What a week!

It all started last Friday evening, I was at my granddaughters softball game, the wind was unbelievable, anyway we got a call for an assist to the south neighboring department for a structure fire with flames showing.  It took me a while to get there, but did and I got to play this time.  My deputy was handling our department so I just grabbed an air pack, a 6' hook and headed in with the rest of the crew to pull ceiling and overhaul.  Not a lot of work to do, but felt good doing something other than talking on a radio. On Sunday, right after I left the platform in church, we got a call for a structure fire in our district.  Was a minor fire only because of the time of the day.  Had it been at night, would have been a lot worse.  My deputy was first on the scene so left him in command and helped with interior operations.  Monday night we had training and that went real well, we are making progress, slow but sure on getting our members familiar with where equipment is and it operation.  Tuesday, the madness started.  I had to talk a granddaughter to a doctor appointment, and just as we were to leave we get a call for a possible structure fire at the local vet clinic.  Quickly dropped her off, and responded.  We had 7 make the call, and after some searching found the problem.  Shorted wire.  Cleared and went to work.  Middle of the afternoon, weather turned bad with snow and sleet.  I was at the station when we got a call for a roll over on the expressway.  Responded with 7 firefighters again and cut a man out of his pickup.  He had some neck injuries and now has a convertible pickup.  Later that night, we caught a fully involved structure fire.  My deputy was first officer on scene and when I got there left him in command and took water supply. Some 5 hours later we cleared and had everything cleaned up.  Finally crawled in bed at 2:45AM.  Got up at the usually time and got a little work done, then called it a day.  Went to supper for the first time with some former classmates from high school.  They get together once a month, but due to distance this is the first time I have made it.  It was fun, most of us have changed alot.  On Thursday, spent good portion of the day digging out the fire from Tuesday.  Still no definite cause.  Ruled out some, but still not sure.  Will probably have to go out again with the insurance investigator.  Thursday had training again, went well.  Have decided that everyone who is not yet qualified on the rescue engine will do nothing but train on it until they are checked out. Found out our brush rig is down with fuel injector problems, translation, bring big money.  Not sure how soon it will be back. It is pretty wet here so its not critical yet, but could be in a hurry if it dries up.   Found out a friend died on Tuesday afternoon.  He was a business owner in town and had been in poor health.  Saw him last Saturday morning at coffee.  He was about a big as my dad, and reminded me a lot of him.  My regret is that not once did I mention anything to him about Jesus.  I have nothing that would lead me to believe that he was a Christian, and I think if I had said anything he would have passed it off,  but I don't know that for sure, and beside that I had a duty to do that.  I wonder if he ever saw Christ in me, I hope so but I think that I dropped the ball on this one.  Seems to me I do that a lot.  Went to the Good Friday service last night at church.  Glad we had one, as it had been a few years.   As we sang "The Old Rugged Cross", could not help but think of my dad.  It was one of his favorites.  It once again brought me to tears.  Miss him so even if it has been over 7 years.  Tomorrow is Easter, for a lot of people Christmas is their favorite holiday.  For me it is Easter.  Because of Easter and what it symbolizes, I have eternal life.  As I get older, this becomes so much more important than anything I can think of.   I watched a little TV the other day while I was waiting to have my new cell phone updated with the numbers from my old one.  I watched as mankind tried to put a worldly spin on Easter.  Rabbits that lay eggs?, spring?  That was in March, and have you seen the weather here.  No, they won't acknowledge that we celebrate the RISEN LORD.   For to do so, would require that they make a decision about Him.   My wife and I will spend Easter alone this year,  no family is coming home, I think we will go out for dinner.  Right know one of the songs that I want sung a my funeral is playing on my computer as I type this.  One of the lines is "there my burden soul found liberty"  oh how true.  I think that song "AT CALVARY"  is one of the best songs of what has happen in my life.  As the songs says, "Now I gladly own Him as my King, Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary"  Looking forward to tomorrow.   A friend once told me the Friday before Easter, to have a good Easter.  I told him "As a Christian, I don't think you can have a bad Easter".   He thought for a minute and replied "I think if you really believe in the resurrection, then you can't have a bad Easter."    Happy Easter

Weary

The Bible tells us to not be weary in well doing (Gal.6:9).  But right now I think that is what I am.  It has been a busy day here.  The weather has gone from slightly chilly, to cold with rain and snow and then back to rain. We started today with a fire call for a business south of town.  They had electrical problems, and it turned out to be a simple wire cut from a piece of roof flashing.  The previous sentences were written at about 8:15 PM,  it is now 1:30AM and I just sat down to a couple of cookies and a glass of milk, after a long, wet night on a fully involved house fire.  First on we have had in our district in 18 months.  Roads were a muddy mess, house was way back on the end of a narrow dirt road.   Hard to find and harder to fight.  Had a good turnout but now everyone is cold, wet and tired.  Left 2 guys on fire watch with #2 engine, they will watch it until later this early morning.  After the wire call this morning we had a Vehicle accident with pin-in on the expressway.  Had to make a convertible out of a late model Dodge pickup.  The passenger wasn't hurt to bad.  Lost it on the sudden snow covered road.  Had planned on talking about being weary, but right now after these cookies and milk, it will be a hot shower and bed.  Busy day tomorrow, may have take a day of vacation to meet the fire investigator and also get the air truck filled with air.

Tech problems

This has not been a good day by any stretch of the imagination.  It all started yesterday at 4PM when I got a text message saying my cellphone would switch today to ATT. I would have to use my new phone.  Problem: I was on the road for business and would not be home until late Tuesday.  The new phone was at home. So after about 1 1/2 hours on the phone, both cell and hotel line, it came down to "we are sorry, but there is nothing we will do about it." You are out of luck.  I asked to talk with a supervisor to lodge a compliant, and mostly got put on hold, and then dropped.  This morning, I was told to go on line to ATT.COM and I could email a compliant to management.  So I did, but you first must have an account with them, and you need a password, so I asked for a password, and they said they would send it to my cellphone, the one that was over 100 miles away.  Not to my email address, but to the phone that I didn't have.  I also had the option of getting it by U.S.Mail.  Brilliant!!  By the time I left the hotel, I was so angry with that company that I could spit nails.  Thankfully, my day with my customers went okay, only had one I couldn't connect with be cause of NO phone.  But, all was not well, the new computer has taken to locking up with the mouse pad.  Just stops working.  Soooo, you shutdown, mid project, reboot and start all over again.  This only happen three times today, or about once every third customer.  Made for a long day, now I am home and the "high speed" connection is running at about half speed. Gave up trying to download some data from the office, might try before bed and just let it run until done.  My wife thinks I should go to bed and hope for a better day tomorrow.  Tomorrow, yipes, that is the day they reprogram all of our radios at the department.  Me and electronic are not on friendly terms, and we have 16 radios to do, not a good sign.  Have been getting very frustrated with a number of pending items, none are that big, except maybe one, yet nothing is coming together that will bring them to a resolution.  Hate to be a nag, but sometimes I need to be, just so that new things don't pile up on the yet to be done stuff.   Have long internal discussions with myself on what direction we should go inregards to the next apparatus.  The more I think, the more I feel we may need to address two areas of need at the same time.  I think to do that the best way would be to purchase used trucks, as the need for these trucks, while they are needed, the use would be somewhat limited in scope. But buying a used truck that someone else spec'd, well thats not any fun, and you miss all of the fun and attention that buying new brings.  Well, having been on two committees that spec'd new trucks, it was not all that much fun, but rather very trying, frustrating, and in one case created a lot of hard feels, some that linger yet, almost four years after.  I think if I had it to do again, I would only buy used, that way you know the flaws right-up front.  That new truck that was such an ego builder, you will find any number of things wrong with it within the first month you own it, and you will be stuck with it for most likely the next 20 years.

Time to catch-up

It has been almost two weeks since I last posted anything and a lot has happened.  We made a trip to FDIC, took my wife along for the first time.  Must say that she was a trooper walking around all day looking at stuff that had interest to me, but little to her.  We got watch several firefighters do the combat challenge course, turning in times under 2 minutes.  Oh to be 25 again.  Also got her picture in the tiller seat of a TDA.  We also went up in a Supthen 100 foot platform.  Great ride, she took a picture looking down the ladder at 82degrees, but just held the camera over the edge.  She did comment that it wasn't bad at all, and was very smooth.  But hey, its a Supthen what else would it be.  She spent Saturday with her cousin who lives in Greenwood, just south of Indianapolis, and they went shopping.  She wanted to get some outfits for a couple of twin boys that our friends in Ghana just had.  Then of course after we got home, she had to buy something for their brother and sister.  I hope that the package gets there okay. Can't wait to see pictures of them.  It has been a slow couple of weeks at the department.  Things that need to be done, seem to be bogging down and taking a lot longer then I think they should.  Hope to get to interviews in the next couple of weeks.  Have missions stuff to take care of for church,   and a meeting tomorrow night with a deacon friend to talk about some things.  I am vice-chairman this year in addition to being missions chairman so have a fairly full plate.  What else is new.  Saw 2/3's of my children this weekend, as my youngest daughter had a birthday party for my bride.  Was good to see them, but sure wish the other two had been able to attend.   This week my wife went and bought our cemetery plots.  I joke about it alot, but really, I am slowly trying to get things in line for when that day comes that I need that piece of ground.  This week we got news that a young man in our church, maybe 25, has liver cancer.  They are running more tests to see how far advanced it is, but for some reason this had really hit me hard.  I know him and his folks, but would not call them really close friends, but still I think of my own children and how would I handle this if it were them.  Part of me is more than a little upset with God, but than realize we are all living lives that are but a vapor.  That this place on earth is not what it is about.  When I think of death, my number one concern is not me, but rather how my family will handle it.  How will they be effected,  how will they go on.  I see a friend whose husband was a very good friend of mine, someone I miss a lot. I see how she as had to cope with his sudden death, and I think that is one of the reasons that I want everything in place for my wife in case that happens to us.  I have spent some time in the last few days wondering just how to handle the transition in the department.  I think over the next few years, I need to put more on my deputy chief, so that slowly but surely he starts to make his imprint on the department.  My concern is that I am not sure he wants to handle the mundane stuff, the everyday operations, bills, personnel decisions and all the other stuff that comes with being at the top.  Was in the office today and it looks like they are going to hire the young lady that was my choice for the job.  When the day comes that I leave this job, I think I will feel good about having her take my customers if it works that way.  As I write this tonight, I am listening to a play list of songs I like, and just now Twila Paris is singing Days of Elijah.  One of the lines is "there is no God like Jehovah".   I need to remember that as the next few weeks play out.  Back to FDIC,  the show seemed a little down this year.  Maybe it was just that there was more room in the convention center this year with the new building.   Spring is slowing coming, that means yard work, something I hate.  Also need to get my new grill together, my wife found some T-Bone steaks in the freezer from the last steer we bought.  They will be good initiation for the grill.   Had our taxes done last week, and we are getting some money back.  The tax man looked at our figures, income and deductions and told me that our list of charitable contributions might get us audited.  According to him, it was alot higher than normal for people with our income.  Told him  that I wasn't worried, as I had all the supporting paper work.  He said, I sure hope so.  Which reminds me that I need to have my wife sign the papers so I can send them back.  They have been setting in my desk for almost a week.  Could this be Alzheimer's first little signs or do I have too many irons in the fire.   Time to do some paper work.