Let the Planning Begin

An old box of charts and photographs printed on copy paper was dropped on the counter of our community clubhouse as my back was turned to the sink getting water for a cup of coffee. While I was negotiating with the Krueg machine to brew me a cup of coffee, Peter was emptying the box layer by layer. Kind of like finding an old box in the attic and discovering the secrets it held. As each layer emerged, a story, a comment, excitement, regrets. Then he found the charts.

Laying them out on the tables that had been arranged end-to-end for the up-coming board of directors meeting, a mish-mash of laminated 8 1/2 x 11" copies of someone who had made the voyage before Peter and his twin boys had attempted their journey, a  found marine atlas of the area, and some good old-fashioned marine charts covered two tables. 

A voyage adventure is never just about covering miles across the surface of the globe. We talked,  planned, swapped stories, asked hard questions, and set expectations. We agreed that either of us could bail on the trip at any time, a strong overlying imperative is that we are able to at least be cordial to each other as neighbors when we're done, and the slowest, weakest, or member wanting to take pictures sets the pace. 

Strong, important first step of the journey.

"Yeah," I think that would be a cool trip

I'd heard through Pam that my new neighbor Peter was looking for someone to go with him on a 400-mile kayaking trip through parts of the Inside Passage. She told Denise that Peter should ask Jay, because Jay is crazy enough to go, or something to that effect. The next day at a garage sale, Peter and I ran into each other. He started in immediately telling me about his planned trip. I listened patiently and interested. After taking a breath, he asked, "You want to go?" "Yeah." "Yeah?" "Yeah." 

The adventure begins.

We are selling Lucille, our 1995 Roadtrek 210P

Motor homes can be pretty complex vehicles and they can seem pretty daunting at first. They have all the systems that you would have in a "sticks-and-bricks" home, except that this one rolls on down the road with you. You have power systems, water systems, sewage systems, entertainment...you get the idea. It took me a couple of years, but I eventually worked through them all.

I'm sure that there are nicer looking Roadtreks out there, but we didn't want one that was too pretty. While we didn't want a target for someone to steal or break into it, we also didn't want to be kicked out of the park for looking trashy. We wanted one that was a happy medium and that's what we found in Lucille. Her paint is a little faded, but she has a good heart and strong legs.

I have written a couple of times on some of the work that was needed to make Lucille travel-worthy and what we wanted to make ourselves comfortable in our new home.
http://seemedgoodatthetime.blogspot.com/2015/08/getting-ready-is-part-of-trip-too.html
http://seemedgoodatthetime.blogspot.com/2016/04/get-out-bottle-of-champane.html
It didn't end where the blog posts summarized, but what was done was done to keep her and us safe.

Let's start with the engine and drive train. With a 190,000 miles on her, she is still strong with lots of miles yet to go. I take good care of Lucille's 454ci motor with 5W30 synthetic oil every 5,000 miles and she consistently gets about 11-12mpg. She just had a new exhaust manifold gasket and new doughnut gaskets installed to keep her purring quiet. The air conditioning system was completely replaced a couple of years ago and has never let us get over-heated since. I make sure that all the fluids are regularly changed, including tranny fluid and rear-end gear oil. The brakes and regularly checked and adjusted--always have the rear brakes adjusted not just checked. The tires have about 20,000 miles on them.

The suspension and steering have had major overhauls and upgrades. The whole steering assembly, including the steering box have been replaced when we had new tires put on a few years ago at the tail end of our long trip around the United States. We have had heavy-duty front and rear sway bars and heavy-duty shocks added to add driving comfort and safety in windy areas and curvy roads.

The interior upholstery was completely redone just before we purchased it, so the seats, bed, and carpets are still very nice. We don't smoke and I don't think that anyone who has owned it has smoked in vehicle. We haven't had animals travel with us in Lucille. This vehicle only has two seats in the front for road travel. The spaces for the two rear seats have been replaced with closets to make long-term travel more comfortable. The traditional Roadtrek drain in the floor has been covered over with a sturdier plywood/carpet floor. Showers are still possible with a small, portable tub that is placed on the floor.

We have set up Lucille to operate off of the grid and the 160W solar panel on her roof is sufficient to keep the house battery charged, while being able to work all day on the computer. To assist in our being able to work while on the road, we installed a wifi booster and a cellular booster. The electrical system was upgraded to include a new battery charger/DC distribution system and an AC power surge protection system.

We are finding that our idea of travel is changing and it's time to let someone else enjoy Lucille's company and companionship. We are asking $17,500.

The Firefighter Academy--Day 11

Sunday. Our last day of the academy. There is a quietness in how we go about our turn out drills. The anxiousness is no longer there. We just do what needs to be done to get the equipment on in the allotted timeframe.

A group of three are tasked to carry the 35-foot extension ladder. Four would have been easier to balance. It's a lot harder to raise a 35-foot ladder than it was a 24-foot ladder. Even with three people, it was a concerted team effort to get it raised safely. All of us got the chance to climb it.

The main event was remedial pre-connect training and then some advanced techniques. Our pre-connected hose is set into trays on the engines. Two hundred feet of hose per tray. These trays for 1 3/4-inch hose are about 4-inches wide and the width of the engine. Four 50-foot sections with a nozzle on the end. These sections are all coupled together and laid into two rows--100-foot each row. A picture would be helpful here, but I couldn't find one that depicts the way we do it in my search of Google images. There are a lot of ways to do the loading of the hose. The right-hand section, as you are faced away from that side of the engine--has the nozzle on the bottom. This is called the Minuteman Load. The left-hand section has a hand loop laid into it about halfway through the load.

Our strategy--because I'm sure every fire department has their own--of pulling hose is to place the minuteman load onto the right shoulder and hold it there with the right hand. Pull this 100-foot section from the tray. Reach around with the left hand and grab the handhold of the second 100-foot section and pull it from the tray as you move in the direction of the fire. At about 25-feet from the engine, you should feel the tug of the hose that is already connected to the engine. Drop the hose from your left hand and grab the nozzle. Drop the right hand down to the front edge of the pile of hose on your right shoulder and grab a leaf somewhere towards the middle of the pile. Turn towards the right and drop the right shoulder dropping the 100-foot pile of hose, which continues to hold onto the nozzle with the left hand and that halfway section with your right. Spread your arms briskly to shake out the hose as much as possible. Turn and continue towards the fire dragging the hose behind you. The goal of the forward ____ (I can't remember what this is called) is to arrive the spot where you are to begin your fight of the fire with the nozzle and at least 50-feet of hose behind you in an "S" or "Z" shape ready to move forward.  Somewhere from when running out of the first 50-feet of hose and when you are set at the door, call for water to charge the hose.

A reverse drop?? is where you bring the whole 100-foot section that is on the right shoulder to the point where the firefighting is to begin and drop the whole pile. Once the pile is on the ground, grab the hose near the coupling between the two 50-foot sections and drag it back towards the engine. When the hose is fully extended, bring the coupling back towards the fire to create a "W" shape with the hose.  Call for water to charge the hose.

The spiral drop?? is a little more complicated to do and to explain. Starting with the 100-foot section on the right shoulder, grab the pile of hose with both hands and hold the pile together at the front as you are setting it carefully to the ground. Starting with the first loop, open it up a bit and take the next loop and place inside of the first one. Do this until all the loops are stacked inside one another. Reaching into the inner loop with both hands, open the loops to create a circle. Once the loops are open, call for water and lay the loops down so that the nozzle is on top. The set-up should allow the hose to peel off in loops as you move into the space to be defended with the nozzle.

After lunch, we moved down to the middle school to flow "big water" from the 2 1/2-inch lines and maybe climb the ladder on the truck if we have time. There is a huge difference between using 1 3/4-inch hose and using 2 1/2-inch hose. You wouldn't think that 3/4 of an inch would make that much difference until you try and control the water coming out them.

 1 3/4-inch hose--one person can handle with effort

 2 1/2-inch hose--two people required

I was last in line for those that wanted to climb the 75-foot ladder on the ladder truck. Worth the wait.

And, just like that, we were done with the academy.

The class 18-03

This is a link to the entire picture album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RibJbchYps1DEQXg7

This is a sub-album with the pictures that have me in them (a bit narcissistic, I know): https://photos.app.goo.gl/KVVL33zRzdF39Lpi6

The Firefighter Academy--Day 10

Saturday was a full day. It was a testing day where we were to go over most aspects of the training we've experienced over the last few weeks.

In the morning, we rotated through hydrant set-up testing and through ladder set-up. There is more to setting up a 24-foot extension ladder than meets the eye. Especially, if you want to do it safely and quickly. 

In the afternoon,  we went to Station 4 for firebox training. Three teams of four with a couple extra were rotated very quickly through the firebox exercise. Teaming up, exiting the vehicle, pulling pre-connected hose, and entering a live fire building to do a rescue search and attack the fire was the routine.

No matter that I had been through a couple evolutions of training on pulling preconnected hose during the summer months, it was clear to me that I still wasn't getting it.  The hose would get caught up on the air tank each time, which I chalked up to my being left-handed in a right-hand world. The point, though, is that I wasn't getting it. The hose didn't care that I was left-handed, yet I couldn't figure out how to turn in a way that would prevent it from happening.

It seemed that I wasn't the only one having difficulty, as it was the main issue brought up during the review of the day. Tomorrow, it would be the focus.

The Firefighter Academy--Day 8.5 and 9

Day 8.5? Tuesday, the captain offered an extra half day of training on Thursday for those who felt they needed it and I felt that any extra I could get in would help out in the testing. There were four of us who showed up and we were granted 3 1/2 hours of some very intense training on the whole process of setting up the hydrant, pulling pre-connected hose and building entry with rescue search. We drilled on these processes until I hurt through and through. And, it paid off. Going into Saturday's (Day 10) drills/tests, I felt more confident with all of these processes.

Friday, Day 9--Testing day
One of the most important aspect of this culture that I am being introduced to here at the Siuslaw Valley Fire & Rescue is the fine balance between high expectations and supportiveness. Everyone wants you to succeed, but they aren't going to give it to you without you working hard for it. The test for donning turn outs and air pack in under two minutes is pass/fail. I barely made it. Everyone eventually passed and went onto the knots testing and 60-question T/F test. We all made it through those too, but there was a collective review of those areas where we had difficulty. The idea is to make us all stronger in the process.

We are seeing the end of this academy drawing near. The night was completed with fitting out of Class B uniforms to be used during graduation night on Tuesday.

The Firefighter Academy--Day 8

Tuesday night's academy parallels the normal Tuesday night training, but with a half-hour added at each end. Instead of beginning with turn out drills, we took advantage of some confusion and did knot practice instead.

This worked out well, since many of the team are still trying to get their knots down. As the rest of the firefighter association filtered in for the beginning of their 1830 hours training, they joined us in trying to figure out their knots too. It reminded me of a Boy Scout meeting with those who knew their knots teaching those who were still struggling. I learned yet another method of tying the bowline, which I thought would be easier in many situations.

Once 1830 came around, the captains herded us all upstairs. The chief had prepared a sobering discussion on how we could be charged with certain felonies if our driving resulted in life or property damage. More importantly, he gave very clear guidelines on how to prevent that from happening.

Following the chief's presentation and discussion, we--the whole association present--went downstairs and got into our turn outs and rotated through traffic control methods. We did this a month or so ago and predictably I found this time to be easier. It seems simple enough. Set up the "WRECK AHEAD" diamond signs and place the cones to divert traffic away from and around the accident site. Then, use the "STOP/SLOW" hand-held signs and radio communications to keep traffic flowing and everyone at the scene safe. Yet, there's more to it.

The big take-away I got from last night's training was: Stop all traffic in all directions around the crash site until the crash victims are safely on their way to help and you have developed a plan for diverting traffic around the crash site. Use the engines and trucks to help block the roads if necessary, but leave room for ambulances and other support vehicles through. Be ready for other drivers who will try and break through to get past the crash site.

Once a plan is developed, teams will set up the "WRECK AHEAD" signs and cones. Traffic will already be stopped and a firefighter holding traffic with their "STOP/SLOW" sign. When the scene is clear of victims, the command will be given the IC (Incident Command) to begin allowing traffic through. "Eastbound Traffic, this is Westbound Traffic. Ready to send traffic westbound." "Copy. Okay to send traffic westbound." "Sending traffic westbound...last vehicle is a blue SUV." "Copy. Last vehicle is a blue SUV." Then the reverse happens. "Westbound Traffic, this is Eastbound Traffic. Ready to send traffic eastbound." And, so on. I can only imagine how much fun it gets to be when you add a couple of intersections to the mix.

After the training drill, those of us in the academy took a few minutes to have a class photo taken. Then we got to do turn out drills some more. I am getting faster and even with getting the gloves over my fat mitts taking seeming a quarter of my overall time, I'm at 40-50 seconds for just the turn outs. We have two minutes to get turn outs and air pack on.

While I tried to do a good job as class lead, I am happy to let someone else have a go at it. I'll be over here with the dust mop.