Just When I Began Questioning Staying in the Fire Department

As many of you know, I am an EMT with a volunteer fire department. I also work (paid) as the office administrator for the same fire district. My husband also volunteers as Firefighter/Medic.

I've been getting a little burned out with the whole thing. It's not that I've been an EMT for so long but it's just that the department seems to be taking over my life. Work, volunteer time, dinnertime conversation (did I mention that my husband is the IT guy for the fire department and the EMS Lieutenant). I've been giving some serious consideration to leaving my volunteer post (I'd be crazy to leave the sweetheart paid job).

Then tonight, at 7 p.m. we got a page for a "fully involved house fire". No shit sherlock. I battened down the hatches at home (Will is out of town on business) and headed out to the fire. In a structure fire situation, my job is to manage the rehabilitation of firefighters. When they go into burning buildings (or use air packs outside of buildings) they need to be medically examined to make sure they are healthy enough to keep going. That is my job, usually.

When I got to the fire ground, I donned my jumpsuit and reported to the chief. Lo and behold, our new up-and-coming young EMT was the rehab princess (with me being QUEEN). The Chief had another job for me. I was to be the accountability person... counting personnel, tracking them and their whereabouts, and making sure they came out of the fire at the appropriate times.

Well... it was fun but very confusing and stressful. I was on my feet for five hours straight; circling the trucks, dodging hose, herding cats.

I guess I'll hang out with the fire dudes a while longer.

(House a complete loss; people all okay; firefighters rescued two cats.)

Our community is so special. This guy (the civilian) is "just a neighbor" who happens to haul water. He had a full 6000 gallon tanker and was alerted to the fire by another neighbor and hauled ass over to the fire. He too was there for the better part of five hours, just doing this duty as a good neighbor. (We don't have fire hydrants out here and all our firefighting water has to be hauled.)

We had fourteen of our members at the call (we have a roster of 32), we had five firefighters from the town of Durango, and three from New Mexico to our south. We also had tankers shuttling in from the county road department and from the Durango fire department. For this fire we got our water from one of the residents who happen to have a hydrant (not city water).

The trucks on the horizon are on the highway about 1/4 mile from our engines. We had hose going all that way supplying us with additional water.

Okay.. it's after 3 a.m. I guess it's time to let the glass of wine do its thing for me.