Bill, Electure and Folks,
Sorry to clog this place up with photos from the local Fire Service in Ashburton here.
If you would like me to do so, I can delete this post in a second.
Incidents wise, both Scotty and I have been flat out and to a certain extent the camera has really only been used for evidential purposes.
But here are a few pictures that we have put together between the two of us that show no suffering or anything like that.
To be honest, we wanted to show the better side of Fire-fighting.
Please bear with me:
OK First off, we have FF Scott Haines (not Scotty) extinguishing a car-fire:



Next up is an incident that defies all the laws of physics that I've been taught, and a few others.
This vehicle rolled 12 times off of the main Highway out of town here and ended up on on it's side.
No one had more than a cut or a scratch.
This is the only pic I'm in, though you can't see my face.
It's like Where's Waldo?!.



And below, a Full Brigade Photo after a House Burn we did last weekend, training a few new FF's from the Region, in thier first taste of heat.



PITA, was that I had to take the picture, BTW, that's Scotty next to CFO (Chief) Burgess to your extreme right, he's almost out of the picture, Wouldn't that be a shame!.
H

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 04-29-2005).]

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 10-01-2005).]

Wondering why everyone is smiling in the picture above?.
It was nothing I said, instead, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Baker (at the extreme left) said that the Bar would be open when we got back to the Station.
Anyhow here is a couple of pics, from an Open Day at the Station, one that I took and one that Scotty took.
A reasonably good look at what we have with respect to rescue gear.



Here is a look inside the front seat and the equipment that a Fire Officer has with themselves these days:



That's my old yellow helmet before us Station -Officers (Like a Captain) were made Fire Officers (ie: One Encompassing Rank) now we are like the higher ranked Executive Officers as in DCFO and CFO.

Great pics Mike, thanks for sharing them

Nice Pictures Mike,


Bill

Somehow, the skull on the front of the car in the second picture seems striningly appropriate!

Trumpy:

Great pics.

Why is it after all these years, I(we?) still think Firefighters are so cool?

Jim

Big Jim,
I never saw that there before!.
I used to own one of them cars (DX Corolla S/W)
and IMO if you can roll of of them, you shouldn't have a Drivers Licence.
Another thing I noticed was the fact that the Officers BA Set cradle in the front of the cab is broken on one side.

These newest features in the bottom pic have only just happened here in the last year or so.
We have a Cellphone and what we call a MSU (Mobile Status Unit) which saves time with radio messages.
The latter is required because we are using the same repeater as the Police.
We'd hate our Priority messages to get in the way of thier KFC and McD's orders.
And another thing Big Jim, I took the Registration No. off the rear of the vehicle.
It had a bumper sticker that read:
What more need I say.

are those homaltro tools?

Gidday denny,
Yes they are Holmarto cutting and spreading tools.
I've only ever seen either Holmatro or Hurst gear used over here.

Sorry about bringing this one back up again, but here is a pic I thought you guys would like to see.

It's Ray, our 3IC after he came out of last night's house fire (at 3pm).
His helmet was white and his visor was clear before he went into where he's just come out from.
First time I've seen him in Breathing Apparatus in 5 or so years.
As you can see from the pic, he's just really enjoying the moment.
{BTW, Scotty had to run like the wind after he took that picture!}

Can't hold back on the praise...that last pic is brilliant!
I really think that pic would lend itself to publication, either in the trade press, on some sort of "safety" poster, or whatever.

I look at that pic, and I see a guy who has cares, has been busting his behind working, and the fire is still raging.

I can see that pic on a poster in the firehouse, with the caption "This is what it's all about."

John,
Ray came out of that fire and took over from me as the Pump Operator, to relieve me before me and another FF headed in there to try and find 2 Adults and a 6 year old kid.
A persons-reported House Fire is never any fun.
I think that the look on Ray's face says it all, they couldn't find them either.
The 3rd BA team did though and I'm not sure how, but we managed to Resus the whole lot of them.
We lost the house, but at the end of the day, who cares?.
Everyone got out in one piece.

Mike,

Thanks so very much for making these pictures available - especially to bring in the "What it is like in the Fire Fighting Field" side!

The last image has a very strong impact.

The Full Brigade picture is one, that we in the Public Sector, never get to see.

Once again, thanks for contributing these items to a group that can fully appreciate all aspects of the Images' contents!

Scott35

Scott35,
I think that 99% of the credit would have to go to Scotty, as he took the majority of the pictures and also e-mailed them to me.
I don't mind at all, giving you guys from the other side of the world, a look at how things are for us Fire-fighters, I have a few more too.
I'd just like to hope that I wasn't boring the teeth out of you guys and as far as Bill is concerned, filling the ECN Server up with Non-Electrical pictures.
That is my biggest concern.
Scotty lives on the other side of the street to me.
We both live within "spitting" distance from the Fire Station.
Scotty is normally the Driver/Pump-Operator and I can in most cases relieve him to go and take pictures.
Until such time as some-one like a Area Commander turns up and asks why there is a Station-Officer operating the pump and a SFF taking pictures.
We call it public relations and Fire Safety research.

Ha Ha Ha,
I showed that pic to Ray on the Fire Station computer this afternoon.
Once he let me go from his head-lock, I was OK.
Be more pics soon, I'm afraid.
Stay posted.

A couple more pics:
Dude, wheres my car?.
Some drunken kids stole this "people mover" one night here recently, here's the result:


and the other pic of it:



This pic here was sent to me by a FF, I'm not sure where he was from, but the sign on the front of the building speaks volumes:



A sausage on the end of a stick springs to mind here.

Trumpy,
No matter how much new and expensive gear or technology, ....somebody always has to get close to the fire......Very nice picture of Ray, the look on his face is something only other firefighters would understand,.....something only a cherished few will ever see......

What is 'Popeye' doing up that flagpole?
Alan