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.

The Firefighter Academy--Day 7

Sunday. This is the last day of my week of being team lead for the class. I'm pretty sure that I'll still get there early and wander out when I've got things put away, but it'll be a bit easier not having to pay so much attention to the tasks that the role requires. Onto the day, before the details slip from my memory.

I didn't make it under the two-minute mark on any of the turn-outs and air pack drills this morning. Close, but still a bit over. I think it is directly related to the fact that I still ached in every joint from Saturday's session or it could be that I am just slow. Either will work.

We loaded up the air packs into the rescue truck and headed over to Station 4 off of Sutton Lake Road to do more fire box training. Today, working on techniques of venting the structure from the inside to clear the smoke and help direct the fire. Along with that comes the drill of arrival on scene activities and what each team needs to do. It is clear that the academy will give us enough knowledge and experience to be helpful and somewhat safe, but Tuesday night drills throughout the year are going to be important. My role did not include going inside the fire box during the morning session.

Just as our lunch hour began, the station received a rescue call for an accident on the dunes. At least that's what I figured it was when I saw them going down the highway Code 3 with the trailer full of quads. This situation took most of our trainers with it, so the captain changed things up for the afternoon.

Instead of continuing to run exposure drills into the burn box, we did a rotation of three other areas. Forced entry, saws and cutting equipment, and roof access/assessment/ventilation.

The key to forced entry is to assess the situation first before you just break down the front door. Where is the fire concentrated? How far involved is it? Is the door unlocked? Is it possible to just break a window to allow unlocking the door from the inside? Like most things, the more you know the more empathy you have for someone who's decisions looks like it wasn't the best when viewed from the armchair in review.

If it is the front door that needs to be gone through because that's what's determined to be the best route to fight the fire, a series of steps needs to be gone through to protect the firefighter while quickly gaining entry. First off, check for heat at the door by exposing the back of the gloved wrist. Starting at the bottom of the door and moving towards the top, feel for heat. This process determines how close or how involved the fire is getting. If the heat is only at the top of the door, then there is the possibility of a rescue. If it is hot at the bottom, that chance has passed and the fire is very close. Once the strata of heat has been determined and the decision made to go in, the lead firefighter tries to open the door using the door handle--"Try before you Pry." If locked, they then use a Halligan to purposely determine where the locks and bolts are on the door. "Purposely" means to slam the Halligan into the bottom, middle and top of the door to see where it flexes and where it does not. The Halligan is going to be used where it does not flex.

The exercise is set up to simulate a normal dead bolt and handle set-up and what it takes to break the door jam. If there are pins in the door at the top and bottom, then you would start at the bottom and work your way up. Back to a "normal" set-up, the Halligan adze blade is placed between the deadbolt and lock set. The second firefighter steps up with the flathead axe and strikes the back of the adze when the first firefighter says "STRIKE." Once the adze is set sufficiently into the jam, the first firefighter rotates the Halligan upwards to break the jam. When the door is free, the firefighter reaches in with the Halligan and gains control of the door to prevent it being sucked in by the fire. Maintaining control of the door with the Halligan, the door handle is grabbed before removing the Halligan. Testing for positive or negative pressure on the door to determine fire conditions before doing the LLL entry is required for safety.

LLL--Oh, how we love our acronyms--is Life, Layout and Location.  The initial entry into the structure is done low, very low. With one foot hooked on the door jam to gauge how far into the room you're going and prevent you from going further so that you can be pulled out if needed, the first firefighter in searches in all directions possible with their hands to determine if there is someone directly behind the door who was trying to get out and failed to do so. Simultaneously, they are determining the Layout of the room if possible and attempting to determine the Location of the fire. Then, as quickly as possible, they get out to report their findings to the rest of the entry team.

Besides the "normal" forced entry, we went over alternative methods. Kicking the door in was demonstrated and was offered up for us to try if we wanted. I like my knees, so I chose to use the tool instead. Inward facing door, such as a locked interior door, entry was demonstrated and we got to try that too. If all else fails, the K-12 tool could be used to cut through the door locks or pins.

At the next rotation station, we went over the starting, use, and prepping for storage of chain saws and the K-12 tool. Even though it should have been put away correct and it takes a few seconds to check again, first check to make sure that there is fuel and oil in the saw. It does no good to bring a saw to where it's needed only to have it not start or not have it run for long enough to do the job. The chainsaw we use is a light, powerful Husqvarna with what looks like a 24" bar. Set the chain brake. Place foot on the lower handle area. Pull the choke out which automatically opens the shutoff switch. Press the compression release button. Pull once. Close the choke and reset the compression release button. Pull again to start. Hope the thing starts. Curse the person who did I&M (Inventory and Maintenance) last if it doesn't.

The K-12 tool (see link above), has a 24" rotating blade and is used to cut metal. Metal doors, roofs, rebar, car bodies, etc. The starting procedure is similar to the chainsaw with the exception that there is no bar oil and no brake for the blade. Due to the high RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) and large diameter blade, centrifugal force is a real danger. The saw cannot be moved quickly while spinning at high RPMs. Know how you are going to move the saw and where you're going to cut before getting the saw spun up.

Putting the saws away require that fuel and oil tanks be filled, the chokes pulled out, compression buttons pushed in and switches set to run. If the blades or chains were damaged in use, they need to be changed. This makes the saw ready for the next time it is pulled out and needs to be used. The next call may happen on the way back to the station.

Our last station of the day, was roof access and ventilation. The training area has a 40-foot shipping container--the one used for the smoke rescue training--that has a wood roof with an 8 and 12 pitch attached to the side of it. A 12 and 12 pitch has a 45 degree angle and an 8 and 12 pitch has about a 34 degree angle to it. This composition shingled roof has a opening already cut into it simulating the area size that a ventilation hole would be cut if needed for fire control. While we didn't actually cut into a roof, we were able to see how and why we would be cutting into a roof for ventilation.

First off,  a ladder needs to be set with at least five rungs above the roof level in order to safely get onto the roof. A two-person team is recommended to set a 24-foot extension ladder. Even though we already have had ladder training, it was clear that a refresher was already needed. I know I had forgotten more than a few steps--no pun intended. The lead firefighter climbing first--"FIREFIGHTER CLIMBING"--is carrying a trash hook to sound the roof making sure it's safe for team to follow.

Sounding the roof is similar to finding a stud in your wall to hang a picture. A hollow sound indicates that there is a hollow area underneath or a weak area. A solid sound is given when there is a rafter underneath. Also, looking for indications of heat and smoke. Once the roof has been determined to be safe, the rest of the team begins climbing the ladder with the other tools and non-charged fire hose. Other tools include a roof ladder, which has hooks to go over the ridge of the roof and a chainsaw or K-12 needed to cut the hole for ventilation. Once the roof ladder is set on the up wind side of where ventilation is planned, the team lead descends using the ladder rungs for safety and sounds the roof with the trash hook looking for the rafters and marking the area to be cut for ventilation. When a bit past the bottom of where the cut needs to be made, the team lead plants one side of the trash hook firmly into the roof and places the D-handle end on top of their foot. Their foot is securely placed on a rung of the roof ladder. This is a safety and walk rail for the firefighter who is going to be doing the cutting.

The firefighter with the chainsaw descends the ladder and makes the first cut across the bottom riding the bar over the rafter as much as possible so as not to reduce the structural integrity of the roof. The second cut is on the far side along the inside of the far rafter. The third cut is on the near side rafter next to the roof ladder. The last cut is along the top, again trying to ride the bar over the rafter in the middle so as not to cut through it. The first firefighter then calls on the radio to coordinate ventilation. The coordination is essential to avoid putting the firefighters in the building in harms way by introducing ventilation between them and the fire. When the go-ahead has been given, the the lead firefighter uses the trash hook to punch through the near side of the ventilation cuts to open the hole in a butterfly-valve fashion. The part of the valve that above the roof line should be downwind of the roof ladder. If there is no smoke resulting from the opening, then there are other layers of ceiling or roof that need to be punched though or cut to provide the needed ventilation.

Travelling down the ladder with tools in hand required a bit of instruction on where to place the hand with the tools and how to hold them to safely carry them down. The hand with the tool slides down the rail of the ladder, while the other one is on the rung as you go down.

The class has this clean up thing down. Air packs were scrubbed and and tanks filled. All engines had air packs replaced and set up for readiness. The masks and regulators cleaned and sanitized. House swept, vacuumed, and bathrooms cleaned, Radios put away with channels set to "1", placed in "off", and properly set into charger. "18-03!" "WHO YOU WANT TO BE!"

The Firefighter Academy--Day 6

We had gone long on the Friday night session, so today we started a half-hour later with the idea that we would end also a half-hour earlier. I think that it didn't work out this way is somehow part of the training.

At Station 4, we split up again into three groups for the training rotation. My group started off with more hydrant work. This time in the daylight and some more guidance, we were able to find the correct hydrant off the main road in a nearby neighborhood. In this next advancement in training, the truck would actually be moving forward on our signal. This way, we get to feel how supply line pulls against the hydrant and see the importance of making sure we are out of the way if something gets caught up and the supply line pulls out from underneath our foot. Having a new hydrant wrench is a big improvement too, as the one used last night would not tighten enough to stay on the hydrant. We are to never set the wrench on the ground. Apparently, the sand has a tendency to swallow hydrant wrenches.

You're the firefighter right behind the driver, because that's the side that the hydrant tools are on. The driver, who is the engineer, stops just past the hydrant going towards the fire. You, the hydrant person, gets out of the engine looking up for hanging electrical and other obstructions, looking down for dangers such as fuel on the ground and side to side for traffic. The first compartment on each rig is where the hydrant tools are kept. Grab the wrench and place the 4-inch adapter onto it, then the gate valve goes on top of that so that you can carry the entire cluster with one hand. In most of the other engines and trucks, there is a yellow bag with all of this equipment already gathered together. Carry this in your right hand, because you are going to grabbing the strap that has the 4-inch supply line with your left as you round the back of the engine. Drag the supply line to and around the hydrant, place your foot on the end of the supply line behind the coupling, and give the signal to engineer to drive towards the fire. Once the coupling at connecting the first 50-foot section to the next hits the ground, get busy on getting the adapter and gate valve connected to the hydrant. And, of course, the supply line too. Wait for the signal to send water or you can clearly see that the hose clamp has been set on the supply line by the engineer. I'm still clumsy, but getting it done.

Next is the smoke room and this time we get to do the search and extraction of possible victims. The simulation is run with a three-person team. The nozzle lead, the search dog and the officer. One of the trainers will be our officer. The nozzle lead checks the door for heat stratification and whether the door is open, and what pressure is on the door. All of this is communicated to the rest of the team. Then the nozzle lead does an initial entry and search for victims that might be right near the door. They go in low, with one foot hooked onto the door jam to prevent them from going too far and making it possible to be pulled out quickly if needed. Searching as far as their arms will allow in all directions, making note of the situation simultaneously, getting back out and closing the door before communicating the three "Ls" to the rest of the team. Life--did you find or see any victims. Layout--what did the layout of the building look like, what could you see. And, Location of the fire. The smoke was so thick that trying use the flashlight only made things worse, just like trying to use your high beams from your car when driving in heavy fog.

Nozzle lead in front, search dog in the middle and officer in the rear. Nozzle lead calls out clearly what they see as they see it. We have determined that we are doing a right-hand search before going in, so we work our way into the building while maintaining close contact with the right hand wall. The search dog is on the left side of the hose in order to extend the distance into the room. When a doorway is found--by feel, because you can't see anything at all--the nozzle lead calls it out and moves to just beyond the doorway. The officer sends the search dog into the room to do a right hand wall search in that room. Everyone stops moving forward until that room is determined clear of victims. The door of that room is then closed if possible and marked on the door as being cleared. Then we move forward into the building. If a victim or victims are found, they are removed by the search dog and officer. The nozzle lead backs up towards the entry door with the nozzle facing the fire at all times to be close enough to pick up the search dog and officer once they get the victim out the door and make their way back into the building to continue the search. The search must be done high and low looking in places where someone caught might go to try and escape the fire and smoke. Closets, bathrooms, under beds--everywhere. Once the search is complete, the team makes their way back out of the building by following the charged hose. Remember, you cannot see anything and the entire search is done by Braille, so to speak.

Our searching of the smoke room was without a charged hose, so it was a simple task to make it ready for the next rotation group and we were on our way next door to the fire box. Here we were going to be in the room--another 40-foot shipping container--with a live fire going inside. We got to go into the fire box just as the initial fire was being started to watch how it developed. As the pallets and an old Christmas tree were ignited, the room began to fill with smoke. It filled with so much smoke that it was just like the smoke room in that we were unable to see each other or the fire for that matter. Every once in a while, a small orange glow would appear where the fire was hottest. Even though I knew that no one had moved from our semi-circle facing the fire container, I involuntarily reached out a couple times to see if I could touch one of my team mates sitting next to me. It was a more than a little un-nerving when I wasn't able to feel them there. The trainer then ordered us to back out of the fire box. After making sure all were out and okay, we talked about what we felt and saw. Then we readied to go back in.

The second trip into the fire box, the fire was more developed and smoke had begun to clear a bit. We were able to see the fire. It had grown hot enough to start pallets on fire that were just hanging on the walls, but were not actually in the fire. Being about 10 feet from the fire, we were getting hot. The heat was making it's way through the protection of our turn out gear. The trainer had us put out the fire, as we were the last ones to go through this rotation today. I was right behind the guy with the nozzle as we were putting out the fire and retreating. During the debrief, I found out that I was too close and was making it difficult for him to control the nozzle.

Before getting back into the engines and other vehicles, we did a preliminary scrub down at Station 4 of our turn outs. While wearing them, we were hosed down and then scrubbed with a brush and soaping water. It was just like if you were washing your car. One more hose off to get the soap off and we were packing up and headed back to Station 1, where we could do another decon of our gear and the air packs.

All of the air packs were laid out in a row with the air bottles removed and taken to be recharged and wiped down. The air packs were scrubbed with brushes and soapy water and thoroughly rinsed and patted dry before being refitted with air bottles. Each engine and truck was restocked with air packs to be ready for any incident.

We didn't do the organizing first for cleanup tonight, because everyone was on it already. If someone didn't have something to do, they were coming to me for an assignment. It was pretty cool seeing how we were coming together as a team. I did the sweeping of the bay and vacuuming, as everything else was being covered.

We were out the door at 6:00pm--1800 hours. I was beat and in bed by 9:00pm--2100 hours.
Up at 3am for more cobbler and ice cream and an Aleve.