for the key bridge in Baltimore as it happened on the Levin show.

Those cats do not make enough money for the job they do. How screwed up  we are that HS kids make multiples of their salary now for just potentially playing ball.

I'm a volunteer firefighter here in Chatham County. They DO NOT PAY those full time guys SHIT. They have to pick up extra shifts and potentially have a second job to make anything. Not saying just to survive, but to make anything toward buying a house, having children etc. Total bullshit. They don't pay me shit, nor should they as I volunteer. However, to see those young men put their lives on the line day after day and to get shit for pay, burns me up. Charge to the rest of the HOTD, if you have a community that has volunteers, I encourage you to do so. Some of the finest people that I have ever met are in the fire service !!!!!

(03-26-2024, 05:31 PM)Replying to BurnsideDawg

if there was a thumbs up button this would be the post i used it on.

Well said Burnside.

(03-26-2024, 05:25 PM)Replying to bNe

Good grief. Damn.

The gear you have to wear in a fire adds about 100lb to your weight. The bunker gear ways about 30-50 lb and the SCBA pack weighs about the same depending on what air bottle you have on your back. I'll try and post some of our training videos and actual fire videos in the future.

(03-26-2024, 05:31 PM)Replying to BurnsideDawg

I have the deepest respect for these guys and all they do. The morning that I found my bride unresponsive they arrived at my house a few short minutes after I called 911. I was in the process of performing CPR and without missing a beat they stepped in and continued this process until the paramedics and an advanced cardiac response team could arrive and relieve them. These guys were so responsive and respectful. They took great care of my wife, my daughter and I . They remained at our house until the coroner arrived and did all they do to comfort us. 

I am still in awe of how quickly they arrived and responded and how professionally and compassionately they performed their duties. They epitomize public service. I am very grateful for their service. The word "hero" gets used very loosely today, but I know that these guys rush into places day after day that most folks turn and run away from. 

I have spent much time around firehouses in my life. My Grandma's dog , Ruff, used to go there everyday for them to feed her their lunch scraps. If she wasn't at Grandma's, she was at the firehouse.   In my youth, I hung out there a good bit. I played checkers, football and basketball with the guys at the firehouse. My BIL played on their softball team for years. My doubles tennis partner for years was the Fire Chief. I have sat with these guys and drank a beer while they decompress and talk about all that they have seen and experienced. These guys are the backbone of their communities and the finest people that you will ever meet. 

I appreciate what you guys do from the bottom of my heart. If we ever meet, the first few rounds are on me.

(03-26-2024, 07:30 PM)Replying to Zolotisty

I have the deepest respect for these guys and all they do. The morning that I found my bride unresponsive they arrived at my house a few short minutes after I called 911. I was in the process of performing CPR and without missing a beat they stepped in and continued this process until the paramedics and an advanced cardiac response team could arrive and relieve them. These guys were so responsive and respectful. They took great care of my wife, my daughter and I . They remained at our house until the coroner arrived and did all they do to comfort us. 

I am still in awe of how quickly they arrived and responded and how professionally and compassionately they performed their duties. They epitomize public service. I am very grateful for their service. The word "hero" gets used very loosely today, but I know that these guys rush into places day after day that most folks turn and run away from. 

I have spent much time around firehouses in my life. My Grandma's dog , Ruff, used to go there everyday for them to feed her their lunch scraps. If she wasn't at Grandma's, she was at the firehouse.   In my youth, I hung out there a good bit. I played checkers, football and basketball with the guys at the firehouse. My BIL played on their softball team for years. My doubles tennis partner for years was the Fire Chief. I have sat with these guys and drank a beer while they decompress and talk about all that they have seen and experienced. These guys are the backbone of their communities and the finest people that you will ever meet. 

I appreciate what you guys do from the bottom of my heart. If we ever meet, the first few rounds are on me.
[/quote]

Thank you for sharing that with us. My heart hurts for folk who go through loss such as that.

One Sunday my wife and I were driving home from church. We turned and went down an on-ramp to get on a short stretch of interstate. Traffic was busy but it was moving at a good pace. We were actually in a line of vehicles going down the ramp. As we were preparing to merge in an SUV about 2 vehicles ahead of us had started to merge over but didn't see the car in the lane until the last second. When they saw the car they jerked back over to the right to keep from hitting it, but they way overcompensated when they did it and started to go off of the road. They jerked it back to the left, way overcompensating again, veering across all 3 lanes of traffic and headed toward the center median wall. They jerked it back to the right, way overcompensating again, and the SUV being top-heavy flipped over onto its side. It was the most horrible accident I've witnessed, and it was only a single-car accident. When it flipped over onto its side it hit the road with such force it was a very harsh "bang". The SUV had hit the road so hard that it bounced off of the road and was spinning in the air, on its side. The entire sky was filled with debris getting thrown from the vehicle. In the midst of all of the debris I saw a silhouette of a person literally a good 20-25 feet in the air. They came down on the road at least 50 feet ahead of where the SUV came to a stop (on its top), and they were dead on the spot. We figured that whoever it was must not have been wearing their seat belt, and we found out later that we were correct. Sadly, it was a precious teenage girl driving and the poor girl just apparently panicked and made a series of very hard turns that led to the SUV flipping. We and several other cars were who called 911. Very quickly traffic was backed up something fierce on the interstate, but the fire department and police got there quite fast.

Talk about professionalism, how they handled something so horrific, how they so quickly got traffic alt-routed off of the interstate and moving on surface streets. I was so impressed but it was like a somber-impressed. I realized that this was just another day in the office for those guys. They see this and far worse, all the time. I already had great respect for them, especially in light of all of the garbage spewed by the communist Democrats and their henchmen in the media. But seeing them in the midst of all of this took it up to a whole 'nother level. Because we were eye-witnesses they had asked us and several other cars to stay behind and fill out a report and answer a few questions. So, we watched them from start to finish, pretty much. They knew what the heck they were doing.

My hat is off to folk like that. They most definitely don't get the respect they deserve.

(03-26-2024, 05:31 PM)Replying to BurnsideDawg

100% Agree.

(03-26-2024, 08:15 PM)Replying to RockmartDawg

I have the deepest respect for these guys and all they do. The morning that I found my bride unresponsive they arrived at my house a few short minutes after I called 911. I was in the process of performing CPR and without missing a beat they stepped in and continued this process until the paramedics and an advanced cardiac response team could arrive and relieve them. These guys were so responsive and respectful. They took great care of my wife, my daughter and I . They remained at our house until the coroner arrived and did all they do to comfort us. 

I am still in awe of how quickly they arrived and responded and how professionally and compassionately they performed their duties. They epitomize public service. I am very grateful for their service. The word "hero" gets used very loosely today, but I know that these guys rush into places day after day that most folks turn and run away from. 

I have spent much time around firehouses in my life. My Grandma's dog , Ruff, used to go there everyday for them to feed her their lunch scraps. If she wasn't at Grandma's, she was at the firehouse.   In my youth, I hung out there a good bit. I played checkers, football and basketball with the guys at the firehouse. My BIL played on their softball team for years. My doubles tennis partner for years was the Fire Chief. I have sat with these guys and drank a beer while they decompress and talk about all that they have seen and experienced. These guys are the backbone of their communities and the finest people that you will ever meet. 

I appreciate what you guys do from the bottom of my heart. If we ever meet, the first few rounds are on me.
[/quote]

Thank you for sharing that with us. My heart hurts for folk who go through loss such as that.

One Sunday my wife and I were driving home from church. We turned and went down an on-ramp to get on a short stretch of interstate. Traffic was busy but it was moving at a good pace. We were actually in a line of vehicles going down the ramp. As we were preparing to merge in an SUV about 2 vehicles ahead of us had started to merge over but didn't see the car in the lane until the last second. When they saw the car they jerked back over to the right to keep from hitting it, but they way overcompensated when they did it and started to go off of the road. They jerked it back to the left, way overcompensating again, veering across all 3 lanes of traffic and headed toward the center median wall. They jerked it back to the right, way overcompensating again, and the SUV being top-heavy flipped over onto its side. It was the most horrible accident I've witnessed, and it was only a single-car accident. When it flipped over onto its side it hit the road with such force it was a very harsh "bang". The SUV had hit the road so hard that it bounced off of the road and was spinning in the air, on its side. The entire sky was filled with debris getting thrown from the vehicle. In the midst of all of the debris I saw a silhouette of a person literally a good 20-25 feet in the air. They came down on the road at least 50 feet ahead of where the SUV came to a stop (on its top), and they were dead on the spot. We figured that whoever it was must not have been wearing their seat belt, and we found out later that we were correct. Sadly, it was a precious teenage girl driving and the poor girl just apparently panicked and made a series of very hard turns that led to the SUV flipping. We and several other cars were who called 911. Very quickly traffic was backed up something fierce on the interstate, but the fire department and police got there quite fast.

Talk about professionalism, how they handled something so horrific, how they so quickly got traffic alt-routed off of the interstate and moving on surface streets. I was so impressed but it was like a somber-impressed. I realized that this was just another day in the office for those guys. They see this and far worse, all the time. I already had great respect for them, especially in light of all of the garbage spewed by the communist Democrats and their henchmen in the media. But seeing them in the midst of all of this took it up to a whole 'nother level. Because we were eye-witnesses they had asked us and several other cars to stay behind and fill out a report and answer a few questions. So, we watched them from start to finish, pretty much. They knew what the heck they were doing.

My hat is off to folk like that. They most definitely don't get the respect they deserve.
[/quote]
Great stuff Rockmart Dawg. Thans.