What do you do for a living?

BMW Rider · #1 03-07-2008, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palster

I'm a full time firefighter/training officer for the city of Kelowna. Actually I strictly train existing members of my department as well as new recruit firefighters. When I get called out to fires, rescues and haz-mat incidents now it is as a safety officer and not as a firefighter.

I completed my Fire Officer I course last year. Good luck with yours and make sure you study! It's not that hard but you do have to be prepared.

I know what you mean about loving your job. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. Some days I can't believe they are actually paying me for rappelling from the side of a building or taking new recruit firefighters into a burn building or flash over simulator.

How long have you been with Kelowna FD? I've just finished 18 years here in Calgary and had 8 years as a volunteer prior to that.

I've done several courses towards my NFPA 1021 certificate over the past year. The exam I have up coming is the departments promotional exam. Makes me eligible for promotion when I pass it. I should have my 1021 finished by the end of the year, and will start acting as a Lt. fairly soon.

The flashover simulator is a very cool training tool. We use one here too. It is a wee bit warm in there. Our training division now has special heat reflective covers for some of the gear when we use it. Melted a lot of helmets and SCBA parts in the past. Better to learn about the dangers in that environment than for real. Not too many get to live to tell about seeing that in actual fire conditions.

michika · #2 03-07-2008, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW Rider

The flashover simulator is a very cool training tool. We use one here too. It is a wee bit warm in there. Our training division now has special heat reflective covers for some of the gear when we use it. Melted a lot of helmets and SCBA parts in the past. Better to learn about the dangers in that environment than for real. Not too many get to live to tell about seeing that in actual fire conditions.

Is this what is affectionately known as the "Easy-Bake Oven"?

BMW Rider · #3 03-07-2008, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michika

Is this what is affectionately known as the "Easy-Bake Oven"?

One could call it that

. Its basically a couple of shipping containers joined together and modified to create flashover conditions without killing the guys inside in the process. Gives us an idea of what the conditions and indicators of a pending flashover look like so we know when its possibly going to happen and we can make our exit if we should ever come face to face with it in real live fires. A flashover is basically everything erupting into fire simultaneously. Its very very bad if your inside.

Where is your brother working? Is he here in Calgary too? If so perhaps I know him, although with the number of new hires in the past few years, there are more guys I don't know now.

michika · #4 03-07-2008, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW Rider

One could call it that

. Its basically a couple of shipping containers joined together and modified to create flashover conditions without killing the guys inside in the process. Gives us an idea of what the conditions and indicators of a pending flashover look like so we know when its possibly going to happen and we can make our exit if we should ever come face to face with it in real live fires. A flashover is basically everything erupting into fire simultaneously. Its very very bad if your inside.

Where is your brother working? Is he here in Calgary too? If so perhaps I know him, although with the number of new hires in the past few years, there are more guys I don't know now.

Yeah he is here in Calgary, he just moved stations again this past week. He is still a relatively new hire I guess, he is up for that big test review here soon.

He was the newbie who got pranked his first night on shift pretty bad. They put broken glass around and in his new truck and rolled down the window. They waited for him to finish shift, and find the mess. When he found the mess, a senior man told him about the "emergency window" and how its in all the new trucks, in case of window damage. So they rolled up the window and sent him on his way. My brother believed them for a few minutes to I hear.

BMW Rider · #5 03-09-2008, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michika

Yeah he is here in Calgary, he just moved stations again this past week. He is still a relatively new hire I guess, he is up for that big test review here soon.

He was the newbie who got pranked his first night on shift pretty bad. They put broken glass around and in his new truck and rolled down the window. They waited for him to finish shift, and find the mess. When he found the mess, a senior man told him about the "emergency window" and how its in all the new trucks, in case of window damage. So they rolled up the window and sent him on his way. My brother believed them for a few minutes to I hear.

I did hear that story, its made the rounds of the stations and shifts

I pressume that the exam he has coming up would be his 11 month, basically the end of his probationary period. Wish him luck.

Boomboy · #6 03-09-2008, 11:15 PM

im an arbourist for davey tree. summer time we do residential jobs and commercial and winter for prune sidewalk trees for the city.

Lydia · #7 03-11-2008, 02:29 AM

I'm a paralegal working for a law firm based in Montreal. I work in our Calgary office, which is very small - it's just me!

michika · #8 03-11-2008, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW Rider

I did hear that story, its made the rounds of the stations and shifts

I pressume that the exam he has coming up would be his 11 month, basically the end of his probationary period. Wish him luck.

I will

. Every time I see him rolling up his windows I ask him if he is using his "emergency window".

mildcustom2 · #9 03-13-2008, 04:54 AM

Great turn out so far, anyone else out there want to share there job/career with everyone on Canreef.

Thanx

Sean

Palster · #10 03-08-2008, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW Rider

How long have you been with Kelowna FD? I've just finished 18 years here in Calgary and had 8 years as a volunteer prior to that.

I've done several courses towards my NFPA 1021 certificate over the past year. The exam I have up coming is the departments promotional exam. Makes me eligible for promotion when I pass it. I should have my 1021 finished by the end of the year, and will start acting as a Lt. fairly soon.

The flashover simulator is a very cool training tool. We use one here too. It is a wee bit warm in there. Our training division now has special heat reflective covers for some of the gear when we use it. Melted a lot of helmets and SCBA parts in the past. Better to learn about the dangers in that environment than for real. Not too many get to live to tell about seeing that in actual fire conditions.

I have been with the Kelowna Fire Dept. for 10 years full time and 5 years as a volunteer before that. I actually lived at one of the fire halls as a live in volunteer for a couple of years before I got on full time. I have been a training officer for the last two years and prior to that worked as a firefighter.

We have had our flashover simulator for a few years now and I believe it is the only one in B.C. A few of our own guys with steel fabricating backgrounds built the simulator after we purchased the shipping container. I was actually just in it on Wednesday night with a group of trainees. On Monday we will be spending the day with this class in the burn building doing their live fire evaluation.