Image Of the day

Friday, December 24, 2010  T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the station, all was quiet except for our snoring dalmation. Our gear had been placed in our racks with care, in hopes we wouldn't need it, but always prepared.

The lights were turned down,the floors had been mopped, the rigs had been washed and the tanks had been topped. Fireman and medics were home nestled in bed, while visions of homelife danced through their head.

When out of the darkness, arose ringing and light, the pager brought tidings of something not right. The fireman and medics were dressed in an instance, aboard their trucks and racing into the distance.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow, reflected the lights in a hellish, red glow. The sirens, they wailed while the Federal Q screamed, moving too slowly, as if in a dream.

The wreckage was there and came slowly in sight, lending fear, pain and loss to our silent night. Each of us thought of our own wife, daughter or son, each prayed in silence, "Let me save at least one".

We leapt to the task without further a thought, and for more than two hours we worked and we fought... To free the two drivers who hadn't been thinking their driving would suffer after a full night of drinking. 

The smoke and the flares, and the stench of the blood, the screaming of metal as we rolled back the hood. The cry of one driver, the whine of the Jaws,  putting fear aside, we never gave pause.

With one driver out, and the other pronounced dead, we focused our efforts on keeping our heads. C-spine and backboard and IV in place, we loaded him up and we started the race.

The monitor showed a heart rate too slow, BP revealed a systolic too low. Level of consciousness rapidly dying. Despite all of this.. the medics kept tryin,  Atropine, Dopamine, Epi and more... to keep our reason for being from opening deaths door.

We fought and we prayed and tried all that was known, while trying to believe fault wasn't our own. The sun was rising as we reached the E.R. we'd given all that we know and all that we are.

The doctor pronounced with barely more than a glance,  and gone in a blink, was the patients last chance. The ride back to the station was quiet, and then... despite what we'd been through, the singing began.

At first it was one and then all followed suit, this effort together was merely the fruit... of a labor that however needlessly beared,  was one of a million we knew we had shared.  As we sang out the words of a song, "Silent Night",  we acknowledged to ourselves we put up a good fight.

A pat on the back, the start of a car, we all realized and loved who we are.  And on Christmas morning, as we all drove away... we know we'll all try in a couple of days... to give someone back their one chance to live,  no matter how hard or how much we must give.

So please, when you pray on this Christmas morn, add something for us, and for all that we've borne.

Monday, October 18, 2010  Fire Danger for the area is MODERATE

Burning is allowed between the hours of 6 PM and Midnight.  No burning is allowed on Sunday or on any holiday.  Please visit the website listed below or call 1-888-WIS-BURN (947-2876) for additional information on burning regulations.

Please use extreme caution if utilizing a cooking or warming fire such as a campfire.  See the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website for more information at:

http://dnr.wi.gov/forestry/fire/fire_danger/Wis_Burn/StateCounties.asp?State=wi&MapGen=0.640428943559527