Reinventing JoJo

So in the world of being a firefighter, you basically sign up to drop everything and anything ANY time someone needs help in an emergency capacity, whether its 3 a.m. or just as your sitting down to a special dinner with your family.

Not only is it tis the season in the holiday sense, its also the season for those volunteer alarms to ring more frequently, be it for a fender bender cause the winter weather makes the roads a bit slippery or as unfortunate as it is and as has happened a few times in the last few weeks, someone loosing their house and all their worldly belongings. Its a very sad thing.

In the volunteer 'business' there is always along with the safety of other people, its the safety of your own, those coming out to FIGHT the fire and try to save what we can. In my department I am called the 'accountability officer' I keep track of those on the emergency scene, where they are and are they safe. Its a very HUGELY important job, cause it helps insure no one gets left behind. I'm fairly good at 'picking' people out in a crowd, at least in fire capacity.

I have grown up with people at my firestation, I've been there pretty much since the day I was born. Being an only child, I have adopted my own exteneded family as we all spend so much time at that home away from home, I don't know if there is any other way to think of them. Then there are the other people that you choose to have in your life as friends that you meet along the way do to the service that fall into that same place in your life. There are quite a few, the don't belong to my station, besides the ones I grew up with that don't run at my station anymore that I love very much or care very deeply about. . .

So when the tones drop for my neighbor company and they say 'WORKING STUCTURE FIRE' There is a bit of panic, knowing those loved ones are going, and I'm not gonna be there to watch and keep track all myself. I go get dressed warm, head out to help with coffee detail, when MY tones drop for standby. Go to station, sit and twiddle my thumbs, come home and get a msg from my dear 'daughter'* saying 'my baby and my dad were on the same line...I was scared!'
My heart DROPS!

This is when I HATE not being in the same department as all my loved ones!!!


*Said daughter is 16 year old amazing sweet girl who sometimes lovingly refers to me as MOM, said daughter also has a sweetheart boyfriend, and dad's pretty cool too.


Picture is from last night....