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Wildland Fire's
"JUST ONE MORE TIME" Thread
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| Date |
Message |
| 6/17/05 |
Add to one more time if you please....
An Old Wild land Fire Fighters Prayer
Let me lace up my boots one more time
and join my brothers and sisters on the line.
Another opportunity to work with the best
too young to stop… not old enough to rest.
Restore my eyesight and fix my knees
give me the energy to do as I please.
A fire assignment somewhere out west,
One more fire… one last quest.
Place me with friends from the past
Sign me up ...I promise I’ll last.
Grinning and grunting bent to the task
one last challenge is all that I ask.
Alongside of Mac, Ranger and young Blue
Flinging dirt and laughing… My lord what a crew!
C’mon just bend the rules for a shift or two
put me in the line-up… let me go against the flame.
One last inning … one last game.
Let me lace my boots up one more time
and join my brothers and sisters on the line.
give me another opportunity to work with the best
my last wish … my last request
Oliver …Counting the days |
| 5/28/05 |
Just tripping down memory lane and caught a link to some postings from '03
regarding "Just one more time"
As a retired rapper I got my just one more time dream (or at least close) During
the 2003 fire season in British Columbia things got really heavy with many more
lives and homes on the line then I had seen in all of my active years. Long
story short a group of us old guys got a call from the service to recert and
look after some rookies down on the coast where things were not quite as bad. Did
not get any action just some public relations stuff and a few patrols.
Feeling depressed about the whole thing I got back into my normal routine just
as the season was ending and on the drive home after a long business trip, there
it was. A new start, it it was moving fast (after 4:00PM with a good wind) did
not get a chance to rappel but spent a few hours on the ground, swinging and
slinging and chocking on the smoke. Finished off the evening in a 212 as a
spotter.
I would not give up the day reliving the past but sometimes I think it was a bad
thing because it just got my blood pumping all over again, I guess this proves
it 2 years later.
Rustic
Keep your Pulaski sharp, your lid on and watch out for those FNG's |
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| 1/24/03 |
Ab,
The "Just One More Time" thread started on 03/28/00 on "They Said". I
re-read the original writings I posted on that date, and those from
Firehorse and Pulaski and others that followed. Still makes we well up in
the eyes. I miss fire fighting, even after being retired almost three years
now. I stand my suggestion that you folks in fire treat each assignment as
if it were their last one. Take care of your friends and "live a little,
love a lot, and live each day as if it is your last."
Any current additions to "Just One More Time" would be appreciated.
Hunter
Hi Hunter. Ditto on your sentiments. It is a sweet thread. Ab. |
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| 12/4/01 |
Ab,
I have been reading the postings for the last several days with great
interest.
I did not care to get into the fray. I will say I line up right behind "Ab
the Original" on these issues.
Fire Dog R6,
Your post reminded me of something I call a "defining moment." That is a
moment when you stop a say to yourself, "I have the best job in the world," or
"I don’t believe I am getting paid for this." In the last 25 years I have had a
good number of those; riding a WFO jet boat up Hells Canyon straight at a
rapidly growing column, being woken by pinyon jays in the desert, glissading
down a snowfield, using my pulaksi as a rudder, looking down into the Yosemite
Valley from the top of El Cap’, to mention of few that come immediately to mind,
there are a lot of others.
I have had opportunities do and see things few people, other than wildland
fire fighters, can even conceive of. What is that worth? Can’t say, it’s a
secret.
So, I have enjoyed the journey and the Zen I have found a long the way. It
tends to makes other things shrink to insignificant background noise.
DM
Last year there was a thread "One More Time" in which
retiring/retired/soon-to-be-retired firefighters shared some of their magical
"defining" moments. We've all had them. Amazing thing is, the feeling they
invoke today is as fresh as the experience itself. Maybe one of the Abs should
go back and pull those out into a list on its own page. Ab. |
| 12/4/01 |
This is to the 30 and under crowd.
Free advice, it's worth what is costs, maybe a little more. Ok the essence of
Fire Fighting is to do the job and to do it right. No politics, No posturing, No
Bullshit. It is Bravery and Courage, Moxy if you will and Camaraderie, Sharing
the Burden with the Team and Pushing Oneself. It doesn't matter if the fire is
Forest or Structural when the alarm sounds and ya put on the Hardhat and Gloves
or Helmet and SCBA, cinch it up tight, and respond, all the while trying to
anticipate what it is you are going to find, how you are going to size it up,
and what resources you will need and then what strategy to use to get the fire
out.
I have been doing this since I was 16 and now I'm 40 and I still get a rush and
a sense of duty and accomplishment every fire call. When I watched our Brothers
respond to the World Trade Centers and the sacrifice that was made by so many I
am not ashamed to say I was in tears, and I was raised that Real Men don't cry,
BS. Brothers and Sisters, look around you, we are few in number if you look at
the demographics and we have something that not many people have. What is it,
it's hard to quantify isn't it. I'm sure you must feel the same type of reaction
when the Engine starts to roll.
What's the point huh, I guess it is this. Fire Fighting is a Lifestyle and
Choice, and face it none of us are going to get rich or even expect to but it
would be nice to have enough to pay the bills in the Winter, so... Enjoy the
Journey. I have worked on fires since I was 16 ( with the CDF ) which meant I
wasn't even allowed to fight the fire, just hump the hose and fittings up the
hill to the Fire Fighters. I have worked CDF, BLM, USFS, State of Oregon
Forestry and Fire Protection, and as a Fire Contractor. This past summer on the
Quartz Fire in the Applegate Ranger District in SW Oregon, as I was driving my
Engine up through the fire on a dozer line in the middle of the night I thought
to myself that I have the best job in the World and that most people don't even
know this kind of job exists.
I have been reading about all the grumbling and accusations and the new acronyms
that I don't know and all I can say is Life is Short, enjoy your crew-mates and
assignments. Plan for advancement and continually better yourself but enjoy
going places that nobody else will ever see and facing your fears and conquering
them. I have learned that there is no such thing as a "CAREER" and it is
erroneous to expect performance or education to ever be enough to somehow ride
the crest of a career for the duration. I know because I just got my "dressing
down" and went from management to unemployment all because of one more personal
vendetta. But guess what, I still have my home and family and the occasional
fire assignment (Fire Contractor now) and I am better off for it all. Hardship
does build character!! Brothers and Sisters, Enjoy the Journey, that is the
Secret and that is my free advice.
Fire Dog R6 |
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| 6/8/01 |
Haven't written in quite some time and have not seen any "Just One
More Time" in awhile so will start the ball rolling and see what
happens.
- Just one more time: I would like to feel my excitement level
increase when the clouds start to build!
- Just one more time: I would like to feel that level increase 3 fold
when the cloud starts to get that classic anvil top!
- Just one more time: I would like to feel that level increase 5 fold
when I hear that first "Rumble"!
- Just one more time: I would like to feel that level increase 10 fold
when I see that first downstrike!
- Just one more time: I would like to feel that level increase 20 fold
when I first see the smoke column!
- Just one more time: I would like to feel the level increase to
"Unimaginable" when I finally am on the fire, feeling the
heat, smelling the smoke, hearing the flames crackle (or roar).
- Just one more time: I would like to be on the fireline with those
who share the same passion I do.
- Just one more time: I would like to look into the eyes of that first
season rookie see that same passion realized for the first time.
- Just one more time: I would like to feel the camaraderie that made
some of those same people closer to me than my own brothers or
sisters.
For those of you who visit this site, have not been on the fireline and do
not have "The Passion", you will never identify with I have
stated above. For those of you who have been on the fireline and still do
not have "The Passion", you will say I am "One egg short of
a dozen". For those of you who have "The Passion" you will
say "Right on. Preach it brother"!!!!!
Those of us who are retired (whether by our choice, age, or disability)
will cherish those times when "The Passion" was so strong you
could not believe you actually were paid to be in that place, at that
time, with those people. For those of you still
humping up and down the line you think, "How could anyone give this
lifestyle up for something else?" Eventually the day will come when
you too have to walk away. Build those memories and friendships! They will
both be with you the rest of your life!
Firehorse
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| 12/24/00 |
My Christmas gifts are priceless. They are the longstanding
friendships I've gained after being in this business for 24 years. Read through the archives
of They Said and you'll see many pearls of wisdom shared by veterans and the
gleam in a rookie's eye as they ask questions about things that some of us
took for granted long ago.
This is an especially nostalgic time because the end of the year marks the
end of some illustrious careers for some of my closest friends. Their
careers are filled with war stories that live in our memories and on the
pages of They Said. The medals of their legacy include bad knees, calloused
feet, and boots that have been rebuilt over and over again.
But ask any of these people if they would have chosen another life, and they
will say "HELL NO!".
"Just one more time" I'd like to say thank you to my friends who shared this
part of their lives with me. Our bond lies in the passion we have for our
work and the spirit of our friendship. Spouses and families cannot
appreciate the bond that we have, unless they too have fought the dragon on
the fireline.
FOBSIF |
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| 5/10/00 |
Another "Just one more time":
I would like to go out on a broadcast burn that is lit after dark!
Firehorse |
| 4/29/00 |
To Hunter 45:
Reference your last "Just one more time": I had a fire up the upper ends of the
West Fork Rapid river in '94 that cam close to meeting your needs. Trail ran
thru the meadow with above the trail being in a wilderness and the below the
trail out of the wilderness. Food was brought in each day by FS packstring and
prepared by a fella and his family over some kind of natural gas powered cook
stove. Each night was an experience. 100+ people sitting in this meadow eating
chow and watching the sunset on the other side of the valley. Evenings the noise
was stopped early (We Division Sups were the camp Mayors and had a little more
latitude to make and enforce "Spike Camp" rules.
Definitely one of the top five fires in my 30 years.
Firehorse |
| 4/28/00 |
To FOBSIF (Feisty Old Broad Still In Fire),
who said "Just one more time I'd like to work with firefighters I respect,
before they retire..."
You know FOBSIF, I feel you are in that same class of firefighters. I am
sure that there are many in your circle of friends that would be proud to say
they have worked fire along side you over the past several years.
You are going to get the chance to work some fire sooner than you think. I
just returned from a camping / hiking / biking trip in central AZ (Prescott
NF). I was up on Granite Mountain on Tuesday and saw the lizards doing their
pushups on the shady side of the rocks that day. The whole west is hot and
dry very early this year.
Just one more time . . . I want to work a spike camp operation on a high
mountain somewhere in Montana where the camp is supported by pack train and
the morning and evening chow is cooked on an open fire by an outfitter. That
is Wildland Firefighting!
Hunter '45 |
| 4/24/00 |
Just one more time I'd like to work with firefighters I respect before they
retire... That's real soon for some of my best fire buddies.
FOBSIF (Feisty Old Broad Still In Fire) |
| 4/22/00 |
Hi Ab
I'm glad you had a chance to expand on your comments regarding, following
the ways of the seventies. What your saying makes alot of sense and follows
some of my observations too.
In your reply you asked me if I was around since the 70's, do you remember
your first five fires? How safe were you, how good was your supervisor?
How do they compare to your last five fires?
I started in 1953 and retired in 1985. Let me tell you though, some of the
negatives that you mentioned in the seventies were around big time in 1953
and for too many of the following years, with exceptions of course. Yes, I
remember a couple of my first five fires and one of my last five too, I
also remember special fires in between like the Magic, Sundance, Corn
Creek, Marble-Cone and some lesser fires we hooked at less acres because we
made good decisions, had some luck and the right people at the right place
at the right time.
I remember my supervisors too. Some for me were better than others, and all
but a couple had the interests of the Forest Service foremost in their
actions and minds.
My first fire as an employee was with Tony Cambis in July of 53. He was a
patrolman and I was a crewman on the engine. For some reason the foreman
was on a day off and Tony was covering the engine, with me as the only
crewman. I'd been on a month or so with no training, much like your initial
rememberances of the seventies. We went to a fire in Little Tujunga Canyon
at Gold Creek. One thing stands out on that fire and that was, Hugh
Masterson, alone on initial attack fired and held the south side of the
Gold Creek road and singlehandly kept the fire from going farther north
into roadless national forest land. Hugh was a real fire god and one of my
future uncles, who could kick my butt and praise me in the same breath. My
early fire uncles also included, Verdie White, Fred Tyler, Tex Strange, and
T.L. Biddison.
For my second fire the foreman was back but still no training. When we
arrived at the fire above Monrovia we got off the red 1940 cabover Ford.,
milled around and stared while the fire below us headed our way. Non
training was kicking in. Foreman told us to get our plastic hard hats on
and be ready to work. I put one on that had the letter F in front. No one
on the crew knew including me that the F stood for foreman. However a
county chief did and gave me the assignment for the crew. I passed it on to
the foreman and we went to work after I swapped hats with the foreman.
Fortunately for me anyway, I got promoted after two months to TTO or Tanker
Operator and started working for a foreman who trained and expected
performance. I won't go into the rest of 1953 but there were lots of fires
and lots of assignments culminating with the Fish Fork, Barrett and a fire
just to the west that went over Christmas and into the new year.
My last five fires were 32 years later and I was a forest AFMO. I can
remember my last one. I went, not because I was needed, but because I
figured it would be my last one. I was getting nostalgic then and not sure
if I really wanted to retire. I remembered the old friends, the smell of
coffee in the morning, the siren announcing get up time and I wanted to be
part of it, just one more time. Then the next day I was driving down the
road realizing , that's all folks.
In regard to safety. I never made a decision that resulted in a fatality or
major injury. I did pull a couple stunts that could of got folks hurt, but
realized in time what we were doing was wrong and pulled out. Fred Tyler
was my boss when I was a Hot Shot Supt and he told me that it was only
burning brush and to dial down my actions accordingly. That was early in my
career and it stuck with me and became my personal motto. I was fortunate
enough twice to over-ride a decision by another person and move folks out
before they were threatened by a major run. I don't know why I recognized
the threat and the others didn't. Perhaps it was Fred's comment or the
hairs on the back of my neck standing up.
Did I contribute to the solution or was I part of the problem. I think some
of both, but I sure had a hell of a ride.
Fudgie
p/s; sometime I'll tell you the Fudgie story |
| 4/5/00 |
Just one more time I want the whole damn experience.
From the guy who's no longer in it.
J. |
| 4/2/00 |
here is my contribution: Just one one more time I want to wake up
and kiss my wife goodbye: and come back!!!!!!!!!!!!. Here we go to year 24!
happy season to you. |
| 4/2/00 |
Firehorse,
I was blissfully reading through your One More Time entries a few days ago
when, much to my surprise, I spied my name in the midst of an eloquent
passage. I was deeply touched, far past the point of tearing up, and I want
to sincerely thank you for sharing that moment. If anyone has ever been
hugged through e-mail, I certainly was that day. You did drain some pain
away with your hug in the meadow, and so have all the rest of you that have
expressed your love, friendship and support since that horrible day. You
have all made a huge difference in my life and besides being eternally
grateful, I am extremely honored to be able to call you my friends. Thank
you all.
Tom |
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| 3/31/00 |
Ab,
Concerning "Just One More Time": glad I did not put anything in there that I did
not want my wife to see. Was reading her your comments
on the bottom of the message where you choked up and she asked what it was all
about so I brought up the Just One More Times that I
sent you and she now wants a copy of them to keep.
<Up on the soapbox>
To those of you that are still facing the dragon or who are
just starting in the wildland fire business. Over 30 years
in the business I have been everything from a Grunt to Smokejumper to Dispatcher
to AFMO to Div Sup on a team, so feel somewhat
qualified to offer the following advice.
DO NOT FORGET THE PEOPLE BACK HOME
WHILE YOU ARE GONE AND TREAT THEM
SPECIAL WHEN YOU GET BACK! I had a good wife that realized fire was my mistress
and something I needed in my life. I was one of
those that believed you took no time off during the summer and the job came
first. Did not realize how wrong this attitude was till I went to
a retirement party and the guy broke down, cried and asked his family to forgive
him for never spending anytime in the summer with them.
That was in 1990 and I have scheduled time off each summer since. You may think
you are indispensable to the organization; but, believe
me you are not! No, I don't care what your position or title is either! If you
have a serious illness and the Doc tells you to stay away from
work for 2 weeks, the outfit will still be functioning when you get back, right?
So what is a long weekend or even a week with your family
going to do? Betcha not much. The old argument "We need the money" is darn weak
at best. I know because it sounded weak every time I used it to justify not going on family weekends at the coast or to
family reunions. The time and money you spend on your
family that week/weekend will pay dividends you may not see for years to come;
but, it will be better than any money you may have in the
bank during the same timeframe.
If you have people working for you and you think
they should not have time off during fire season, you
need to seriously rethink your management methods. Having them tell you in May
they want to take the family somewhere in August is
acceptable believe it or not. (They also need to understand, should you be in
the middle of a lightning bust things may have be put on
hold. If you have good people that respect you and trust your judgment, you
won't have to say anything about sticking around.)
Over the
years I have seen alot of marriages/families break up because, in most cases,
the guy did not give his family a little time in the summer or
acknowledge the sacrifices made by those left at home. When you are on fire the
significant other is still home taking care of business
and keeping the ship afloat. One thing we always did at the end of fire season
was find a babysitter, take a long weekend and go to some
expensive, exotic (translated: somewhere we had never been before) place and
enjoy each others uninterrupted company. (You made all
that OT, now spend some of it wisely!)
When someone is killed or gets burned over
and it is all over the news, sit down with the spouse
and kids and explain to them what happened and what you will do to try and keep
it from happening to you. If you think because they do
not ask that they do not worry or have questions, you need to get your head out
of the smoke & heat and come back to the real
world. My wife and daughter never asked much about what went on when I was
fighting fire; but, that all changed on July 6, 1994. I spent alot of time answering questions about the news coverage and what I was doing to
ensure it would not happen to me or anyone under
me.
If you feel you may be one of those that is putting family on the backburner
as mentioned above, I write this not to condemn you; but,
to try to get you to open your eyes. Eventually you will be out of the fire
business, but your family will always be there unless you drive
them away before you retire. <Off the soapbox>
Had a unique opportunity in '94 to have my family visit a fire camp I was in.
Answered alot of their questions and let them see how Dad
lived when he was gone from home. It was a real eye opener for them. Try it if
you get the chance.
Firehorse |
| 3/31/00 |
Ab,
I am very pleased as you should be, to see the old fire dogs adding to my
original post of One More Time..... A person doesn't really know what the
outcomes of his/her writings will be until much later, and that is the fun
part of life. It has been said "Don't test the depth of the water by using
both feet," but if that were the case in life nothing new would be attempted.
Your web site is such a great place to go and share thoughts, feelings,
gripes, successes, and failures in the wildland fire service.
Pulaski, Firehorse, and Hickman,
I too remember the fire service before there were Strike Team Leaders, and
dispatch tones. I can remember when every fireman (today we are
firefighters) could be a fire boss, fire engines were called Trucks, water
tenders were called Tankers, and dispatchers were firemen too. Fires were
often reported by way of a local rancher running in and yelling that there
was a fire on his ranch. Offduty firemen were alerted of the fire by an air
horn on the repair shop, the second truck on the fire was always manned
(staffed now) by volunteers who knew as much about firefighting as the
regulars, and they didn't need to be baby-sat on either. We all worked on
the fire until it was out because there wasn't anyone to relieve us. Our
families brought us food and a change of underwear, if they could find us,
and they answered the phones and dispatched for us while we were out. We all
carried hand tools and were jack of all trades on the fire. We didn't have
to pay for the water we used to put out the fire either (can you believe now
they bill us for putting out a fire on their property that they started?). I
remember the first air drop on my first brush fire. It came from a WW II
B-17 flying at around 65 knots, and up-slop! The mud was called Bentenite
and I believe it was a by product of Twenty Mule Team Borax. It sterilized
the soil for a few years after the fire. And we all fought fire better then
than we do now.
To those in the Federal Fire Service,
Get deeply involved in your Association,
www.fwfsa.org. You are
such good firefighters, but you are beating yourselves up
and/or leaving the service too soon for a better pay, or you are having to
retire too young, and you are not being compensated for it. You owe it to
your families to get the best pay and working conditions you can. You owe it
to the young ones coming up behind you who just want to belong to the best
occupation in the world. Keep this thought in mind, "Your employer is only
renting your services, and if they can keep the rent down, don't you think
they will?"
Stay safe and enjoy each day on the line is if it were your last fire, stay
in touch with the friends, love a little, laugh a lot, and live life to its
fullest.
Hunter '45 |
| 3/31/00 |
Gotta do this...in thinking back to my trips both east and west...
One more time..
- ..of waking up on a cool Idaho morning to the sound of an elks bugling
and not being able to see 50 feet due to the inversion layer.
- ..of sitting on the side of a mountain at 8000 feet watching the colors
of an Idaho sunset against giant column of smoke.
- ..of looking into a valley of blackend ash on an evening bus ride out
and seeing the sparkling of hot embers looking like minature cities from
above the earth.
- ..of walking across an ice cold mountain stream in bare feet after
working on Division J all day in the hot California sun.
- ..in walking through burnt over sand in Florida in bare feet.
- ..in waking up to the sound of an Officer in the Army yelling at his
troops to get their 'La-Z asses out of the sack'
- ..in listening an Indian Hot Shot Crew do their Native Chants to their
Gods at the end of a fire.
- ..sitting around an open fire pit with a group of fellow fire fighters
and feeling more warmth than heat from the fire.
- ..and last, but no means least...Sitting watching in Awe at the awesome
power produced by a fire running up the side of a 8000 foot mountain and
realizing how large an effort it is for man to slow it and how small an
effort it would be for God to slow it with a small shower.
Hickman |
| 3/30/00 |
just one more time
- ...Id like to step onto the crew bus (or crew carrier nowadays) and
smell
the sweet mixture of sweat and smoke.
- ...stagger into camp still hot, sweaty and tired, reach down into the
drink tub, grab a ice
cold milk and chug it down without takin a breath (and wishin it was a
brewski).
- ...hear the friendly banter in the bus on the way back from a grueling
shift slowly settle
down to quiet snoring.
- ...pitch one more FNG into the fold-a-tank.
- ...make that trip with the entire crew down to the bar after slammin
line the first day of the
new season.
- ...pry my fingers off the saw to gas'er up again. (Those who were around
before anti
vibration handles know what I mean!)
- ...Get back home at 2 in the morning after being gone for weeks and
having to sit and
sharpen tools so you are ready to go again tomorrow.
and the humorus flip side...you know you are old when someone makes up a
"Just one
more time.." retirement list and uses words like, strike team leader and
dispatch tones...
terms which that werent even invented yet when you started playin the game.
Pulaski |
| 3/30/00 |
Hunter 45 and Firehorse,
You guys just about brought tears to my eyes with your rendition of "Just one
more time." I'll be 31 this May, and going into my 13th season in wildland. I
still remember my first fire in Southeast Arizona, loosing my virginity to a
"very experienced" MSU college girl in Phillipsburg Montana on the Combination
fire in '88 (we were in town, not on the fire!!) working my ass off on many
18-20 hour days on the line, and losing personal friends on the "Storm King"
incident. I can honestly say that I would not trade those experiences for
anything in this world. The friends and experiences you attain over the years is
nothing no one else can experience except for those of us who put our lives on
the line every day, every season, every year.
I can only hope and pray that when I decide to retire (20 years from now), I
will have my own list of "just one more time" to share with a new generation of
firefighters.
Ab, I'll say it again, thanks for one hell of a site!!
AZ Trailblazer (seems more people now me by this handle than my real name!! :)
ps, the rain 'isa' flying in Northern AZ. Looks like fire season is put off
for a few more weeks!!
Last night I was quoting some of the "One Last Time" statements to my wife
when I had to pause cause something happened to my throat. It felt like there
was a big lump or something. My voice cracked, I had a hundred flashbacks in
10 seconds, I had to stop talking. She asked me if I was ok. . .I told her I'd
never felt better! Original Abercrombie |
| 3/29/00 |
Hey Firehorse I hear ya loud and clear brother. I too would like to get
out and gear up just one more time. Got married and responsible, wildland fire
suppression was the victim in my life. However I will never forget the friends,
the sights, and the wonder of fire. Maybe we will both get to saddle the helo
and take another ride, geared up of course.
My addition would be...
... just one more time on initial attack, swinging a pulaski, snorting smoke,
and ducking slurry.
Ya all have a safe summer now ya hear,
Postal |
| 3/28/00 |
Hunter '45,
You can add these to your "Just One More Time" list:
Just One More Time: I would like to be humping up the line or scouting ahead of
the Division and thinking this is a young person's game and it is time to quit.
Knowing full well that I would be back next year.
Just One More Time: I would like to feel the straps of my line pack cutting into
my shoulders and waist at the end of a shift.
Just One More Time: I would like to be sitting in an Idaho wilderness Spike Camp
meadow with 150 other people, eating dinner brought in by a pack string and
watching a gorgeous sunset.
Just One More Time: I would like to be in that same meadow hugging Tom Shepard
as he got off the helicopter and feeling like I drained off some of the pain he
was feeling that September day in '94.
Just One More Time: I would like to teach a class of 280 new people in Basic
Fire School and have some of them come up after the final exam and say they
think they have found something they will love to do.
Just One More Time: I would like to be in the middle of a dying 20,000 acre
South Zone fire looking for hotspots and run into an old friend I smokejumped
with years ago.
Just One More Time: I would like to go on a 3.5 mile training run and agree
beforehand that we would not make a race out of it for the last 1/2 mile. All
the time knowing "Mouse" would pick up the pace on his 26" legs and I would be
in hot pursuit with my 34" legs. Then spend our cool down time arguing over who
started racing first.
Just One More Time: I would like to sit in the Glen Helen Regional Park and
complain about the frozen turkey dinner I was having for Thanksgiving. (Just
remembered the shovel box races across the lake there also.)
Just One More Time: I would like to be on a torch helping light a unit and
wondering why anyone would knowingly choose to work in an office.
Just One More Time: I would like to get that late night/early morning call "The
team is up" from the Ops Chief or "I just heard rumbling in clouds to the SW and
they are headed this way" from the lookout.
Just One More Time: I would like to hear my wife say "Not another fire T-shirt".
Just One More Time: I would like to have the Midnight Suns, ZigZag, Redmond and
Prineville Hotshots on my Division and shake my head at the amount of work they
produced on a daily basis, day after day.
Just One More Time: I would like to be in R-8 fighting fire with a fire rake.
Just One More Time: I would like to relive the last fire I was on with the
knowledge that it would be that last time I would ever gear up in Nomex, line
gear, hardhat, gloves and Whites. I would like to feel the heat and smell the
smoke.
Just One more Time: I will remember all the places I have been, country I have
seen and most importantly; friends I have made thru being connected to wildland
fire suppression and fire prevention
Firehorse |
| 3/27/00 |
To Hickman and Firehorse,
I too, am fast approaching my last fire season. My knees look like two old
beat-up leather footballs from all of the repairs we have had to make on them
over the years. That being said, I just can't see myself not being able to
make the next fire season, even though it has to happen soon.
I have put together a short list of things that kept me coming back each year
for the past 30+ years. I call it "Just One More Time". There are many
more
reasons to come back than this short list, and I invite all the old fire dogs
out there to add to this list of: "Just One More Time"
Just One More Time: I would like to make the morning shift change, sip that
first cup of coffee with the off going crew, and make plans for the upcoming
day with my crew.
Just One More Time: I would like to empty out my IA pack, replace the old
chewing gum, eye wash, toilet paper, candy bars, and fusees from last fire
season.
Just One More Time: I would like to plan my vacation around the upcoming fire
season, and be sure not be gone during the full moon period.
Just One More Time: I would like to feel the adrenaline rush as the dispatch
tones are going off sending my crew on a fire response.
Just One More Time: I would like to hear our engineer yell "Holy Shit, look
at that header", look up, and see the fire in the next district, and hope
that we will be first on scene.
Just One More Time: I would like to wake up in the middle of the night to the
sound of a major wind event, knowing that it’s a matter of time before the
dispatch tones will go off.
Just One More Time: I would like to feel my boots wrap around my ankles as I
lace up in the early morning dew.
Just One More Time: I would like to stand in the chow line with a hundred
other strangers of all sizes shapes and origins from all around the country,
anticipating the sausage and eggs, OJ and hot coffee.
Just One More Time: I would like to get that 2300 hour phone call from the
dispatcher telling me to be at some far off ranger station for an 0500
Operational Briefing.
Just One More Time: I would like to lean over the hood of the truck with the
Crew Sups and Strike Team Ldr’s and work out a plan for the day.
Just One More Time: I would like to come off the fireline, squat down waiting
for the ride back to camp, leaning back on my pack and knowing that we all
gave it a 100%.
Just One More Time: I would like to stand around the warming fire in the
evening at the spike camp and talk about all the fires we fought in the past
and how good we were then. compared to now.
Just One More Time. . .
Hunter '45 |
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