An explosion in a chemical factory, an acetylene bottling plant fire, a massive wild fire surrounding a church full of children at sunday school, a chemical spill with toxic cloud, a collision between a loaded school bus and a truck delivering bottled gas, a fire on a super tanker at a dockside, and last but not least a fire in a whiskey distillery (Jamersons) in Midleton, which just happens to be next door to where my son go's to college. It is quite frightening to think that three months ago I was just an ordinary fireman just going about my duties as a medic or a breathing apparatus team leader. Now with these two bars on my shoulder comes great responsibility. The above scenario's are based on worst case, but all have happened, or could happen, and my response as overall officer in command are based on my crew being first on scene. As first officer on scene I could conceivably be in charge of the whole incident for at least the first hour, we call this the golden hour. The decisions made within that hour will have a huge bearing on the incident, and of the lives of not just my crews, but of the public as well. Am I up to it? I hope so. According to the records I finished in the top ten per cent on the coarse. The computers say that I kept all my crew members alive, which is good. However it also says that I didn't manage to save all the members of public, or prevent all the fatalities, but the numbers were kept below the expected norm!
It is odd too think of someone's husband,wife,son,daughter, as a number, or to say that they are one of the expected norm! I suppose it is only human nature to dehumanize the unthinkable by giving it a number, one in ten, one in every fifty, the expected norm! etc, etc, but people tend to forget, or at least don't want to be reminded that these numbers have faces, have lives, have loves, have families and homes that they are expected to go home to at night. My only hope is that I can do my best for all of them if and when the unthinkable happens.
I'm an ex Merchant skipper, we all go through it. Keep the alive.. alive, treat those that are going to survive, a broken arm isn't fatal. A crushed head or major arterial is. Ignore them. You do a good job, to do it better look after your crew. by the way, your competence has improved the computer says so! But your writing has suffered.
ReplyDeleteLook after yourself.
mwhuhahahahahaha! (to the above) :-D
ReplyDeletejust as well you weren't tested on you're handwriting! you should have become a doctor
:-D
when are you off duty again?
Sorry for the lack of literacy, I'm dog tired and went straight on duty and was called out to a mountain fire threatening forestry! then after three hours sleep called out again to an actual forestry fire in the next valley! I hopefully will back to normal as soon as I can regain a few hours beauty sleep!
ReplyDeleteas for duties! I am covering the station officer for Friday and Saturday, hopefully OK for sat night.
I would say your very best is all a person in distress could hope for.
ReplyDeleteTheir life or quality of thereafter, depending on your decisions/competence at a fleeting moment in time.
It's a huge responsiblity, one which is suited to a mere handful of qualified takers, I bet my money, it's in the BEST of hands.
Congratulations on your deserving merit, and may you always have a guardian angel on your shoulder...
I hope you never have to face a distillery fire. The pressure to save all that whiskey would be too much! (Is that how they add the smokey taste?)
ReplyDeleteLife and death. I think it's great to have an artist's sensibility in a job like yours. Helps you see beyond your nose and the stats.