How I Spent My Spring Break

What follows is the report I had to write for my fire fighting class regarding the ride along I took with the Cedar Rapids Fire Department last Friday. I like the outfit in the picture so much, I've started wearing it to work!

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On Friday, March 21st, 2014, I reported to the Cedar Rapids Central Fire Station at 8:00 am. The fire station is new and state of the art. The facility looks sharp, with a modern kitchen, a weight room and a workout room. Large flat screen televisions and fire helmets cover the walls of the living areas and hallways. The center piece is the large staging area where the apparatus are kept.

I was greeted by a busy crew preparing for their day. Two things were going on: breakfast and getting their blood drawn. The crew eat breakfast and lunch together, although they prepare their own individual meals. Dinner is usually a group affair, and today the drivers of the rescue truck were preparing fish for Lent. The blood work was part of the emphasis on keeping the fire fighters safe and healthy.

On duty was a sizeable crew, all male, although there was a female intern, Jessica, who is finishing her degree, and works with all the shifts. There are three shifts that work at the Central Fire Station, and each shift is 24 hours on and 48 hours off, the classic textbook schedule that we read about for paid departments. While I didn’t catch the names of all the crew, I caught enough of them to be able to talk cogently about our activities.

The first fire fighter to help me out was Captain Matt Woerner. Matt sat down and talked to me about work schedules, shifts, and benefits. He was also responsible for making sure that Captain Joel Miles had me sign off on the paper work for the city. Around the table, the fire fighters introduced themselves: Chief Andy Oleson, Captain Matt Woerner, Probationary Fire Fighter Lucas Kennedy, Brad Cowden, Josh, Jensen, Jessica Miller, and Loren Corrigan. Mike, the driver of the truck also made a brief appearance, although I didn’t meet him until later. I also met Mick Wightman, who was subbing that day at Central. It turns out I know his wife, who works at Kirkwood.

While breakfast was being served, I took the opportunity to ask Probationary Fire Fighter Kennedy some questions. Lucas filled me in on what it’s like to be a probationary fire fighter. “Imagine,” he said, “that you’ve met the girl of your dreams, and she’s finally said that she’s going to marry you. Then imagine that you have to spend the next year or two convincing her 120 older brothers that you are the right man for her.” Lucas essentially is the first to come and the last to leave. He cleans up after all the other fire fighters. He gives most of the community tours and basically is the man who does whatever needs doing that the others don’t do. Lucas also has a training regimen that he must keep practicing until he is cleared to be a fully-fledged fire fighter in September. A short man, Lucas takes a lot of ribbing about his height.

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Mirrored from Writer Tamago.