Are you still here?

I don't know exactly what is happening to the DVD etc. but I have uploaded the videos I had from the recruit course to YouTube. If you want to see them in better quality just go to my YouTube Channel UltraSuperMaxPower or just search Recruit Course 74.

Graduation - UPDATE

ARFF Recruit course #74 (also known as the Hellbender Squadron) graduated on Friday. It was a great feeling knowing that all the guys I started with made it through the course. I have to say that of all the courses I have done, or think I will do, this one will rate as the most memorable by a very large margin. I have made some really cool friends that are now all over Australia.

I start real work on Sunday which I am sure will be an adventure in itself.

Well here are the boys all dressed up with the silver axe Tony in the middle.

I hope everyone has a good first day at their stations and I look forward to seeing you all at the 1 year reunion.

Recruit Fireman Brad - OUT.

Doin’ it for the kids

On Friday we finished the last part of our vehicle operations stuff. We got to use the dry chemical powder extinguisher that is on the trucks. The extinguishers are similar to the ones you see hanging on the wall, but a 225 kilo version.

We knocked off a bit early at the end of the day and went to the airport terminals to do a bit of fund raising for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal. We did a good job of harassing the Easter masses for change and giving the kids Easter eggs (even if their parents didn’t approve).

This guy wasn’t giving us anything – I believe his facial expression is described as ‘nonplussed’.

High fives all round – is there anything firemen can’t do?


3 more days of the course then it is graduation day and party time.

A Day in the Life

With the course coming to a close next week, I thought I would give you all an idea of how our day runs. We all meet at the bus at about 6:45 and Mr Guy lets us listen to Gold FM, we normally arrive just after the 10 questions for $1000 segment. Gold FM is NOT our station of choice.


When we get to school we line up and do parade. We are leaning how to march in preparation for the pass out parade next Friday. We aren’t super awesome yet, but we will be. After parade we break up into groups and start our lessons.

For the next 3 days my group is doing pump operations. This is mainly so we don’t look like complete noobs when we get to our stations. Although the 3 days involve burning around in circles spaying the fake plane with the monitors, will still have time for fun.

Then I get Luke to pose in front of the station so he can show his mum where he works.


After that there was a brief ping pong tournament where Sam smashed all contenders. Melbourne Station even sent over some ringers that were sent packing.


The long weekend is coming up and I am heading to Mt Hotham with an old school pal Andres. I am looking forward to it because there will be horse polo.

Structural Fire Fighting Week

This week is all about structural fire fighting and rescue. We all get used during the drills so I haven’t been able to take any pictures. So instead of not having anything to post, I have decided to use some of the pictures the guys that did it last week took. When you look at the pictures just imagine the fire fighters being more tough, better looking and total rad.

Internal search team getting ready to make entry into the smoke hut.

Just about everyone in the internal team have to do ‘hot’ cylinder swaps – ‘hot’ seems the perfect word usage.

Did you say more hose? Lots and lots of hose ends up all over the place.

We have another 3 days to get through and it should be all down hill from there. I get to go home in 3 weeks – it can’t come soon enough.

Return to Moonee Ponds

We got back from Tassie last night with our bags smelling of kero and smoke – the explosives checks must not be very good if we all made it through. All up it was a good week of training, hard work at times, but very rewarding. On the Friday we had a mini speed competition, the winners of the grand final were team Chappy & Rushton.

This was one of the more impressive fires we had going.

Don’t fly on any ARFF airline – the planes aren’t very safe.

Insert Zoolander joke here.

On Monday we have another week of putting out fires, this time it will all be urban. From talking to the other guys the drills will be longer and there will be lots more happening.

Tassie

We flew into Tassie (as I believe the locals call it) early on Monday morning. There was no snow and no David Boon to meet us at the airport. There was only a Begal that was very good at finding the food we brought with us.

We got a few drills in on the Monday and then went off to get food and check into our accommodation. Woollies didn’t know what hit them – we jammed up all the checkouts about 5 deep and the locals weren’t too impressed.

The first drill we did was ‘the massive fire with black smoke’ drill.


We also did some engine and wheel fires.


All the time watched by our ever alert safety officer, Wilko.

Power Hawk Hellbender Squadron

I have to apologise for this post is about 2 days late. But I had to do some research to make sure all my facts were correct. I looked everywhere to find reference to the Power Hawk Hellbender Squadron on the manufactures website but found nothing. The VHS (yes VHS) we watched was obviously an older promo video that has since been updated and had all awesome names removed. Here is what the manufactures have to say about the system in the year 2010 - believe me when I say the original VHS presentation shat all over the future.

The 'Hellbender Squadron' ready to get to work.

I am not exactly sure who this is with the disc cutter - but he chopped that car good.

This is Ryan channeling the unbelievable power of the Power Hawk to do believable things.

I am off to Hobart tomorrow for a week of aviation rescue and fire fighting practical. There will be big flames and some really good pictures coming your way.

Power Hawk - da na na nah (that's the Star Wars music)

This week has been crazy with late nights studying for back to back exams over 2 days. The main theory is now done and out of the way and we are looking forward to getting into some solid practical work over the next 2 weeks.

This afternoon we got started on some of the rescue equipment we will be using. All the stuff we need to chop into planes and cars to rescue people. We were only in the class today, but we will get a chance to use this gear on a few cars that have been out the back since day one – woot.

But first, here is a picture of my new room mate for when we go to Tasmania. He is from Hobart so it will be good to get a local insight. He does know how to smile, he just forgot for a second.

The ‘Super Poser’ demonstrating the correct facial expression to use with the Power Hawk.

My current room mate Ross using the Powerpusher and Power Hawk in perfect harmony. They are technically called “The Power Hawk Hellbender Squadron” I wish the name was bullshit but it’s true.

Richard working the shaft as team mates look on in awe of his skills.

KA-BLAMMO!!!

We have been locked up in the classroom doing exams and studying new material for more exams. Despite the sleepy and at times gassy conditions in class, we were allowed out yesterday for a bit of 'extreme' fire fighting. One of the lessons we covered was LPG fires. These things are dangerous and can go ka-blammo if not acted on in an efficient professional manner (which is what we have now instead of blood).

As you can see the LPG cylinder is on fire - the instructors aren't huddling in fear, they are working out who they will place in extreme danger first.

It turned out Mr Griggs was the lucky man.

As Mr Griggs (or Griggsy) started cooling the cylinder an attack line was set up to get in close.

The attack line gets in close enough to turn off the cylinder valve by hand - which they do.

In the afternoon we came back to the smoke hut and did our first 'hot fire' session. We got to go inside when there was actual fire and feel how hot it gets. Just so you know ,it gets hot, so hot in fact you have to get down low and go go go or your ears will burn off.

Montage

It’s been back to the classroom and study for a small block of exams the last few days, so it’s time for a montage. I got some pictures from some of the other guys on the course so I have some material to work with.

This is Dave on the branch in front and Josh doing a fine job stopping Dave from blowing away. Behind him is Rory – also known as McCafe.

The brains trust or a handsome competition? You be the judge.


Ryan and I waiting to get our BA’s on and enter the smoke hut.


Me channelling the awesome power of the tiger.


Everyone just chilling out in the theater room.

Brad gets his very own fire truck

I felt like a special little kid today. Because I am the only recruit going to Brisbane and the only one that needs to learn the Mark 7 fire truck, I had my own tender (that’s what firemen call fire trucks) and my own driver. My job was to point the monitor (the shooty thing on top) at the plane and make it moist.

I got to shoot it heaps. In fact, despite the water restrictions here in Melbourne, I went through about 10,000 litres in a few minutes. But it was all in the name of learning how to save lives so I guess that’s OK.


The rest of the week is exams so it’s study, study, study.

Auditions

Today the instructors were kind enough to park a fire truck around the back of the classroom so we could work on our calendar poses. I got in early and started with a fairly straight forward ‘holding the truck up’ stance.

It proved to be a very poor choice, as the other guys were favouring the classic ‘look what I just killed’ pose.

Josh is an excellent poser and we all need to take a master class with him when time permits. Check out the awesome close up.


I should have really learnt something by this stage of the course. The rule is to let someone else go first and let them screw it up, then follow on and look like you knew how it was meant to be done.

Fire Hut

I promised pictures of the fire hut last week and not being one to disappoint, I have delivered. We have been at the fire hut all this week and we will be there tomorrow too. The training each day is split up in to 3 sections hoses, breathing apparatus, knots and ladders. We just rotate around each station and started adding bits from one station to another. I guess the idea is that by the time we get into the course a bit more we will just be doing everything in our drills – but enough talk here are the pictures.

Here is Luke opening a stand pipe – our favorite Canadian is photo booming in the background. He isn’t actually from Canada but while the Olympics are on he just says he is.

This is the smoke hut with a couple of guys practicing ladders and knots.

Paul carrying a hose aloft.

I would take a picture from inside the smoke hut but it is dark and smoky. Most disappointing of all is that there is no disco music to match the disco smoke – only on the bus.

End of week 2

I didn't get many pictures the last half of this week because we were a bit pushed for time.

Yesterday was real busy but real good, it was our first day over at the smoke hut. We did a bit of branch work (hoses), practiced all our knots and went into the smoke hut with the BA's on.

In the smoke hut they don't use real smoke (I think that's too advanced for us) we use what is called 'disco' smoke. It's like the smoke at a disco I guess, it makes you look all sexy when you are not. I am immune to the effects.

We did a bit of search and rescue technique which is basically hanging on to the guy in front and falling over chairs in the dark. I am assuming the assessment will be easy to pass because the instructors won't be able to see us do it wrong.

Today we spent the whole day doing advanced resuscitation, we used the oxygen bottles and defibrillators.

We will be back to the smoke hut for most of next week so I will make sure I get some pictures then.

B.A. (not Baracus)

B.A. as in Breathing Apparatus, it's like SCUBA but for firefighters, which is good because most of us are scared of water. They force air into your lungs which is kind of cool because you don't have to work to breath, it just does it for you.

Here is me in a BA kit, you can tell it is me because I am smiling.

We had to get this stuff right as this is a critical component to the course. Here is Ryan helping Richard get his head around the pressures we were dealing with.

The issued lightsabers take 3 "C" cell batteries (I have mad photoshop skillz).

FIRE!!!

The first week was long and there was lots of classroom work, but today we got to go and play. We put on all our "tough guy clothes" (technical term) and used a whole bunch of fire extinguishers.

The guy with the the yellow helmet in the picture below is my room mate Ross. He just laid the smack down on that soggy wood fire. Note that the plane in the background has a hay bail for an engine - no shit that's going to catch fire.

While we were being hero's, showing those short pieces of wood not to mess with a handful of hardened recruits with water extinguishers, these guys showed up:

Yeah, they had a fancy truck and all the posh gear. But once they were done they let us go over and have a go on the big hose, which was really cool - it was like we were actually real firemen.

My First Day - A Day 2 Perspective

Talk about sliding off the learning curve and ending up in the deep end. I decided to wait until today to write about my first day because my brain stopped working yesterday.

We meet with all our instructors on the Sunday night and they all seemed either nice or eager to teach us... All our instructors are referred to as Mr 'such-and-such' - kind of like Reservoir Dogs but without the suits and witty script.

Monday was good, but unfortunately for the instructors, not much sleep and too much paperwork makes for a bunch of slow learners. We got all of our kit including the cool stuff like helmets and boots, we did a quick tour of the Air Services area and a few lessons in the afternoon and the day was over. Seriously, unless you really want to know how to fill out a 105, 106, ASIC application or login to AVnet I won't go into it.

We all had so much booty they had to hire a ute to get it all back to Moonee Ponds.

Oh yeah, they have serious sideburns regulations here - I should have kept the mo...

Ranga-tache

Because I am in a high-risk-self-combustible catagory the beard has had to go.

But to make it obvious to people that I have chosen a new career path, I have decided it best to leave the ranga-tache. After all a fireman without a mustache is like a frenchman without his stink.

I give you the instant fireman.


Only 2 sleeps to go.

Not Funny Enough

Rebecca said my blog wasn't funny enough.

This won't help.

• Why do elephants have big flat feet?
• To stomp out burning ducks.

1 Month to go

I have about 1 month before I go to Melbourne to begin my recruit course to become an Aviation Rescue Fire Fighter.

So far preparations have been good, even though it looked like we were in big trouble, Australia managed to win the second test.