Siftings

Bailey
Mar
27
Bailey
In a perfectly cinematic world, Captain Brandon would have addressed the crew at twilight as foreboding music softly played.  He would set the stage, "Firefighters, I need a volunteer."  “Someone tall”, he would ask.  “Not afraid of heights”, he would hope.   “Maybe … just spitballing here …...
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I’ve Got A Question For You
Mar
20
I’ve Got A Question For You
There are some basic questions in life (and one excellent song about them).  Who am I?  What is my purpose?  Is ketchup on a hot dog a sin, or a mortal sin?  Are night games at Wrigley Field an abomination, or just a bar with a baseball game going on?  Would you go into a burning building with this...
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Probie XIII
Mar
03
Probie XIII
In Madison, the pager tones.  Flip open the phone and pull up the IAmResponding app.  It’s a fire.  Rats, I am going to miss a fire.  Scroll down.  It’s a forest fire, with structures in danger.  Forest fires take a while.  Do the math in my head of Madison to Portage drive time.  The math might...
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Probie XII
Feb
13
Probie XII
“Gentlemen!”, I ask Zach and Cpt. Brandon, “do you think at my advanced age it is too late to go to med school?”.  Zach and the Captain look momentarily perplexed, as if I am seriously contemplating a career change.  I explain, “because those helmets are cooler than ours”.   They smile.  “Go for...
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Probie XI
Feb
01
Probie XI
“Can you crawl on your hands and knees?”   Fair question, from Fire Chief Cam Radewan, about this time last year.  Cam was at the Village Hall counter paying his taxes.  I knew the Fire Department was having the same recruiting challenges other departments face, so I asked Cam if he thought I could...
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Probie X
Jan
04
Probie X
Time is the enemy.  I walk to work these days, out the back door and down a small grade at the edge of the backyard, where the banks of the mill pond used to contain the spring-fed water that ran the mill.  The mill is long gone, replaced with a sign on a post that tells of its history.  The pond...
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Probie IX
Jan
01
Probie IX
Where you stand depends on where you sit.  I suppose that’s a truism for getting up out of a chair but, when I used to say it, I meant it to be a truism about how one’s perspective on something depends on their vantage point.  You sit in Wrigley Field as a kid, you become a Cubs fan.  Sit on a...
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Probie VIII
Dec
25
Probie VIII
Prop comedy doesn’t get the respect it is due.  Safety Officer Harry messaged the department, asking if anyone wanted to join his curling crew (team, squad, unit … whatever they’re called).  He stressed it was a low stress, non-competitive league, and any or no experience level would be welcome. ...
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Probie VII
Dec
12
Probie VII
Show up.  Do Hard Shit.  So says the sticker distributed to me and some other Poynette firefighters who showed up and …, well, … did some difficult stuff.  The learning continues and one thing you learn is the underside of a firefighter’s helmet is a window to their soul.  That’s where the “Show...
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Probie VI
Dec
10
Probie VI
Probies are better seen than heard.  Nobody has ever said that to me, but that’s my take on it.  The Department meets weekly for training, and monthly for administrative / governance work.  There’s that Sprint commercial from years back and the monthly meetings are not too dissimilar (except we’re...
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