Go to your happy place...MMMmmm...yeah..Go to your happy place,OH,OH,OH,YEEAAH Baby!!

As we have been stuck in a dark rut for the past few days (months), I'm drawn to go into the weekend on this note. I have a wonderful baby boy who's just starting to do things like go "VVVrooom,VVroom" and grab the wheel when I plop him behind the wheel of our (parked) engine. I look at him and think that, with the good Lord willing we'll be fighting fires together someday (much to his Momma's dismay;) ) This takes me to my "happy place".

To put a positive spin on the old forums, what about the fire service makes you:) ?

I love everything about the fire service, theres no bad part to me, well some things, but there not that important:D

-Watching black smoke turn to white steam
-Helping a family member worry less about an injured/ill patient
-Training clueless recruits, because it means we have new people
-Firing up the deck gain (see photo! ;) )

Great idea StayBack!

I'm in a similar situation with a son about to turn five. He loves the station and all the equipment. I share the same hopes that he and I can do this together in the future.

My second happy place with the fire service are those few times when all the planets all line up correctly and all the politics and in-fighting are set aside, usually after returning from an all night call. Everyone sits around, talking about the call, telling old war stories, etc. To me, that's the best time to be at a fire station. During those rare times, you can really feel the team come together.

When I'm in my happy place? Normally with good friends, and alot of beer at the local dive talking about what great jobs we have...I always win!!! They never learn.

The fire house, 0700 hrs. waiting for relief, on a beutiful Sunday morning. 2 hours of sleep, dead tired because we've run all night, cup of coffee in hand, talking to the boys(sorry if thats sexist) about our over night journies. Getting home to a quiet house, making breakfast for the family...

I usually sit alone at the table when the family has gone off to do whatever for the day, and I think what a wonderful life I have...

None of my kids have shown the slightest interest in becoming a firefighter, and thats alright by me, I have enough stuff to worry about. As long as they are happy, I'm happy

Getting back to the firehouse after a fire and knowing we just kicked butt. Knowing that all of us are going home to family after cleaning up.

I had one of those "babies" once. Now he's 19 and had said all he's ever wanted to do was be a firefighter. He's been on our volunteer dept. since he was 18 and now wants to go full time somewhere. We're fighting fires together now and I'm glad I've had the chance to do that. They just don't stay little long enough.

My happy place is those optimistic moments in the morning checking the rig and thinking "We could have a fire today" and those moments at ten till seven the next morning knowing you were right twenty four hours ago...

The thing that made me happiest and I miss the most now that I'm not on a department is being with the guys and gals. We used to sit in front of the house on summer nights and watch the traffic drive by, eat seeds, play baseball, go out for ice cream. The police would come from across the street and shoot the breeze with us. As the night got darker, the lights from inside shined off the trucks...it looked really good driving by and seeing a house full of shiny trucks ready to go with all the doors open.

After putting up with the 90% B.S.

And enjoying the 10% I actually do the job for.

Crawling through a hot, smokey bedroom above the fire floor with my Hook & Halligan in hand, hoping I don't find a helpless soul ....and knowing if someone is unfortunate enough to be in there, I'm going to do the best I can to get them out.

SHED376, I'm with you on that Sunday morning stuff too!

Teaching Rookies, or anybody else for that matter.

Coffee at the end of the tour.

48 hrs. off

Having my camera handy at a BIG job....when I'm off duty.

Being a mentor.

Having a mentor.

A good dinner with my crew on a "BIG(ghetto-Q)BBQ" Holiday (w/o interuptions).

A good nap.

Meeting BROTHERS from other places.

.....and F.D.I.C.
(if ya haven't been....ya don't know what you're missing!)

..........Yeah, that's a good start!

my happy place is sitting on the bumper of the engine in the evenings talking to the guys just watching the cars pass. knowing that any minute we could be call to drop everything and put it all on the line and in doing this i am going into battle with the most dedicated men that walk the face of the earth. knowing that i am part of the last brotherhood. knowing that when i hear footsteps on hte stairs of the station followed with the voices of childern i will soon see four little boys wanting a hug from their dad and their mom walking slowly behind them holding my youngest with a smile on her face becouse she knows she is going to get a kiss. knowing that when i am away prtoecting the lives of other peoples families there are other firefightes with the same dedication protecting mine. to all firefighters paid or volunteer knowing that you are there for us all in our time of need that sex,age,race means nothing to your dedication in protecting their life and property that when the call comes in you will answer. to you my prayers and love goes out to you all

ANY TIME ANY PLACE

My happy place (other than just being with my family) is sitting there on the way back from a good call (Fire or EMS) knowing that we all did a good job and thinking to myself that someday I could be doing this as my real job (Hey a guy can dream).

Stayback-and all you guys with kids, I love being on a call and looking up to see my father(deputy chief) come in with another crew. Just being able to work with the guys.

I love leaving a scene knowing that I made a difference- looking at all of the people we drive past on the way back to the house, knowing that i am there to protect them.

I love the challenge, the dedication, and the strength involved in doing the job.

Giving that little boy or girl a fire hat and the smile on their face as they climb on the truck.

Eating ice cream in front of the station on a nice summer night...

the list can go on.
thanks:)

-a good worker...

-going on an "invalid assist" call to help an older person who's fallen down in their home and can't get up, they always apologize profusely, but I get a good feeling from helping them out and am happy to do it...

-waving to the kids when they wave to us as we roll down the street...

http://www.theunholytrinity.org/crac...onxs/wavey.gif

I agree with most of you on two points:

1) after doing our run, and after the debrief, knowing that sure maybe we didn't save the entire world, but we did our job, and quite possibly we just saved someone elses world. When things go right, they really go right! It might only be a small difference, but it is still making a difference to somebody's family out there. The best part of this is when we get cards or messages from the family passing on a word of thanks for keeping their world safe. We all get a huge boost in "happy factor" when that happens. :)

2) coming home after all is said and done, and know that my family is safe. My oldest son (he is 2-1/2) has a very large collection of fire trucks, and he plays with them all. Some have sirens and some don't, but they all get forgotten for a few moments when I come in and its big hugs and smiles all round and lots of yelling "Daddy Daddy".

Never happier than when I am riding the engine with the crew. Everyone there for the same reason, to help others. If we have'nt had a run for a few days its good to hear the guys again and the banter on the way to and from a job. That and knowing I am doing somehing that lots of people want to do, but few can.

HMMMMM...Picking up that microphone and saying: "DC28 is on the scene with a single story commercial occupancy with heavy fire.....Give me a second alarm...DC28 will have Highway 41 command!"

Woohoo!

Of course there is another happy place we can not discuss here!

when the alarm dispatcher says on the 911 line...

"fire department...you've got a WHAT? stuck WHERE?..."

<img src="http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/laugh.gif">

Ok, here are some,

After a rough night in the firehouse, maybe if we've come back from an early morning run, or if I wake up before everyone else, sitting alone in the kitchen, reading the paper, putting on the coffee for the guys, thinking to myself what a great job I have. Just having a little quiet time. Or coming home after a 24 or a 34 hr. straight, and the girls are SO excited to see Daddy. Showing up to work on another shift or in another house for OT or a swap, and there is an awesome dinner planned, and I get to sit and eat together with guys that i don't normally work with. Here is a big one. The annual union retirement dinner, held to honor that year's retirees. Seeing the recent and not so recent retirees, guys who broke me in when I was new, sharing the old stories, and laughing like hell all over again, even though you heard them all a thousand times. After our third day, especially if it was a busy 3 days, going out for a couple of pops with the boys, unwinding with a great bunch of guys. The Memorial Day Parade. Ours is a real home-town special. No matter what is going on, or who is mad at who, just about everybody puts on their class "A" uniforms, and we line up and march together, and the public really shows their appreciation. Again, many retirees join us for this great day. The shift Christmas party. After the shift Christmas party! And even though it's usually because of a tragedy, when we line up at a fueneral, LODD or otherwise, the drums begin that all-too-familiar beat, the pipes skirl, and we all snap to attention, I am never more proud to be "One of the Brothers". Coming back to work after being away on vacation for a week or 2, and catching a run right away, realizing how much you missed work. How many other people can say that, and mean it? Ours is a lucky bunch, indeed. Just a few of my happy places.