The morning started like all Saturday mornings at the Academy, with PT (physical training) and stretches.  From there we get down to business immediately.  Each company rotated through the different drills throughout the course of the day, but of course I’ll tell this as it happened for my group.

Rescue Drill #1 - Confined Spaces

First, East Contra Costa County Battalion Chief, Jeff Burris led us through the ‘confined spaces’ drills.  He showed us a section of concrete pipping that was probably about 15 feet long, but maybe 2 ½ feet wide, and told us to “get through it”.   Of my group, I was one of the bigger guys mainly because I work out a lot and have broad shoulders as a result.  This is important because getting through this section of tubing is no easy task and the wider your shoulders the less room you have to maneuver.

I have to admit, I was nervous just looking at the thing.  It was going to be a super tight fit, there was no question about that.  I just wondered if I’d actually be able to get through it at all, especially with all my gear on!  Edgar Suarez who is my engine company captain, was first in line and headed right in getting on his back, and steadily slinking his way through the tube.  Suarez made it look easy, but he happens to be one of the smaller guys in our group (engines 7 & 8).  Before me a few of the other guys (all smaller than myself) tried Suarez’s ‘on the back’ technique, and a few others went through on their stomachs. A few more guys went and struggled through it, and then it was my turn…

At this point my mind was poisoned with doubt, but there was nothing I could do except get down do it.   I initially tried going in, stomach down and was shocked at how snug and tight the fit was.  I couldn’t move and felt panic rising, but not because of fear of getting stuck, but rather fear that I might not be able to do it.

Thinking that maybe Suarez knew something I didn’t, I backed my body out (at this point my legs hadn’t made it in) and started again on my back.  Again, an amazingly tight fit, but I found I was able to slink through bit by bit with alternating shoulder motions and a bit of footwork.  As I got to the middle and was very aware of how completely wrapped in concrete I was, I knew I had two choices: freak out or stay calm and just work my way through it.

I did reach the end and was hugely relieved to be out and done!  After the rest of the guys made it through it became obvious we were far from done, but first it was Chief Burris’s turn.  Now that we had all struggled our way through the tubing, he explained to us that the key to getting through the tube was to put your arms in front of you, using your forearms as support and to keep your belly off the ground (to avoid friction) while using your feet to help move you along.  Sounds simple and obvious, right?  Not when you’re face to face with becoming a human cork.

Nonetheless, to prove his point Burris got down, slid his helmet in front of him and almost as soon as he’d gone in, he was coming out the other end.  I was truly impressed.  And with that of course, we all went again; but this time on our hands and knees.  I can’t say I found it much easier at the moment, but I did learn to become more relaxed and confident crawling through the tubes.  Eventually we all made it through and moved on to longer and more involved series of tubing, but it was a pretty thrilling experience.  Apparently there were some confined space attic drills too, but my group didn’t get to do that.

Rescue Drill #2 – Moving Heavy Objects

Alameda Firefighter, Thomas Wong ran our next drill which was to essentially move a 4,500 lbs. slab of concrete from one place to another.  Sounds simple except for the 4,500 lbs. part.  This we did slowly and deliberately using cribbing, or wooden blocks (4″x4″ and 2″x4″) stacked in a square framework fashion, and slid underneath the concrete to hold it up.  To get the slabs up, we used giant steel prying bars and as two of us hoisted it up, the cribbers would fill the gaps we made with cribbing.

As a group we were given various positions with one of us being the Incident Commander, one being the Safety Officer, two being lifters, two working as cribbers and after some time in our roles, we’d switch positions.  Danny Saballos started as our groups IC and I started as a lifter.  Eventually, Danny and I switched roles as did others within our group.  By the end of the drill we had completely moved, lifted and lowered the concrete slabs off of their original stack, and into a new location successfully.  This was another fun drill which focused on teamwork and planning.

Rescue Drill #3 – Structure Search

The next drill was the classic residential structure search, and at this point in the day, the sun was at it’s peak.  Fortunately this drill took place in doors.  The house is called the “Roach House”, not because it’s disgusting and full of roaches, but because the family who originally lived there, had the last name ‘Roach’.

Our job was was simply to put our turnouts and SCBA on, wearing our flash hoods backwards so we can’t see, and to search the house for bodies.  The hood is worn backwards so we can’t see as it would be in a highly smoky environment.  In addition, the search is done on our hands and knees as it would be in a real burning building.  In comparison to the heat of a real fire, the sun is not a bad deal.

My search partner was Dante Wiley whose father was the hugely respected Richmond firefighter, Ron Wiley.  Dante and I entered the building with me taking the lead and always maintaining contact with the wall to my left.  Wiley using a length of webbing attached to my gear extended our search by fanning out and covering all mid-sections of any rooms we entered.

It’s pretty amazing how big a place can suddenly become when your breathing is restricted and you’re getting hotter and sweatier by the moment, and all the while can’t see a thing around you.  What would otherwise be as familiar a place as any (the inside of a normal home) becomes an unexplored wasteland of corners, crevices and mysteries.

You have to make sure to feel every part of anything you come across because you never know where somebody may have tried to hide or become trapped.  In the case of our search, Wiley and I were looking for a baby which meant even the smallest of spaced needed to be checked.  We searched high and low and in every room for what felt like forever.  Finally, we came across an old boot we had found at the beginning of our search which told us we were back at our original entry point.  At this time our instructor concluded our search with the two of us disappointed for having “failed” to find the victim.

After the next team went in, and Dante and I dehydrated, we learned that the baby dummy we were looking for wasn’t a dummy at all, but a road cone.  Dante Wiley perked up at that and exclaimed “I found that a while ago!”.  As it turned out we found our victim, and didn’t even know it.   We found that “cone shaped baby” as the instructor had described it, but left it where it was for obvious reasons.  I guess we’ll have to work on our listening skills better going forward.

Rescue Drill #4 – RIT & RIC or Rapid Intervention Team/Crew

A RIC is a company of firefighters who are specifically assigned to search and rescue trapped or lost firefighters.  Unless a firefighter is in need of help, the Rapid Intervention Crew is not active.  In this final drill, our group was broken up into 3 sub-groups.  The first were to be citizen victims, the second was the firefighters who were to rescue them and the third group was the RIC team.  I was in the third group.

In normal firefighting operations, firefighters always work in teams of two.  You never do anything without your “battle buddy”.  This means that a RIC team needs at least 4 firefighters, or two for each possible downed firefighter.  For the purpose of our drills, we had only teams of two.  My battle buddy here was my team lieutenant, Edgar Suarez.  Our “residential structure” was the Contra Costa County Training Tower in Concord, CA.

The victims were in the basement.  Suarez and I waited outside while the firefighter group went in.   Eventually, we were notified that a firefighter was down.  We headed in, staying low as if there was real heat and smoke to avoid.  Downstairs we went, and though we weren’t blindfolded for this drill, we didn’t need to be.  In the windowless black of the basement, there was no light at all.  We felt our way around and eventually found a foot.  The foot led to a body which I hoped might be on a the smaller side.

My hopes were tossed aside as the “downed firefighter” turned out to be Terry “Angel” Zapata, who is anything but small.  At 215 lbs, plus turnouts and SCBA, Zapata is no light load.   Fire instructors will often tell you that in a fire, it may take 2-3 firefighters to rescue a citizen, but it will take as many as 12 to rescue a downed firefighter.   I don’t know the specifics as to how that number was arrived upon, but I will say that by the end of this drill I felt as though I had done the work of 12 men.

Rescuing Angel Zapata wouldn’t be so bad, were Angel to occasionally use a leg for a little push…. maybe make a lurching motion in the direction we were going… or even just lift an arm so we might get a better grip on him.  Unfortunately for Suarez and I, Angel plays a downed fire fighter with worthiness of an Oscar winner.   He was pure dead weight, and we felt every ounce.

Pulling a downed firefighter in tight dark quarters is tough enough, but getting a firefighter up a narrow stairway is even harder.  For anybody who’s done the CPAT, you know what pulling a 165lbs. dummy feels like, and that’s in optimal conditions without gear on, and on a smooth surface.

By the time Edgar and I had gotten Angel to the top and out the door, I was as winded, exhausted and downright spent as I could be.  Being that our BA’s don’t work, the SCBA masks make breathing even more difficult and by the time I reached the top and had dragged Angel outside, I was toast!  I got my turnout top open as quickly as possible, but was too worked over to get my helmet, flash hood or SCBA off.   Fortunately for me, Eisho Suzuki, Lieutenant of Engine 8 saw my distress (and believe me – I was distressed!) and helped free me from my gear.  Suzuki was in the next RIC team and I was able to repay the favor when he emerged with his victim.

After all the drills were done and we we’d finished cleaning up our stations Captain Grillo set up a little engine company competition.  There were to be four sets of two teams competing against one another in a 4 step firefighter challenge.  It went like this:

1. Hose Race – With live hoselines firing full blast, two cadets had to race one length of hose (approx. 50 feet).
2. Hammer Swing – Get to the waiting sledgehammers and strike a tire ten times.
3. Stair Climb – Pretty simple really.  Get to the tower stairs, go three flights up.  (Not sure if this truly counts as a step)
4. Tool Hoist – Once on the third floor, we had to hoist a chainsaw up and then back down without slipping and in the proper manner.

After the tool hoist, you had to get back down as quickly as possible and make it back to your team first and then the next person would go until all four members of each engine company had gone.  My Engine 7 was of course against our frequent partners in Engine 8.  It was a good race and Engine 8 put up an admirable fight, but of course Engine 7 (with me in anchor) won the battle.  …of course.

**Engine 8, if you have anything to say about this, please feel free to reply below.  Also, if any of the other engine companies have any fun highlights from their competitions, please tell about them below.

It was a long day, but ton’s of fun and we all got some great experience that day.  I’m looking forward to more.

]]> http://journeytofirefighter.com/fire-academy-day-17-rescue-operations/feed/ 2 http://journeytofirefighter.com/fire-academy-days-7-9-turnout-gear-and-scbas/ http://journeytofirefighter.com/fire-academy-days-7-9-turnout-gear-and-scbas/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:59:03 +0000 Josh http://journeytofirefighter.com/?p=217 The Los Medanos Fire Academy meets every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6-10 pm, every Saturday from 8am to 6pm, and every other Sunday for approximately 8-10 hours.  Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually classroom days and are accompanied by lectures from various instructors, at varying locations.   Those days aren’t too rough.  It’s the Saturdays and Sundays that have been kicking our asses.

Days 8 and 9 were a Tues/Thurs combo.  They weren’t too bad.  We had a quiz, on which I did better than I thought I would.  We had lectures and things ran pretty smooth.  Not a whole lot to tell except that we covered topics like water supply and hydrants, and other related bits.

Day 7 was the killer.  This was a Saturday and the weather in Pittsburg, California was into triple digits by the afternoon.  It was a scorcher to say the least.

Class B Uniform

As is standard protocol we showed up in our class B uniforms, which are basically what you see pictured to the left (except our cadets looks much crisper than this gentleman.  *I promise to get some pictures of us up soon.

We left our bags in the classroom and met in the parking lot for our morning marching drills.  We marched about halfway around campus to the storage containers where the turnout gear is kept.  We arrived sweaty and hot, but Captain Grillo placed us in the shade of the trees and engine company by engine company we were issued our gear.

First I should note that there are 33 cadets in our academy broken up into 8 groups or “engine companies” of 4 people each.  We make up the ‘battalion’.  The 33rd cadet, Jacob Chavis is the Battalion Captain.  He was chosen for this role by Captain Grillo because of his previous military experience and because he currently works in an EMS/Firefighter capacity at a local refinery.  Captain Chavis has done an excellent job so far.

The gear we were issued was essentially the complete firefighting outfit.  We were all sized for boots, an SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) mask and tank, helmet, and of course the full turnout pants and coat.  Prior to the start of the academy, we’d all bought our NFPA approved gloves separately.

When everybody had their outfits complete, we were instructed to suit up.  We were allowed to take our shirts off and wear just our undershirts, but with our pants on, we donned our turnouts and then began practicing the drill every firefighter in the country knows best – how to put on your turnouts FAST!

We practiced taking them off, and putting them back on, over and over again.  The minimum goal is to do it all within 2 minutes, but we’re all shooting for under a minute.  In full, we’re stepping out of our station boots, and getting into out boots and turnout pants.  Then on with the coat, flash hood, and oxygen tank followed by the oxygen mask which needs to be connected to the tank and have the air pressure checked.  then pull the flash hood over the mask, get your helmet on, and pull on your gloves.  Often, pulling on your gloves takes the longest.  They’re tight and by that point, you’re actually a bit winded.  Of course, the LMC equipment is old and not exactly a proper fit for most of us.  If we were hired at by a department, we’d surely have newer (and fresher smelling) equipment than the old recycled stuff we’re using here, and I suspect with a bit of practice we’d all be trimming our time down by a bunch.

As the day reached it’s peak in heat, most of the shade was gone and we were sweating up a storm.  Those turnouts are anything but air conditioned and the on-off routine we were doing had us sweating buckets.  Finally, we were given a break as four of the fastest cadets were brought together for a little friendly competition.  From my own engine company 7 was Daniel Saballos competing against former professional baseball player Brandon Buckley (engine co. 1), Brian Means (engine co. 5), and Scott Pitchford (engine co. 6).  In just under a minutes time, the winner was Brian Means, but all four were amazing to watch.

Though this post simplifies the experience we all shared into a brief and simple explanation of the days activities, it was actually a long, grueling and extremely hot day.  I figure this is a good thing because as it turns out fires too, are hot; and fighting them I can only imagine, is grueling.  Just know if you’re considering going into the fire academy, it’s going to be a challenge from the very start.  Those of us who were there on this Saturday the 29th of August, 2009 will surely always remember the day we got our gear.

Day 3 –  Union City Fire Department Captain, Ricky Hurtado ran this evenings class and packed our heads full of information on the topic of fire behavior.  I can’t begin to transcribe all the notes I took that night, but I can comment that Capt. Hurtado was an excellent instructor and knows how to lecture so that you don’t fall asleep.  He’s interesting, full of knowledge, but grounded and effective in connecting with his students.  I look forward to seeing more of him in the academy.

Day 4 –  Here was a biggie.  Day 4 was a Saturday and retired Chief Joe Robinson was with us for 10 hours (not counting breaks and an hour lunch) of fire prevention and investigation education.  Whooooo, it was a long day at information station!  The most amazing thing about it is how Chief Robinson can pull it off.  Anybody who can effectively lecture on a single topic for such a substantial amount of time is a dedicated man in my book.

As an instructor Joe Robinson (who I’ve discussed in other parts of this blog) is a downright wealth of information packed into a single human being.  He gave us such a massive information dump, there would be no way to retain it all, had it not been for his extremely organized and to the point Powerpoint presentations.  Chief is also a very courteous and laid back guy with a subtle sense of humor.  It seemed obvious to me that he enjoys teaching and appears to be doing a good job of keeping busy while loving retirement.

Day 5 –   Another of my previous fire instructors, San Jose FD Captain, Don Torres, ran Tuesday’s lecture covering ICS (Incident Command System) in a through and to the point manner.  He had to as there was a ton of information to cover in only 4 hours.  Taking notes was a challenge, but my approach was write down key words and points and review them later.  Most of all I wanted to make sure I was hearing what Mr. Torres was saying.

If you happen to be a student at Los Medanos College, I highly recommend taking ‘Building and Construction for Fire Protection’ with Captain Torres.  He’s a fun teacher who appears to me to be at the top of his game.  He also let us know that we could earn our ICS-100 certification through FEMA online.   FEMA offers a study at home course and certification for this and other progams.  If you haven’t done it, you might want to spend some time on that.

Day 6 –  Communications was the topic and Dave Watson (also known as “The Punisher”) of Walnut Creeks Engine 1, was the instructor.  This was an interesting night because unlike all the previous days, this evening was broken up by groups of us going to the 911 dispatch center in Pleasant Hill.  Dave had Firefighter Nick Grillo assisting him that night.  Grillo (Captain Mike Grillo’s son) accompanied us to the dispatch center while Watson stayed back and lectured/Q&A’ed with the remaining cadets.

At the 911 center, the very friendly (for some reason I expected them to be grouchy) dispatchers explained what all the bells and whistles did, and details about how dispatchers work.  I was amazed to learn that their schedule is just like the firefighters.  They’re currently working 48/96′s which basically means they’re on for 48 hours straight and off for 4 days afterwards.  Some love it, other hate it.  Either way, it’s pretty amazing.  When we were there, there were only 3 dispatchers working (and I assume there was one sleeping somewhere).  Very interesting experience.

Listening to the calls come in, you get a better understanding for why firefighters struggle with the information they’re given by dispatch.  It’s simple – dispatch is essentially relaying the information they’re given from whatever panicked Joe calls in, and often they have to relay that information super fast in order to get to the plethora of other calls that may be flooding their lines.  It’s a tough job and one I hope to become more acquainted with in the future.

Before I conclude Day 6′s wrap-up, I should do my own relay job and tell you what Firefighter Dave Watson told us about his “Punisher” nickname.  The story is a simple one, and not so focused on the nickname itself.  Apparently during the last LMC academy, Watson must have been pretty hard on the group because that night they dubbed him “The Punisher”.  The next morning Dave showed up for work at the fire station and everybody there knew all about his new nickname.  Not even 24 hours had passed and he was getting phone calls from others in the service joking with him about his new tag.

The moral of the story Watson explained goes like this…. “Telegraph, Telephone, Tell-a-firefighter”  The point here being, news travels fast; really fast!  Especially in the small world of the fire service so think before you act or speak.  He joked that firefighters are worse than high school girls when it comes to gossip and if you make a mistake, everybody will know within hours if not minutes.  Fortunately for Watson, being nicknamed “The Punisher” is pretty cool, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.

It was my hope at the start of this blog that I would be able to write a post for every day of the academy.  That is clearly not going to be possible, but I will try and stay on top of things at least in blocks of days.  Today’s post will be on Day 2 of the academy, but in this posts and future posts  I’ll generally focus on a few things: What we’ve covered in class; class/training instructors;  personal wins/losses (blunders); other highlights.  In addition, I’ll also try and get the quizes we’ve taken so far posted on the quiz page so you can test your own firefighter knowledge.  Remember – anything less than 70% fails.

Day 2 – This was the actual first day of “class”.  Day 1 was our 10-hour orientation.  In this class Captain Grillo covered the history of the fire service from 24 B.C. to current day.  There’s a lot that we covered and I’d love to post the notes here, but that would take a lot of time I don’t have.  That’s a project for later, but I can tell you a few highlights regarding the history of the firefighting and some of the interesting trivia that goes along with it.

• The earliest recorded history of firefighters was in Caesar’s Rome.  The “Familia Publica”, made up of 600 slaves (not like the African-American slaves of American history.  They were more like servants of the commonwealth.) stationed around the city and kept watch nightly for fires.  They put them out by throwing buckets of water on them.
• The Corp of Vigiles eventually replaced the Familia Publica and served Rome for about 500 years.
• The very first fire pump ever was called the Siphona Syringe (invented by Ctesibus and Hero the Alexandrian) which was basically a giant syringe full of water which was pumped by multiple men onto a fire.
• Former Captain of the Romain army, Florian, became known as “Florian, Patron Saint of Firefighters”.
• Dalmatians, the fire service mascot was originally used to keep horse teams on path and calm at the scene of fires.
• Ben Franklin is commonly referred to as “America’s First Fire Chief” as he started the first fire department in Philadelphia, PA.
• Boston, MA created the first paid-on-call Fire Department, let by Thomas Atkins – America’s first Fire Captain.
• The word ‘curfew’ comes from the french saying “couvre feu” meaning “cover fire”.  In Medieval England the curfew bell was rung meaning it was time to cover and extinguish your fire, so that homes would not catch on fire in the night.
• Andrew Gratacap invented the first fire helmet made of leather with the primary purpose of keeping water out of your eyes.
• Cincinatti, OH (1853) is credited as being the the 1st paid, full-time Fire Department.
• San Francisco’s Daniel Hayes invented the 1st hydraulic aerial ladder in 1870.
• In 1973 America’s growing fire problem was finally explored in depth in the monumental “America Burning” publication.  It’s conclusion was that our fire problem which is worse than any other industrialized country, stems from our own apathy.
• 345 firefighters die in the terrorist attacks on 9/11.  6000 people died in total.
• Today there are approximately 33,000 fire departments in the U.S. and 1 million firefighters (two-thirds are volunteer)
• The are approximately 2 million fire calls per year in the U.S.
• A popular saying in the fire service goes “200 years of tradition, unhampered by progress.”
• “Semper Vigilans” is the motto of the fire service.  It means “Always Vigilant”.

Class went smooth.  Nothing significant to tell beyond the

To begin the orientation, Captain Grillo gave us a brief intro to the names, departments and specialties of the many firefighters (with a wide variety of titles and roles) who will be instructing us over the course of the semester.  He also introduced us to Brittany Sylvia who is a previous LMC Fire Academy graduate, and now helps run the physical training aspect of the academy.  She claims anything she’ll be having us do, she’ll be doing right along side us.  I believe her.

Aside from getting the obvious certificate of achievement for completing the fire academy, and the likely achievement of earning our Firefighter 1 cert. (3 fire courses and the academy), we’ll also be getting two other significant certifications.  The first is a State Fire Marshal certification in Wildland Interface, which is highly valuable in California.  Second Captain Ed Macumber will be certifying us as HazMat FRO (Hazardous Materials – First Responder Operations), which is also huge!

We reviewed our textbook (BIG, Expensive, and the origin of my blunder) and it was explained that anything less than a minimum of 70% fails the academy.  That’s referring to the 10 quizzes we’ll be taking plus the midterm and final.  Also, there about 400 hours of class time of which we may miss a maximum of 18.  More than that and we’re out.

We reviewed a lot more “little details” and then headed outside to learn how to march.  Only 2 or 3 people in this academy have prior military experience which is surpising, and it made learning how to march all the more exciting and new.  I have to say, aside from the 90° sun beating on my bald head, it was actually a lot of fun.  Also, I now know where my boots are going to be giving me blisters.

Before the marching actually began we learned about grouping our battalion into formations and different stances.  At one point during Capt. Grillo’s explanation of standing “At Ease”, he called me a “short-cutter”.  I was completely bewildered at why he would call me this, except that at times he picks on random people to tease them.  Still, this seemed a little harsh for teasing.  I decided I would ask him at the end of the day.

The marching can be tricky at times.  If for a moment you lose your cadence with the other cadets, it can be very hard to get back into it without being spotted.  The key as I see it, is to keep a strong focus on the beat of the feet, while maintaining a comfortable awareness of where your surrounding cadets are.  Once that’s in place you’re better off if you just fall into the zone and rhythm of the march.  That’s when it becomes fun.

Fortunately, we were a worthwhile troop and without too much trouble, our marching convinced Captain Grillo to let us conclude before the heat caused us to completely sweat stain our brand new uniforms.  Back in the sweetness of air conditioning, we got a quick lesson on how to shine our boots, which it sounds like we’ll want to do before every day of the academy.  Finally, Brittany concluded class with some candid Q&A and were excused.

Once we were excused, I approached Capt. Grillo and asked him “Sir, do you really think of me as a ‘short-cutter’ or was that just a joke?”  His lack of immediate response was telling and crushing, and finally he replied.  He told me he got a call from “a bookstore” telling him that “one of his students was trying to take a shortcut”.  Again, I was baffled, but quickly realized what he must be referring to.

A week prior to this, I had gotten on our textbook publishers website and filled out a form for a “review copy”.  Doing this same thing for my EMT class, I connected with that publishing companies sales people who told me about a student price I was able to get through them.  This saved me a lot of money, and I was hoping to repeat the experience.  As it is, I am currently dirt poor.

Unfortunately what happened, was rather than informing me about money-saving options for purchasing their textbook, the salesgirl called Capt. Grillo and told him that one of his students was trying to take shortcuts.  The salesgirl did email me asking if I was employed by the school.   I responded telling her that I wasn’t an employee.  I told her I was a student, and a very poor one at that.   Lastly, I explained that I was simply hoping she may be able to help me out with the cost of the book.

I don’t think this is the message she delivered to Capt. Grillo.  I told the Captain that I was looking for a student discount and that the last thing I’d want him to think of me as was a “short-cutter”.  He told me “OK, prove me wrong” and walked away.  I hate this.  I hate that a misunderstanding or a lack of knowing the whole story has now reduced my reputation to that of a short-cutter, and on the very first day!!  I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.

I ordered my text book on Amazon and am worried it won’t be here soon enough.  We have our first quiz in less than a week and I need to study!

Los Medanos college runs a good fire academy, though there are of course the true “elite”.  Butte College is known for having possibly the best fire academy in California (though maybe it’s the best in Northern California).  One thing about Butte is that you don’t need your EMT cert to go there.  This is because they put you through their own EMT certification, not to mention an intense, rigorous, and very well respected academy.

I am quite happy to be attending LMC regardless.  Lately I’ve been told by a few people including Mr. Grillo that upon graduation of the academy, doors really begin to open.  This is the kind of thing I want to hear as it is easy to get down on the idea that the economy is in the tank and nobody is hiring.

Just two days ago I was at L.N. Curtis & Sons buying gear for the academy and I met Sharon Oliver, Training Officer for the Alameda Fire Department.  Myself and a fellow cadet spent some time talking to her and I’m quite glad we did.  She too had some very positive and motivational words for us.  She reiterated what Captain Grillo told us, that opportunities will abound after graduating from the academy and that fire departments will never stop hiring.  She went to reassure us that while there are a few layoffs taking place right now, it won’t be very long (1-3 years is the impression I got) before a good healthy hiring upswing takes place.  She highly recommended we get our paramedic license under our belts.

In the end, I feel better.  I’m excited for the academy and I’m more excited at the prospect of what may come when it’s over.