Siftings
May
21
Cohorts
“Can probies go on this call?”, Quentin asks. “Sure”, I reply, whilst scattering some of the non-fire flotsam attached to my jacket across the rear compartment of Engine 33. It’s a car fire and Quentin is second in, so there’s no point in kicking him out. Not that I would anyway. A good young...
Apr
12
Chances
“Where is your office again?” Colin texts. He is in Village Hall, trying to find me. Not exactly a sprawling municipal complex, it’s easier to just walk out the door to the hall than text him back. So I do, we go into my office and he tells me some news.
Offspring visiting me at work is a...
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 …...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
