I'm baaaaaackkkkk!

After a bit of a hiatus from blogging, I'm ready to get back into the game.

Baseball season is in full swing ... get it, swing! Hahaha!  And life is calming down for me after my move and job change.  Six months ago I moved to Minneapolis and started fresh in a world of a daytime job that was somewhat foreign to me! It's been full of ups and downs, but I'm starting to get the hang of things and couldn't be happier, which now means I should have more time to blog.

I have done follow-up interviews with some of the firefighters I talked to over the summer and plan on profiling them again. I am also constantly looking for new things to write about, so please, keep checking me out!

Until next time!

Firefighters serve with compassion, deserve respect Part 3

Misconceptions of Reality

Fiction gives our society the impression that a firefighter is always able to swoop in and save housing and people in the blink of an eye. But on the flip side, fiction also shows the destruction that a home can go through and the lives that can be lost in the process of fire or a medical call.

“We don’t ever know what it is we’re going out to do,” Ben Dvorak said. “There’s lots of anticipation of what’s to come.”

All the men I talked to agreed, that the news generally seems to focus on the big stories where property was severely damaged or lives were lost.

“You never hear the stories where people come up to us and say, ‘You just saved our wedding albums,’” Hoyt said.

People say that firefighters have the greatest work schedules in the world because they only work every few days and they get to sleep at work.

People forget that in the middle of the night they could get called out to an emergency scene.

Although these men and women are heroes who put their life on the line every time they go into work, they aren’t always treated with the respect they should.

The men and women a number of departments hear clichés and misconceptions on almost a daily basis.

Vern Johnson is one of the Superior Fire Department’s Battalion Chiefs and has been working in Superior for over 25 years.

“Our runs here have increased, we’re doing a lot more medical runs,” he explained.

The crew does their best to not let the misconceptions get to them as they know that the work that they do is important. They have learned with time that it’s not worth getting upset over, but to just keep doing what they’re doing.

A High Stress Job – I Think So

I asked the men I spoke with if this job was hard on their wives, if their wives sat around listening to a police scanner and praying the rosary. They said no. I told them that’s what I would do. They laughed.

Their wives are supportive and there for them, but they often try their best to leave it all in the fire hall.

But it can hang in their minds for sure. They see death and destruction and that can leave a toll on anyone, no matter how tough.

“I try to remember that I didn’t create the issues, that it’s not really my problem, but it doesn’t always work,” Captain Bob Archambault said. “Maybe that’s heartless, but it generally works.”

“We do things that aren’t natural,” Tribbey said. “Sure you remember the ones that don’t go well. You’re given a job to do and you feel like you’ve failed that job. You have to make peace with it. You have a lot more good days than bad.”

“We’re trained to sit there and think about what we just did and re-evaluate ourselves,” said Huber. “We put all the pieces together of what went right and what went wrong.”

Like I said earlier, it’s not always glamorous. Sometimes it’s down-right hard. There are good  days and bad days. But seeing a child you saved five years later, who is alive because of you is part of what makes it worth it.

Running into burning buildings is crazy. Being the first one on the scene of a horrific accident puts images in your mind that will never go away. The life expectancy of a firefighter is shorter than those of people with desk jobs, not only due to smoke and chemical inhalation, but due to the stress and they’re finding now that the irregular sleep patterns also play a huge role in earlier deaths.

Not to be morbid, but I asked them if they ever think, no way and want to quit doing what they’re doing. They all answered with a resounding no. This was their calling; this was what they were meant to do.

I asked those with kids if they would want their kids to do this job too. They said, sure, they’d have no problem with it as long as it’s what they want to do. No pressure to follow in dad’s footsteps.

In Conclusion

I am so thankful to the Superior Fire Department for taking the time to chat with me and also allowing me to spend the day with them. It was an experience I’ll never forget. I am especially thankful to Lane Halverson, Howie Huber and Steve Miner for putting up with me and my pesky questions all day long.

I’ve always respected the profession and will now always respect it more knowing just how much they really do to keep my friends and loved ones comfortable and safe.

The professionalism and the compassion of these men and women can not be matched. No matter how hard anyone tries. 

Firefighters serve with compassion, deserve respect Part 2

My Day as a Part of the Crew

My morning started bright and early with the Huber, Steve Miner and Captain Lane Halverson.

During my ride-along I was able to see the importance of the day-to-day duties as fires can be few and far between.

The morning started with basic “housekeeping” tasks of cleaning up the hall, but also making sure all equipment on the truck was cleaned and ready to go in case of an emergency.

Miner and Huber make sure that the truck is cleaned and ready to go for the day. A clean fire truck, is a happy fire truck and helps ensure everything is in working order in case of emergencies. 

Little things like making sure there’s enough gas in the truck can be the difference between life and death in a tricky situation.

Making sure all the equipment is clean and rust-free can make it more efficient when the time to use it arrives.

Within the first 90 minutes of my day, Huber showed me the importance of keeping the jaws of life in working order and Miner took me through the walk through of checking the operation of the truck and even having me double check with him that the water was full.

The crew also has to make sure that their station is in proper living conditions as it is their home away from home. Halverson mowed the lawn and Huber cleaned the bathroom, just as they would for their family at home.

Some days can be very slow, some are filled with trainings and others will send the crew out from call to call, never getting time to even sit down for lunch.

The day I rode along with the men from Superior, we had three medical calls.

Every time the call went out, I got excited to see the men I was spending the day with spring into action. One time we even went from eating lunch to in the truck and ready to roll out in less than 30 seconds.

It was impressive the way they were able to switch gears from telling a story over a plate of spaghetti (which was incredible by the way) to potential life saving mode.

Miner was the driver, Halverson, as Captain, sat shotgun and I sat in the back with Huber. We were able to communicate through headsets. They spoke instructions to each other, answered my questions and also joked when the time was right.

I was unable to go into medical calls and inspections, so I had some time in the truck by myself. Here is a shameless selfie of me with my headset while waiting during an inspection.

We went to a number of buildings for inspections – and although inspecting work might be tedious it’s also key in fire prevention. Some businesses were open and easily accessible for the firefighters and others weren’t. Local businesses have to be inspected on a regular basis, some monthly, some twice a year and sometimes once a year. In Superior, lists are split up by location and crews are given a month to complete the list.

In order to keep up to date on new medical techniques and new technologies, the crew often attends training sessions during the days, and still answers a call if one comes in.

The Superior Fire Department recently went through tourniquet training and even mayday drills.

A few photos of views from my seat in the fire truck. 

They are given time to workout as being in good physical condition is crucial to their success.

On the day I spent with the crew, all three men had family members visit or at least attempt to. Calls foiled some of the attempts to say hi to dad, but that’s the nature of the business. Wives understand and kids try their best to as the dad’s quickly sprung into action.

After 5 p.m. the crew is given more leeway on what to do with their day. At that time, they often are able to do a little more relaxing and what they want. They listen to music, watch movies, bake, just about anything that they’d do at home, even though it is typically without their family.

This photo was taken near the end of my day with the Superior Fire Department. They were sure to give me proper equipment in case we were called out to a fire that day.

Forming a Work Family

The Superior Fire Department has less than 40 crew members and each individual crew has 3-4 people on at a time. Their schedule is a work one day and then have two days off type of schedule, but schedules can vary from city to city.

“I look at every day like it’s already Friday,” said Miner of going into work.

He said sometimes that makes it easier if you have to miss something important.

Joe Tribbey is a father of five and just recently was able to take the truck and his crew to his son’s baseball game, but it doesn’t always work that way.

Christmas’ and other holidays can be spent away from loved ones and some miss their child’s first words or first steps.

But the crew tries to be fair and to take care of each other when time off is needed.

As the every third day working schedule is pretty easy to follow. Trades are allowed as long as they’re scheduled in advance if possible. As long as all people are in position, there are generally no problems.

Filling in on a crew can be fun, but being part of your own crew is even better.

Getting to know each other’s personalities and what makes people tick can be fun (too much butter being left out of the fridge for example). Pranks can be played and the crew enjoys evenings together watching movies and eating pizza.

“If we’re not joking and laughing, something is wrong,” Huber said.

All the other men I talked to said the same thing, a happy go-lucky crew that gets their job done is the best kind as it means morale is high.

They crew knows each other’s families and keeps tabs on how each other’s kids are doing in  school and in sports.

One of the favorite pranks I heard about was filling one man’s food cabinet with peanut butter puff cereal. As payback, he put one piece of peanut butter cereal into every container possible in the other’s food cabinet.

The pranks are never destructive or dangerous, just good natured, fun.

Firefighters serve with compassion, deserve respect Part 1

Merriam – Webster defines compassion as, “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.”

While there are countless jobs that require compassion, I firmly believe that there is none like the role of a firefighter. Day in and day out, holidays and weekends, when just sitting down for dinner, at 3 a.m., 365 days a year, firefighters put their life on the line for the citizens of the community in which they serve.

My Uncle Jimmy was a firefighter as was my neighbor Wally. I fell in a fire pit when I was about four years old and growing up I had an extreme fire phobia. I went to bed at night nervous that our house was going to catch on fire and didn't know what was going to happen to my family if it did. With the continual reassurance from my Uncle and neighbor my fears gradually improved.

I could hear the dedication in their voices as they explained to me that I would be safe. Even at a young age, I was aware of the pride they had in serving their community and the compassion they had for the care of perfect strangers. I now sleep soundly at night knowing that there are trained men and women who are willing to help me on less than a minute’s notice.

While I live in Duluth, Minn. I wanted to get the inside scoop from a smaller and more intimate fire department, so I chose my new found friends across the bridge at the Superior Fire Department. The Duluth Department does great work, but is nearly five times as large as Superior’s. I was hopeful that a smaller group would have a bigger and more apparent connection to each other.

These men and women are away from their own families 24, 48 and sometimes even 72 hours at a time. They create a home within the fire hall walls and form a family of brothers and sisters and a support system that is unlike any job I have ever seen.

They have to. Their life could depend on it.

I recently spent countless hours collecting stories from about half a dozen members of the Superior Fire Department and wasn't surprised with the information I discovered. Besides doing hours of interviews, I was also given the privilege of riding along with the fire department in hopes of learning more about what goes on during a typical day.

Firefighters don’t just put out small grass fires and save cats from trees. When your grandma falls in the middle of the night and can’t get back into her bed, they’ll be there. When your neighbor is involved in a car accident, they’ll be there. And when flames start and smoke fills the home of a family from church, they’ll wake up in the middle of the cold, dark night and be there.

But why do they do it? “It’s simple” Superior Firefighter Mike Hoyt said.

“There’s the adrenaline,” he said. “But even more, it’s knowing the person calling is having what could be the worst day of their life and you can go out there and make it a bit better. If you’re a person who cares about others, this is the job for you.”

Hoyt has been firefighting for 19 years and in Superior for 11 of them.

“We don’t have any choice,” Howie Huber said. “People depend on us. We can change the outcome of how their day was going to end up and that can be pretty neat.”

Huber has been with the department for seven years and wouldn't change his career for anything.

Even on the days that aren't so glamorous.

Musician Gunderson Makes Final Push in Kickstarter

Making music isn't a cheap venture. Virginia, Minn. native Preston Gunderson has always known that.

That's why he turned to the fundraising website Kickstarter to fund his next album.

Gunderson's Kickstarter campaign is in the final days and he and his street team are making a final push to raise the money he needs to help create the album of his dreams.

Gunderson has until noon on Friday, March 1st to reach his goal of raising $11,500 to fund his next album.

Gunderson's last album made it's way into the top 100 on the iTunes pop chart and he's hoping that this album, "Getting Good at Starting Over" can have even more success.

Gunderson has been active in the Northern Minnesota communties doing lots of work for flood relief efforts following the summer of 2012 floods along with his community at the College of St. Scholastica.

If you've got a few dollars to spare, the link to his Kickstarter campaign is below:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/89762439/getting-good-at-starting-over

More music from Gunderson can be found on YouTube and iTunes.

MMA Returns to Black Bear Casino

Saturday, February 8th was fight night once again at Black Bear Casino in Carlton, Minn. as the Fearless Fighting Championship returned for the 12th time. The show, titled Relentless, put on quite a show for the fans and lived up to the name. Fighters stepped in to the cage and held nothing back.

The action was non-stop from the sound of the first bell, until the final punch was thrown.

There were 18 fights on the card, including one title fight and two professional bouts.

More information to follow.

Photo by Sarah Packingham

Jesse Rogge (top) from Duluth's Twin Ports Mixed Martial Arts begins the brutal ground and pound against Gordon Hanson. Rogge went on to finished the fight at 1:25 of the third round due to TKO. This fight was Rogge's second win in a row. Rogge won his previous fight by submission.

 Photo by Sarah Packingham

Mario Smirl gets interviewed following his first cage fight and first win. Smirl defeated Paul Bouiver at 59 seconds of round two. Smirl trains at Twin Ports Mixed Martial Arts in Duluth, Minn.

Photo by Sarah Packingham

Victor Tobias from Twin Ports Mixed Martial Arts attempts to outwork opponent Mike Oravis in the first round of their fight. Tobias went on to beat Oravis by head arm triangle at 1:30 of round two.



Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

I’ve been wanting to get back into this personal blog thing for awhile and let’s be honest, I’ve just been lazy about it. Absolutely, incredibly lazy.

My last blog that I started was strictly about sports, which was great, for those who like sports. But that way, it weeded out some potential readers.

This blog is going to be a little bit more vague, but give some extra attention to those hobbies/pastimes I love the most. Those hobbies include: sports, music, exercise and fitness.

Please consider subscribing to my blog. I promise to keep you entertained, get you fun and different information on various sports, local musicians, new workout tips, recipes and every once in awhile, I may even give you a glimpse into my life.

For those of you who were previous subscribers, I promise not to disappoint you this time.

~ Sarah