Reverend Ref +

TRAINING DAY

Tonight was drill night at the fire station. This is the first actual "drill" I've been part of since joining/being drafted. When I was a volunteer firefighter twenty-some years ago, drill nights consisted of getting out on the rigs, running hose lines, inspecting the trucks and cleaning up afterwards. Not so much here.

However, tonight was different. We are the lucky recipients of the Montana Firefighter's Association "Enclosed Space Training Trailer." In other words, it's a truck trailer that has been designed as a maze to train people in search and rescue. It gets you used to working in the dark. It gets you used to wearing all of your equipment. It gets you used to carrying a 20 lb air pack on your back. It gets you used to breathing through a mask. It gets you used to being in the dark. It gets you used to having to slide on your belly through tight spaces. It gets you used to learning to slow your breathing down. Claustrophobics need not apply.

It was fun. It felt good to actually be doing some training. The only thing I didn't like was that it was the same maze everytime. The guy doing the training didn't change anything. Oh well, it was still worth it.

And at the end of the day, my partner and I saved two teddy bears.