Getting Better and Better

    I feel as if I have stepped through the Looking Glass. As if my life has become a true reflection of my dreams. Yes, I am sore, battered, bruised, exhausted, stressed, and generally feeling maxed-out. But G'Damn! I am having far more fun than any adult should be able to have without ending up in jail. As training at the Academy starts ramping up, we are hacking things to bits with loud power tools, beating the shit out of stuff with axes and sledgehammers, playing with volatile chemicals, putting water on magnesium (and that is f'king epic!), riding in fire engines, blaring sirens, climbing all over the hose beds like monkeys, playing Search and Rescue in a smoke filled building, lifting "unconscious victims" through windows and carrying them down ladders, and getting to wear gear that reeks faintly of smoke and oil. Yesterday we got to build a large fire inside of a building! Yeah, sure, it is a specially designed Burn Room, but it was awesome! Belly crawling through smoke so thick you can barely see your partner's boot in front of your face, dragging charged hoselines, your own breath sounding like Darth Vader through the mask and breathing apparatus, heading towards the sound of crackling fire and a hellish red glow. Laying on the floor, knowing the ceiling temp is 900 plus degrees, and the floor temp is rising towards 200 degrees. My excitement level was high, even knowing this was a controlled practice session to teach us basics about fire behavior and fire suppression. All through the Academy I feel the excitement in my chest, tinged deliciously with the spice of fear. I shiver with barely contained anticipation of facing the real deal. How will I react? Will I panic? Will I refuse entry? I doubt it. Will I be scared? Hell, yes. Fire is scary shit. It can cause painful damage. It can kill you. There is high risk involved. But risk we are learning to mitigate. Silverton Fire District has never lost a firefighter. NEVER. Established in 1883, with 130 years of continual operations, we have never lost a firefighter. That is a hella proud statistic. And one that makes me trust my fellow firefighters to watch my back, as I will watch their's. Despite these assurance, I plan on maintaining my spice of fear, my respect of fire. I will keep adding to the skills, enjoying every minute, having a f'king blast. As one of my instructors said, in response to my glee, "And it just keeps getting better and better."