I don’t recall to many of my birthday’s. There have been 30. For many of them I was working and they simply passed as any other day. Time marches on, the calendar turns a page. It’s of little importance to me. Certainly everyone remembers their 16th, or at least those of us in Ontario do. That was the day I went and got my Learner’s Permit to be able to drive.
I remember my 30th. It was only a few months ago. I slept in half the day, woke up, baked myself a cake, and then ate it while watching Fred & Ginger movies on the couch. That was a pretty solid day. I should note, that while I did indeed eat the whole cake, I didn’t eat it all that day. I tried to pace myself a little. I’m not a complete glutton.
Perhaps, though, the most memorable of all was my 22. In the week leading up to, and following my 22nd birthday, I got the greatest gift I could’ve hoped for. Two days before my 22nd birthday, I got accepted onto the Fire Department. It was an opportunity I had worked and waited for, for three years. No better gift could I have received.
I was sitting in my room one night, I still lived with Dad at the time, watching TV. I don’t recall what I was watching, it was probably nothing great. In the midst of the show a thundering bang echoed through the chambers of the upstairs hallway. Dad was beating on the wall. He is not a crazed lunatic, it was just the easiest way for him to get my attention when I was watching TV.
I came to the top of the stairs to find out what he wanted and he told me to get dressed and get ready. The Fire Station in the neighbouring town had just been paged out for a structure fire and it was more than likely that we were getting called in next. This was going to be it. My first structure fire! Much of what took place in the moments that followed is a blur to me.
Dad and I responded to our Station; he is now retired, but served for 33 years. We geared up, got in the Pump and we were on our way. My first structure fire… holy crap!
We arrived on the scene of a large fire which had spread among a barn and some greenhouses. The guys that were with us were dropped off at the scene and Dad and I were instructed to take the Pump one concession south. Our job was to fill Tankers from small creek that ran nearby. Part of me couldn’t believe I was driving away from the action, although, being a rookie, I understood. The other part of me was riding in a Fire Truck with Dad; and this time not just in a parade!
We went and got set up, and what took place next made me want to cry. Something inside our Pump broke. As a result, we couldn’t fill Tankers and there was no use for us to be on scene. The truck needed to be returned to the hall and we needed to find a way to fix it. Now, not only had I driven away from the flames, but I was about to drive away from the scene entirely! This was NOT how I saw my first structure fire going!
Once we were back at the hall, I probably moped around and whined a bit, I don’t recall for sure, but that is likely what I did. Guys worked at trying to diagnose and repair the problem with the Pump. Then it happened. A second chance! One of the Officers pulled up and offered to take me back to the scene with him. Thank you Captain Mitchell!!!
Much time had passed when we returned to the scene. The bulk of the fire was knocked down, but I didn’t care. I was still there, and this time around, I was going to play. I was assigned to a sector and an officer, and, being the Probie, I was given instructions to stay close by and not doing anything stupid. I agreed to comply. I would’ve agreed to anything at that point! I just wanted to get my gear dirty! Little did I know how dirty it was about to become!
I was assigned to run a deluge gun. It’s a master stream device that delivers a lot of water in a hurry. My objective, keep the hydraulic lines of an excavator tearing apart the wreckage of the structure cool. It seemed easy enough. All I cared about was in that moment, I become a Firefighter!
I spent hours, I don’t even recall how many, standing knee deep in a manure pile, in the middle of a torrential rain and lightning storm, thinking if lightning strikes and I’m working this deluge gun, I’m going to die. I didn’t rescue any children. I didn’t run into a burning building. I did nothing heroic, nothing like you’ve seen in the movies. I just waded through a heap of crap and sprayed some water. Yet, it was the greatest birthday I’ve had yet!
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