Comments on: The day I didn’t die – Firefighter Close Calls

By: epijunky

epijunky — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:34:52 +0000

I'm without words.

I'm not on the fire side, although I've been giving it some serious thought lately. So many of my close friends are.

Reading this shook me.

By: I have been a busy, sleep deprived, lil’ medic | Life Under the Lights

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:06:16 +0000

[...] http://lifeunderthelights.com/2009/11/the-day-i-didnt-die-firefighter-close-calls/ Be back soon, y’all. [...]

By: The Handover Blog Carnival – Now Up At Happy’s Place! – Life Under the Lights

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:57:06 +0000

[...] Here’s the link to my post for this edition, in case you missed it “The Day I Didn’t Die – Firefighter Close Calls” [...]

By: chiefreason

chiefreason — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:22:55 +0000

It doesn't get much closer than that.
I had a couple of tactical questions, but hell, I'm just glad that you were able to escape to fight another day.
But personally, after all of the hugs and such, I think I would have put my boot up a certain someone's sit down place.
Thanks for re-living your experience for us.

By: chiefreason

chiefreason — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:22:55 +0000

By: chiefreason

chiefreason — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:22:55 +0000

By: Ckemtp

Ckemtp — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:00:55 +0000

I wasn't perfect on this scene. Looking back, there's probably a ton of things I could have done differently that wouldn't have landed me in such hot water. I did in fact know that there was an exterior basement door, because I did the exterior 360. I had shouldered the door originally and found the smoke banked to the floor. It immediately sucked up once I opened the door, making me think the fire was on the first floor. It was, kinda.

I knew that there was an exterior door… but I knew that the other engine company didn't know. My partner had called to them from it and gotten them out that way.

By: Tiger Schmittendorf

Tiger Schmittendorf — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:19:32 +0000

Wow! What a riveting story, and well written and presented.

I had a similar experience, not quite to your extent, except that I was the firefighter who got left behind when another firefighter bailed.

I got to the top of the stairs and did the flashlight test where I put my flashlight directly against my mask and couldn't tell it was even on.

I crawled my way by touch, made the grab and carried her outside. A fireball ripped from the kitchen through the living room I had just crawled through.

Your story reinforces the reason we need to be better and more frequent story tellers. Not only to share our experiences and the history and traditions of the fire service, but especially in your case, sharing your story may save the life of another firefighter who finds themselves in a similar situation.

Great story. Stay safe. Train often.

By: Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:43:36 +0000

Outstanding post … thanks for posting.

I am glad that you can celebrate Thanksgiving today.

Mike

By: daveleblanc

daveleblanc — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:39:23 +0000

Awesome post Brother. Certainly puts some perspective on things.