tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479178042547998662024-02-20T13:31:56.085-05:00Beebewitz's BlogDedicated to Northwestern Ontario, particularly the volunteer fire service.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.comBlogger335125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-57984193841644606402013-10-15T23:24:00.001-04:002013-10-16T07:36:17.349-04:00Hi again :-)<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not sure if anyone comes by here anymore since I unceremoniously dumped my readers more than a year ago . . . but if you do stop by for old times sake and have any appetite for a different form of blogging, check my new site out: <a href="http://elixirated.blogspot.ca/">http://elixirated.blogspot.ca/</a></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-51827418035626961082012-05-27T20:59:00.000-04:002012-05-27T20:59:15.487-04:00The Last Post :-(<span style="font-size: large;">I've tried a dozen ways to begin this post, and the right words elude me so I'll just say it: t</span><span style="font-size: large;">his is my last post.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Change is as certain and unyielding as the seasons, and like the seasons, change is about beginnings and endings. The beginning this time is that I accepted a full time position as Northern Instructor for the Ontario Fire College. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This is good news for me. It means security, benefits, and the ability to buy a house (all things that normal people nail down much earlier in life), and I'm thankful for the opportunity. It will also reconnect me with the volunteer service where I spent the vast majority of my career. Last but not least, I will work full time in firefighter training, about which I continue to be passionate.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The bad news (and the ending) is that I can no longer write the Spontaneous Combustion column for Firefighting in Canada . . . or my blog. Wild and wacky opinions are appropriate for a maverick fire chief tucked safely away on the peripheral edge of the universe where he can do little harm, but they won't work for a neat and tidy Ontario public servant, which I will become in a few weeks. On second thought, neat and tidy is an exaggeration . . . but I will be an Ontario public servant nonetheless. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Only a crazy person would be sad about giving up a nutty hobby in favour of a secure job, so the good news outweighs the bad. However . . . I <em>am</em> a little crazy . . . and a little sad. There are still giants to be slain, windmills against which to tilt my lance, and opinions to promulgate. If I were Cervantes or Shakespeare, I could perhaps keep my post at the keyboard and make a secure living as a crusader, but (in the words of Cervantes or Shakespeare) the better part of valour is discretion, and discretion dictates that I take a hiatus to look after my family.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On the bright side, I will gain a new perspective. Although I've worked with a gamut of fire departments, I've only seen the issues from the viewpoint of a small-time fire chief. My new role will show me a different side of the same issues.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Another bittersweet ending is my contract with Confederation College's Pre Service Fire Program. Six students were hired by Thunder Bay Fire Rescue, and I believe the program has a bright future. I invested myself heavily into the maiden voyage of the program, and will leave a piece of me behind. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I can't write a final post without mentioning the Meaford trial, the outcome of which now hangs on the decision of a judge. I've voiced more than my share of opinion on this issue, so I'll let it rest with <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/11793/213/">a link to an article by Laura King</a> that echos some of my feelings on the matter.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's been a great ride, and I've enjoyed the connections I've made along the way. I plan to leave the archived posts on line for the time being, and will continue to respond to any comments my readers leave. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I may yet find an outlet for my writing that is befitting a (not so neat and tidy) Ontario public servant. Perhaps I could change my angle and start a pseudo recipe blog. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Don't panic. I'm kidding.</span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-38868198911600777922012-04-16T22:08:00.002-04:002012-04-16T22:12:39.737-04:00Normally Strange<span style="font-size: large;">When it blizzards at bedtime, normal people think, "Yahoo! Snow day tomorrow!" . . . which means a sleep in, and a day off work. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Volunteer firefighters are not normal people. When it blizzards they think, "I'd better lay out my clothes carefully because I may get called out at 3:00 AM."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Normal people that are smart think, "The roads are bad. Better change my travel plans." Volunteer firefighters think, "Better brush off the car and be ready to roll, because some of those normal people <em>aren't</em> smart and <em>won't</em> change their travel plans."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It isn't a trite cliche to say that firefighters run in while everyone else is running out, and it doesn't just apply to fires. We were called out at 3:00ish this morning to a double tractor trailer crash. I stepped out into the howling gale (after putting on my carefully layed out clothes) and thought, "This is nuts." We made our way to the hall and were just ready to head out again into storm when we were cancelled. Just enough of a call to keep the newest Upsala superstition alive.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the view out our front window in the morning after things calmed down a bit.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/526198_3820662759357_1361313603_33583396_1454211328_n.jpg" /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The stone pillar on the left is about three feet high, not counting the sundial, which gives you an idea how much snow fell overnight. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And here's the car just before we dug it out.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAc8ir2_xEhCdRnsm9P3qR_pX1yN4YZk09A6KJmD8TgAgwkkNYBOK2DNK8E8b87NBZnRsN6mkIZAlVM5RvLxwaldy_w5H8TQtxYV0yOwR8_xitCG5HRb55Zc8fUfMDZGnwV5uwMIcLmg/s1600/SAM_3210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAc8ir2_xEhCdRnsm9P3qR_pX1yN4YZk09A6KJmD8TgAgwkkNYBOK2DNK8E8b87NBZnRsN6mkIZAlVM5RvLxwaldy_w5H8TQtxYV0yOwR8_xitCG5HRb55Zc8fUfMDZGnwV5uwMIcLmg/s1600/SAM_3210.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The good thing about my new-ish role as a volunteer firefighter is that I have a semi normal job at a very normal college . . . and the roads were closed for a good part of the day . . . which meant I got to sleep in and take the day off work. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There's always a silver lining.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-31348621738483949782012-04-07T17:25:00.003-04:002012-04-08T14:12:13.257-04:00Sometimes stuff happens . . . just because<span style="font-size: large;">I'm NOT superstitious. It is difficult, however, to dispute hard, cold facts that appear to support an unscientific belief. I came home Thursday evening instead of Friday this week because of the long weekend. As we were preparing for bed, Phillip arranged his clothes carefully because "Dad is home, so there's a good chance we'll get a call." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Since I started working in Thunder Bay, I've only missed one call . . . and I'm gone for the better part of five days a week. It could be written off to the possibility that people are more likely to get into trouble on the weekends, but our last call was on a Tuesday. A moose just happened to walk in front of a car on a night that I just happened to be home (on a night that I'm not usually home). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In keeping with the fast-growing belief that my presence in the neighbourhood precipitates 911 calls, another moose walked in front of another car on Thursday night . . . which is another night that that I'm not usually home. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I've been to lots of these, but I am still awed by the phenomenon of a moose cleanly shearing the roof off a car. This particular time, the metal was peeled like it had been cut with tin snips, and smashed into the back seat. The driver sustained severe head injuries, and will need to keep company with a good plastic surgeon for a while, but he's very fortunate to still have his head on his shoulders.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you're curious, here is an example from another crash in another province where another moose just happened to walk in front of another vehicle. </span><br />
<br />
<img height="369px" id="il_fi" src="http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2009/05/28/nl-car-crash-20090528.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="584px" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have never been to Newfoundland, by the way, which is proof that stuff happens whether I'm in the neighbourhood or not.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Even though I'm not superstitious, I do always lay my clothes out carefully before going to bed. You have to be ready because you can never predict when stuff is going to happen.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you want to avoid hitting a moose while driving through the Upsala area (with a side benefit of combating a non-scientific belief spreading through our ranks), <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-a-Moose-or-Deer-Collision">check out this WikiHow site</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I received an email the other day from a Discovery Channel program called C</span><span style="font-size: large;">anada's Greatest Know-It-All. When I realized it wasn't a hoax, I was flattered for a few seconds. They said (and I quote): <em>"We are currently looking for Canada's best and brightest minds . . ."</em> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Wow," I think, "Somebody is FINALLY acknowledging my great contribution to literature . . . " Then I read further.<em> "Please let me know if you would be able to assist us in finding appropriate candidates for the show by reaching out through your contacts, social media or posting the casting call on your website."</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"So that's the deal," I think. "I'm not so bright, but I might know someone who is." Of course, my first thought was that they heard I knew Graham the Shark and Frank the Killer Whale, either of whom could probably win the competition, but neither of whom is likely to take a month off in June to enter. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm afraid I can't help with this one. I may know two people who between them know nearly everything there is to know about anything, but I don't expect that I can persuade them to go on national television. They are both too busy protecting their own neighbourhoods, because stuff happens there too.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you happen to know someone that knows everything and <em>can </em>take the month of June off, here is the <a href="http://www.knowitall-tv.com/">link to the Canada's Greatest Know-It-All site.</a> </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-41426749184789354042012-03-31T20:53:00.001-04:002012-03-31T20:59:09.254-04:00Hodgepodge<span style="font-size: large;">On a scale of 1 to 10 (in which 10 is amazingly enjoyable, and 1 is deplorably wearisome) shopping ranks about .05 in my books. The exception would be if I were shopping for a new tool that I both wanted and could afford, or a horse under the same conditions. Since those types of shopping experiences come less often than Haley's Comet, the overall rating of .05 still holds.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you narrow the criteria down to <i>rental house</i> shopping, the rating drops even further. This is unfortunate, since we need a place to live when we move to Thunder Bay, and landlords don't generally shop for tenants . . . which makes it incumbent upon us to shop for <em>them</em>. While I am not an authority on looking for landlords, I've drawn the conclusion that 99.9% of Thunder Bay rental houses fit nicely into one of the following categories:</span><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-size: large;">Too small</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Too rough</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Too expensive</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Too late (someone else found it first)</span></li>
</ol><div><span style="font-size: large;">My eternal optimism is being severely tried, but I still cling to the shred of hope that the .1% house will show up before we go crazy looking, or at least before June 1, which is when I gave notice that we would terminate our rental in Upsala.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> When a friend asked how things were going I said, "Other than the fact that my job is temporary and I don't have a place to live, everything is great." He said he liked how I looked on the bright side. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">There are other bright spots as well. I met some very nice people who were offering a very nice home (that was too small), for an attainable price. Three out of four is good, but we're still holding out for that .1% house. </span><span style="font-size: large;">When I told the owners that I had been the fire chief in Upsala for a lot of years, the husband said, </span><span style="font-size: large;">"I floated a truck for Upsala Fire Department about five years ago." I remembered the occasion, confirming the widely accepted belief that the world is getting smaller. If you don't believe this unscientifically proven theory, check out my <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.ca/2011/11/its-small-world-after-all.html">small world post</a> from November of last year.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Incidentally, Stephen Harper has gained fans since my discovery that an onion ring out ranked him in Facebook popularity. His fan base now exceeds 70,000, while the onion ring seems to have stagnated at just over 160,000. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On a different theme, I had a brief brush with superstition the other day. When I made arrangements for the Pre Service Fire students to do extrication training, I found out that the scrap yard was a sea of mud. I scrambled to find another location, but it's hard to beat a yard full of old cars as a vehicle ex training ground, muck or no muck. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We went ahead with the original plan, and when I went to check on the crew later in the afternoon I mentioned to the instructor that, looking on the bright side, at least it wasn't raining. He didn't say anything, but I had a "knock on wood" feeling that I shouldn't have said that. Since I'm not superstitious I didn't knock on wood, and the next morning we woke up to 10 cm of wet, sloppy snow. The only thing worse than a muck hole as a training ground is a muck hole covered in sloppy white snow-soon-to-be-water.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In my own defense, I <em>have</em> squared off with the fire gremlins and beaten them at their superstition game. You can read about it in the latter half of my <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.ca/2010/01/happy-new-year.html">January 2010 post</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of superstitions, my brother Paul spent some nights a while back taking shots of the Northern Lights (which some folks say portend various things). He made a slide show out of five hours of footage, taken at thirty second intervals. </span></div><br />
<object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/316691071723442" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/316691071723442" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You can see more of his stuff <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.234462699946280.57246.100001476555825&type=3&l=67d93e0b7a">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To finish off this hodgepodge post, <a href="http://youtu.be/CcsSPzr7ays">here is one of my favourite Youtube videos</a> which, if you are a loyal reader, you may have seen in one of my archived posts. If you like guitar it's worth the two minutes and thirty-six seconds to watch it. Nothing to do with firefighter training, house hunting or superstitions, but I plead Blogger Sovereignity. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Hey, if I can't be King of the World, at least I can call the shots around this piece of cyberspace.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-26562733105324839832012-03-11T20:11:00.002-04:002012-03-11T20:14:40.689-04:00Down but not outI've been derailed. <br />
<br />
Up until the middle of December I was firmly on track, fuelling my literary steam engine with life experiences, opinions, and reflections on things meaningful and absurd, hilarious and heartbreaking, significant and frivolous.<br />
<br />
That's a lot of fancy words just to say I seldom lacked blogger fodder.<br />
<br />
To continue my diatribe, up until the middle of December I forged onward with single-minded determination toward my literary destination, which lay (I was certain) somewhere out there in the never-never Shangri-La of bookish self-fulfillment. Then it happened. Change.<br />
<br />
Back when I first accepted my current position with Confederation College, I mused about whether change was good. My friends and acquaintances assured me that it was. I maintained that change was neither bad nor good, it just <em>was</em>, like it or not. The final word, of course, is that change is like anything else in life. It is what you make it to be. The change from fire chief to training manager <em>has</em> been good for me, and I am working hard to make sure it stays good. I wasn't expecting the change to affect my other life so much, however. In short, my blogger fodder dried up. <br />
<br />
I don't think the world is any less meaningful or absurd (etc. etc.) than it was in December. The fire service still needs help, terrorists are still crazy, and Stephen Harper still makes a broad target for any self-appointed satirist that chooses to aim in his general direction. For some reason, however, none of it compels me to write like it once did.<br />
<br />
Wow. This is a really glum post. Time for some <a href="http://community.fireengineering.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1219672%3ABlogPost%3A529815">Paul Combs artwork</a>, in honour of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women's_Day">International Women's Day </a>(which, in my mulligrubbed state, I failed to commemorate, along with Family Day, Groundhog Day, and March-Coming-In-Like-A-Lamb Day). In all seriousness though, women continue to play a significant part in Upsala Fire Department history, as do a menagerie of other good folk. When someone needs a firefighter, they generally aren't fussy about trivial things like gender, race, colour, or career. <br />
<br />
Speaking of women, the female fire bloggers out there are proof that the world still turns, even while I sit on the sidelines. Check out <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/11226/41/">Laura King's blog</a>, and <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/11211/41/">Jennifer Mabee's blog</a>.<br />
<br />
The world still turns in Upsala too. I continue to keep my pager turned on when I'm home, and people still dial 911. My daughter caught her hair on fire blowing out the candles of her 14th birthday cake, and we didn't call 911. Phillip capitalized on the mishap and posted the following on Facebook within seconds of the event:<br />
<br />
<em>Upsala News: Deputy Fire Chief's daughter catches hair on fire while blowing out cake! --- true story, it just happened :) I wuv you Vanessa!</em><br />
<br />
Speaking of Facebook, I received an email last night saying that Andrew (who is sometimes called Hollywood) had posted a photo of me. "Nice," I thought. "Andrew is thinking of me even while he's in Florida basking in the subtropical sun." Turned out that both Andrew and Graham (the Shark) were in Florida thinking of me. I clicked on the link and found this.<br />
<img alt="" aria-busy="true" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="604" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/420737_10150602801174607_513014606_9242412_1277425544_n.jpg" style="height: 487px; width: 366px;" width="453" /><br />
<br />
I'm guessing they were Facebooking under the influence, as I don't think it looks like me at all. <br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
This morning dawned clear, but not too cold, and by 4:00 the temperature had risen to a balmy 15 degrees C, perfect for snowman building. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_FLf5zakHYYhbRrJAD9FSmlyq05uE32Bu21Mqb0Ehc75uHWU9Ms8cE9EXipcavKNMTrjy4Yk0DbT75dkOF3UKiQ6n0PxwRgWVonCA-NHbTQNvrmILy8uyK831ZVn5z1l2J20uomicdg/s1600/SAM_3137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_FLf5zakHYYhbRrJAD9FSmlyq05uE32Bu21Mqb0Ehc75uHWU9Ms8cE9EXipcavKNMTrjy4Yk0DbT75dkOF3UKiQ6n0PxwRgWVonCA-NHbTQNvrmILy8uyK831ZVn5z1l2J20uomicdg/s640/SAM_3137.JPG" width="640" yda="true" /></a></div><br />
I considered posting the photo on Facebook and tagging the snow people as Andrew and Graham, but since I rarely drink, I wouldn't be able to write it off as an act committed while under the influence. <br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
My brother Paul has been on the prowl for the past few nights, snapping photos of the auroras which have been very active recently. Here are a couple shots.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6gzIUjRk907GPOtv0IChVy9RjE_4gbKysM4_1rJYYvAEffXIOnX5RkQDDvA2XrVmxjzztbfrk21rXrb2XefgbRanZ0BFExNIG-soorChH1W8vBS92mvpUkN6IgsqlMZqBSexdNgMZJ0/s1600/aurora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6gzIUjRk907GPOtv0IChVy9RjE_4gbKysM4_1rJYYvAEffXIOnX5RkQDDvA2XrVmxjzztbfrk21rXrb2XefgbRanZ0BFExNIG-soorChH1W8vBS92mvpUkN6IgsqlMZqBSexdNgMZJ0/s640/aurora.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxexx_qWjls9BDsD8TL7tYQLVMr-6igKJeMYM6WzuxJhrYpwpsz9JaLCXJcDVTTB4ewNu-RzXyavMIuMVAB1LKSze6MQxOCLqVdsPBKQfJnaYuc7-RN1I6QbbOi5OtMWRsisDp4vm1VC4/s1600/aurora4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxexx_qWjls9BDsD8TL7tYQLVMr-6igKJeMYM6WzuxJhrYpwpsz9JaLCXJcDVTTB4ewNu-RzXyavMIuMVAB1LKSze6MQxOCLqVdsPBKQfJnaYuc7-RN1I6QbbOi5OtMWRsisDp4vm1VC4/s640/aurora4.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></div>In my <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/im-not-superstitious.html">October 25 post</a> I surmised that the auroras portended a mild winter. Based on indisputable data from January, February, and March, I wasn't far off the mark, at least about the mild winter part. I'm not quitting my day job yet, but if I hone my prognostication skills, they might at least develop into a hobby that brings in extra retirement cash. Provided I am actually <em>able</em> to retire someday.<br />
<br />
Speaking of hobbies, Paul has been spending a little too much time wandering the bush at night photographing auroras.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBypFk3NkSzP637WUiNfVIiPqyLyQg2ITVh6VAHiMrZIhNNtOxDVMnjGh3FUVhdOVsu8YQRAUYt0CZng0xKR9gL-SQzqCoigj6M_EKyTqUVxr2cJnOccmHdapg-sZHTX_p5GKBvP9WP0/s1600/paul+double+exposure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBypFk3NkSzP637WUiNfVIiPqyLyQg2ITVh6VAHiMrZIhNNtOxDVMnjGh3FUVhdOVsu8YQRAUYt0CZng0xKR9gL-SQzqCoigj6M_EKyTqUVxr2cJnOccmHdapg-sZHTX_p5GKBvP9WP0/s640/paul+double+exposure.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></div><br />
You might be able to follow <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.234462699946280.57246.100001476555825&type=3">this link</a> to see more of his aurora shots, along with other photographic whimsies (I'm not sure if you have to be friends or not).<br />
<br />
Just to prove that I haven't been completely derailed, and still think about things that used to turn my world, <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/11137/213/">here is a link</a> to an update on the Meaford trial. Only one charge remains of the six, with a trial date set for April 30.<br />
<br />
Part of my derailment stems from the fact that I'm not as heavy into the volunteer service as I was when I was chief. Another factor (perhaps the main one) is that I spend an inordinate amount of time at my very new career, and rarely have time to let my mind ramble in a manner conducive to blogging. The final nail in the metaphoric coffin is that I have little time to follow fire service news, another frequent source of blogger fodder. <br />
<br />
Enough excuses. Change has come, and I am adjusting to the new normal. No promises on when I will be back on track, or even whether I'll know what "on track" looks like in this brave new world. But derailed or not, I like blogging too much to abandon ship altogether.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-35705270714070765522012-02-19T18:08:00.000-05:002012-02-19T18:08:34.431-05:00Dog in a Cat's World<span style="font-size: large;">There's a theory that most personalities fit into two categories: dogs or cats. This has little to do with which pets you like, but rather, how you relate to others. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Dog personalities like to please people. They are team players, and make decisions through extensive consultation. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Cat personalities make independent decisions according to their own interests and priorities. Others' opinions are only important if they fit the cat's own single-minded purpose. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Suddenly the past few years of my life make terrible sense. I am a dog, in a</span><span style="font-size: large;"> world ruled by cats. What's worse, I unwittingly believed that most of our beloved leaders were dogs. No wonder I couldn't make any headway as a political activist.</span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It isn't all bad news though. Just <em>mostly</em> bad news. Cats are often capable (if uncaring) leaders. A cat can make a sound decision in the time that it takes a group of dogs to get through the first round of introductions. Richard the Lionhearted and Napoleon were undoubtedly cats . . . but so was Adolf Hitler. I'm guessing that Jimmy Carter, on the other hand, was a red-blooded, your-opinion-truly-matters dog. A great guy, but not the best choice to solve a national crisis. Give me a cat-leader any day when we're staring down the Iranians.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm not naive enough to think that anyone, including myself, is all cat or all dog. Most firefighters I know are dog-like, in that they care about others and want to help. Why else would you allow the world to keep you on a short leash called 911? </span><span style="font-size: large;">Put a firefighter in charge of the fireground, on the other hand, and he or she must be a cat or things will go south quickly. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The ideal leader would be able switch back and forth between cat and dog styles effortlessly as the need arose. That's why ideal leaders don't exist, by the way. The higher you rise in leadership, the less you see the need for dog-style consultation. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You can read more about the dilemma created by trying to please others in my <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10991&Itemid=210">February column for Firefighting in Canada.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The recently released <a href="http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/reformcommission/">Drummond Report</a> is a case of cats talking to cats. That's a <em>really</em> scary thought. I haven't had the patience to sit down and actually read it, but from what I hear, both polarized views are likely bad news in the end. Whether both sides honestly believe that they represent the best interests of the province or not, both assuredly care little about anyone else's opinion. And it's almost guaranteed that the volunteer fire service hasn't even entered either side's mind as a consideration of importance.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you want a more educated perspective on the Drummond Report, you can read Laura King's blog post <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/11030/41/">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Political consultation isn't all a waste of time, in spite of my gloomy surmisings. Eventually the issues important to dogs become big enough that even the cats take notice because all of their nine lives depend on it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">When that happens, the dogs that have their ducks in a row will be heard. Thus saith the doggish ant from Upsala.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-84396901706173485562012-02-09T23:53:00.000-05:002012-02-09T23:53:02.888-05:00Unapologetically (But Politely) Opinionated<span style="font-size: large;">A while ago one of my readers commented about the fact that I rated some of my featured links as being "boring, but useful." </span><span style="font-size: large;"> The rating was only half serious, and quite honestly I never expected anyone to notice, but I had to concede that "boring" was a harsh judgement to render. In fact, I once wrote that the most terrifying verdict a speaker can hear is that she or he is boring (see my <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2932&Itemid=210">January 2009 column</a>).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The cold dry fact, however, is that it's nearly impossible to make all useful information entertaining. There are certain textbooks you read, certain speakers to which you listen, and certain websites you visit because they offer what you need, not because they make you feel good.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">While we're on the topic of rating websites, you might have noticed that I rated my Spontaneous Combustion articles as "Entertaining but not necessarily useful." I'm not sure which is worse - being boring or useless.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of Spontaneous Combustion (which is hopefully neither boring nor useless), I finally updated the link on the sidebar, and it </span><span style="font-size: large;">will </span><span style="font-size: large;">now take you to the most recent installment. Or if you are too lazy to find the link on the sidebar, you can click </span><a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10658&Itemid=210" style="font-size: x-large;">here</a><span style="font-size: large;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I didn't just rate you as lazy if you didn't go to the sidebar. Or did I. Hmmmm.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Some of my friends have recommended that I curb my opinionated ramblings, seeing that I now hold the precarious position of temporary manager of the Pre-Service Fire Program. They may have a point, but I don't flatter myself that anyone pays that much attention. The fact that someone who is somebody actually read and gave feedback on my "boring but useful rating" was flattering, but definitely unusual. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now I feel like I just rated those who commented on my posts in the past as not being "somebodies." If I did, I definitely retract <i>that </i>rating.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On a vaguely connected theme (and as a means of suggesting you to read more of my hopefully entertaining stuff), you can read my musings about the ups and downs of not being taken seriously <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/non-expertly-challenged.html">here</a> (no link on the side bar this time, so no accusations of laziness). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You gotta wonder how a blog post can spiral out of control to this extent. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On a completely unrelated topic, I missed an opportunity to hear Margaret Trudeau </span><span style="font-size: large;">yesterday. I was busy doing important stuff and didn't realize she was a two minute walk from my office giving an entertaining and useful talk on maintaining a balanced and healthy mental state of mind. It isn't a topic that has instant appeal to me, but, in my opinion, the fire service hasn't paid enough attention to the topic. I know I didn't take it seriously enough until recently.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Wrangling myself back to the original topic of harsh ratings, I wasn't repentant enough to change the ratings on the links on my sidebar. Or maybe I was just too lazy. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-50305600983762253222012-02-04T10:17:00.000-05:002012-02-04T10:17:49.168-05:00Superbowl Sunday Syndrome<span style="font-size: large;">Years ago I saw a cartoon of a mom and two knee-high kids in turnout gear by a fire truck with a charged hose, ready to attack a fully involved house in the background. The frazzled occupants stood in the driveway with question marks over their heads. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The caption read:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"What did you expect on Superbowl Sunday?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That might only be funny if you live in a small community served by volunteer firefighters. Or maybe it isn't funny at all, <em>especially</em> if you live in a small community served by volunteer firefighters. Whatever your perspective, it is a caricature of reality for lots of under-staffed departments.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Volunteer firefighters are the butt of many jokes about saving basements, slow response times, and wannabe firefighter behaviour. As chief of a volunteer department for a lot of years, my coping strategy in the face of this teasing was to laugh along with the rest, knowing full well that the mockers had no clue of what our reality was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kind of like me poking fun at politicians. I have little clue what their reality actually is. I should hold my opinions until I've walked a mile in their moccasins. Except that most of them don't wear moccasins. Even if they did, I don't plan to walk in them any time soon, so I'd be holding my opinions for a long time. It's much more fun to satirize these very large targets, even though I don't have enough information to be completely fair. Which is why people make fun of volunteer firefighters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's where I should go into a tirade about volunteers doing a lot with a little, and saving lives on a shoestring budget, and how society is wrong to marginalize these essential public servants who often work for free . . . but no one listens to tirades, and I already talked about it in my <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/land-of-blind.html">June 12 post</a> (in which I talk about the one-eyed king ruling in the land of the blind).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The moral of the story: if you live in the 80% of Canada served by volunteers, give them a break this weekend and be safe so they can watch the game.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And if you are a volunteer firefighter who is a Superbowl fan . . . keep your pager and your DVR handy.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-9352502182071418752012-01-21T11:24:00.001-05:002012-01-21T22:06:27.902-05:00the nature of the jobI frequently am asked, "What exactly are you doing now?" For fifteen years my answer to that question was a fairly straight forward, "I'm a fire chief," except that I always had to add, "of a microscopic village in Northwestern Ontario . . . oh, and I'm also the training officer, the inspector, the investigator, the public relations officer, the janitor, the secretary, the maintenance man, Head of Security, Chief of Technical Support (ha ha), Head Mechanic (rolling on the floor in hilarious laughter now), The Guy Who is Supposed to Know Everything, and the Guy Responsible if Anything Goes Wrong at Anytime (not funny at all) . . ." <br />
<br />
My job description is less complex now. I'm the Manager for the Pre Service Firefighter Program at Confederation College in Thunder Bay. I'm <em>not</em> an instructor (long, sad sigh), but I get to work with seven talented instructors on a daily basis. In short, my job is to coordinate the program and make sure the instructors have what they need to do their jobs, which is teaching 18 students in the Pre Serice Program. <br />
<br />
I do get to hang out with the students sometimes, and I will get to instruct a little upon occasion. I'm not chained to my office (long, happy sigh), and I am surrounded by a wonderful team of support people that all have individual jobs like administration, tech support, and security . . . and who carefully guide me along in this new, strange world where I don<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">’</span>t have to do everything. If I need 18 copies of a manual, I fill out a single piece of paper, deliver it the friendly folks at the print shop, and like magic, 18 collated, stapled, two-sided, three-holed copies appear. If my phone or computer doesn<span style="font-family: Calibri;">’</span>t work, I send an email or make a call, and a Harry Potter-style wizard appears to fix the problem. If I need advice, the secretaries down the hall are omniscient. And perhaps best of all, if I can<span style="font-family: Calibri;">’</span>t figure out what my job is, my boss<span style="font-family: Calibri;">’</span>s door is open, and he patiently helps me sort things out.<br />
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Does it sound like I<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">’</span>m on top of the world yet<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">?</span> Maybe not, but I<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">’</span>m getting there.<br />
<br />
On another topic, two other Ontario firefighter bloggers have been active, even though I haven`t been. You can read <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/blogsection/3/41/">Dispatches here</a>, and <a href="http://ontario-vol-ff.blogspot.com/">Ontario Vol FF here</a>.<br />
<br />
Yesterday during an Emergency Patient Care evolution, my cell phone buzzed, and I knew from the number that it was a call out in Upsala. Car vs. train. The only thing worse than getting a page like that as a firefighter, is getting a page like that and knowing you can<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">’</span>t go. I gave them time to respond, then phoned the Upsala Fire Department scribe. The driver was hurt, but not trapped. My crew was helping package and load him. I went back to the class where my students were diligently applying collars and strapping each other onto backboards under the supervision of paramedics in training. "Pay attention folks. This is where it<span style="font-family: Calibri;">’</span>s at," I told them. You can read a <a href="http://89mix.blogspot.com/2012/01/opp-investigate-train-collision-in.html">brief news story here</a>.<br />
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I still call them my crew, but in reality, they aren<span style="font-family: Calibri;">’</span>t mine anymore. Upsala hired our former deputy chief, and as of today, Ken Kingston is taking full responsibility for . . . for . . . well, you saw the list, and you know he isn<span style="font-family: Calibri;">’</span>t simply the fire chief.<br />
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All the best in your new career, Ken!<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-8166675494349397402012-01-14T22:34:00.001-05:002012-01-21T09:43:08.131-05:00I'm still alive<span style="font-size: large;">I've made a new record in Beebewitz history. I've gone almost a month without posting. The top of the world seems a little higher and farther than when I made <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/change-is-good-i-think.html">my optimistic prediction</a> before Christmas, but I am working my way there. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a snapshot of what has happened since my last post. Most of it is old news:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: large;">Canadian Press posted an <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/12/18/torotnto-volunteer-firefighters.html">article about the Meaford trial. </a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Two Canadian volunteer firefighters died, <a href="http://www.nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3417514">one in a vehicle crash</a>, and the other <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/12/29/bc-enderby-firefighter.html">in an explosion</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">My <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10658&Itemid=210">latest article</a> is up at the Firefighting in Canada website.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">My latest article will appear in Canadian Fire & EMS instead of Firefighting in Canada (editorial reasons)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">My new job is going well, even though I haven't quite reached the top of the world.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I am still the Fire Chief of Upsala. The job posting closed Friday, and the Board will hopefully choose a new person soon. I'm ready to move on, even though I haven't quite reached the top of the world.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I made my first ever visit to a counsellor. I liked it about as much as a visit to the dentist, but I think it went well. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I squeaked my next article in just under the drop-dead deadline, in spite of meetings, working late, writer's block, and a nebulous don't-feel-like-writing cloud that has hung over me for the past month. It will appear in the February issue of Firefighting in Canada (I think).</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: large;">There you have it. I might be back in the saddle now. Time will tell.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-25704793410036024632011-12-15T20:13:00.001-05:002011-12-15T21:18:06.814-05:00Change is good. I think.<em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My last post notwithstanding, I <em>am</em> excited about my new job. If you are an eager beaver and read the last post before 8:30 Thursday morning, go back and read the addendum I added that expresses my feelings a little more clearly. Talk to me in a month and I'll be on top of the world.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The upside of change is that (they say) it is as good as a rest. Not that fire chiefing in Upsala is a strenuous job on most days. Humdrum paperwork, vehicle and equipment checks, training, planning, record keeping, public education, and various projects and missions I've taken on to round out my days . . . these are the things that keep an Upsala Fire Chief busy. We do have fires occasionally, and respond to highway incidents more frequently, and some days can be crazily hectic and over-the-top stressful because we are very few in number . . . but hectic isn't the norm.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the past nine months or so, however, I've had frequent urges to ditch the whole thing and escape to Tahiti to lie on the beach for a few decades and forget. You can read undertones of these feelings in my March 29 post <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/peril-of-caring-in-which-i-engage-oprah.html">"The Peril of Caring."</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Stress isn't always the crush-you-to-powder style that crashes down in one event. It can be, as the analogy goes, little stones piled into your stress-backpack over years, and if you don't figure out how to unload them, one day one more little stone added to the heap breaks your back. My back isn't broken, but I had a wake up call a couple months after I wrote the March 29 post. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Relax, this isn't going to turn into another soul-searching<a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/in-viberts-field-lupines-blow.html"> Oprah post</a>, and I'm not going to talk about my wake up call. I said all that to say, I'm ready for change, even though it isn't what I expected. Again, talk to me in a month and I'll tell you if it is as good as a rest.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-36620767943312995802011-12-14T22:09:00.002-05:002011-12-15T08:54:06.375-05:00Change<span style="font-size: large;">Change doesn't come the way you imagine. It just comes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Take winter for example. Who doesn't imagine fluffy white snow, village boys playing hockey on glistening ponds, and ice particles floating through the crisp, cold morning air.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Then December rolls around and sleet plasters the fluffy snow, the pond ice gets crusty and useless, and your fingers and toes freeze on that crisp, sunny morning because your gloves are wet and you forgot to put your bama socks on under your turnout boots.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Change comes and winter comes and we make the best of it . . . and we try to prepare. What gets us through is that we know that more fluffy snow will fall (and eventually melt, come May), we can make more hockey ice with a little work, and if we dry out our gloves and tuck the bama socks into our boots when we put them in the locker we'll be warmer next time. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Change has come to my life, and it isn't what I expected . . . except that I expected change to come, and I was pretty sure it wouldn't be what I expected. I accepted a position with Confederation College as the Program Manager, Pre Service Firefighter Program. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I've been job hunting for longer than I care to admit. I've even made it into the interview room a couple times, but I seem to have a knack for asking the wrong questions at the wrong time, which is bad when you are trying to impress a potential employer. My pie-in-the-sky idea of "the job" was something secure that paid a lot and allowed me to do what I like the best, which is instruct. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I imagined a job interview in which I wowed my potential employer with stunning presentations, nifty technology, and a sharp uniform. Instead I got a call on my cell phone while I was in town on other business, asking if I could come down and chat . . . which I did in my blue jeans and casual shirt. We had a solid, straight forward chat about the job. They learned about my background. I learned that the job was more managing than teaching, and that there was no guarantee it would last past the end of June (I already knew those things, but had hoped that reality was a little brighter than it looked on paper). I walked out not even knowing for sure if I wanted the job.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">By the time I got the call to come finalize the details, I had decided that the time for change had come, and it didn't matter that it wasn't what I expected. I have been ready for change for a long time, and now was not the time to look a gift horse in the mouth.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My contract starts in January. We will stay in Upsala until the kids are out of school in June. I will keep my current position at reduced hours until the department can hire a new chief, then continue as a volunteer until we move. I don't like the idea of commuting to Thunder Bay (an hour and a half drive), but it's part of the change.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As for my future in the fire service, I haven't made any concrete plans. I told the other members of my mutual aid zone that I've invested fifteen years and a portion of my heart and soul into the service, and I would like to continue on in some capacity once we've made the move.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Besides, if I quit who will keep those imaginary <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/p/beebewitz-glossary.html">anti-volunteer syndicates</a> at bay.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Change is coming to the fire service. A journalist asked me what the Meaford trial could mean for the fire service. I said I didn't know. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The only certain thing is that change will come whether we like it or not. All we can do is make the best of it . . . and try to prepare.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><em>After note: </em><br />
<em>Erinn read my blog this morning and said, "You don’t sound very excited about your new job." I am excited, but I’m also a combination realist/dreamer (a conflicted hybrid if ever there was one). I think in analogies, so here is one to describe my feelings right now:</em><br />
<br />
<em>Light years ago when I was a trapper, we’d wake up on a -30 degree morning knowing that we had to get out there and do our job. The thought of bundling up and strapping on a pair of snowshoes in those temperatures was not appealing, especially from the comfort a chair by a nice fire. I knew from experience, however, that within 30 minutes the blood would be pumping, my legs would be in gear, and I would be drinking in the Canadian wilderness like a fire instructor drinks a cold beer after a day in the tower (and my instructor buddies say in unison, "What does he know about that?).</em><br />
<br />
<em>I’m in that 30 minute transition period. I’ve been sitting by a figurative fireplace for a long time, but my trapper instincts tell me that the cold outside world will give way to new horizons, with lots to enjoy along the way.</em></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-35400614505755644332011-12-13T11:28:00.000-05:002011-12-13T11:28:26.844-05:00Politely Opinionated<span style="font-size: large;">I observed early in my online journey that the Internet was a magnet for rabblerousers who wanted to proclaim their views from the safety of anonymity. Just visit the comment section of even a semi-controversial news story and you'll still find herds of bare knuckled, knock-em-down cyberphantom street brawlers that make Joe Fraser and Mohamed Ali look like partners in Dancing With the Stars. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I appreciate that Canadians lean toward politeness and tolerance in these situations. We have a similar disposition to the Japanese mosquito, which bites like its North American cousins, but folds its hands and says "please" first . . . giving the intended victim time to swat before being bitten (unlike the Japanese black fly, which is just as rudely ferocious as ours).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps this is why the online discussions I've seen on the Meaford story haven't degenerated into virtual fist fights of opinions. There is no lack of variance in opinion on the matter in the fire service, but so far we have been able to keep it civil for the most part. If there was ever a need to project a solid, unified voice, now is the time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of Meaford, the trial is on hold until the presiding justice of the peace decides whether there is enough evidence to proceed with the charges. You can read an article by Laura King about the most recent developments <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/10449/213/">here</a>, and an update on the Firefighting in Canada blog <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/10443/#commentsection">here</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I was glad to find that I'm not the only one to question the Ministry of Labour's choice to prosecute a fire department for decisions made during an act of service. Defense attorney Norman Keith said that "if emergency-service personnel, including a firefighter, is injured because of uncontrolled or unforeseen circumstances, it’s disturbing to think that the Ministry of Labour might point the finger of blame" at someone who is working in the public interest. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Unpredictability makes the fireground different from any other work place. We counter that unpredictability with operational guidelines, but no one can write a guideline that foresees every situation. Put firefighters in a dangerous mix that includes trapped occupants, a narrow window of opportunity to rescue them, and few resources, and the "right" choice is not simple. As the well-known maxim goes, we have to make decisions in seconds that others will have the luxury of picking apart over the course of years. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/rules.html">In my December 5, 2010</a> post I talk more about the part operational guidelines play at emergency scenes.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Taking a brief pause in this diatribe, Ontario Vol FF is a new blog about the Ontario volunteer fire service. <a href="http://ontario-vol-ff.blogspot.com/">Here is a link.</a> Knuckles, as he calls himself, offers another perspective on the volunteer service. Add this to <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/10446/41/">Jennifer Mabee's blog</a> on the Firefighting in Canada site, and it's good news all around. The more voices we have out there, the better.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">The down side of Canadian politeness is the danger of slipping into apathy. We don't like to rock the boat. Without delving into the mysteries of psychology, I think it isn't that we don't care, we just don't care enough to stir up trouble about things that we feel are none of our business. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm all about keeping our noses out of places they don't belong, and treating our opponents with polite civility . . . as long as they don't see our niceness as an opportunity to slap us like a mosquito.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-19492720750618758022011-12-07T20:59:00.002-05:002011-12-08T08:41:35.419-05:00Contrariwise<span style="font-size: large;">I want to clarify that I have no bone to pick with the Ministry of Labour, or any other organization that honestly wants to make the fire service safer and better. If mistakes were made at Meaford, let's learn from them. I still have misgivings about the whole affair though, and you can read some of them at the <a href="http://www.cvfsa.ca/blog/blog.aspx?B=2">CVFSA blog</a> (if the link takes you to the home page, click "Volunteer Voice Blog" on the left side bar). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I remember when the media questioned Brunacini shortly after Brett Tarver died in a Phoenix supermarket fire in 2001. They wanted to know if something went wrong. I don't recall his exact words, but I'll never forget his tone. He said something to the effect of, "Hell yeah something went wrong. One of my firefighters <em>died,</em>" [you idiots that had to ask such a stupid question]. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Brunacini worked with <span lang="EN">Northern Virginia Community College afterwards to conduct tests as a result of the LODD, and the findings added much to our understanding of the challenges faced by RIT . . . and that knowledge is now incorporated into our training on the subject. I wonder if we will benefit from something similar as a result of Meaford and Listowel, or if we will be reduced to mere finger pointing and blame laying.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Be that as it may, the trial continues. Laura King wrote an informative piece on the proceedings, the only one that I can find out there in cyberspace so far. <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/10423/41/">You can read it here.</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Leaving the topic of lawyers lining their pockets with tax dollars that could be better spent supporting the fire service, I observed once again today that a </span><span style="font-size: large;">firefighter's life is full of contradictions, perhaps even more than the rest of this contrary world. A group of us took on the contract to make the hockey rink this year as a fundraiser, which means harnessing Mother Nature's help in making a large piece of smooth, level ice within the confines of the rink boards. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the contradiction: cold and ice are the firefighter's enemies on the fireground, as you can read in <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/fall-stuff.html">one of my earlier posts</a>, but we suddenly become best buds when we want a skating rink. We <em>need</em> that -20 weather to make a good foundation. If we let our guard down though, ice weasels it's way into our hoses and nozzles and fittings and mucks the whole process up. It only takes a handful of slush to stop a nozzle, or a wafer thin layer of ice to freeze a fitting shut. Then we enlist the use of fire to fix the problem. Yes, that's right. Fire. Our arch enemy, harnessed in the nozzle of a propane torch, and directed carefully so as not to melt any rubber or plastic nearby. Fire, our enemy, becomes our friend against our other enemy Ice, which is also our friend when we make hockey rinks. I think I need a therapist.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You can learn more about how to operate in the winter <a href="http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/tools/valves/tips/328348-Cold-weather-firefighting-tips/">here</a> and <a href="http://flashovertv.firerescue1.com/Clip.aspx?key=8BEB7826565CBDC7">here</a>, and read a post on the <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/upsala-hydrant-yemen-and-other.html">Upsala (winter) Hydrant here</a>.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-15799682701199040422011-12-06T20:01:00.150-05:002011-12-06T21:58:43.246-05:00Controversy<span style="font-size: large;">Meaford Fire Department is having its day in court again this week. You can read a bare bones update <a href="http://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/news_item.php?NewsID=41238">here.</a> I've already said as much as is wise for someone who knows little about the incident, but I will reiterate my opinion that 1.5 million dollars - which is the maximum fine the municipality could face - would be much more effectively diverted into the veins of the fire service, rather than squandered as a punitive measure against Meaford Fire Department. You can read some of my previous opinions about the issue <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/virtue-vs-villainy.html">here</a> and <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/of-heroism-and-injustice.html">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On another controversial topic (that is receiving much more attention than the Meaford trial), a Tennessee department responded to a fire, then refused to put it out because the owner had not paid the subscription fee. You <a href="http://www.firehouse.com/news/top-headlines/tennessee-fire-department-lets-house-burn-again">can read the story here</a>. The same department faced the same issue last year, and responded in the same manner. They showed up and watched the house burn. You can read my thoughts on that incident in my <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/fire-prevention-week.html">Fire Prevention Week post</a> from last year. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I find it interesting that the owner didn't pay because she didn't expect her house to catch fire. Kind of like not wearing a seat belt because you don't expect to crash. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As can be expected, the world is polarized on this issue (just read the comments on the news stories). Also as can be expected, I see the merits of both polarized views. Upsala is surrounded by area not served by any fire department. We don't always respond to these areas when requested, but if decide to go, we always protect whatever we can. And we always send a bill for service. It's a bad system in more ways than I care to discuss here and now, but it won't go away without a legislation change. . . which is about as likely as Dalton McGuinty showing up in Upsala for a dunk tank fundraiser. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To sum up my opinions on this issue, the only final fix is to expand fire protection boundaries, and require homeowners to pay through the tax system. Some see it as a radical thing to even imagine, and others can't imagine that such basic protection isn't automatically mandated like police and ambulance. The firefighters on the ground don't care. They joined to serve regardless of politics and opinions. The worst part is when they are are dragged into the controversy. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Someday when I'm King of the World, things will be different. When three services are required, three services will be able to respond without fretting about legalities and money. Legalities and money have a place in the fire service, as they do in the rest of the world, but when they elbow their way front and centre at an emergency scene, they are a distraction at best and a hazard at worst.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To finish on a slightly less controversial story, a New Jersey department <a href="http://www.firefighternation.com/article/news-2/odd-job-flying-squirrel-rescued-new-jersey-er">rescued a flying squirrel</a> a couple weeks ago. Add it to the controversial list of mammals, reptiles, fish, and birds that firefighters are called to handle. Some say it isn't our job. Some say it is. Regardless, when firefighters are called, they will respond and do what they can . . . and sort out the legalities later. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-42150305211386447532011-11-30T12:18:00.001-05:002011-11-30T12:19:40.898-05:00Viral Lynx<span style="font-size: large;">Did you ever wonder what makes a post or web page go viral? After a little research I still don't know (and I'm not sure anyone else does either), but t</span><span style="font-size: large;">here are a few common themes. </span><span style="font-size: large;">First, don't plan it. Next, be controversial. Finally, make people laugh, cry, or groan. You can learn more about creating viral sensations </span><a href="http://bigthink.com/ideas/39963?page=all"><span style="font-size: large;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/13/five-viral-rules-video/"><span style="font-size: large;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, and </span><a href="http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/ad-viral-video-campaign-2191/"><span style="font-size: large;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> . . . or at least get some advice and opinions, if you aspire to Internet fame.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A data guy from Moncton got me thinking again about things viral. His snowblower ad, innocently posted on Kijiji last Wednesday, had been viewed 342,465 times as of Sunday. You can read <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story/2011/11/25/nb-snowblower-kijiji-ad-viral.html">his story here</a>, and <a href="http://blognostifier.blogspot.com/">his blog here</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Attainment of fame isn't necessarily synonymous with attainment of your original goal, and most of the responders to Mr. Cho's ad had little interest in his snowblower. Success comes in many flavours though, and Mr. Cho has opportunities now that wouldn't have been possible pre-Kijiji. The sale of his snowblower ended up being a sideshow to his entry into the sensational world of cyber celebrity.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have my own microscopic experience with unintended popularity. Last March I posted a photo of a lynx, along with my usual diatribes on things that interested or aggravated me on that particular day. For some reason the search engines took notice, and the post now gets regular visits from around the world. While it isn't viral, it did climb rapidly to the top of my "Popular Posts" list, and it's amusing to think of someone in Turkey, Croatia, or Indonesia searching for lynx photos and finding my peripheral edge of the universe blog. They don't hang around long, but in some ways, traffic is traffic. Except that my goal isn't to merely generate traffic, nor is it to become a leading voice for World Lynx Advocacy. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Smart marketeers study the things that turn our cranks, and harness them into ad campaigns that they hope will go viral. They appeal to our interests to expose us to their products. I've had fleeting thoughts of plastering every post with lynx photos so that the throngs searching for wild feline photography would be exposed to the wide world of firefighting as well. Perhaps this mass exposure would translate into swarms of new volunteers, and truck loads of added budget money. Or maybe people would continue on their merry Internet meanderings without giving us a second thought. If furry faces start appearing on my blog for no apparent reason, you'll know the experiment has started.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the conclusion, at least for me. Things that go viral, like iPhones in blenders, and witty snowblower ads, all share one unifying factor that drives their promulgation: it costs nothing but a few minutes to view them. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Supposing I managed to dress a lynx in turnout gear and teach him to hold a hoseline (without getting my eyes clawed out, or having PETA dynamite the fire hall). I could post the video on Youtube and undoubtedly get thousands of hits. It might even go viral. Now that I had the world's attention, I could slip in a message about volunteer firefighting . . . and when people found out about the hard work, no pay, and sleep-deprived nights they would fall off the bandwagon faster than rats fleeing a sinking ship. And we would be left with the crazy, dedicated, select few. Just like we are now.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You can read about one of my attempts to make an idea go viral </span><a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/successful-politicking-is-like.html"><span style="font-size: large;">here.</span></a><span id="goog_1350133684"></span><span id="goog_1350133685"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-3308508762823200342011-11-23T23:10:00.001-05:002011-11-23T23:39:18.502-05:00It's a Small World After All<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;">The world continues to get smaller, at least for those who use social media. What used to be six degrees of separation is now 4.74 degrees, according to<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/22/tech/social-media/facebook-six-degrees/index.html?hpt=hp_bn9"> a study done by Facebook</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;">I can see how this advance in friendliness could be useful as a political tool. Think of it. A friend of my friend knows a friend of Stephen Harper's friend. If you are like me, and need help visualizing abstract ideas - and this is <em>really</em> abstract - here is a diagram. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK18-aliUOtLGVBGBQ-gr42eEqPrg27RMC-LyuByxMg6XnIALoFgGb5KY4rST-KpcKbbsy_PtSHrtXYoWgXtp0ffXAGqlWW744t5WmWNQlkCWiS8ji3WWfmSxjcGshxp5tnA4CTZe6hHk/s1600/degrees+of+separation.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK18-aliUOtLGVBGBQ-gr42eEqPrg27RMC-LyuByxMg6XnIALoFgGb5KY4rST-KpcKbbsy_PtSHrtXYoWgXtp0ffXAGqlWW744t5WmWNQlkCWiS8ji3WWfmSxjcGshxp5tnA4CTZe6hHk/s640/degrees+of+separation.gif" width="640px" /></a></div><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;">. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;">Of course this assumes that Stephen Harper, and everyone in between, has a Facebook account. Assuming that they do - and assuming that I can figure out which of my friends' friends knows Stephen Harper's friend's friend - just think of the possibilities. "Hey Friend, can you message your friend who knows Stephen Harper's friend and tell him to ask his friend to meet with me and my friend so we can discuss funding for the fire service over a friendly cup of coffee?" Facebook just became a warmer, fuzzier place.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: large;">There's a lot hanging on this theory, so I did a little research. While I couldn't find that our First Minister is accepting friend requests, I did find <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pmharper">his page</a>, which you can visit and 'like' if you so choose. 67,320 people had already done so when I visited, which sounds like a lot until you do a little more research and find out that over <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/06/13/facebook-users-drop.html">16 million Canadians are Facebook users. </a> That means only about .004% of Canadian Facebookers are fans of Stephen Harper's page. It's even less impressive when you dig a little deeper yet, and find out that <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Can-this-Onion-Ring-get-more-fans-than-Stephen-Harper/282298836447">an onion ring has over 162,000 fans. </a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I shouldn't be so harsh. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/upsalafd">Upsala Fire Department page</a> only has 34 fans. But then, Upsala Fire Department isn't the leader of a majority government that manages the affairs of a G8 country. But if it were, I doubt that it would spend <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/g8g20-summits-didnt-cost-billion-plus.html">(almost) a billion dollars on a G8 summit</a>, when there are small fire departments still driving 30 year old trucks. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Wow. I should research the degrees of separation between a light-hearted discussion about Facebook, and a political rant on perceived federal fiscal madness.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To get to the point (and there was a point) we have more tools at our disposal than ever before to accomplish the things we want to accomplish. Facebook, Twitter, and other social media can be among those tools . . . but we have to figure out how to get people's attention. The fact that an onion ring can garner more support than the Prime Minister shows that Canadians have a quirky side. If we bore them, they will 'unlike' us in droves.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.firerescue1.com/columnists/tom-labelle/">Tim Labelle</a> talks about firefighters' aversion to things political in his <a href="http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-department-management/articles/1183251-Whys-politics-a-dirty-word-in-the-fire-service/">recent column at FireRescue1.</a> While I don't believe we all have the stomach or the need to be politically active, we can all contribute to raising our profile. The bottom line is that people care about things that interest them. If we can interest them, they will care. Social media doesn't make people care (as Upsala Fire Department has proven) but it can be a tool to spread the word about things that people care about. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps it's time to start selling onion rings.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-3201820600842274202011-11-18T21:40:00.002-05:002011-11-18T22:00:47.433-05:00Word Wizards<span style="font-size: large;">Good news! Pizza is still a vegetable. It's odd that I hadn't known that it ever <em>was</em> a vegetable, but nice to learn that I can count it toward my daily veggie quota instead of beets and turnips. I should add that pizza is a vegetable as defined by the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story/2011/11/18/pizza-school.html">US Congress with regard to school lunches</a>. Minor detail.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It brings to mind a maxim my parents used when we were kids: if you call a sheep's tail a leg, how many legs does it have? I only fell for it once, and was swiftly informed that sheep only have four legs, no matter what you call their tails.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It also reminds me of the time <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/plan.html">I tried to convince my readers</a> that messy-desk people (like me) were more efficient than organized, neat-desk people. It's still true, by the way. <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Five-Reasons-Why-a-Messy-Desk-is-a-Good-Thing&id=998415">Click here.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Lastly, it brings to mind a book I just finished reading for the first time: George Orwell's <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four">1984</a>. </em>If you've never read this famous classic, I don't blame you. I doubt that a darker book has every graced the shelves of bookstores. A key theme was that the Party owned truth. If the Party said it was true, then it was true regardless of fact or history.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the point. Words are powerful if used skillfully . . . for good or evil, for truth or deception. I doubt that anyone believes that pizza is a vegetable, but a handful of frozen food lobbyists convinced a handful of Congress men and women, who convinced the House of Representatives that it was, and legislation was passed that will boost the frozen food industry. Millions of dollars are made and lost daily by words, depending upon how they are used.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Words alone aren't enough, however. Words are to language what flour is to baking. Flour is the main ingredient of baked goods, but the sugar, spices, milk, and other ingredients give the cake or bread or muffins (or pizzas) their personality. Language is the same way. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Words are dry and dusty by themselves. To make literary cake, or verbal muffins, or linguistic pizza, you have to blend ideas together with emotions and feelings and passion. You also have to know your audience's likes and dislikes. Lobbyists know that US Representatives don't care as much about pizza as they do about votes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We need to learn from the pizza story. Firefighters are plain speakers, which isn't bad, but politicians haven't paid much attention to the unleavened bread we've offered them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"We need decent equipment." </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Help us with recruitment."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Why can you spend a billion dollars on a G8 summit, but can only afford to give us crumbs at election time?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps we need to bake them a verbal black forest cake to get their attention. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As disappointed as I am that one of my favourite foods is not a vegetable (legislation notwithstanding) I am encouraged by one thing: if the US House of Representatives can be persuaded that pizza grows on vines, we can persuade Parliament Hill that firefighters are the very core of public service . . . and that they need to care more about us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Time to recruit more language chefs.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-52602138521339192192011-11-15T21:36:00.000-05:002011-11-15T21:36:46.082-05:00Shotgun Approach<span style="font-size: large;">Politics isn't my forte, but I have written a few thousand words on the topic, and I will undoubtedly write more when the urge strikes again . . . usually around election time. You can read some of my thoughts on the topic <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/game.html">here</a> and <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/political-alcoholism.html">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Paul Combs takes a shot at politics once in a while too, but he does it with deadly accuracy in the form of artwork. <a href="http://community.fireengineering.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1219672%3ABlogPost%3A500217">Click here for his latest masterpiece.</a></span><span style="font-size: large;"> They aren't kidding when they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Click here to see a <a href="http://www.google.ca/search?q=paul+combs&hl=en&biw=1441&bih=681&prmd=imvnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=PF3CTtLIN-r00gH2rKmODw&sqi=2&ved=0CEYQsAQ">gallery of his artwork</a>, and <a href="http://www.artstudioseven.com/">here to visit his web site.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of words, my next Spontaneous Combustion column will appear in the February issue of Firefighting in Canada, instead of the January issue of Canadian Fire and EMS. You may not care, but I did on October 31st, which was the day the switch was made . . . and which also happened to be two days before the deadline for the January column. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I am usually at least mildly panicked when I feel the hot breath of a deadline on the back of my neck, especially if my mind is still as blank as the computer screen, but this time I was strangely calm. I had an irrational feeling that a thousand words would magically find their way into a semi-orderly arrangement on my screen within 48 hours, no problem. It may have been delusional, but it was at least peaceful delusion.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So when editor Laura King emailed a suggestion that the column be run in the February issue of FFIC - with a writers' deadline of December 6 instead of November 2 - I decided it must be Karma. Or perhaps Laura was a mind reader and knew I was helplessly stuck in literary lala land. Or maybe it was just a happy coincidence. Regardless, the switch gave me breathing room to corral my recalcitrant thoughts into a semblance of order, and the February column looks more promising by the day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The birthing of a new article always amazes me a little. A week ago it didn't exist. A few days ago, it looked like someone fired a dictionary out of a shotgun . . . words and phrases splattered across an MS Word document like graffiti on a boxcar, only less artistically. A few hours of cut, paste, delete and rewrite (which I affectionately call "slash and burn"), and it's almost ready to launch. Saying it "just happened" would be like saying the stork brings babies, but I'm still not sure I understand the biology of writing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One thing for sure, writing, like most things including firefighting (and babies), starts with passion.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of passion, I saw this as I left my parents' place today.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSuS3OaJ0InaMJz9lwuj1KxZhGGHuNaZh0zhc0u_ocVQpdn5vGyHXLJTxYE3WHjtOj-FNRUaI4MLhDLKBEVdfDpn7bqXb1yXQvTGEBFBnG6KKK7VKYzSlVtcrhIEJAaQwL7UUa-4qOlU/s1600/11-15-11_1447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSuS3OaJ0InaMJz9lwuj1KxZhGGHuNaZh0zhc0u_ocVQpdn5vGyHXLJTxYE3WHjtOj-FNRUaI4MLhDLKBEVdfDpn7bqXb1yXQvTGEBFBnG6KKK7VKYzSlVtcrhIEJAaQwL7UUa-4qOlU/s640/11-15-11_1447.jpg" width="640px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's a path of water across the frozen lake by their house. My 86 year old father is a passionate fisherman, and when he saw a patch of open water on the other side of the lake, he had to break across in his 17 foot canoe for one last fling before winter.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There's passion, and then there's fanaticism. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To finish off with something at least partly connected to firefighting, Intel Labs has produced a ball-shaped electronic gizmo that can be rolled into a burning structure to take readings of important data like temperature, oxygen levels, and chemical levels, then send them to a smart phone so firefighters can know what they are getting into before they enter. <a href="http://www.firerescue1.com/technology/articles/1182650-Fireball-spheres-offer-look-inside-burning-buildings/">Click here</a> for an article and short video on the "fire ball." You can read my musings on other gizmos <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/after-i-buy-jet-propelled-master-stream.html">here.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The great thing about blogging is that you are <em>allowed</em> to write like you fired a dictionary out of a shotgun.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-45394997983592993732011-11-08T23:17:00.001-05:002011-11-08T23:23:32.343-05:00Choices<span style="font-size: large;">A person in pursuit of money or power or fame doesn't select firefighting as a career path. At least not for very long. Plenty of other professions serve those ends without causing one to be awakened at 2:00 AM to muck around in turnout gear. F</span><span style="font-size: large;">irefighters may <em>want</em> money, power, and fame, but our chief motivator (at least in the beginning) is a desire to help others. </span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's this altruistic side of the firefighter that views red tape and liability as nuisances that impede the pursuit of our calling. We are solution driven people. Our goal is to get to the scene, fix the problem, and get home. When someone tells us we can't do this or that because of policy, or because it's litigiously risky, it drives us nuts. That is, at least until we become fire chiefs. Then the world starts to take on a different colour.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As a small department chief that pulls his fair share of hose, my firefighter perspective is alive and well, but I also see the legal hazards that hang like a guillotine blade over our heads. In May of this year I wrote a post about these sometimes conflicting viewpoints of pragmatism and prudence. Here is an excerpt:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>I've been a fire chief for just over fifteen years now, and I believe I am finally beginning to think like one . . . or at least I'm developing a dual personality of sorts. The practical, caring, Firefighter Jekyll in me is sometimes challenged by the cautious, liability-minded Chief Hyde. We arrived at the scene of a grass fire last week to find a young man walking his dog within a few feet of a very obviously live hydro line. The firefighter side of me said, "He's an idiot, but I'm glad he didn't get fricasseed." The chief side of me said, "Get that idiot out of there before he gets fricasseed and someone says it's my fault."</em> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You can read the rest of the <a href="http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/workaholic-stephen-harper-jekyll-and.html">post here.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It turns out that Chief Hyde wasn't too far off the mark. A New Jersey fire department was found to be 60% responsible</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">for injuries suffered when a man stepped on a downed hydro line in his home driveway . . . which means they are responsible for 60% of 20 million dollars. <a href="http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/news/fullstory/newsid/149004">You can read the story here.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Even without knowing all the details, the New Jersey story is different from my story, but we did both leave downed hydro lines unattended. In my case, I faced liability issues whether I stayed or left. The incident was about 10 km outside of Upsala, which was close enough to be considered our back yard if it caught the bush on fire, but far enough that I would be in serious trouble if something burned at home while I was away with our only pumper. But such are the issues we face out here in the boonies.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On a similar topic, and in keeping with my love of analogies, I compared the volunteer service to a panda bear in a post last month that was reposted on the Fire Within blog. If you haven't read it yet click <a href="http://www.thefirewithin.ca/blog/?p=101#respond">here.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The bottom line: right and wrong choices are not always as clear as day and night. Sometimes they are a foggy, dusky gray colour that only turn black or white after we've made an irreversible decision. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Firefighters might not be in hot pursuit of money, power, and fame, but there are plenty of folks out there that are . . . and you can be sure they've got their microscopes and scalpels ready to dissect our motives and actions when the opportunity arises.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-36776983436353742572011-11-06T17:17:00.001-05:002011-11-06T19:31:30.205-05:00The proper time<span style="font-size: large;">It <em>seemed</em> like the ultimate statistical conundrum. What if we were paged at 01:15 hrs on November 6, and then again exactly an hour later (after the official change back to Eastern Standard Time). The second call out would also be recorded at 01:15 hrs on November 6 . . . even though it happened an hour later. Such an occurence would be inconceivable in the mathematically rigid world of chronological record keeping.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I was nearly convinced that the problem was unsolvable until Erinn suggested that I would simply write "EDT" or "EST" after the notation to clarify the proper chronology in the annals of dispatch history. Come to think of it, busier departments deal with this issue every year at the fall time change. Only fire chiefs that live on the peripheral edge of the universe (who have never been paged during that one-hour time period) even give it a second thought. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of time-related puzzles, the village of Upsala lies in Central Time Zone, but we operate on Eastern Time because most of our business is done in Thunder Bay. This can cause complications even without the convoluted spring-forward, fall-back shenanigans we play twice a year. All points west of Upsala lie firmly in Central Time Zone, but I record our calls in Eastern Time regardless of direction. I had a mildly heated discussion once with a police officer about our page out and arrival times at a fatal crash. My notes just didn't jive with her notes. Fortunately one of us finally figured out that she was running on Central Time and I was running on Eastern.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On a semi-related topic, I'm told that many years ago a municipality near here chose not to adopt Daylight Savings Time because they thought messing with daylight might cause the tomatoes to ripen more slowly. Council's discussion of the matter is reportedly recorded in all its paradoxical glory in the archived meeting minutes.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To finish off this downward spiral to incongruity, John Lennon's tooth just <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/05/world/europe/uk-lennon-tooth-auction/index.html?hpt=hp_t2">sold for $31,200.00</a>. If I ever become famous, I'll have to remember to will my teeth, hair, and fingernails to my kids so they'll have a rainy-day fund in case times get tough.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm not quite sure how a supposed firefighting blog digresses this far into absurdity.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In an effort to redeem myself, <a href="http://firecritic.com/2011/11/03/the-secret-list-isnt-really-a-secret-at-all/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Firecritic+%28FireCritic.com%29">here is a post by the Fire Critic</a> that gives a short history of <a href="http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/secret.php">Firefighter Close Calls, and the Secretlist</a>. Check out the <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Firefighter-Close-Calls-Home-of-The-Secret-List/199328763573">Firefighter Close Calls Facebook page here</a>. </span>I've been a Secretlist subscriber, and a Billy G admirer for a lot of years, and my respect for this fire service icon increases the more I learn about him. I wonder how much <em>his</em> teeth will be worth in fifty years.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To finish off on a sane, normal note, check out volunteer firefighter<a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/10133/41/"> Jennifer Mabee's blog</a> over at Firefighting in Canada. A new perspective from the volunteer service is always welcome. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You may not find volunteer firefighter teeth on the auction block in fifty years, but life would not be the same in 80% of Canada's landmass without them. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-50699276049381031322011-10-29T22:48:00.000-04:002011-10-29T22:48:44.210-04:00various and sundries<span style="font-size: large;">I would talk about a volunteer fire department in Pennsylvania that is facing a lawsuit for not making an aggressive interior attack on a furniture plant, but there isn't much to say that has not already been said. You can read about it <a href="http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-department-management/articles/1171761-Fire-dept-sued-for-response-in-Pa-plant-fire/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-department-management/articles/1172261-Lawsuits-vs-firefighting-Know-how-to-make-the-right-call/">here</a>. If you really want to know my opinions about litigation against volunteer firefighters, <a href="http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/6392/213/">click here.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My brother posted his Northern Lights photos. Here's a few.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2onzd3GFr1nt3bHVdr6xxSfq7Gyo9YeD1nVO5Hhtcn-460Pv47z0gHsoqWbLPymQzAJx_0WLwP3M4Uw_Tvl9tV9slWAGSevzrFmVIJAXGYV8IdMWXkkM_kOcvUw90KWhlA7KuuKgovg/s1600/northern+lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2onzd3GFr1nt3bHVdr6xxSfq7Gyo9YeD1nVO5Hhtcn-460Pv47z0gHsoqWbLPymQzAJx_0WLwP3M4Uw_Tvl9tV9slWAGSevzrFmVIJAXGYV8IdMWXkkM_kOcvUw90KWhlA7KuuKgovg/s1600/northern+lights.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-F0tPZ57wsMRHTtGqwKF6etUVLFYTUH0HW-cqESE45eeuA2rWtxpbchG4lcpUi4ZZ1ptNXvAd8rXMq0CCvqN_rAd48eBnjK_W6kWgvlelsqhpjFb5_W4bs3wHGM5PK7jdhfKMbUjx-F8/s1600/northern+lights2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-F0tPZ57wsMRHTtGqwKF6etUVLFYTUH0HW-cqESE45eeuA2rWtxpbchG4lcpUi4ZZ1ptNXvAd8rXMq0CCvqN_rAd48eBnjK_W6kWgvlelsqhpjFb5_W4bs3wHGM5PK7jdhfKMbUjx-F8/s1600/northern+lights2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD77CbqdlkgEZTNI-SjIBdr6add9E6py9NXqQfo_gL43WS3DriXUAzB3wC7ciFlWpwT-JXp9AbpXj8jqspW1ZS3UZm_njFecv9Ho-AvthGoH0hzNvuTF-ZsMYKypkOmbCkM2GYWd0HA4E/s1600/northern+lights3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD77CbqdlkgEZTNI-SjIBdr6add9E6py9NXqQfo_gL43WS3DriXUAzB3wC7ciFlWpwT-JXp9AbpXj8jqspW1ZS3UZm_njFecv9Ho-AvthGoH0hzNvuTF-ZsMYKypkOmbCkM2GYWd0HA4E/s1600/northern+lights3.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The last one was taken nearly straight overhead. You can see more of his pics at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/media/set/?set=a.200424226683461.48971.100001476555825&type=1">his Facebook page</a> (scroll to the bottom for the most recent Northern Lights pics).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I just got back from an overnight with my daughter and a passel of her friends at the cabin that Phillip and his buddies built the summer before last. In the evening we had a campfire. I dusted off a few of the stories that I plan to write someday (lots of good intentions, little progress), and reworked them for a fresh audience. In the morning I cooked a gourmet breakfast, which they inhaled (helps to take a long time cooking so they are starving). Here's a photo of the group for the file:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-vnYtG3_5xnjEizai8mpH1MUWCuV1slHXW6egTjwT1A_a7zllxyDL8k1BQf0_akfAuX3k1tZ5SPRQd_BmKy-GKO5aXK5Jkujwn-yf1f1165MAH1oTAvcQ_70OAfhbevpk9zlDxMPCKo/s1600/100_2861+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-vnYtG3_5xnjEizai8mpH1MUWCuV1slHXW6egTjwT1A_a7zllxyDL8k1BQf0_akfAuX3k1tZ5SPRQd_BmKy-GKO5aXK5Jkujwn-yf1f1165MAH1oTAvcQ_70OAfhbevpk9zlDxMPCKo/s640/100_2861+cropped.jpg" width="491px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The kids thought roughing it in the bush was lots of fun. I found the experience to be much like my trapping days, only 30 years older. It's always fun to see kids have fun though, even if the joints and muscles hurt a little more than they used to.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To finish off, here's another recipe, hot off the press.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Indo-European Enchiladas</span><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-size: large;">Arrive home and put all the camping gear away.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Crash on the couch, then realize that it's nearly dinner time and you haven't thought of anything to make (kind of like realizing that it's nearly Halloween and your column that's due the first week of November isn't started yet).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Take a quick look in the fridge and find some leftover rice and ham that doesn't look like enough for four people (steps 1-3 are optional).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Dig a package of tortilla's out of the freezer.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Lay four of them on the counter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Spread a row of rice down the middle of each one, leaving space on the ends.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Spoon a couple tablespoons of ham broth on the each row of rice.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Slice the ham into thin strips and lay on the rice.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Lay some sliced or grated cheese on top of the ham.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Place a layer of chopped fresh tomatoes on the cheese.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Sprinkle some spices on top (I used basil)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Fold the sides of the tortilla over the rice, then fold the ends to make a neat package. Hold it all together with toothpicks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Give your wife a blank stare when she asks what you are making.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Hope that she doesn't start asking questions because the element of surprise is important when serving unorthodox, invent-as-you-go meals.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Turn on the oven. 350. Should have done this at the beginning.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Bake them for about fifteen minutes, or until the cheese melts and the edges start to get crispy.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Pull out the cookie sheet, spread grated cheese on each enchilada, sprinkle the spice or herb of your choice, and put back in the oven until the cheese melts.</span></li>
</ol><span style="font-size: large;">By the way, here's why it's Indo-European Enchiladas. The tortillas make them enchiladas. The rice makes them Indian. The ham and cheese make them European. If I had just thought of that when Erinn asked me what I was making, I might have convinced her that this was a real recipe . . .</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-5183029925954603772011-10-25T21:44:00.000-04:002011-10-25T21:44:07.723-04:00<span style="font-size: large;">I'm not superstitious. It wouldn't bother me to step on a crack in the sidewalk while walking under a ladder with a black cat under each arm on Friday 13th. And no, I didn't knock on wood after writing that sentence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In spite of my fervent disbelief, I almost converted this past weekend. We were paged to a plane crash on Friday (it turned out that no one was injured). On Saturday we responded to a vehicle crash. On Sunday I mentioned to a friend that our calls seemed to come in groups of three, and in spite of my non-superstitious convictions, I half expected to get another page in the next 24 hours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monday morning the pagers went off again. A vehicle upsidedown in the water with someone still inside. What a way to perpetuate the myth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We got to the scene and found two Good Samaritans standing on the shoulder, wet to the waist. They had witnessed the crash, waded into the near freezing water, got the door open and pulled the driver out. I guess if someone has to fulfill Upsala Fire Department's destiny, they might as well have the good luck to do it when a couple of quick-thinking MNR employees happen to be driving by. Thanks Kip and Dave. We owe you one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don't believe in luck either, by the way.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's the Northern Lights season again. Not that the Aurora Borealis is fussy about the time of year, but our short summer nights offer fewer opportunities to see them. Last night was a particularly brilliant show, and was reportedly seen as far south as Atlanta and Memphis. If you missed them, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/25/us/solar-flares/index.html?iref=allsearch">click here for a video</a>. My brother is a camera guy and captured some nice photos, which I'll share once they are uploaded.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's some Youtube footage from New York.</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Yidv73qQruU" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Folks in the Middle Ages thought the Northern Lights <a href="http://www.athropolis.com/arctic-facts/fact-nlights-ancient.htm">portended plague or war</a> . . . but there was so much plague and war going on that anything could have been thought to portend them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Far from doom and gloom, I have fond memories from my teens and early twenties of wandering around on winter nights staring at the dome of lights that extended from north to south, and east to west. I remember feeling like I was standing in a celestial cathedral, listening to a choir that sang in rythm with the flickering, quivering light show.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is supposed to be a good year for Northern Lights, by the way. I think it portends a mild winter. Hey, if I'm going to perpetuate a myth, I might as well perpetuate one I like. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847917804254799866.post-14331194936178060042011-10-21T22:05:00.001-04:002011-10-21T22:11:37.539-04:00Volunteer Pandas<span style="font-size: large;">The volunteer fire service is like a panda bear. It is black and white . . . and it’s an endangered species.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The world is full of people who live a pastel existence of non-extreme colours. Such people rarely do anything black (really bad) or white (really good). They get up, go to work, come home, have supper, watch a show, and go to bed . . . then do it all over again the next day. They don't make waves, they don't stick out like a sore thumb, they are just there. This isn't a criticism. On the contrary, we need these folks. They're the ones that make the world turn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The volunteer service, on the other hand, is far from pastel. I wish I could say we were an all-white, do-no-wrong breed of people, but I know it isn't true. When volunteer firefighters are white, they are whiter than freshly fallen wilderness snow. When they’re black, they are blacker than a moonless night in the boreal forest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The white portion of this panda-like service is by far the largest portion, but it goes mostly unnoticed. The black portion is far more attention grabbing. When we screw up, people get injured or killed . . . and whether it's civilians or our very own, the world knows that we failed.</span><br />
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NIOSH released a report last month about a firefighter fatality that occurred a little over a year ago in Ohio. It’s a black story if ever there was one. A self-made, pressurized water tank exploded, killing a young volunteer instantly. <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face201032.html">You can read a summary of the NIOSH investigation here</a>. Topping the list of recommendations was this:<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Fire departments should ensure that fire suppression equipment is properly designed and safe for its intended use and refrain from using self-made equipment that does not meet applicable safe design standards and practice. </span></i><br />
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Yes, we certainly should. The problem, <a href="http://www.firerescue1.com/firefighter-safety/articles/1168997-When-our-drive-to-make-it-happen-ends-in-tragedy/">as Adam Thiel writes</a>, is that we are "can do," solution-driven people. We see something we need and we go for it. If we can’t afford it, we find something similar and retrofit it. If we can’t find something similar, we fabricate it. In a perfect world, public emergency services wouldn't have to beg, borrow, or steal to get equipment that meets applicable standards. But the world is far from perfect.<br />
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The scary thing about this black and white story is that it’s everywhere. It isn’t just a small department in Ohio. They just happen to be the ones in the hot seat right now. The panda is alive and well in many (if not most) small volunteer departments, in all its contrasts and contradictions.<br />
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The other scary thing is that innovation is often the lesser of two evils. We convert a FedEx step van into a rescue . . . or we haul our equipment to the scene in the trunks of our cars and the backs of our pick ups. We use a street washer as a tanker . . . or we fight the fire with only a pumper, and spit on it when we run out of water. We wear fifteen year old breathing apparatus . . . or we go without.<br />
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I'm not advocating that we pursue a volunteer crusade to save the world at the cost of endangering our firefighters with unsafe work practices, but it reminds me of an old adage about freelancing on the fire ground. Establishing a strong incident command system is the best way to counter it. In a similar manner, the best way to prevent mickey rigging innovations is to provide fire departments with the equipment they need. Small communities are often unable to produce the dollars to do it, and outside help is needed.<br />
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I haven't even addressed the endangered species analogy yet, but it will have to wait. For now, I'll leave you with a story about Wisconsin firefighters successfully performing <a href="http://www.firerescue1.com/rescue/articles/1169747-Firefighters-save-dogs-life-with-mouth-to-snout/">mouth to snout rescusitation</a> on a dog.<br />
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Call it black or white, it's at least an example of firefighters stepping up to the plate to provide a service no one else is willing to give.<br />
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We are, after all, can-do, solution driven people.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://beebewitzblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241421023132796098noreply@blogger.com0