Another reason why

How many people can say they truly love their job? Most people I talk to don't love their jobs at all. For most people work is a necessary evil to be able to make ends meet and pay the bills.

I can't just settle on a job that is a necessary evil. I am not a person that settles for anything. I am a hard working, dedicated and loyal and I look for the same in a future employer.

I am not happy sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day. Breathing the same air conditioned air, staring at the same neutral colored walls, watching the day time pass by out a window is no way for me to spend a day. I need to be out working in that sun, sweating, getting dirty, blistering my hands. I want a job that gives me not only a mental challenge, but a physical one as well. I want a job that is ever changing, where I have to be a constant student, always training and anticipating what will come next.

When I set my mind to something I get great satisfaction of completing said task. When I am held responsible for a job I make sure it is something I can be proud with turning in.

I was taught by my parents that you get a job and keep that job. My dad worked for over 25 years for the same employer, my mom is still working for the same person that hired her at the age of 15. When I get a job it is for the long term. I want a job that is going to be around in the future. I want a job that is something to be proud of, something that it is easy to want to perform for. I want something that is rewarding, that makes me feel like I have accomplished real work. I want to work on a team, communicating and compromising our way to a solution.

Not many people find what they are looking for in a job. I have talked to people in their 50's that still don't know what they want to be when they grow up. That saddens me and I don't want to end up like that. I am so happy to have found something that I feel like fits me as well as I fit it. Something that I choose on my own and not something I settle for. Something that gives me a cross to believe in and stand up for.

Ok, I chase fire trucks

Yeah I am one of those nerds. The sound of the sirens coming from in the distance perks my ears. The fire truck has a different siren from a police car or ambulance. Before it crests the hill, rounds the corner and comes into view my heart starts racing. The sound of the air horn as they pass through intersections starts a mild sweat on my forehead. Seeing the big red truck with the flashing lights and blaring sirens reassures me that my dream job is being inside of that truck on the way to the call.

Pretty much anytime this situation presents itself I instantly become side tracked and begin to try and figure out how I can adjust my route to accommodate following the truck that is running hot. Sometimes a u-turn is in order. Other times all I have to do is pull over to the right and yield then I can catch the green lights with the truck as we speed down the street. Now I follow all traffic laws and most of the time the truck gets away from me before reaching the scene. I still feel the need to follow, in hopes that I will be able to see the big one or at least be able see something. Smoke showing, a code blue, a injury accident, something, ANYTHING. I try to explain this to others not involved in the fire service and they don't get it. I guess that makes me different. "What would you do if you got there and it was something bad?" Easy, I would stand there, stay out of the way and make the best mental notes possible. Same thing I do while riding along. It is just cool to see what I have trained for be successfully executed in real life. To watch the team work and communication take place is invaluable learning for me. Not to mention the adrenaline rush of speculating what call I am headed to helps get me through the week.

Now not only do I follow the trucks to calls. I frequently plan my route to and from work, the store or anywhere to include a trip past a fire station. I figure my chances of catching a truck running hot is the greatest while in close proximity to a station. I stare in the bay doors as I pass to see if a truck is missing. If it is I look up and down each side street hoping to catch a bright light flashing with in view. If both trucks are gone I almost get mad because if both trucks are responding to a call it could be a big one. I check the sky for smoke clouds, turn my radio off and roll my windows down both listening and smelling.

One time it did work out. Driving home I saw a huge tower of smoke on the horizon. I followed it down Metcalf and into down town Overland Park. Sure enough it was the big one. An old art gallery had caught fire and ended up burning to the ground. Streets were already blocked off so I couldn't get as close to the action as I wanted, but still close enough to feel the excitement of the scene. The smell of smoke in the air and the look of worry on citizens faces was very real, and very exciting. This was before I started my training, and might have been a turning point in my life, turning me toward this dream career. I remember driving away from there thinking how cool it was and how good it felt to find the scene on my own just from following the smoke. I didn't think that day that I might want to do this for a living, but it put thoughts in my head about what it would be like if I did do this for a living. It was a starting point of the internal debate that took on that eventually lead me to the training grounds.

CPAT results

Sorry I have fallen off the face of the blog for a little while. The CPAT went great. I passed it in 9 minutes and 27 seconds. Meaning I had about an extra minute of time I could have taken. But, I am glad that I was able to finish with time to spare. Getting off the stairs I was confident that I was going to finish, but my legs were defiantly Jell-O after that. Pulling the hose was relatively easy, the equipment carry and ladder raise was great time to catch my breath. I got the forcible entry prop in 7 swings. I figured it would take about 10 so I made up about 15 seconds there. The search was easy and another chance to catch a breather. In between the forcible entry and the search I tried to ask my proctor if I was making a good pace. They aren't suppose to tell you your time and he was very uncomfortable with me asking that. I thought it was a safe question because I wasn't asking my time I was just trying to see if he would tell me if I needed to speed it up. he said I was doing fine and we moved on. Then during the rescue drag of the dummy one of the others were telling me to keep it up and keep my pace going. I then got nervous and really turned it on at the end. I flew through the ceiling breach and pull and then was out of breath. But that was worth it as I found out I passed. The next day my arms were actually a little sore, which I never expected. I must have not used as much of my legs and body on the ceiling breach as I thought I did. Probably arm muscled through a lot just trying to keep a quick pace. All in all I am glad to have another hurdle down. It was especially good timing because a week afterward I got a ingrown toe nails that killed me for a few days. There is reason to believe that had I got that ingrown nail before the CPAT I might have got a different outcome. One of my buddies had his knees lock up on him and he failed the test after the hose pull. Poor guy, I hope his body can hold up. I feel like I am still working toward my peak physical condition. Now if I could only get my diet right...

Well until next time... which for my own purposes I will attempt to not take so long to come back.