I missed the oppurtunity to be a volunteer fire fighter today, Flood

Sandtrap · May 17, 2015, 12:15:39 AM

Late afternoon, I heard firetruck sirens and the town fire alarm. Didn't think nothing of it. But apparently, a little town on one of the grids had a fire problem. Our town is 40 mins away from it so the firetruck would have never made it in time.

The fire was so bad that farmers in the area came to help. From the story my brother in law told it would have been a sight to see. The entirety of that small town pitched in to help, my brother in law and other farmers took shovels and dirt to smother the fire and even a few farmers came with their farming equipment and water tanks.

The winds were strong today and long after the building that caught fire burnt down in the middle of town, the fire spread to the grass and just about made it to other buildings.

A shame. Would have liked to help. And I'm sure the sight would have been interesting.

No deaths, thankfully.

Comet · May 17, 2015, 12:18:54 AM

would have played hell with your lungs though, considering the smoke.

Sandtrap · May 17, 2015, 12:23:18 AM

Quote from: Comet on May 17, 2015, 12:18:54 AM

would have played hell with your lungs though, considering the smoke.

Probably. Wouldn't be surprised if I got scorched as well, considering my shit tolerance to heat. Apparently the heat on that wall was nasty. Multiple people said the fire went up to at least 50 feet into the air. Shifted with the winds.

At the very least, I can go and check out the aftermath when I stop buy.

Jono · May 17, 2015, 12:52:37 AM

I could try to be a firefighter but I would get fined for using water

🂿 · May 17, 2015, 12:55:44 AM

I'd rather have you alive then dead.

Jet Wave · May 17, 2015, 01:50:54 AM

You really did miss out. After the fire got put out, you could bait actual firefighters into arguments about whose better, actual firefighters or volunteer firefighters, and then shut them down with the line: "No, you don't get it sir, I'm a volunteer firefighter. I do your entire job in my spare time."

Sigma617 · May 17, 2015, 01:57:28 AM

Can you really just jump in to help fight a fire without getting in the way?

I mean, don't you have to have some training at least?

Sandtrap · May 17, 2015, 03:41:26 AM

Quote from: Sigma617 on May 17, 2015, 01:57:28 AM

Can you really just jump in to help fight a fire without getting in the way?

I mean, don't you have to have some training at least?

In this instance, there wasn't any other option. The farmers and townspeople coming to help had no training in firefighting. They used shovels, dirt, garden hoses, and tractor spray pumps.

Remember. The firetruck in my town had to go out there. That means, the fire started, somebody called the authorities, who then called the fire department. The firefighting folks suited up, got in their truck, and left. Even at the fastest they could go, getting out to that little town is a 40 minute trip no matter how fast you go.

By the time they got there, the house was burnt down and the fire was spreading to the fields, in which case, they put the remainder of it out.

So, yes, you can help. Fire isn't some mystical thing. You smother it and drench it in water. You form lines of men or women to section it off with dirt or water.

Azumarill · May 17, 2015, 03:47:35 AM

Lemony Snicket taught me that volunteer fire departments are dangerous for their members