As those of you who have read my blog with regularity know, I am a member of our local volunteer fire department. I am also one of the newer members, having served for nearly a year (I just received my jacket, which is given for a years' service).

But my tenure has been thus far uneventful, as I've only been available previously for a bad bicycle-car accident and several storm chasing episodes including one that put us directly under the wall cloud (unfortunately, only AFTER rotation in that cell has all but ceased).

I had a close call two days ago when grass fires raged in the northwest and eastern portions of the county. News reports had reported that our unit was on the scene, but when we radioed back to the station, we discovered we hadn't been paged out. One of the other firemen went to the station and sat in the office in full bunker gear, hoping to get the call out. I, being more practical, went home to get some dinner and rare shut eye.

This morning at about 3:00 AM, the sirens sounded. I had foolishly left my radio off (I shut it off when I'm out of range in the car, and had forgotten to turn it back on), so I didn't get the initial page. I arrived at the station at the same time as another volunteer from the area.

Finally, some action! I bunkered up and checked my gear. I grabbed supplies and headed for the truck. Halfway out, the other volunteer asked for a flashlight, and I quickly added one item to my list of things not to be forgotten...the NEXT time!

When we got to the scene, I climbed out of the cab of the truck. Figuring that jumping out of the cab would be quicker than climbing out, I jumped...but had miscalculated the distance to the ground and fell forward, my glasses and improperly secured helmet coming off in the process. Fate being with me, there were no other firemen on that side of the truck to witness the scene. So much for being the brave superhero.

I went to the front of the truck to man the hose. The firefighters who had arrived before us had done a good job of containment, and all that was left when we arrived were hotspots and fence posts. So I got to hit the smoldering embers of the fire, hardly dangerous at that point, but simple enough detail that my inexperience wouldn't result in a raging inferno.

I don't yet have enough experience to write much about my firefighting experience, but...it all starts with the first fire. Next time out, I don't think I'll do much differently except remember to grab a flashlight and CLIMB, not JUMP outta the cab.