How'd it go today?

I dont know for sure. Part of it i guess is the population loss. The old town fathers must have been proud as hell to get a school built. Now it is empty. I can see the kids playing in the yard and now it is empty. I can imagine the country kids coming to town and getting a hot lunch and now the cafeteria is empty. I can imagine the gym being full for a ball game with parents nad kids coming to town to watch the game, now it is empty.

Yes, i am a sentimental old fool!

Dang, Sir... Now you got Me all depressed. I better have another pint on that note.
 
I am starting to recover it seems. My headache is finally lifting.

Wednesday we got started on fire prevention week. We talked to some preschoolers and the folks at a retirement building.

Thursday we hit the preschool first, grade school second and then hit the high school. We used the smoke machine at the grade and high school and had them run a fire drill. We held some kids back at both places so the teachers had bad counts. The smoke was dense, almost like real smoke, just not hot.

We were packed up and did search drills at each location. I noticed that I was getting tired and was sweating a lot. I was pounding water but still did not feel any better. Got home around 5 and we ate early so I could get back for the business meeting at the firehall. That ended about eight thirty so we went out and cut up a car till about 10. Made it home by quarter to 11 and the pager went off for a two vehicle crash with multiple injuries with one car on its top with the driver ejected. It was going to be bad.

On the way the rescue engine blew a hose and had to be shut down. We came behind with a pickup and loaded the jaws cart with what ever we thought we needed and proceeded.

Amazingly there were no serious injuries. The driver who was ejected fled the scene and we spent an hour looking for him to no avail. Cleared the scene and went back to the crippled engine and after an hour of screwing with it it was decided to tow it back to the station. Got it back and in quarters and we worked on it some more.

At 2 this morning we were thinking about going back home when the ambulance tone sounded. The cops had found the ejected driver and wanted us to check him out. I hot footed it to the ambulance station and we went out there and looked him over. He refused transport to hospital, and elected to go there in the Highway Patrol car figuring it was cheaper.

About three thirty I started for home after I drove by the firehouse and saw that everyone was gone home. I get about three miles out of town and couldnt remeber where I was or what I was doing. I was not able to remember what I had done for the day and was trying to figure out if I had seen my family that afternoon. I was not sure what time it was and did not know if I had eaten dinner. I could remember eating tacos earlier in the week but was not sure of the day. The tacos were earlier that night.

I got home and drank some more water as I had not remembered peeing that day. Being in the turnouts for two days had drained me.

I figure that I was short of water and electrolytes. It was scary. Hell of a headache today, but it is getting better now.

I am not getting up for the page tonight unless it is bad.
 
Dang Jim, take care of yourself out there while your taking care of others...glad your starting to feel better.

Had a good talk with the guy writing my checks (not the one that "hired" me). talked about the crew some and how this week went. We see eye to eye pretty well. I told him what I thought of each of the crew members and he said I was spot on on each of them.:/: Not the first crew I've run;)

He is quite happy with my work, and decisions I've made, and has expressed his appreciation for my ability on the job. We may just get along with each other.

We have 2 days tentatively scheduled for next week.
 
Wow...seriously dehydrated apparently...very seriously. And coupled with an incredibly busy schedule...glutton for punishment!!

I'm sure you know electrolyte depletion can lead to all kinds of bad juju. Glad you got through that one.

And belated congrats (?) on getting "selected" (dumped upon?) for Training officer...you and Bermy are moving right along.
 
http://www.agprofessional.com/news/‘-quiet-crisis-rise-acidic-soil-washington

QUOTE=FireFighterZero;741891]...I am going to break it up to raise some organic spring wheat...... I dont really believe in organic farming....

Have you read this article, Jim? It seems relevant to things you have said in the past. The sad part is, they still feel that through proper application of chemicals, the land will be able to produce more than it was meant to.[/QUOTE]

Just got around to reading it.

As far as believing in organic food, I have no problem buying conventional food at the market. The higher prices seem like discrimination to me.

I am going to implement some different farming practices on our operation. Sadly, my production will go down, but my profits might increase.

Getting the land to produce more than it was meant to is sadly how we have been forced to do it. You have to produce to pay your bills. Low commodity prices, high costs, no support from the govt.

It is an exciting time to be farming though. Now that we are rediscovering how to better care for the land. I say rediscover because our ancestors knew a lot of the things we are just figuring out.

Thanks for posting that article.
 
Busy day...Breakfast then a drive to timbertramps' to pick up my 200t (new truck drives like a dream)..just got home and got a call that two guys would be over to rehearse for a gig in 15 minutes...as they're driving out the drive someone else drove in to visit...10:30pm now...guess I should have lunch...:|:
 
Had a full day, Gary filled the truck with chips himself. I emptied less than a quarter into a neighbor/ previous customer's drive, then we filled it back up to the brim. Heavy driving home. Time for some new rear tires, pretty quick.

Would have been home hours earlier had my new hire, who I was optimistic about trying out today, didn't make it. texted at 11:45a (9am start) "I have no excuse to offer. Thanks for giving me a chance".

Gary, on the other hand is generally 20 minutes early.

Got home. Another package waiting. Well wrapped in plastic, sitting in the drive. We had a significant amount of rain today. Worked around it okay.

Dumped a spruce over a low laurel hedge, wide face. Hinge held strong. Limbed/ Bucked it up in the street, and backed the chipper right up. Spruce have a lot of foliage. Kept bucking it back, slicing a few cookies over the hedge. No harm, no foul. Customer already okayed me to slice through the hedge with the trunk.

Had a good wood scrounger show up with a Toyota pickup. I said that the truck looked like it had done some work. Never seen a bed so dented up over the wheels, like caved in. Joel said it was his dad's truck, and when his dad was out of work for a spell, back when, he had access to firewood trees out in the wood. He'd stack 40 cords at a time, then move them in his truck. 300 total cords in an old Toyota!!!
 
Jim, remind me are you a volunteer? You contribution of time to your community is phenomenal, I hope they appreciate it!

We had our regional pre-season fire briefing last night. By all accounts it's going to be hot and dry, already had two total fire ban days...even before permit season starts. Apparently the super El Nino is to blame.
Lots of farmers in our area are volunteers, lots of discussion around harvesting and total fire bans, heat index ratings and when to stop...embargoes on lighting log piles, all still pretty new to me but fascinating, the learning curve is steep.
 
Had a nice 6 1/2 hr day...knocked out three smallish jobs and headed home. Nice variety of work kept things interesting.:)

Found out today I am doing my first crane job on Thursday...not real thrilled...
 
Started the morning with a chip job, then we got sent to go cleanup some walnut trees that the boss flopped.that's where the day took a turn for the worse, turns out the person that gave us permission to skid across the fields didn't own them, the homeowner didn't own the trees and the farmer that rents the fields (from the airport) had already planted it with winter wheat. So in role the black and whites informing us we had 5 minutes to get anything we wanted off the property or it was going to be impounded. Needless to say it was a cold ride back to the shop with the skidder. I'm glad I have the rest of the week off
 
Drove 3&1/2 hrs to an emergency job that is two hours out of our contracted area for the gas company today. Who ever is supposed to cover that area dropped the ball and didn't show within the time restrictions. One 35" and one 43" dbh silver maples inside a chain link fence behind a gaurd rail. Inspector was none to happy that I had the guys remove the fence without letting her know. Trees were easy and we ground the stumps. Raked the grindings back into a pile and not a piece of saw dust or wood chip in the yard. That's when things got a tad ugly. I was told we were not allowed to leave until the grindings were removed and topsoil with seed and straw be put in. This was another inspector by the way and they are digging there tomorrow. I explained to him that we were there as a favor and gave him the number to his bosses boss. He just got more upset. I let my boss know and left with the inspector still ranting about it. 14 hours today. Counted 281 roadkill in 198 miles ( each way).
image.jpg
Put the fence back up to. They can take it down themselves tomorrow
 
Sean, Have no idea what it is until I get there.

Had an operator nearly kill me setting purlins on some red iron once (last time I worked with a crane). they fired me just cause I slid down to the ground and ran for the crane with my hammer out...operator headed for the woods...wouldn't come back until I left...good thing for him.


Dang Rich, long day...particularly with the Inspectors you had to deal with.
 
Crane work is easy peasy with a good op Dave. I haven't done a ton of it but I was nowhere near as tired as if I'd of rigged it all out normal. Keep an escape route handy. I had to bail once on a top. He thought it was choked high enough, I didn't. It flipped ( the top not the crane) and I was well below before it came around.
Good luck. Have fun. Stay safe
 
I've got my fingers crossed for a decent operator and hoping we can sync his phone to my helmet...if I'd known I was going to do this I'd have srung for a headset...
 
He can call you, just have him on speaker phone, or better yet, an ear piece. Just be careful shouting to ground crew...cover your mike. Short of the first two, he can duct tape the phone to his head for hands free operation.
 
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