Welcome to my new blog, Sawdust & Splinters. I am a firefighter/paramedic working for a small town fire department. I would like to share stories from life in the ED as well as memories from the fire department and the ambulance. All names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.

I began my career in EMS many years ago when I decided to sign up as a volunteer firefighter. I was attending a major university, studying electrical engineering of all things, and decided to pursue my childhood dream of being a firefighter.

I was always the shy kid, so going to the fire station to sign up as a volunteer was very unnerving for me. It took a lot for me to drive myself there and ask for an application. I was in a difficult season in my life and needed something exciting.

I filled out the application and stayed for training. Responding to that first call had me hooked!! Training was exciting. We were issued a set of bunker gear with helmet and all. We started with classroom training, but eventually started hands-on training.

I don’t recall what the first call was, but I do remember helping to fight a fire along the side of the highway. It was in the peak of summer and the temperatures were in the triple digits. I assumed the fire was started by somebody tossing a cigarette out of the window, but I never did find out.

At first I sat inside the engine with several other trainee volunteers while our instructor spoke with the officer on scene. The fire was already out and they were in the mop-up stage. We were told to exit the engine and keep back from where the fire was. I stood by the side of the road with the engine between me and speeding traffic on the highway. Adrenaline was flowing.

I was asked by my instructor to enter the burnt portion of the scene and stand with the hose ready while they completed mop-up. I stood there ready to spring into action at the first sign of smoke or fire. As I stood there I heard one of the firefighters softly say “what is he doing there without proper PPE on!!??” I was wearing my official Department shirt, a pair of duty boots and my official cargo pants. I didn’t know any better. I was just following orders from my instructor.

We eventually cleared the scene and returned to the station. We made sure all of the equipment was clean and ready for the next call. From that moment on I was hooked! I had something exciting I could do and I was helping others.

Another call that comes to mind… it was a cool evening in fall. I was sitting at home and the pager went off. We were all given an old-fashioned pager to receive information about calls coming in. The pager went off and it said “structure fire.” This was it! Could it be my first structure fire? I jumped in my Mustang and drove off toward the fire station.

I arrived to find one of the other volunteer firefighters preparing supplies for rehab (time when firefighters rest and recover from arduous tasks). I don’t remember his name, but he had an artificial leg. He told me he wanted to be a paid firefighter, but he was unable to because of his leg.

We packed up bottles of water and Gatorade as well as a cooler full of ice. All of the engines were already on scene fighting the fire, so we responded in one of the utility vehicles.

We arrived to find a row of fire engines and trucks down the street from the scene. The fire was in a residential structure (fire-talk for somebody’s home). Our department had both of our engines there as well as about a half-dozen from the big city next door. We set up a tarp on the ground and started preparing for firefighters to come for rehab.

We filled up the ice chests with water and Gatorade. We placed extra SCBA cylinders (air tanks) on the tarp to replace when firefighters arrived so they could go back and fight some more fire. I don’t recall how long we were there, but I think the fire was out pretty quickly. I remember firefighters from the big city department standing around waiting for something to do. The county ambulance was also there in case anybody was injured.

Once the incident was over, we cleared up our equipment and loaded up the truck. We drove back to the station and helped the firefighters clean their equipment and fire hose so everything was ready for the next call. Cleaning up isn’t something most people think of when they think about firefighting. Most people only see the actual firefight and not the rest.

Fighting fire is a tough job, as any firefighter will tell you. Fighting the fire can be exciting, but salvage and overhaul can be a lot of work (salvage is saving whatever can be saved from the site of the fire and overhaul is making sure the fire is completely out). But it doesn’t end until the engine and all of the equipment has been washed and returned to service, and then everybody has to shower and clean themselves up for another call.