As some of you may be aware, in my spare time i am not just a volunteer for law enforcement... I also happen to be a volunteer firefighter, which brings a whole new set of frustrations and difficulties.
While on a call of a vehicle that had flipped on the road, i pulled the short straw and got stuck on traffic detail as the state troopers got cozy in their vehicles. It is STUNNING to me how drivers see at least five flares, and a fire engine, an ambulance, several state troopers and a tow truck all with their lights on and blocking the entire road on top of which a firefighter in reflective bunker gear and waving a flashlight to signal them that the road is closed (me) they still roll up and say "hey can i get through here?" as if we are just gonna move our vehicles out of the way, or that because he asked suddenly the road will widen enough for him to fit his vehicle by...
*sigh* sometimes i just can't understand what people are thinking.
i cannot express just how infuriating it is to have drivers doing the speed limit or under in the fast lane on the highway while right next to another car, it seems as if they do this specifically to piss people off who are actually in a hurry...and this is probably the ONLY time i will admit this but, New Jersey has it right for not allowing drivers to travel in the fast lane on the Turnpike and can only use the fast lane to pass.
As anyone who knows someone in a first responder profession is aware, we are some of the most politically incorrect, rude, and have the darkest senses of humor out there of any people. I mention this because i have gotten used to referring to medics as "Meatwagons" to the point where i nearly broadcast that term over the radio instead of the department sanctioned term for an ambulance recently. When i have referred to EMS vehicles as meatwagons in the company of people who don't know me well, i invariably get a lot of horrified stares from folks that do not see the dark humor in the term.
What can i say? I've never been known for showing an abundance of tact anyway...
Just as a little aside rant, feel free to disagree but this is just my personal opinion... the University of California Police Chief is just a political animal that deserves no respect. He caved to public pressure and fired Lt. Pike despite the LT operating FULLY within the use of force continuum, Lt. Pike and the officers on scene that deployed pepper spray against the foolish protesters actually showed remarkable restraint and warned all of the civilians what would occur if they did not disperse. The important thing to remember here is that pepper spray is not a 'weapon' it is a 'pain compliance tool' and as such was used appropriately.
Just my personal thoughts, if you agree or disagree either way feel free to share your opinion on the case in the comments section for this post (for those unfamiliar with the story, here is the link to said incident
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UC_Davis_pepper-spray_incident )
Song of the Week: Guilty Pleasure by Gone for Days
While on patrol we happened to drive by a car dealership around 10:30pm that had a brand new and decked out GMC Yukon sitting in one of the parking spots there, idling after apparently being parked and having one of the workers forget about it before leaving work for the day. It is a miracle in this town that it hadn't disappeared five minutes after the worker left it unattended, let alone at least 3 hours...
Wow, I honestly didn't expect to get over 200 views by this point, thank you to my followers and anonymous readers that follow my stories and rants! It is pleasant for me to find that some people find my insight, and my frustrations to be at the very least, entertaining.
(as a heads up to all, i will be quite busy this month between work and my obligations to other volunteer efforts in my life)
Not too long ago while on patrol i heard a call that sends chills through the veins of every officer who hears it.
While dealing with a minor vehicle incident (fender bender) i was sitting in the cruiser taking down information while the officer was talking with the two drivers when i heard another officer initiate a felony stop on a stolen car, i heard his tone of voice change and then he was cut off in mid sentence.
Dispatch: " 287........ 287 respond."
20 seconds later with no response, i run from the cruiser and grab the officer, and tell him to turn up his radio
Dispatch: *hits alert tones* "287 Respond"
about a half a minute passes...
Dispatch: *keys up the emergency tones causing the officer and i to both freeze* "all units all units 10-33... officer needs assistance at the intersection of wayne and montgomery... repeat all available units respond code 3, officer needs assistance"
At that moment the officer and i both told the drivers that their incident would have to be dealt with later and we sprinted back to the cruiser, jumped in and before our seatbelts were even on i had keyed up the siren and hit the lights as we burned rubber. We led a convoy of seven other law enforcement vehicles from three separate departments up the highway, hitting 135mph as we hustled to go assist a brother in need of help.
Despite us bouncing off of our speed limiter and leading the convoy of flashing lights we were still not the first unit to arrive on scene for the incident. What turned out had happened was that as the officer approached the vehicle, the much larger and stronger man in the car barged out of the drivers seat and tackled the officer before the officer could even react, as back up units arrived on scene they managed to drag him off the officer as the two were in the midst of a struggle for the officer's firearm in which the officer was starting to lose.
We rolled up on scene as the criminal was being stuffed into the back of a squad car, and we donned gloves to begin the search of the man's stolen car. There was not too much uncovered in the car aside from filthy clothes and numerous liquor bottles, both of which pointed to the man's state of mind.
All i can say is that that moment between the emergency tones going out and then the dispatcher announcing "officer needs assistance" were some of the worst i have ever experienced, for anyone who has heard those tones as a firefighter or a police officer it is something that with stick with you forever afterwards as it is a moment in which a friend and a brother in uniform is in serious trouble... it is a broadcast that sends ice and adrenaline firing through any officer, young or old, jaded or still gung-ho.
Song of the week: (i'm feeling a little country tonight so let's try this) Country Roads Take Me Home By John Denver
As time passes i see the good in my friends and acquaintances...and the bad. It disheartens me that as of late i have dealt with a friend attempting suicide, and several falling into a life of crime the likes of which i could not prevent and was thus forced to cut all ties. On top of this i have so far seen several friends succumb to narcotics and while i am aware that i will most likely not be able to salvage their lives and save them if they don't want the help, I still try.
I find myself realizing more and more how difficult it is to retain a true friendship with anyone as you grow older, let alone in the first responder profession.
If anyone is willing to share a brief story relating to this then feel free, i'd love to see how others have coped with loved ones and friends falling due to these sinister life issues
It's not every day you nearly get a lock-up for Bigamy, in the area where we discovered this though i should not be too surprised...just another bizarre night in this city.
Hey folks! sorry for the long wait between posts, i have been extremely busy between classes, work, volunteer, and personal troubles that have made it extremely difficult to keep on top of my blog, i'll get in a few more posts than normal for this month if possible to try and compensate. Thank you to the loyal readers who have followed me so far! more interesting stories to come soon!
