Practice How You Play

    Last August I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime, and January 5th it all kicked into shit's-about-to-get-real high gear. Last August was my official beginning as a volunteer firefighter. For the second half of 2012 I spent every Wednesday evening at Station One geeking on fire trucks and gear. I was gifted with my own turnouts, the jacket, pants, helmet and boots of a real honest-to-gods firefighter. Yes, they were used, and redolent with the smell of excitement. I learned basic skills; donning turnouts and SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus), handling fire hose, hooking to hydrants. The oh-my-gods thrill of riding in Engine 514, smacking my fellow rookie on the knee, "Max!! We're riding in a FIRETRUCK!!"  "Yes, we are." "Max!!! I fucking LOVE firetrucks!!" "I know, you've mentioned that, a lot." But he says it all with good humor. From the get-go I have not restrained my enthusiasm. I really do fucking LOVE the fire trucks. Okay, yeah, they are called Engines, I know that. Just like when I enthuse, "Imma be a FIREMAN!!!" I know that it is Firefighter, I do, but you know what? IMMA BE A FIREMAN AND I FUCKING LOVE FIRE TRUCKS!!!
    January 5th I began the official Firefighter Academy, with a text book, written exams to pass, and practicals to be judged on. Every step has been exciting, exhilarating, and more fun than any adult should be able to have. I love it all. From the mundane rig and SCBA checks, to hacking holes in a practice roof with chainsaw and ax, to entering a smoke filled training tower. Every weekend is exhausting, but fulfilling. I can gush on about the engines, and know that the grizzled veterans of the district share my infatuation. I can fondle and caress gleaming chrome and know that I am not the only one. We drill, over and over, basic skills to fuse them into muscle and brain. I can don full turnouts and SCBA in under 2 minutes. I can pull hose and triple port a hydrant in 1 minute 45 seconds. I even love restoring hose to the engine beds, carefully, neatly, with perfection. A key phrase has been, "Practice how you Play." Making every practice session have as much precision and speed as if it were the real deal, even with restoring the engine to pre-call tidiness.
    Mid March I will be released to go on calls. To this point I have been a trainee, now I will step up to probationary, after graduation I will be an honest to god Firefighter 1 Rookie. That is when the reality will really set in. And I am excited beyond belief. My dreams are peppered with turnouts, ladders, gleaming engines, smoke, and flames. I love that the guys at the station say things like, "Gear up, let's go play." Or, "Waiting for tones to drop so we can go play." I am surrounded by dedicated, hardworking, fun-loving, intense people passionate about their avocation. I was fully infected with the fever before I ever stepped foot inside the engine bay and inhaled the perfumes of diesel, oil, and carnuba wax. Now, surrounded as I am with an epidemic of enthusiasm, I am in a constant state of euphoria whenever I am at the station. I was once accused of "Never doing anything by halves," as if it were a bad thing. But in my Here and Now, there is only one course of action, Full Speed Ahead, doing everything to the fullest. No, I never do anything by halves. Why should I when the alternative is so much more rewarding, and such a freakin' blast!