Downtown

We started the day with a quick decon practice....Here is the video of a decon corridor...(I'm not in the video, well I am, just not on camera...I was in a big blue suit waiting to be cleaned...)



We spent the rest of the morning talking about various ways to clean up and stop leaks at hazmat situations.

After lunch, we took a trip to Station 1. There we had several stations on stopping leaks.

My group started at Barrel leaks, moved on to a tour of Hazmat 1 (a really cool hazmat operations truck assigned to Station 1). We then moved on to a station that covered various ways to plug a leaking barrel. After that, we moved on to ways of stopping leaks on chlorine bottles, 1/2 ton containers, and rail cars. All use the same principle, just different devices that are specific to the container.

All in all a great day that went by quickly.

Tomorrow looks to be another day in the classroom. Time will tell....

Day 82: Get it over With

I'm not going to lie...Today was a tiring day. Not because we had a rough day...no we spent most of the day sitting on our butts. We had various speakers throughout the day, and while they were interesting...we all found ourselves drifting away.

We also took our weekly test. Again, not a problem...another 100.

We ended the day doing research and setting up a three tub decon.

Tomorrow, a field trip.

I also started a new work out program with my neighbor. It is called P90X. It makes for early mornings, but hopefully it will all be good in the end.

Day 81: Taking a Bath....

They day started with another daily review of knowledge. Again, not too much of a problem. We spent a few hours discussing the ins and outs of decontamination. After a short break, we set up a mock decon corridor in the gym. We then took that corridor outside. We split up in to three groups. All three groups did medical monitoring, and then prepared to go outside. Groups 1 and 2 dressed out in their Level A suits, while group three helped them. Group three (the one I was in) was assigned Incident Command positions, and I was assigned incident commander.

Group 1 headed out to the decon corridor, while group 2 (entry team) headed into the hot zone. After group 2 accomplished their task, they headed over to the deon line. One by one, they went through the shower, into the wash, into the rinse tank, and out to the dress down area. We then switch roles. I dress out in my level A suit and rinsed the next group to come through the decon line.

After lunch, we had a guest speaker. He talked to us about Chemical Plants and what to expect. He then took us over to his plant and gave us a quick tour. Very informative and pretty cool. We got to see over the road tankers, containers, and railway cars.

This week has been great. I think I said it earlier, it's like being a kid....dressing up in level a "Spaceman" suits, looking at train cars, playing with expensive monitoring toys...I can't believe I get paid for this and I can't wait to see what next week brings.

Day 80 - Haz-Mat Continues

We started the day with a small quiz covering information found on a MSDS. I had no trouble.

We then went over Monitoring systems. Combustible gas monitors, air monitors, chemical monitors, colormetrics....about a hundred thousand dollars worth of monitoring equipment. It was a very interesting morning.

After lunch, we covered sampling. We then got to get some hands on by using various monitors to identify unknown substances. It was quite tricky. We really only had Litmus paper and PH strips. Chief and the instructors brought out the big guns (the super cool, super expensive monitors). They can break down the substance using lasers and infrared to identify the substance.

We ended the day watching the EMT-9 trying on their new Turnouts and Station uniforms. While I'm happy for each one of them, it did kind of suck watching them....

Soon enough, the rest of us will be in their shoes. For now, another week of Haz-mat, a week of something, and then EMT class.

This is still better then the alternative....

Day 79: The Return of the Big Blue Suits

Today brought more classroom work. We started the morning off with another test of knowledge. No biggie...I missed one. We then went over some slides on reference material. We then received some MSDS. The folders contained paper work on a specific chemical. It was our mission to find as much info as we could about that specific chemical. We then had a sheet to fill out. We had to use a minimum of three resources. I've always enjoyed detective work, and this was no different.

We then took a break for lunch. I headed down to the hospital to wish Mr. Sam May a happy birthday. He turned 65 today. I didn't get to see him, but it was nice to talk those that have been in the ICU waiting room for days.

After lunch, we had a few slides on organization (instruction was from a guest speaker). We then were divided into groups of three. One by one, we all went through our medical evaluation, got dressed in our Level A Hazmat Suits, and headed out the door. Our mission was to move items from one trailer, to another. After we completed that task, we headed up the drill tower, down the outside, and back into the gym. After a post-medical evaluation, we all regrouped at our tables and had debriefing. The instructors told us what we did well, and what we did bad. It was nice to get feedback!!!

Another fun day at the training center. Getting in the level A's is something I really enjoy...even if it is cumbersome!!!

Day 77 & 78 - Training can be fun....

Day 77: The following Friday, we moved our classroom to the gym. With permission from the Chief (our instructor for the next two weeks), we selected our seat assignment. Things were going well. Everyone had a new seat, a comfortable rolling chair, and a prepared study guide for the upcoming test....that lasted about 10 minutes. Right before test time, one of the Captains walked in with the tests, asked why we were not in assigned seats, dropped the tests on the table (a little harder than expected) and left the room. A few minutes later we were lined up in push-up position.
The test went well...another 100 for the books.

We spent the morning going over module 1 and 2. Before lunch, we got to see a chemistry experiment, using gas vapors, flames, and electricity. Very interesting....at least I thought it was.

After lunch we got our new haz-mat turnouts....Class A / Level A Suits...here is a photo...



Talk about being a kid again. Dressing up in this suit (while not the easiest task in the world) was still a good time. With help from a partner, we got into the suits (with our SCBA) and walked outside to the drill tower. There, captain had us climb a ladder, go up and down the drill tower, and then attach a pipe clamp to a metal bracket. Not easy to do with two (soon to be three) pairs of gloves on.....

Fun times, with everyone taking pictures. More pics can be found on my facebook page.

This really is a cool job. Structural Firefighting turnouts, Level A suits...you really get to bring the kid in yourself out, while still keeping a serious attitude.

Day 78: We started the day with a short quiz...no problems there. We then had a guest speaker, covering two modules....It really was Death By Power point this morning. It was tough staying awake this morning, but at least the morning didn't drag-on. I think some of the tiredness is my doing. I kind of shocked my body by not giving it its daily dose of RockStar. I may have to give in....

After a decent lunch at Station 71 (Ryan's in Hixson), we covered Module 8 (PPE). Another day of trying on suits and learning how to take care of our Level A's. We tried on some thermal suits that were all reflective and really padded. Think of it as a giant oven mitt with lenses to see out of.

We then took care of our medical screening for in the morning. A quick Sample History followed up by some baseline vital signs. I managed to take a blood pressure (manually) for the first time in 5 or so years.

Tomorrow, more fun in the Haz-Mat Level A Suits, and then back to the power points.

On a more personnel note, please pray (or keep in your thought) for my pastor's Dad...Sam May. Sam was involved in a wreck over the weekend. While driving home, he had a stroke, went off the road, dropped 30 or so feet to the ground below, and crashed into the concrete bridge. He had to be air lifted to the hospital, were he has been in IC.

Sam has what is called Locked-In Syndrome. That means that he can think, hear, and respond with blinks from his eyes....but that's it.

Tomorrow he turns 65.

Keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers....