NEW BEGINNINGS!: 2008

Awsome Burn School!

Last Saturday we had a fantastic burn school (live fire training)! Wow! The house was great, it was solid, we got a lot of great fires in each of the 6 start sites. Our trusty photographer was there (one of 2 of the best photographers in the whole area, our own Mrs. Fyrman is the other). What a day well spent! Then on top of the great day, Wednesday our own 233 finally arrived. It just can't get any better than that.

233 - a mythical beast?

I have faith, otherwise what is there to believe in? The mythical beast will appear to the faithful. She will resemble, in spirit, the Phoenix that has been adopted in her predecessor's memory. Right or wrong, done or not, she is coming home next weekend. (We just won't be putting any water in 'er til the breaks are fixed!)

She'll be comin home soon! ROAD TRIP!!!

I can't believe it! My heart is broken,

delay after delay. We still have not

gone to bring our engine home yet.

It is almost too much to take being

led on that it is ready and then held

off because something else is not

right and has to be fixed. Someone

pour me glass of wine. I need to

ponder this one.

She is big, no doubt about it. Comes in, bumper to bumper at 32 feet! But is a light weight compared to the other engines, weighing 10,000 less, with a good angle of departure and great turning radius.

I am so stoked! After countless delays and I might add unnecessary delays. BME has nearly finished our new engine. They are working on the finishing touches and will be getting the final inspection later this week. Then Mr. Fyreman and I shall make the trip to Boise to bring our new pride home. It has been 16 months since our engine burned in our station. I do believe that September 26 is finally our pick up date! We have been so sick of waiting and the delays that now that the time is near it is very exciting. We shall take the new "flamey dice" with us to install right away!

Station 203 shirts

We received our new station shirts. They so kick ass! Our Chief is so cool, he encourages station spirit! I just couldn't let my crew go on too much longer without some inspiration. Hope this helps. Now if our engine would be ready, I am going crazy waiting for it. When Douglas and I finally go to pick it up, we are not taking the short road, we are going for a shakedown type drive. Besides I promised some folks that they would see it on our way home.

Buck Brannaman Clinic in Redmond Oregon

Wow! What a wonderful weekend! I spent 4 days riding in a Buck Brannaman clinic. What a fantastic horseman and educator. I felt so at ease and learned so much about how to communicate with my horse. When I rode for him 2 years ago I was too new to the vaquero style of horsemanship but now that I have been doing this for almost 3 years I understand what he was teaching. We are ready for a whole new level of understanding. If anyone gets a chance to ride with him or Ricky Quinn Jr. do it, they are great.

Oh! So busy!

These days have been busy. I have been hired as the summer part-time for Monroe FPD. This is great! What I am looking forward to is working 17 days straight while the Chief is gone on vacation. Well I seem to be a glutton for punishment these days. It shall be fun to work with a new group of folks that are so dedicated to their community. Rock on, all firefighters!

Back from a ride!

Mrs. Fyrefighterdoug and I were on a rather long ride (about 6 hours), when I dismounted I was sure I was going to just fall over. My fine mare Coree thought I was nuts, but then I think she does think that all the time anyways. The weather was beautiful and her mule Charlie and my mare Coree had a wonderful time.

Whupped at an all night fire!

This last Sunday night/Monday morning we were called out for a house fire. The typical early morning alarms that shake you out of your bed (naturally just after midnight). "Code one unknown type fire" you think that dispatch would read a bit of pucker factor into those types of 911 calls, but no. I am at the bottom of my rather steep gravel road when 911 comes back on the radio and states that law enforcement (who was called first, naturally) reports a fully involved structure fire! Now I have just made my Chevy 3/4 ton go from 35 to about 65 and am wondering if I will even make an engine. Made first out engine and interior attack. Fyremandoug was at the bottom of the driveway with our trusty 232 pumping to the fire (glad to have him there). After many 45 minute bottles and a very grubby set of turnouts I got leave to run home for a shower and go to the real job at Linus Pauling Middle School. Oh, did I mention 2 20 ounce triple shot mochas from Java Connection? Jeez it was a long night. Slept 11 hours the next night (ya think?)