Hard from the yard: Training a primer in humility, purpose

Me decked out in turnout gear and an air pack. These together weigh about 50 pounds.

Courtesy Reelsville VFD/DAVID JONES

If a firefighter told me a year ago that I would eventually put on turnout gear and an air pack, I would have said that they didn’t know what was in front of them.

I was just getting into the final stage of my femur recovery then. I was beginning to re-evaluate my commitment as a reporter, and then my capacity for grace in my personal life. Being a fireman would’ve been the last thing I thought about.

But then Asst. Chief John McPherson asked me last December if I was interested in training at the Reelsville Volunteer Fire Department. Now I am certified as a non-interior firefighter.

Meeting regularly since February for lectures, as well as completing multiple certifications online, all culminated last Sunday. It was my first time packed up in full turnout gear, and I also got to put out a fire, small though it was.

The course was geared toward emergency response support (ERS) functions. The major distinction from actual firefighter training (i.e., Firefighter 1 and 2 and Hazmat Operations) is that ERS personnel cannot enter a structure. They otherwise can respond to emergencies and fulfill different needs.

With my ERS training complete last Sunday, I had to get a “glam” shot on the front bumper of Reelsville VFD’s engine.

Courtesy Reelsville VFD/CONNIE McPHERSON

We covered a variety of topics, from the National Incident Management System (NIMS) down to how to put on a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). In essence, you get a basic understanding of equipment and procedures.

That is where the training and my reporting on fires and wrecks sort of intersected. I’ve seen a drop tank used, how lines have been laid, how water is transferred. Though it wasn’t a tactics class, it was a lot about connecting the “What” with the “Why.”

The lectures and the online certifications through Acadis and FEMA certainly contextualized that. The game, though, is about actually doing it.

Thus we came to at least four-and-a-half hours of solid stuff on Sunday. This is really where it gets interesting - and fun, if you get with a positive attitude about the expectations.

We worked on throwing ladders, water ops and managing a line with combination and smooth bore nozzles. I was not all that steady with putting out a pallet fire, and I knew I wouldn’t be with my spina bifida.

I shove my air pack down the “tube of death.” The main idea is maintaining composure within a confined space.

Courtesy Reelsville VFD/DAVID JONES

I’ve been nicknamed “Studly” by one local firefighter, but I am by no means in that kind of shape. I’m honest saying that I wore down as we progressed. I took a lot of breathers, but kept going all the same.

Though I had a bit of help “backpacking” it, putting on an SCBA made everything worth the effort to me. There’s a moment of feeling like you’re suffocating, before you hook up your regulator. It is a rather literal breath of fresh air.

After walking around for a short time with everything on, John finally asked me if I wanted to go through a culvert pipe named - perhaps affectionately - the “tube of death.” I didn’t hesitate, as John probably expected.

The “tube” simulates crawling in an enclosed space with gear and SCBA, and as such emphasizes maintaining composure. While I initially had a conniption with my mask seal, I got through the pipe with air to spare. I’m eager to do it again.

When it was all said and done, I realized that I need a lot more practice with everything. “Train or die” is not an exaggeration for the full-fledged firefighter, but it shouldn’t be for me, either.

There is a certain sense of humility that has to come along with that. Everyone needs a little help sometimes. I think John and his wife (and fellow classmate) Connie tugging off my rubber boots is a good example of that.

Though I don’t know what lies ahead of me having done the training, I’m grateful to John for even approaching me about it. He has supported me as a reporter, and he and other members of his department gave their time to see me through.

Reelsville Fire Asst. Chief John McPherson and I momentarily baffled. The boots came off with a considerable amount of tugging.

Courtesy Reelsville VFD/CONNIE McPHERSON

Moving forward, I will take every opportunity I can get to train with our first responders in my ERS scope. Always learning and improving is how I can effectively serve our community.

Something like this isn’t about hopes and dreams. I know now that it takes a belief in making it happen. If I might inspire anyone by doing this, it is just as well.