Organ Donors

So if you have been reading, you know I post every couple of days well where do I start?? Lol. I was on duty and got called to a structure fire around 0500. Ended up dislocating my shoulder and separating my shoulder joint while pulling ceiling (the entire dining room sheet rock fell on me when I didn't need it to) so needless to say....light duty for me. I HATE, with a passion  hate, having to get up and go to work 8-5 everyday. But this time it was a blessing in disguise. My dad has been on dialysis for almost 7 years. The entire time, on a kidney transplant list. Well low and behold we finally got that call...Monday, January 17, 2011 my dad got the call that he needed to be at the hospital (the one four hours away) as soon as he could. Tuesday, January 18, 2011 my father received a kidney and pancreas transplant. I mourn for the family that lost their loved one. But at the same time I am eternally grateful that they made the life-saving decision to donate the organs. I have every intention (when I am allowed to do so) to write the family expressing my appreciation. My father has been given the gift of life. Not one burdened by dialysis and hospitalizations but one where he can actually live. My son wanted to see his Papa and I told him that he was "at the doctors" and he asked me "When he gets home and gets better he can play with me like a big boy!" It brought tears to my eyes. Even at three years old my son somewhat understands. I love my family, they have made me who I am today and without them I would be nothing! You can't take your organs to heaven, God knows we needs them here!!

Hello 2011...

So I didn't really feel it was a "new year" at work until we got that first big call of the year.


All shift we sit...few small calls...nothing major...I am forced to realize that either that "A-shift Station 6 Big Call of the New Year" is either going to come right after I fall asleep...or not at all...

**Tones drop** Engine 6 respond to a car fire caller states person is trapped inside

Entire way to the call, I am imagining a car burning..looking for the flames and trying to determine our course of action...

**Tones drop again** Engine 2 respond with Engine 6

SOPs state that car fires require one engine where as entrapment (wreck and so forth) requires two engines

Pull up on scene not to discover any flames at all, but a mid-size car on its side (driver side on the ground), top wrapped around a tree, light pole laying to the side.

There is nothing we can do. EMS, APD, and us AFD just standing around waiting. Someone thinks they see movement inside the car so we try....but no luck...we still have to wait. This car has been embedded into this tree and there is no way we can get it off. Even with EVERYONE pushing, Hurst equipment prying, nothing.

Wrecker eight minutes out.

"Do they know they will not get a ticket??"

Five minutes out.

Waiting.

Once on scene we can finally see what we have. So we thought. Once the car has been flipped back the way a car is supposed to sit, it looks like a horseshoe sitting upright. Roof crushing anything that could have possibly been inside.

More waiting. Nothing can be done until APD turns over the scene.

Finally after standing around waiting for 2 hours we get the ball rolling. This wreck is so bad that we move the scene to the county shop to remove the victims.

Two. My age.

Finally shortly before 0500 we are finally able to say it is a new year.

We were out until after our shift was over about 0830.

Not exactly the call I want to get. Not how I want to be woken up but that comes with the job. We are here to help people and it is calls like this...the ones that you NEVER forget...that I dread. Going to fast, loosing control. When will anyone learn. Is it odd having dreams about it? Do loosing Sara in a tragic wreck in high school have anything to do with it? Does that make me any less or any different than anyone else that was there?

How are you supposed to talk about calls like this so they don't get "all bottled up" Yes we had two killed this morning can you please pass the beans??

I love my job but it's calls like this that I wish I didn't have to deal with :(

Does that make me a bad person??

Call of duty

Ok so know how most teenage boys LOVE video games?? Used to be all about Halo, now it's all COD (Call of Duty) whether it be Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops blah blah blah...

My son is only 3. That's right, 3!! And guess what his favorite thing to do is?? Beat his mother at COD! Now I know....I can't believe you let a three year old play that! What about the language and the gore?!?! Let me explain. We live out in the middle of nowhere! So far out that even the sticks don't know where to look to find us! While I am on duty (24 hours) my parents keep my kids. This is how it started...
Most people that live in the big cities only know how to play online or XBOX Live. Remember how I said we live in the middle of nowhere? Yea....We only have dialup! So guess what? No Live for us. (Being as how it lives and thrives on high speed internet capabilities) So to pass time, me sisters like to play each other. My son started watching. He is all boy...guns....trucks....you get the picture. Then  he started "helping" and then....imagine that he started playing on his own. So when he asked me if I wanted to play I thought yea why not just let him have fun. Sure. HE PLAYS BETTER THAN I DO! Now granted he loves to watch the trucks blow up and he isn't very good at the aim...most the time I don't hide and sneak up on him, I come out in the open where he can see me. But still! He will make it a point if he can't shoot me, he will throw a grenade at me! The only time I have been able to kill him is when he runs out of ammo and he has to be shot to get more! "Mama no more mammo...come get me!!" Looking back now, you would never believe my baby was a preemie! I have the smartest babies and they are my world :)