How I Got the Nick Name Crazy Lady

Sometimes, like at 6 AM when I need to drive an hour to get to class, I wonder why I even applied for the LEADERSHIP scholarship. In this class we are suppose to learn to be better leaders, work well with others and have a greater sense of what it really means to be a leader.

From my first interview and into the first day of class I had two basic observations regarding this program

1. With regards to the "giving back to the community" part of this class, well, I could teach this thing.
2. With regards to the amount of well educated people i was around, I probably wasn't qualified to clean their toilets let alone go to school with them.
   

So here I was, driving to the fire station for our next program day. The last few were okay... well visiting the prison was a bummer, I felt my classmates (other than those who worked for non profits) had no clue or concern.

Any who... I was greeted with hot coffee and bagels at the fire house.
The day was divided into two parts

Part one-- fire house A
Review money issues, review family issues, review equipment and talk with fire fighters about life, (I really enjoined talking with the one woman on the force)

This first fire house visit got us closer to the equipment and the policies of a fire department. I was unaware that many smaller station require fire fighter to be trained as paramedics and that fire trucks are equipped with the same five saving equipment as most ambulances.

During this first half, they broke out the gear--- full fire fighter gear--- "Any one wanna try this on?"

"I will"-- I jumped up and preceded to put on 60# of gear, boots, gloves, air tank every thing! Somewhere out there is a great pic--- even thought i didn't know how to hold the hatchet.

Next "Who wants to lift the jaws of life?"

I proceed to move up and lift them up -- about 40#

"Be careful."

"Okay, I will."

We went through the engine... i got tired of the line of 40 leaders who acted more like lemming so I went around the other side of the engine to check it out--- gees--- think people, think!

Then on to the other fire district for the afternoon. This would prove to be the adventure. After a wonderful firehouse chili lunch the 40 of us were divided into 3 groups.

Activity one... put on your gear and with 2 of your team mates run a real training course 1time (in actuality the course is run over and over again for a set time, and then you see how many rounds you can make)

"Who want to go first?"

"I will" (surprised?)
We had the slowest time, be we showed the other teams what to watch out for like...

• When you move a water filled hose that is over 100 ft long and 5 inches in diameter, it doesn't bend very easy around corners and it is heavy --I've never even worked a garden hose before!
• when lifting a 150# dummy, have a plan and don't drag his leg cause it will slow you down
• sledged hammers have a lil kick when you pound on a metal surface
• sometimes, you'll slow your team mates down, sometimes,they slow you down
• It is really hard to work with gloves on if you are not use to it
• if I had to do this over and over again, I would have been in the rescue squad myself

I already wrote about the blind man crawl I did. One of the things i found really fascinating is how many people opt out of activities. I mean this is suppose to be an opportunity to learn. I guess i can understand if you have physical limitations, but geesss... if not why not? Life is short, you may never have this opportunity again. If you don't take it no one will take if for you. We, as humans, have the grand opportunity to experience, learn, recall and then share then share those experiences with others--- if you can... then you should. Period.

The controlled burn was by far the most interesting thing I have ever done in my life.

The debris, about 5 ft x 5 ft was still damp from the last demonstration. It was placed in what would have been the living room, we stood in an adjoining room, about 15 feet away front he actually debris. A fire hose was placed on the floor and we were told to stand behind it.

As the debris caught fire, the Fire Chief explained what would happen, how the smoke would accumulate and actually become combustible because of the debris, how the fire would spread across the ceiling and over into our direction. How items would spontaneously catch fire due to the temperature.

His explanation and the flames fascinated most of us. As we stood, we felt the heat from the smoke above our heads. It was too much for one of the students, and she left through the front door. That is when things really got interesting.

The air cause the fire to grow and the smoke to thicken. The fire chief explained that this is why they normally break out all the windows- so flareups like this one wouldn't happen.

You could see the flames lick into the door jam into the room we occupied. The smoke was thick and we had to crouch down to breath and see. The fire chief continued to talk and the crowd continued to stair. We were paralyzed. We would have done anything the Chief asked us to do. He knew, we didn't, and the danger was too close to argue.

It couldn't have been more than 10 minutes from start to finish. We left the building with our eyes watering and burning from the heat, smoke and flames.

I those 10 minutes, I understood why people panic in a fire. I understood how thick smoke can get. This wasn’t a movie. This wasn’t a joke. This was the real deal, and we were allowed to experience it first hand. The whole experience gave me a new respect for the power of fire, and the power of the men and woman who are willing to fight them.

It also let me know I am stronger than I give my self credit for. I am not afraid to try and to fail and to try again.

At the end of the day, prizes were given out to various people who showed team work and leadership skills.

"This award goes to the woman who always jumped up to go first, who wasn't afraid to try ... our own Crazy Lady"

So, I guess I do belong here-- and I have something to contribute and something to learn.