Half-Life Fallout: Firefighting - Half-Life Fallout

Been thinking about creating this thread for awhile. I needed somewhere to talk about my work (doesn't matter if it's just me posting in this thread or if anyone would like to join in). Fair warning, it will be about EVERY aspect of it. Both the good and the bad. You can imagine what the bad might be, so if that bothers you, I'll post a warning before I start talking about it so you can avoid that post. It won't always be like that. The good outweighs the bad by a lot. If you have any questions about my work, feel free to ask.


Warning

I saw my first dead body yesterday. A man was driving recklessly down some backroads, hitting other vehicles, almost hitting a jogger as well, he finally swerved off the road down a hill and hit a tree. His minivan caught on fire shortly thereafter. From the way he was driving before that happened, we think he was probably intoxicated. He stepped out the van and then collapsed right beside the front door. The fire grew too hot for any of the police officers or bystanders to rescue him from the flames.

The above was all from the view points of the police that had been chasing him and the few witnesses that were nearby. By the time we had gotten there, the fire was going pretty good and he was already dead. We extinguished the fire and kept hitting any hot spots that happened to pop up (it was in the middle of a field, a couple of engines had been dispatched to a brush fire and we had been dispatched to a car fire). I'll save you all the details and withhold descriptions of anything beyond that (out of respect of you all and of the departed).

I wasn't as shocked as I thought I was. Given the circumstances, I think I handled it pretty well. On the way back to the station I was quieter than usual, and received a couple phone calls from guys around the district to see how I was doing (we had been on the news as well and they know that that was my first). I think that helped a lot, it was great to know how many of the guys cared that I've worked with (I work for two departments and they each have two stations and there's three different shifts for each station of four guys a shift. Not to mention the chiefs, lieutenants, captains, and part-timers as well). I was thinking about doing the CISD (critical incident stress debriefing) debriefing. Mostly because I don't want to end up like one of my buddies that, after having seeing his first dead body, still has nightmares about it. I'm not ashamed of wanting to talk about, a lot of the guys were pretty understanding towards me. They've all been there.

End Warning

I love my job, I can't imagine doing anything else.

This is pretty heavy for a first post in a new thread I hope to keep adding to and hope that will be around for awhile. Don't forget that it won't always be like this, and as much as I don't want to admit it, after awhile, I'll be desensitized to death so much that it won't really bother me anymore. It's inevitable. I like that it bothers me. I don't ever not want to care.

One last thing, I'll make sure the next few things I post are not so depressing.

Chicks love firefighters. Of that I'm jealous.

EatChildren, on Aug 5 2008, 03:06 PM, said:

Haha yeah, that is true.

They probably also like Fighter Pilots, that's one of the reason i want to be one. XD

I'll be looking forward to seeing more posts. Must of been tough to see your first dead body.

I remember seeing my first dead body when I was a kid downtown in Buffalo, NY. I was with some relatives and we were at a local mini mart when we heard shots outside at another store. We paid for our items and as we were walking down the sidewalk we saw the guy that was hit and he was shot in the head. It was really disgusting and my parents kept telling me to look away but I just couldn't understand what happened. I wish I never saw what went down that day

/huggles Cake.

It's great that you're doing what you love, even if it can be depressing sometimes.

Wow that is intense. I recently joined the search and rescue dive team and some of the guys where telling me some story's about finding body's. Just remember your doing a good service to your community.

you become more ambivalent as time passes. Its actually for the best, since you can concentrate on your task and watch what you are doing instead of panicking and doing something stupid that could hurt you or someone else.

PS: just a curiosity, I heard firefighters have a deep down hidden pyromaniac tendencies, would that be true for you?

Hmm so what area of Texas you in? If that's not too personal :)

That sounds like a pretty interesting job. I hope you the best of it.

Firefighting sounds like a really rewarding job experience. Not the dead bodies part, but your basically a hero everyday. Pretty cool.

suicide_mission, on Aug 6 2008, 02:07 AM, said:

lol, yea. I like fire . . .

HauptmanKalt, on Aug 6 2008, 04:17 AM, said:

Austin. It's a pretty great city.

Thanks for the kind words guys.

You know what firehouses lead to, right?

Mipac-ROCL, on Aug 6 2008, 05:57 AM, said:

lots of promiscuous sex?

fire trucks?

Cake21, on Aug 6 2008, 05:58 AM, said:

I was going to say apartment buildings sealed by the military, filled with demonic little girls who hunt down hot Spanish reporters, but that too...

Mipac-ROCL, on Aug 6 2008, 05:59 AM, said:

lol

that was a good movie (she was pretty hot, I do like me a nice latina woman)

EDIT. . . back on topic, I'll let ya'll know how the CISD goes