If Mom Could See Me Now!

7 SHIFTS Remaining...Rick's ReFlections of his 32 years career in the Fire Service...

 Perhaps you remember the year...

    The Sears Tower was the world’s tallest building… 
    A couple popular movies were...‘The Sting’ and Herbie Rides Again’ 
    Number one songs were...‘I Shot The Sherriff’, ‘Time In A Bottle’ and ‘Cats In The Cradle’
    Watergate and gases prices at nearly 60 cents a gallon made the headlines…
    And offices started using a little known item called a ‘Word Processor’.

     How times have changed!

Modeling gift from mom...

But much more than these…I will forever remember ‘the blanket’. You see it was 1974, and I was packing my bags to leave home, when mom walked into my room and handed me this blanket as a parting gift. A gift that has sat atop my bunk at Station 80 for many years. It remains one of the most precious of many gifts that she imparted onto this soul. Her natural gifts of care…of determination…and of course the gift of gab are just a few others.

Though she was around during those early fire house years, she never knew that I would become a Paramedic a couple years after her death in 1989. I would have loved to share the joy that this profession has given me all these years.

Mom's graduation - 1968

Ain't she pretty?

So…what happens to the blanket now? Likely be packed away with other items of antiquity. Perhaps one day it will find its way back out and onto another bed. Surely when it comes upon these ole eyes once more…I will be reminded of one very special lady in my life. Thanks mom!

I can see mom today ... washing dishes and dancing to 'Chantilly Lace' by the Big Bopper. Jiles Perry, or JP Richardson introduced this song the very year that I was, in 1958. The 'Big Bopper' would sadly be one of three who died in a winter plane crash, for which Don McLean writes in his song, 'American Pie'.

It's My Honor to Serve You...Honor Flights

8 SHIFTS Remaining...Rick's ReFlections of his 32 years career in the Fire Service...

Firefighters are called ‘public servants’. As such we serve not only ‘the public’, but also other ‘public servants’. For us that is never more greatly shown as with the funeral of a fallen brother or sister firefighter…or through what is called ‘Honor Flights’…or for a ‘Fallen Soldier’. 

Honor Flights is a program that was conceived by Earl Morse, physician assistant and Retired Air Force Captain. Earl wanted to honor the veterans he had taken care of for the past 27 years by creating a way to send them to see the WWII Memorial that was completed in May of 2004 in Washington D.C. In December of 2004, Earl asked one of his World War II veteran patients if it would be all right if Earl personally flew him out to D.C., free of charge, to visit his memorial. His patient, Mr. Loy broke down and cried. He told Earl that at his age he would probably never get to see his memorial otherwise and graciously accepted the offer.

WW II Vets visiting 'their' Memorial in DC

PAF&R welcome WW II Vets home from DC trip

Since their first year in 2005 when they transported 137 veterans to see their memorial the Honor Flight Network now along with Southwest Airlines sends nearly 20,000 veterans per year…free of charge. Wow!

Our part at PAF&R…to meet the Honor Flights as they return from their D.C. trip…A very simple way to honor and salute these men and women. And salute we do! As they walk past I envision them in their youth strong, determine, convicted of giving their all for this great country and the freedoms that it so represents. 

This is just one of many events that you won’t find in the job description. But one that remains a top honor for me. Thank you WWII Vets!

Ultimate FD Volleyball...

Volleyball...always something funny!

 9 SHIFTS Remaining...Rick's ReFlections of his 32 years career in the Fire Service...

Duane's tooth?

Basketball, ping pong, running track, throwing a football or Frisbee, or even an occasional chip shot with the putter…all have been part of PT at the FD. As I come to these final shifts I’d like to mention two of my favorite FD activities. Today’s shift…Volleyball. Now that is Fire Department volleyball with FD rules. More than anything else this means that the net…is part of the ball. FD volleyball may have a slight appearance to what you see at your high school…not likely anything close to the Olympics…but ever so worth the time and a good laugh. As with all dudes, the laughter is never better than when you cause some pain to the opposing player…or for that matter, even your own. With this type of play there have been sprains, fractures…and even an occasional lost tooth.

 

Such was Duane’s tooth 15 years ago that has weathered the time to remain as one of the most enduring stories. Duane goes up…the ball goes ‘pop’ and…Duane goes down. It didn’t appear that the opposing player came too far across the net, so why was Duane on all fours? Finally someone calls to Duane, “Duane, what are you doing”? To which Duane raises his head with his mouth wide open attempting a big Duane smile…it must have been something about him missing that big front tooth that sent all of us into hysterics, rolling on the grass for the next 5 to 10 minutes. Oh yeah, Duane continued to search for his tooth…not to be found. Did the poor guy get any sympathy or help? Are you kidding me? Almost as funny was when Duane returned to work his next shift. Kenny says, “Hey Duane, we found your tooth. It’s out on the court”. The shift walks out to our grass volleyball court to find a 15” plastic tooth hanging from the net. Oh baby, that’s FD volleyball!

Yours truly preparing to serve...

 Or there is the time that Obie comes across the net in beautiful FD fashion. He strikes yours truly sending me immediately to the ground to which he cleverly asks, “Rick, is it your arthritis”? “Yeah right, actually it may have something to do with those big club hands of yours.” We all smile, I let the pain subside after spending minutes on the ground, then we continue to abuse one another. Sometimes, much to our surprise, the volley and play was a good one. As the time when Biggy spikes the ball across the net into the opposing players face with such force that the ball returns over to our side and we continue play as nothing ever happened. Except for the player that is still on the ground:)

And last, volleyball will forever be thankful Mitch for his hit known as…‘Meeeaaachhh’! Simply put, it’s when you think someone is going to spike the ball only to have it softly hit away from all players. I left my mark as being one of the great ‘meeeaaachhh’ hitters. Let’s hope that my replacement will be able to continue the tradition:)

 

. My Own X-treme Sport…Stairclimbing

10 SHIFTS Remaining...Rick's ReFlections of his 32 years career in the Fire Service...

Sears Tower 2009

Goals, purpose, ambition and motivation…we all have them. They just take different forms for each. In the late 90’s was the first time that I had heard of the ‘sport’ of stairclimbing. Often when you mention to people that you’re ‘climbing’ the Sears Tower, they think your scaling the outside. No, actually we’re in a boring stairwell.

  

LA Bank Tower 2009

 My start in this sport finally became serious in 2005. I had just turned the ripe old age of 47…the age of my mother was when she died of cancer. ‘The Beast’ as I now call it is the Firefighter Stairclimb at the Columbia Center in Seattle and is a fund raiser for the Lymphoma/Leukemia Society. I thought, “What a great way to honor a great woman”. So I began my training on our ‘Stairmaster’ at work and then on weekends I would awake early enough to climb ‘Big Pink’. Now more than seven years later my legs continue to carry this body up Big Pink’s 45 floors 2 to 4 times every weekend, now eclipsing more than 27,000 stories.

Portland FF 2011

It has been a wonderful way to conclude my career, as the training has given me the necessary edge to keep up with the ‘young pups’. And though I think that I’ve ended my firefighter climbing events, in which you’re climbing in full turnouts, with SCBA (over 55 pounds) and breathing air, I hope to continue this odd sport which today encompasses more than 200 events a year. 

I’m always looking for training partners. Funny…very seldom do I get any takers. So…next time you happen to find yourself at a ‘high rise’, try taking the stairs for 10, 20 or maybe a 103 floors. You can do it!

'1st Place' for Masters...yeah old dudes!

Empire State Building 2012

Note: if you’d like to consider this sport then check out towerunning.com. Even one event to say, “I did it”, you’ll be glad you did. And then again...you may never do anything like that again:)

The song that I selected for this blog is ‘Gravity’ by Shawn McDonald. “Gravity is pulling me on down”. When you’re climbing…going straight up…you so much want to stop. Yes, gravity is pulling me on down. What drives me? Those with cancer do not have stopping as an option. It is pulling them down as well, but they persevere. So I climb…I persevere…not giving way to gravity. Shawn also says, “I don’t want to lose my sight of You”. Keeping my sight on the goal. His goal...not mine!