Tornado Victims

[Duck Hunter Paul]

Everybody please say a little prayer for the victims of the Tornados on Friday night here in Indiana. Fortunately my house was not hit, but not 1/4 mile away there are 4 homes that are no longer standing and there are a lot of families that will be not able to move back in for some time. Thanks

[Mark Spence]

My thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the tornadoes.

[Max4Gooser]

My thoughts and prayers to them as well.

We can relate to it here, last night we got hit again. 3 weeks almost to the hour of the last ones that hit us. I actually live in Riverton, and we got hit three weeks ago by that series of storms and didn't have power for three weeks, but no damage to my house. Last night we got lucky again, a few blocks from my house a house had a large tree put through it, we just got some minor debree damage and a few turned up shingles.

My kids are starting to getpretty nervous about all storms, you could hear the last two tornadoes here and they shook the house.

Spring is starting out pretty bad, hopefully this weather will back off soon, but they are calling for more of the same as early as thursday.

God Bless.

[Duck Hunter Paul]

I know what you mean Jeff. After Friday nights storm,my wife and kids were a lot more worried about the storms that went through last night.

[drakekiller08]

hey my thoughts and prayers for all of you, i just finished firefighter training to be a volunteer firemen in my town here and Iowa, I also finished storm spotter training so i hope to get out and help some people

[Max4Gooser]

NWS Weather Spotter training, I remember that, we are going through it again in a couple weeks. Look like they are calling for some more storms tomorrow through friday, people around here are getting a bit gun shy of them.

[IowaMigr8tor]

Congrads drakekiller08. I just graduated Fire Academy and have been on the West Des Moines Fire Dept for 9 months now. I have been an EMT-B for a year and some change now. I dont know how busy you are up there but we have had feast and famine latley.
We went almost a week with only one or two calls and then we got hit with a huge condo fire. Total loss, wind out of the south west and the fire started in the south west corner, fire carried through the building. On our first entry had the ceiling fall on us, totally awsome but scary at the same time, pulled out and fought for two hours before we could enter and get it out.
Right now we are battlein grass fires mainly and handeling "alarms". The norm. We have both carreer and POC(paid on call). Right now POC doesnt run car accidents b/c they arnt all EMT, yet, once they take care of that we will be runin everything. We have enough in the station but its not gaurenteed they will be at every call(work).
Its fun when your doin stuff and frustratin when your not. Welcome to a great profession. I need all the luck in the world for next week. I am taking the Driver/Operater exam and i feel so confused on some of the calculations. I will get it by next week though.

[Max4Gooser]

Don't sweat the D/E exam, here it is called FAE (Fire Apparatus Engineer) wehave to take it in the academy, then forget most of it :wink: . Just remember the formulas, and your friction loss for hoses and appliances, and you should ne o.k. oh and don't get your fog and smooth bore numbers confused.

Good luck on the test.

[IowaMigr8tor]

I have to stafff Saturday night and we are going to work on all that stuff, barring we dont have calls. The friction loss and formulas are what I dont remember but if I sit down and do a couple of problems I can memorize them prety quickly. Our SOP requires you to be on the Dept. for 1 yr before you can "drive" an apparatus, squad car not included, so I guess thats why they dont let you take it in academy.