Fourth of July, No Celebration (My WWBH Story - July 03, 2013)

In keeping with the fact that the Forth of July is right around the corner (tomorrow)  I decided to base my story on that and on what a young soldier might have to deal with.

The Photo by Kristoffer Sorensen:

John walked along the beach the sand squishing between his toes as he walked along.  In the distance, beach-goers  enjoyed their "beach-time"  strolling, swimming, sunning  all that fun stuff that he had once enjoyed doing.  But now?  Now he was only here because he needed to be because the therapist had said that the best way to get over the grief that was weighing him down was to face what happened, face the area in which it happened.  Okay, so maybe this wasn't exactly where the incident had occurred, but it was the closest he could come for now.  He knew that the people here on the beach (as well as all over the nation) would soon be settling down to the one of the biggest celebrations of the year - Hell he had once been one of those folks.  Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Beer, Soda and the Fire Works, the whole shabang........  John shuttered at the thought of the word.....  ShaBANG  that's exactly what had happened and in in instant his best friend and comrade was gone, gone forever.  Just a thin cord like trigger, running across the darkened beach that they had landed on,  not even noticed until it was too late. 

Thoughts of celebration brought a bitter taste to his mouth.  There would be no more celebrating for Timothy.  Hell, he hadn't even gotten to celebrate his 21st birthday (which was just a week from that day).  Timothy had been excited about turning 21, about being able to legally go into any bar and order ANY drink he desired (he'd never get that opportunity now).  And of course, Timothy had insisted that he would have to order his absolute favorite Chocolate Custard.

John pulled himself back to the present....  Wallowing in the memories wasn't going to change anything, wasn't going to alter the past.  Best he deal with reality rather than memories and myth.  

The Five Words:

Custard

Cord

Birthday

Alter

Myth

My WWBH Story - June 26, 2013: Quaint Little Coffee Shop

 Words used in this story are: Imprint, Careworn, Crescent, head-on, satin  

Quaint Little Coffee Shop

Janet stopped in front of the quaint little coffee shop in the small town of Flagstaff, near where she had grown up, the imprint of the train catching her eye.  Apparently the coffee shop was fairly new, because she didn't remember it being there when she moved away several years ago, but then a lot had changed.  Still, it was a far cry from the busy city of Dallas, TX where she now lived.  For a moment Janet debated going in.  She was still wearing the same satin blouse and tweed skirt she had worn to work the day before.  The skirt had survived okay, but the the blouse was all wrinkled from the long drive/

As she opened the door to go inside, Janet's thoughts went to her brother, Jason.  Jason had loved trains, jokingly calling himself a ferroequinologist.  She tried to remember if he had ever mentioned coming here.  After all, it combined his two loves Coffee and Trains.  Sadly he had just died a couple days ago  after being in a coma as a result of a head-on collision.

After Jason's accident, Janet had been unable to get away from work and had to rely on daily phone calls to her parents who sounded careworn.  When her parents had called with news of Jason's death, Janet immediately requested (more like demanded) time off work.  She had pretty much driven straight through except for a stop at one of the rest areas along the way to catch a few ZZZs.  The crescent moon had  still been in the sky when  Janet  pulled out of the rest area.

After ordering a coffee and pastry, Janet found a seat in a quiet corner.  Her thoughts once again returning to her brother.  She had a feeling he would have loved this place, simply because of the name.  Well that and because of his second love - Coffee!!  He always use to say that you could never have enough coffee.  He was always sending her pictures of the latest coffee mugs (and other coffee related gadgets) that he had picked up from various places that he travelled to.  It was funny, Janet had moved away to a bustling, busy city because she wanted to get out of what she had considered to be a boring place to live and yet she hardly ever ever went anywhere, while Jason (who had stayed in there home town) was constantly traveling all over the world, seeing new places and meeting new people.

My #WWBH story: June 12, 2013 - A nice day for a jog

 

A Nice Day For A Jog

It was a beautiful day out and Jeannie was enjoying one of those rare moments when she was able to get out and go for jog.  Work kept her so busy much of the time that she rarely found the time to get out.  The cough variant asthma that plagued her made it that much more difficult to get out (even though she knew the exercise would do her good). The path along side the woods. not too far from where she lived, felt like the perfect spot to relax and get a way from all the stress and worries of every day life and just let her mind go numb.

The day promised to be so gorgeous that she had decided to treat herself  to a picnic lunch at a small park nearby the trail's start/end. A small lunch, as well as a food magazine that she had gotten in the mail a couple weeks ago (but hadn't had a chance to really read yet) waited for her in her car.  One thing Jeannie loved to do was cook and was always interested in trying out new things, especially ways to bring variety to boring bland foods.  This particular magazine was all about ways to "bring spice and life to the boring potato"

After she finished her jog, Jeannie took a big long swig of water from her water bottle before retrieving her lunch from the car.  After finishing the sandwich she had made earlier, Jennie picked up the magazine and opened it.  Nibbling on a carrot from her lunch she began to read, her mind formulating new ideas from those that she gleaned from the magazine as she read.

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I believe there's a little bit of time left (if you hurry) before this weeks Blog Hop Photo Prompt goes up.   Just a few quick rules: Must be related to photo and include the 5 random words (as seen in bold in my story - or click here) and be under 500 words Click on the linky thing below and link your own creative short story to the "hop"  

"Moment of Truth" Part 3 of a collaboration challenge story

Before you read my part of this "Collaboration Challenge" story, be sure and read Part One by Carrie Sorenson of Chasing Revery and Part Two by Nicole Pyles of The World of My Imagination. Also, my apologies.  I had a hard time finding the right pic then when I did find something that would work I couldn't get it to post correctly. 

"Let the games begin".... such innocent sounding words but in light of past events where people had ended up being hurt by the so called "innocent little fun & games" they sounded ominous to Kips ears.  "I must be loosing my touch," Kip thought to himself as he hesitated in the doorway, again trying to decide what to do.  What was wrong with him, he wondered.  He never had trouble with making decisions to do something and then jumping in and doing it.

"You planning on coming in dude" Mick asked.

Kip gulped, "Yeah, I'm coming in"

He followed Mick down to the basement where the "game" room was.  He had been down here a gazillion times, but this time, he felt as if a noose was tightening around his neck as he walked down the steps.

In the game room, the others were lounging around on the couch.  A table was set up across the room with a variety of alcoholic drinks, several shot glasses, a die, a sheet of paper, and what looked like a stack of blank business cards.

"We're all here" Mick spoke to the group,  "We can finally begin".  A cheer went up in the group and Kip cheered right along with them though his heart wasn't really in it.  In fact his palms were getting sweaty and his heart felt like it was racing.

"Here's the rules," Mick continued on after motioning for everyone to be quiet, "I have a sheet of paper here with the names of the six drinks you see on the table.  Each drink has a number by it,  We each take turns rolling the die and taking a shot of the drink that we roll.  After you drink your 'shot' you pick a card and have to do whatever the card instructs you too.  If you are unable to then you fail and have to wait till your turn again to try again.  If you decline your shot then you automatically fail and sit out the rest of the game. The winner is the last man standing!"

Kip listened to the rules as he eyed the drinks sitting on the table.  He was liking this game less & less with each passing second.  Sure he drank booze with his buds, no biggy but the drinks here were hard liqueur and they were talking about mixing drinks - NEVER a good thing.  He had seen the results once when his father had inadvertently drunken a different drink than the one he'd been drinking during a small dinner party he had had at their house.  His girlfriend had been smart to quit.  Of course she had given the excuse that she was going to take some sort of college prep courses and "make something of herself", but the truth was she looked at these parties as "stupid and childish"  She had told him more than once that he needed to grow up and get a life ( a REAL life). Kip knew he should have quit too, but he was in too deep now.  If he left "the party" early he'd have to make up some sort of excuse (something he was terrible at) or tell the truth and risk being ridiculed by the others.

They all took a turn shaking the die to determine order.  Kip was relieved to see he had the smallest number, which meant he would get to go last.  One by one everyone in the group took their turns all of them passing their "test" as instructed on the cards.   No one had declined their turn.  Then it was Kip's turn.  No way he could chicken out now not when he'd be the only one to do so and he had a rep to uphold.

Kip  stepped forward and rolled the die, then picked up the shot glass that correlated with the number he had rolled.  The drink burned going down, landing heavily on his churning stomach.  He then took the top card off the pile, turned it over and read it aloud to the rest of the guys.

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Be sure and tune in next week at Confessions of a Pixel and ink-stained wretch as Leonard Suskin takes over the story.

WWBH Blog Hop Photo Prompt: June 12, 2013

I have to apologize #1 for not posting last weeks Blog Hop and #2 Not keeping up with my blogging in general. This last weekend Hubby and I took a short weekend trip up to Flagstaff (We currently live in the Tucson area) for a train swap meet. You wouldn't think that preparing for such a short trip would be such a big deal as to need tons of planning but we were planning on staying at a campground and (because of hubby being disabled, needed to have our pop-up tent trailer in usable condition. Said trailer needed to have some work done on it. Not to mention the stuff that needed to be done to prepare for swap meet itself.... Seems things are always getting done at last minute around here.... But you didn't come to this post to hear about our little trip - So, without further ado, here's Leanne with this weeks Blog Hop:

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5 words, 1 picture, and a whole lotta talent-- it's blog hop photo reveal day!I'm going to get right to it, my friends! First up? David Bastiani was our blog hop ad winner! Here is his button to display on your site so people can hop on over to his blog after they've hopped over to yours (see what I did there? ;)). Congratulations, David! Okay, here are the stories from last week's photograph. Be sure to hop over to each blog and read the stories ( ;)) and show some love to the authors in the comments! Hop vs. Prompt? by JP Climb by Carrie K. Sorensen Ice Drop by Leanne Sype J'Sharn's World--Episode II Where's your Stick? by Scott Taylor The Birthday Treat by Sally Stackhouse Here is a reminder of this works

1) Use the photo and the 5 words provided in your story

2) Keep your word count 500 words or less.

3) You have until next Tuesday to link up your post.

4) Link up with your blog hostess (Nicole, Carrie, Tena or Leanne) when you’re done via the inLinkz linky below.

5) Have fun, don’t stress, let those creative juices flow.

And drumroll please for this week's photo-- badadadadadadadadaaaa

(randomly generated) Mandatory words

potato

magazine

carrot

day

cough

WWBH: Blog Hop - Photo Prompt May 22, 2013

Sorry it's a bit late getting out... Been a busy early part of week.  Went to post Thursday and realized I had lost the eMail with the code from our host this week.  Then another busy day today
Definitely an interesting picture for this week as well as interesting words....  As for me - I have NO idea where to begin...  How about any of you?
this week our WWBH Photo Prompt Blog Hop Host is Nicole from The World of My Imagination


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It's that time again and this week I have the reigns! Yay! It's been a long month for me so far - and I have a new goal to write a story to a photo prompt once a month at least. I think I can do it - how about you?

Anyways, before we kick off the prompt, make sure to check out the amazing prompts from last week-

Imagined Dream World by Scott Taylor
Camel Man by Leanne Sype
Home Coming by Sally Stackhouse

Aren't they awesome??

Okay, now make sure you grab a copy of our Flash Fiction e-book.

Ready?

Here's the rules:

Here are the rules:

1) Use the photo and the 5 words provided in your story

2) Keep your word count 500 words or less.

3) You have until next Tuesday to link up your post.

4) Link up with your blog hostess (Nicole, Carrie, Tena or Leanne) when you’re done via the inLinkz linky below.

5) Have fun, don’t stress, let those creative juices flow.

This week's photo:

The words:

T-Shirt

Paddock

Spacestation

Pyramid

Zip

Oh, this should be so good.

When you're ready, post your link below -

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Note linky doesn't seem to be working - you can link through my main blog (also Jottings and Writings - on WordPress)  http://wp.me/p1s8Rt-xM

WWBH Blog Hop Photo Prompt - May 08, 2013

Thought I'd try posting this one from my phone using voice type.  Of course I am cheating a bit,  As a bulk of the code comes from our host this week Carrie over at www.chasingrevery.blogspot.com

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My favorite part - I have a winner to announce!<br />

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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://sallys-scribbles.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sally&nbsp;@ Sally Scribbles!!</a></span></div>

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Congratulations! I'll send you a note and you can let me know if you have a button or if you would like me to make one. We'll have it up by next Wednesday. :D</div>

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<span style="text-align: left;">Last week's prompt produced some amazing creativity. I have the proof right here:</span></div>

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<a href="http://davidbastiani.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/contains-strychnine/" target="_blank">Contains Strychnine</a> by David Bastiani</div>

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<a href="http://scottywattydoodlealltheday.blogspot.com/2013/05/four-yearsa-short-story.html" target="_blank">Four Years</a> by Scott Taylor</div>

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<a href="http://anne-writersspace.blogspot.com/2013/05/of-books-and-fighter-planes.html" target="_blank">Of Books and Fighter Planes</a> by Anne Organista</div>

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<a href="http://sallys-scribbles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/the-power-of-books.html" target="_blank">The Power of Books</a> by Sally</div>

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<a href="http://jottingsandwritings.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/my-wwbh-story-may-01-2013-books-and-more-books/" target="_blank">Books and More Books</a> by Tena Carr<br />

<a href="http://vickipaulus.blogspot.com/2013/05/writer-wednesday-blog-hop.html" target="_blank">Untitled</a> by Vicki Paulus<br />

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Fantastic! There are lots of new and old faces this week, and all the stories are wonderfully matched to Leanne's great photo choice. :)</div>

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On to this week's prompt - first, the rules.</div>

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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1) Use the photo and the 5 words provided in your story</span></div>

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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2) Keep your word count 500 words or less.</span></div>

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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3) You have until next&nbsp;Tuesday to link up your post.</span></div>

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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4) Link up with your blog hostess (<a href="http://theworldofmyimagination.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Nicole</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://chasingrevery.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Carrie,&nbsp;</a><a href="http://jottingsandwritings.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tena</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://leannesype.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Leanne</a>) when you’re done via the inLinkz linky below.</span></div>

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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5) Have fun, don’t stress, let those creative juices flo<span id="__mceDel">w.</span></span></div>

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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">This week's photo is&nbsp;</span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">courtesy</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">&nbsp;of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/7158016968/sizes/z/in/photostream/" target="_blank">Flikr Commons</a>:</span></span></div>

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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/7158016968/sizes/z/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7227/7158016968_6eef89c812_z.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>

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The 5 must-use words:</div>

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butter</div>

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evil</div>

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wardrobe</div>

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rescue</div>

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ballroom</div>

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And a quick plug - Don't forget about Flash 500 coming out on Friday via Amazon!! :-)</div>

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See all the unique takes on the prompt below and link up your own.</div>

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My #WWBH story: May 01, 2013 - Books and More Books.

This particular photo (and 5 words) presented a challenge for me.  Somehow I just couldn't get a story to "start up" in my mind.  I finally did come up with something, but I'm afraid it's on the short side this week (shorter than usual).  I hope that you will join in and link up your own Blog Hop story (short/long - well no more than 500 words - it doesn't matter).  To see this weeks Blog Hop Photo & Words click Here

Jeffrey walked amongst the rows of books at the large public library, fiddling with the napkin in his pocket as he did.  So many books, he didn't know where to begin.  He had never been in a library this large before, only the local library of the small town in which he lived.  When his father asked him if he wanted to go into the city with him, Jeffrey said "Yes" and asked if they might stop at the library there.  He could hardly contain his excitement when his father agreed, saying that he could even check out a couple of books.  Now as he looked wide array of books he wasn't sure how he was going to choose the one book that he was allowed.  Maybe he should look for a book on poisons.  His pet mole, racer, had gotten into some sort of poison and died.  Or maybe a book on concerts.  He and his dad had stopped and listened to  a free concert in the park and Jeffrey thought the sounds beautiful.  Jeffrey scratched at his neck while he thought about it.

Words used in this story: mole, napkin, poison, concert, neck

My WWBH Story for April 24, 2013 - Hard Worker

"Now sweetheart, don't get all in a huff" Patricia said as she noticed her husband tapping angrily on the steering wheel of the car as they drove along the highway. "Maybe we should pull over for a moment" she suggested a bit nervously.

"No," Jack answered, "I'm fine"

"Are you sure" Patricia inquired, concerned.

"Yeah" Jack replied, "It's just that BS they gave me at HR about the reason for letting me go is a pile of crock. All they care about is the quantity of work done, not the quality.

"I know," Patricia said agreeing with him. "They have no idea what a conscientious and hard worker they're losing" She rubbed his arm affectionately.

She recalled the the letter that had come from the construction company that Jack worked for on official looking letterhead from the Human Resource Department.  

  Words used: Letterhead Quantity Construction Huff Crock

WWBH Blog Hop: May 01 2013

It's Wednesday once again and guess what that means????

It's time for the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop Kick Off!! Take it away LeAnne

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Aw yeah! It's Wednesday which means two awesome things: 1) We're halfway to Friday! 2) It's time for the Writer Wednesday photo prompt! We have two story submissions from last week's photo, and you should definitely read them. :) X Marks the Spot by Carrie Sorensen Low Risk, High Value by Leanne Sype Whether we have two stories or 12 stories, we love them all and invite you to join the blog hop community. It's a great way to meet fellow writers, exercise your fiction-challenge writing muscles, and let others know about your blog. Here's a little button to add to your site if you like being a part of the blog hop:

Alrighty... here's a brief rundown of how all this works: 1) Use the photo and the 5 words provided in your story 2) Keep your word count 500 words or less. 3) You have until next Tuesday to link up your post. 4) Link up with your blog hostess (Nicole, Carrie, Tena or Leanne) when you’re done via the inLinkz linky below. 5) Have fun, don’t stress, let those creative juices flow. And now for this week's photograph:

(Randomly generated) Mandatory Words:

mole

napkin

poison

concert

neck

#AtoZChallenge: #Firefighter - #Safety - Z is for Zero

A day late (my apologies), but here's the today's (and final) post for the A-to-Z Challenge.



Z is for  ZERO as in Zero - Sixty.  No, I'm not talking about a car or any other vehicle for that matter.....  I'm talking about adrenalin rush.  As a Firefighter, Paramedic, or Police Officer your day can go from mundane and boring to *Bleep* hitting the fan in a matter of minutes.

As you know an adrenalin rush is caused by the "Fight or Flight and response, which causes Adrenalin (Epinephrine) to be released into the body.  Heart Rate, Pulse, and Breathing all accelerate and your body prepares to "stay and fight or run (thus the "Fight or Flight").  Your mind can become super-focused and your pain threshold can increase (you may not even feel pain at all).  While the release of adrenalin can be a good thing in allowing for increased focusability and increased strength and all that, the constant zero - sixty that is norm for a firefighter can have harmful results over long periods of time.

I should note that the opposite (Sixty to Zero) is just as bad....  Once, as a child, I was visiting the local fire station with my father, which I talk about in my blogpost Firefighters are my Heroes (this is actually on my WordPress blog), but to make a long story short:  Alarms go off crew heads for truck in a rapid, but controlled manner , then voice over intercom (I think that's what it was - we're talking like 30+ years ago) "False Alarm"....  Dead Silence.  I didn't understand it all back then, but I realize now that when those alarms (maybe it was klaxons) went off  the adrenalin started to be released in the body of those firefighters as they prepared for "fight or flight".  Now all that adrenlain had no place to go, it basically hit a brick wall and went Sixty to Zero.

So what are the symptoms/results of an adrenalin rush?
As I mentioned above, increased Heart Rate and Accelerated Breathing are two of the symptoms.  Heart Palpitations and Increased Blood Pressure are other symptoms that also occur.  For more info on the "Fight or Flight Response and it's effects click Fight or Flight Response (wikipedia)

What's the problem with all that Fight or Flight/Adrenlain Rush?
The constant Zero to Sixty (as well as the Sixty to Zero) situations is that over time it can lead to heart problems (Did you know that Heart Attacks and High Blood Pressure is one of the leading causes of Firefighter death - Not the fires themselves). What to do about it For one thing make sure you are physically, mentally, and emotionally to begin with.  Have yourself some form of (safe & legal) outlet to release the build up of adrenalin (a good strong work out is always a good idea).  Make sure you are taking care of YOU.

Remember Watch out for the effects of ZERO to Sixty (as well as Sixty to Zero) on the body and StaySAFE!!

So now I've reached the end of this A-to-Z Challenge.  Hopefully I have provided some good reminders to STAYSAFE  on the job.  Thank You for all you do  {{{HUGS}}}

Here's a list of Firefighting and Paramedic Blogs that I follow:

FireMen the book (by Gary Ryman)

Boots'n'BunkerPants

ELAFFHQ

Firefighter/Paramedic Stories

It's Not My Emergency

The Happy Medic

Views From the JumpSeat

EMS in the New Decade

Fire Critic

Wooden Ladders and Iron Firemen

Firehouse Zen

SA Matters

#AtoZChallenge: #Firefighter #Safety - Y is for YOU

Today is technically the last day of the A-to-Z Challenge.  I didn't get to write the post for the letter "Y" Yesterday (okay that was totally unplanned) so am having to get it done today, followed by the final post for letter "Z"

The most important aspect of all this Firefighter Safety stuff I've been spouting this past month is YOU!  Y-O-U! YOU!  No, I'm not saying that you should be selfish, thinking only of yourself (not that I see that as a problem - everything I've seen shows huge/selfless hearts & awesome sense of of humor....)  I'm saying that you need to make sure you are taking care of yourself and that your being as safe as it is possible to be.  Your no good to anyone else if you don't.  Make sure you are taking care of all aspects of your health.  We all know that Physical Health & Fitness is an important aspect to the safety of a firefighter, but Mental and Emotional health are just as important.  Make sure your keeping yourself safe and using all necessary Gear and PPE.  Be Game Ready Every Call Every Time (You can't help anyone else if you become a         victim yourself.

Remember YOU are Important and STAYSAFE!!!

Note:  It's taken longer to get this done than I expected (something about distractions and all)....  So I'll have to do "Z" tomorrow.

And now for 5 Blogs I came across:
FlashTyme
Giggling Truckers Wife
Frankly Creative
Writing Women's Fiction
Between You and Me
A Mom's Point of View

#AtoZChallenge: #Firefighter #Safety - X is for Xylene

Originally I was going to research and write this blogpost on the effects of Xylene when it comes to firefighting. But, now that it has come time to get this post out (or get myself behind on my posts once again, I find that I don't have the time (at this late hour) to go through the process of researching and trying to write something up.  So instead I have found a couple of  websites for you:

Xylene:

Wikipedia: Xylene

Xylene: Incident Management

Duram Products / Xylene

There is, of course, much more info to be found.

The most important thing with any chemical fire is to know what you are dealing with.  In fact, with any fire you should be aware of any potential chemicals that could come into play.  In fact, with any fire you should be aware of he potential for chemicals (even minor ones)  

Remember Know any Chemicals involved (sorry not an X one for tonight) and STAYSAFE

#AtoZChallenge: #Firefighter #Safety - W is for Why?

Was going to write this earlier this morning (actually should've been done yesterday), but I had to get family up & dressed for burn buster blast event today (I want to say put on my local Fire Department mainly).  Get this one and "X" and I'm caught up.

Before I start I want to include a video playlist I came across on youtube featuring Randy Mantooth (from the show Emergency!) speaking on "Remembering Why" in relation to EMS.

There are going to be days when you start to ask yourself "What the (bleep) am I doing here?"  It is times like those that you need to look back and remember WHY you chose this career to, re-afirm/confirm those reasons.

I think pretty much every firefighter/paramedic I've talked to has all said (when asked why they decided on this career path) because they wanted to, because they wanted to make a difference in peoples lives, to do something meaningful.  I've never (that I recall) heard anyone answer that they got into Fire/EMS/Police because they were forced to or had no choice.  Always, it's been something that was in their family, in their blood.  It is something that stays with you and never leaves - you know what they say, "Once a Firefighter, Always A firefighter"  It's not something you just up and walk away from one day (unless forced by events beyond your control).  Sometimes you just need to remember WHY and focus on that.

Remember WHY and STAYSAFE!!!  

Some blogs to check out!
  Our 24 year Age Gap
  Firehouse Zen
  A Day in The Life of an Ambulance Driver
  Firefighter/Paramedic Stories

#AtoZChallenge: #Firefighter #Safety - V is for Vacation!

Going to be a crazy day. Trying to pound out 4 post as I have managed (once again) to get myself behind schedule and need to get U-X done by the end of today. Plus, I'm heading out in a couple hours for the local "Burn Buster Blast" even taking place today.  

When I started this whole challenge I only knew that I was going to start of with letter A being about Awareness. Beyond that, I really had no idea what I was going to do for each letter - just that it was going to be (as best as I could do with my limited knowledge) about Firefighter Safety. My hope all along has been that my short posts would serve as reminders of things that you (firefighters) should already know.

Now I've gotten to V and it's been a toss-up between the idea of "Vacation" which is what popped into my mind and "Ventilate", an idea that was given to me by FirehouseZen. Both are important to the safety of firefighters. Ventilate is quite a bit more obvious. You all know that you need to be careful when going to ventilate. Ventilation is an important aspect in firefighting, but it is important to be sure you are doing it safely. But I'm not going to go into Ventilation. Instead, I'm going to look at VACATION - Yes, Vacation....

I don't need to tell you that being a firefighter can be hard, exhausting work - If I do, then your in the wrong profession - that burn-out is a very real concern & problem. At the same time, being a firefighter is something that gets under your skin and into your blood (how do I know this? - I listen and I learn, but I digress). So how does Vacation come into play here? Taking a break and being well rested and refreshed is just as important to the safety of a firefighter as being Aware, staying Focused, and making sure you Understand the situation. A vacation need not be extravagant or expensive, it's about relaxing, having fun, and enjoying life and coming back well rested and ready to go fight fires.

Remember go on VACATION and STAYSAFE!!

#AtoZChallenge: #Firefighter #Safety - U is for Understand

Alas, Once again I've ended up behind schedule. Need to get through 4 posts today (U-X) - I'm gonna need all the luck I can get.

When on-scene it is important to Understand the whole situation before jumping in and to maintain that understanding throughout.  Know What's going on, What/Who is involved, and What all the dangers (real & potential) are.  Make sure you know what's going on.  Do your own "size-up" even if IC has already done one.  Don't rely on the size-up done by anyone else.

Make sure that you are staying Aware and that you have a full understanding of the situation at all times.  This means not getting hyper-focused to the point of losing track of Communications and keeping your head in the game.

Remember Make sure you UNDERSTAND the whole situation and STAYSAFE!!

Here's some blogs I came across:
  Time for a cath up
  One Day At a Time
  Life in a Small Town

#AtoZChallenge: #Firefighter #Safety - T is for TeamWork

I actually wrote this last night and posted the one to my WordPress blog, but it got too late for me to get it up here on my blogger.... Will be working on letter U today as well (still need to decide what word I want to concentrate on --- Toss up between Understanding or Unified Command.

Fighting fires takes TeamWork.  Well maybe not some small kitchen fire type one, but larger fires (like the kind a firefighter would be called on) - Those take teamwork.  You must be able to depend on your crew.  You must work together as a team and trust that each member is doing there job.  No one person is more or less important.  Every person has a job to do and each person does their job to the absolute best of their ability (no, better).

The most important parts of Teamwork are Communication (One of my choices for the lettter C - but Caution won out) and Harmony.  To work together you must communicate your needs to others of your team. and you must work together in harmony to get the job done efficiently and safely.  I cannot stress enough the importance of Teamwork.  Right up there with Safety and Awareness.

Remember  TEAMWORK is important and STAYSAFE!!

And for 5 new blogs that I found (not necessarily firefighter related)
  Babblin Grammy
  Ramblings of a Homeschooled Escapee
  Procrastinating Mommy
  My Mind
  Trish Nugent, Writer

#AtoZChallenge: #Firefighter #Safety - C is for Caution

Well This is embarrassing....  I can't seem to find my post for letter C....  It's on my WordPress blog, but not here (at least not that I'm seeing) so I'm posting it now...

Still Playing Catch up - Hopefully today (just need to get 3 done - C, D, & E.....

Whatever the situation is that you are approaching, always use Caution.  Don't take anything for granted and Don't expect anything to be a certain way.  Take a moment to be look at the scene before you go rnning in gung ho.  Stop and assess the situation.  Take in the big picture.  It's not so easy to do so when you are in the thick of it.  Know where all the dangers are and what level of danger that danger represents to you.   Keep in mind that things may not always be as they first appear.   Sometimes the things that seem to not be reason for concern could end up being the biggest dangers.  Keep those eyes and ears open and Be AWARE and be Cautious (but not so much so that you don't do your job)

Remember Always use CAUTION and Stay SAFE

And for this blogposts 5 new blogs I'm following:
  While the Coffee Brews
  Cheryl's Random Thoughts

Sorry a bit short on this one today...  Have to pick up son for a Dental appointment (extraction = poor guy).  Get to D a bit later today.

#AtoZChallenge: #Firefighter #Safety: S is for Safety

S is for Safety.......  Your Safety. I'm not trying to lessen the desire of a firefighter, paramedic, or police officer to get in there and take action...  That's what you guys are trained for.  That's what you do - run towards those dangerous situations when others are either not moving or running away.  But in the process don't forget your own Safety.  Remember, you can't help others if you yourself become a victim.
Make sure you and your gear are "game ready" every call, every time.

Make sure you you keep current with your skills - Practice Practice Drill Drill.

Make sure you are taking care of your health - eating right, staying in shape, and taking any offered medical & physical fitness tests.

Make sure you are doing everything feasible to ensure your safety and that you make it home at the end of your shift.

There really isn't a lot more for me to write on this one....  The theme I've used throughout this little challenge has been all about Safety and your need as a firefighter/paramedic/police officer to stay safe and the job and to ensure that you do all possible to make it home to your loved ones.  

Remember STAYSAFE!!!!  That's all

Swimming: Random Topic Writing Challenge

Before I start I must make my apologies for not keeping up with this challenge.  I have no excuses and no-one is making me do this.  I only have my self to be accountable to (and I'm not being all that accountable in this).  I took a glance at when I last posted something for this challenge and realized it was back towards the beginning of the month (almost 2 weeks ago) - EEEEK!!  I really need to do a better job.  

Swimming

I love swimming, but much prefer to swim alone than in a crowded pool (or really a pool with much of anyone in it).  Because of problems I have with my ears, all the waves from other people in the pool tends to make me dizzy and get me all disoriented.  I would generally end up getting out of the pool barely able to walk a straight line.  All that bobbing up and down that occurred with those waves created by others.   I say this in "past tense" because I haven't been swimming in a public pool in, well, forever....  The last time I swam in a pool at all was something like 2 or 3  years ago (not sure, but it's been awhile) and that was a friend's pool - not a lot of people in the pool when I was in it. Despite the trouble I have with being in the pool with other people, swimming is one of those sport like things that I enjoy doing the most.  Up there with bike riding.  Walking use to be up there too, but age (and aching knees) makes that one not so enjoyable.  And, with the swimming, unless I head over to a public pool swimming isn't really an option.  So looks like biking is my best bet.