Yep, you read it right, week 1 of NPQ-I class is almost over. Can't say I'll miss it, 1 down-13 to go. So far, we've taken 3 tests (yeah, 3, it's crazy). Not bad scores either, 81,82, and 95%. And I thought EMT-I in 12 weeks seemed ludacris..ha! that now seems as though it was a walk in the park. This week has also had a bit of humor for us, the explorer post for the county is doing their summer camp. It's so funny to watch these kids running around in turnouts...with BLUE reflectors! I caught a couple of the females in the locker room complaining about the PT when I was headed for the shower today. They didn't realize our class had been working out for nearly an hour by the time they got to the academy. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I know better than that... I also know this PT will literally save my tail on many occasions, but, it's been difficult to adjust to the new routine. In EMT class, we were spoiled, PT was held to only an hour- now it's a minimum of 1 1/2 hours...usually 2. We are also doing a lot more running, and going greater distances. Well, let me tell a quick story...
Day 2...0700....Formation...first day of PT.........
In formation, at "at ease", waiting for our fate to be decided. A quick glance towards the Admin. building, a sudden sinking feeling. **think old time western here** All 6 instructors are lined up, side-by-side, marching in step, with torture on their minds. The closer they get, the more intense they become.
"Atten-tion!"
Now, in range, the slaughter begins. "Yeah, C'Mon! Let's see who's gonna drop first."
Push-up position...lost count..........................six-inches...have no idea how long we went without our feet touching the deck. Running formation! We made it to the B-Shop parking lot to do PT...nosebreakers and more six-inches. Back in formation and on to "Taco Hill." More push-ups. The guy next to me was having trouble getting on his feet afterwards so I tried to help (he's nearly double my size). Luckily, a few classmates saw me and ran over to help. Poor guy was so burned already, he couldn't even get his feet under his body...we were holding him up. A quick decision was made to lay him down. A couple instructors finally came over to see what the fuss was about, they called another instructor at the academy to bring the van to pick my classmate up. He was having a rough time catching his breath and kept feeling like he was going to throw up. **Here's where the instructors frustrated me** After them drilling into our skulls "leave no man behind" we had to get in running formation and head off to finish our run. We made it a good portion of the way to the library before a lot of people started dropping out (walking or stopping to catch their breath). The instructors decided to let them catch up, then head home. About halfway back, the same folks started dropping like flies again. By this time, the instructors seemed to be getting a little pissed.
"If you fall-out, too bad, let's see what the rest of you got....I wanna know how bad you want this!"
Here's where the running pace picked up considerably. As we passed the B-Shop, I got a side-stitch (major cramp in oblique muscle, makes it somewhat painful to breathe deep). I was only 10 feet behind the formation, that grew rapidly to nearly 100 ft. Rounding the backside of the tower, I caught up with the help of a classmate. Once everyone caught up, we ran the tower (7 stories high). Ran to get into formation again, quick stretch, then put at "attention".
Like buzzards circling a carcass in the desert, the instructors paced the formation, trying to get someone, anyone, to break. The longer I stood, the sicker I began to feel. Before you junp on me, NO, I did not lock my knees...And YES, I was doing my best to stay hydrated. I told the guy standing in front of me that I wasn't feeling too good and he shifted so he could keep an eye on me in case I fell out. I was getting dizzy and real light-headed, close to passing out. I bent forward with my arms bracing me (think standing tripod position) to try and breathe a little better. The head instructor saw me bent over, with my classmate holding my shoulder to keep me standing. He must have been in a forgiving mood- I was sent inside to rehydrate and stand in front of the AC. He followed me in and told me to stay until I was recovered.
The rest of the day passed without major incident, but many times the instructors asked if I was OK...I didn't let them get to me. We went through 2 chapters in the book and called it a day at 1530 (3:30 pm).
Right now, I can't wait until tomorrow. Today was spent learning how to assemble the bottle to the SCBA backpack, how to work the PASS alarm (of course, mine just had to have a dead battery so it's going to the shop), and how to bleed the lines with the regulator. Tomorrow, we will begin doing rapid-dress...getting into full turnout gear in under 2 minutes for those that are a little lost.
In a week from Monday, we'll be going to the state fire academy to use the burn building...ours is still under construction. It's amazing to think about just how fast we are moving through the information.
Well, I think this entry is plenty long-enough to make up for some of the ones I've missed....Take care
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