The New Year Is Upon Us

As we wound down 2011 on A Shift, I found myself looking back at a multitude of drastic changes that have taken place in our station since 2010. New faces, new apparatus, and new attitudes. It seems as though the fire service is as ever changing as our very own personalities. I personally have come to learn not to expect too much from your job. However, at the same time expect everything from life. This philosophy has led me to a much happier and well rounded work environment over the past year. With the addition of six new members to our house, one could expect the personality conflicts to rise dramatically. With that being said, I am glad that our house(all shifts included), seems to have broken that mold and adapted fairly well throughout the year. Throughout shift squabbles and apparatus melt downs, we have become a close family of brothers. Don't get me wrong, I myself was apprehensive at first, however have grown quite fond of our arrangement and our new daily routines. It's a good thing. This year also marked the decade anniversary of the greatest single lose of life in the fire service since its creation. 9/11. In honor of those who passed, some of the brothers completed the annual 9/11 stair climb in Richmond while holding cards that displayed the member of the FDNY, as well as his personal information, that they were climbing for that day. We joke around the house that they made us all look bad, however I think there was a general mindset of jealousy that we all could not attend. I myself was unable to participate this year due to work conflicts, though I think we all chose to remember those lost in our own personal way. It was an emotional day, marking ten years since the incident, though it feels like just yesterday that those events unfolded on televisions across America. As I was taking my gear off the rig this morning, I passed by Jeff's locker and noticed his card he carried hanging proudly next to his name plate. I silently reflected for a brief time those events and those we chose to remember as we continue to do this job proudly every day. I am hoping that 2012 brings us as much excitement as 11. I'm sure some decent jobs are in store for us, and I can only hope that every single one falls on an A Shift day...naturally. Sorry guys. Being as though Webb was off for the shift, Sir Douglas Fresh(Station 2 medic) and I rang in the new year returning from an MVC w/o PI. Exciting I know. We finished off the shift with a whopping four runs. Our fearless leader, Lieutenant Farley turned in with a significantly higher number. Apparently south county parties a lot harder than the rest of the world. Tomorrow marks the second day of our cycle. I hope to bring you some more updated information and pics as the work week continues. Stay safe and Happy New Year!