After talking with Ben, my site supervisor, about my past experience and training as a structural firefighter and EMT, he checked with his asst. chief on the Camp Meeker Fire Department to see if it was okay for me to sit in on drills, while I'm here! So last night I went to my first CMFD drill: Disaster Storm Preparedness. Unsure of what to expect, I spent the latter part of the day trying to recall training and events which have revolved around disaster preparedness.
CMFD has one fire house, right next to the post office, located on Bohemian Highway. They currently operate, running three rigs. The first and most used, is a early-80s Type 3 Ford. It has an open rear compartment, and will seat 6 men. The next piece which is to roll is a recently acquired 1989 Type 1 pumper (reminds me of Eng 9). The CMFD purchased it from a town nearby for $5000. The last engine, which hasn't rolled in years, is another Type 1, but much older. The fire house is one-bay, with all three engines packed in like sardines, and with wooden lockers to hold the firefighters gear behind the one engine. There is a "day room"/ kitchen/ meeting room attached to the side of the bay. It is also quite small, but does the job it is meant to do, very well.
CMFD currently has about 16 men and women on its roster. And like any volunteer department, there are people who do a lot of work, and some who do none. Last night, for drill, about 10 men showed up. The day room was transformed into a meeting room, as folding chairs were setup for people to sit, and Tim, the Asst. Chief, stood next to the small white board. The drill began with Tim displaying a piece of coax able he acquired from a crew of Comcast workers from that day. [side note: Yesterday was filled with really bad storms, which knocked the power out a few times, a couple times being a few hours long. A Douglas Fir about 36 inches in diameter fell across a stream and knocked all the lines down in its path.]
So Tim was able to ask the Comcast workers if he could take the 3 foot piece of cable, with connector on it, to show the guys at the fire house. I was surprised at many things about the cable; it was light - less than a few pounds; and it was unbelievably strong - none of us could even begin to bend it! He then went into the different types of lines and wires Camp Meeker has running on it's poles, and different scenarios they could, and have, encountered. Drill was very informal, but very informational. I was reminded of the drills with EGFD, when we had Andy O. come in and talk about power lines and different hazards we could face.
Informational drill only lasted about half an hour, but we stayed and talked for a while. The guys I met last night were great. The group seemed to be a tight crew, but I'm sure they have their problems, just like any volunteer department. It felt good to be in the atmosphere of a fire house again, and to be around a group of guys who are similar to me, in my interests and ways of life. It seems that no matter where you go in this country, or at least what I've seen, most volunteer fire departments are the same. They consist of a group of individuals who are determined to get the job done, in any way possible, while helping to serve the community in which they live.
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