The smell of smoke...

Walking into a house, even after a very small insignificant fire, the smell of smoke is overwhelming. This Friday I rode out with Consolidated Fire District 2 and got to smell the smoke after a small fire. Nothing exciting, but we thought it was going to be. A furnace filter burned up kicking some smoke out the vents, enough to fill a room with a good haze. No real smoke damage, other than the now noticeable spider webs. No one thinks about the fact that spider webs turn black after smoke passes through them, it is kind of cool almost a haunted house feel if it wasn't so bright from the sun coming in the windows.

That smell of smoke was an awesome taste of things to come. There was quite an adrenaline rush when the automatic alarm call we ran resulted in actual smoke. We had ran one automatic alarm earlier in the day and it was a leaking shower that filler the smoke alarm on the floor below with water. Not exciting at all. Pulling up to a automatic alarm and finding smoke is enough to get my heart pumping. It was quickly discovered to be a minor event that had burned itself out, but that smell of smoke still left an intoxicating aroma in the house. It wasn't a metal burning smell like most furnace fires. Since the filter is what burned it had a real house fire smell, that smell that wood and contents of a room puts off. It was a great feeling even though it wasn't the big one.

So I got to run my first house fire. It ended in a non-event, but could have been a big deal had it not burnt out or we not got there so quick. It is really interesting to see everyone turn serious and put their work faces on. No joking no unneeded talking. All communication was necessary and needed. All actions were deliberate and thought out. Sure the nerves got to the best of some and calling the fire a "regular" might have been over kill. I tell you what though, if a fire of any size happens at my house I would rather have over kill than someone slacking or putting off calling for additional help.

So in the end there was a little smoke stain on a wall, a lot of noticeable spider webs, and a few mud prints on the carpet. A door had to be breached to gain access but the firefighter that did it masterfully popped the door with his axe and didn't even damage the door or frame. Overall it was a success. Still left me wanting a little more, ok a lot more. I will take what I can get.

They also let me do blood pressure and pulse on a old lady that fell and busted her tooth and lip. That was great a great confidence booster for me with my EMT stuff. Now I have done stuff in real life that I had been nervous about doing in class. I am feeling better about this EMT stuff everyday.