tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82407919421119439122024-03-13T15:15:55.230-07:00Troika Drafts, Hebron METroika Drafts is a 100 acre working farm nestled in the foothills of Western Maine. We enjoy all breeds, but specialize in Shires for work, sport, and show. We are also involved with local, regional, and national fire service issues, so if you see a blog concerning those, its just part of our life here on the farm. Visitors are always welcome, and in the meantime visit us online at http://www.troikadrafts.com or on FaceBook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Troika-Drafts/274371139201Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-7347016390019919082014-01-21T07:42:00.001-08:002014-01-21T07:42:17.567-08:0012 Signs You're Dating a Lady Firefighter
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<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Every
time she meets a kid her first question is “Do you know your
families fire escape plan”</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<ol start="2">
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Her
favorite movie is “Always”</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
entering a hotel room she immediately checks the fire escape
diagram, and looks out the window to note any complications to a
window rescue.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">She
hints that a few days in Indianapolis in April sounds great.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
new issue of Fire Engineering arrived and you automatically plan a
night out with the guys.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">She
thinks its sweet that you downloaded a fire engine ringtone so you
know its her when she calls.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">You've
gotten used to her immediately noticing if every home you enter has
fire sprinklers.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Pink
isn't her favorite color, but she wears it often and proudly in
support of Breast Cancer Research.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Candles
in restaurants that have paper napkins and place mats make her
nervous.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
there's smoke in the distance she tells you what town its in and
if its a woods or structure fire. </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
smell of smoke and two-stroke engines don't bother her.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Every
once in a while she turns her pager off, just for you. </span>
</div>
</li>
</ol>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-62073287990661522012013-12-25T16:41:00.007-08:002013-12-25T16:45:55.339-08:00Dad, Can I Have a Pony?<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuDlsICkjYaDwybwxF5F1icdUAJyjsLDicW-imNcJkZjhfOwpOYviQ7yxGWrq7moUVVffPMIOVjjc6U1ausR9BK7sUPK7ksJ0GfHoLSddqEsh4h74KZLIQFmZ36Dsw9xDQsiGLHvGDBoj/s1600/vicki142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Photo by Peter Van Dorpe" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuDlsICkjYaDwybwxF5F1icdUAJyjsLDicW-imNcJkZjhfOwpOYviQ7yxGWrq7moUVVffPMIOVjjc6U1ausR9BK7sUPK7ksJ0GfHoLSddqEsh4h74KZLIQFmZ36Dsw9xDQsiGLHvGDBoj/s1600/vicki142.jpg" title="Photo by Peter Van Dorpe" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was a routine visit to see my dad. The bright
sun streamed through his window, and the vibrant pink rhododendron
blossoms were swaying in the brisk breeze. I chatted about what a
perfect hay-drying day it was; how the crew would be happy with the
500 bales coming in that afternoon, and if the weather held we’d
have another thousand in by the end of the week. Dad was known for
his workingman’s handshake, so it was no surprise when he squeezed
my hand really hard. It was a surprise when he didn’t let go for a
few minutes, and when it did let go it was forever. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I thought about not going to work the next day,
but there was a project depending on me being there. I remembered dad
always said, “If you say you’re going to do something, do it,”
and, “There’s no excuse for not getting a job done unless you’re
dead or in the hospital.”
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, I went to work promising myself after that one
task I would take a week off. My co-workers arrived as usual, “Hi,
how’s the coffee this morning?” and a variety of other greetings
as they walked past. One friend, Mark, chatted a little longer that
morning, “Hey Vicki, I want you to know you were right. We bought
our daughter a horse and it’s the best thing we ever did.” He
went on to talk about his daughter’s good grades in school and how
she helped around the barn, but I didn’t hear much. I was lost in
memories of my dad, the farm I grew up on and a long forgotten pony.
Someday, when I can compose myself properly, he will know how much
those words meant to me.</span></div>
<div class="western">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qpI5Z8yG2rrRw4IP0w4L61Bw6MwDbZVNZ4w0PgYH4uyo5y-s9fCOx6C8fQ9Zp8Gt8D99TTrUsZjyXYbZywqm_kuBVXvhGgY-U90iqapjQaNyqGpZ7j0WjmIMoLExrtg73szOAgfohNgQ/s1600/pony2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photo by Vicki Schmidt" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qpI5Z8yG2rrRw4IP0w4L61Bw6MwDbZVNZ4w0PgYH4uyo5y-s9fCOx6C8fQ9Zp8Gt8D99TTrUsZjyXYbZywqm_kuBVXvhGgY-U90iqapjQaNyqGpZ7j0WjmIMoLExrtg73szOAgfohNgQ/s320/pony2.jpg" title="Photo by Vicki Schmidt" width="280" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As a kid, I can’t remember not wanting a horse.
We had cattle, but to me they were just odd shaped horses. I’d sit
on the backs of the tamer cows and steers when they were tied in
their stalls, and I remember trying to weave their short manes into
braids like fancy show horses. One morning my dad was rototilling the
garden and I was walking behind him picking worms and putting them
into a can of dirt so we could go fishing later on. When he shut off
the rototiller I asked if I could have a pony. He said, “Maybe
someday.”</span></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I ran into the house all excited and told mom,
“Dad’s getting me a pony on Sunday.” Needless to say, the next
few minutes were mass confusion, and by the end of the day I had
learned my first lesson in disappointment: There is a big difference
between “someday” and “Sunday.” That afternoon I lead a
weanling calf into the barn, saddled it with a rug and a piece of
rope, determined I was going to ride. A neighbor standing beside my
dad and talking cattle commented, “You really need to buy her a
pony.”</span></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That week dad traded some work towards an old
saddle he’d found in a friend’s barn and brought it home to me. I
cleaned it up and thought I’d struck gold. The calves weren’t
impressed, and the girth wasn’t long enough to go around the cows,
but it was a saddle, and for some reason it didn’t bother me that I
didn’t have a real horse to put it on. Sunday morning came and I
woke to the cattle dealer’s truck grinding gears as it came into
the barnyard to pick up calves. The sound of a whinnying horse bolted
me out of bed and crashing down the stairs. There, standing in the
pasture was not one, but two of the most beautiful ponies in the
world.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxm0KiaXysI6n9-J6frFZIlkx3xXKsUzrPr1yQ4fww8rQ6Mqb_zlBEJS32cIu1lflOsxc21Maeep9CfS8XYpPQpYu2_niM9hzO-9bp-Ek11GKWFFDICWpEW-7U9VeOKP9lDpJXdPSqus-/s1600/jacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Photo by Vicki Schmidt" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxm0KiaXysI6n9-J6frFZIlkx3xXKsUzrPr1yQ4fww8rQ6Mqb_zlBEJS32cIu1lflOsxc21Maeep9CfS8XYpPQpYu2_niM9hzO-9bp-Ek11GKWFFDICWpEW-7U9VeOKP9lDpJXdPSqus-/s320/jacks.jpg" title="photo by Vicki Schmidt" width="278" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For the next few days I brushed and braided their
manes, cleaned water buckets and stalls, saddled the ponies and
struggled to bridle them. I was too short, but eventually I got the
job done. Within a couple of weeks I could actually climb up onto the
smaller pony, named Dynamite, all by myself. Dynamite lived up to his
name. Not only did I learn to ride on that pony, I also learned how
to fall off, land on my feet and get back on. I learned that scrapes,
bumps and bruises all hurt, but all eventually heal. Some leave
scars, but even those fade with time. I also learned that just
because you are nice to something doesn’t always mean it’s going
to be nice to you. </span></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From that pony, my mom and dad and the land, I
learned a few other valuable lessons as well:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other beings will often help you find your way.
The few times I explored trails and didn’t know where I was, my
pony found the way back to a place I knew. He also taught me that
sometimes it’s better to listen to his language and cross the brook
further downstream. The waters may look calm, but sometimes others
know what lies beneath is not safe. </span></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Make sure every being that touches your life has a
warm and safe place to rest. Whether it’s a high spot of dry
ground, the shade under a big tree, a softly bedded stall for your
livestock or sharing your couch or spare room with a friend you
haven’t met yet, humans and horses both do best with a good night’s
sleep and an occasional nap. </span></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Share drinks with friends whenever you can.
Morning coffee, afternoon tea or a cold beer after a hard day’s
work all go better with friends. And, never ask your horse to drink
out of a bucket or trough you wouldn’t drink out of as well. </span></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s OK to not forget, but do forgive and pay
attention next time. Sometimes years pass before a lesson learned is
realized. Life’s bumpy rides, broken bones, bruises and bucks are
often caused by things out of our control at the time. The way horses
and people are raised sometimes makes them want to kick you. Don’t
take it personally, learn to read the signs and dodge the kick. Above
all else, never kick back.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRPnsEg5VZoQ8CB-a5whFwe9r14RjqypPCFwYsAbLKKoGig4ifygeepCECzVcVXY01fksS2ax3eHtUJQATOrpiOIHrm0Rikmgd2JXohSF_1WKRgg8O8oFrt1Ab2fEbgTD7BNoqphXX83H/s1600/ponysign2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Photo by Vicki Schmidt" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRPnsEg5VZoQ8CB-a5whFwe9r14RjqypPCFwYsAbLKKoGig4ifygeepCECzVcVXY01fksS2ax3eHtUJQATOrpiOIHrm0Rikmgd2JXohSF_1WKRgg8O8oFrt1Ab2fEbgTD7BNoqphXX83H/s1600/ponysign2.jpg" title="Photo by Vicki Schmidt" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A $50 pony is the best therapy for a kid. If your
kid wants a pony and it’s not an option at the time, find one they
can visit, brush and help care for: because there is nothing like the
nuzzle of a pony to complement the love of a parent.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Written in memory of my dad, who never understood
why I wanted horses, and in memory of my mom, who always did. Vicki
Schmidt, Troika Drafts, Hebron ME http://www.troikadrafts.com</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-51059343952122292612013-10-16T04:34:00.004-07:002013-10-16T04:37:07.508-07:00Training with the Times<h2 style="background-color: white; line-height: 32px; margin: 0px 0px 3px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">High-Tech Training Tools for Firefighters</span></h2>
<h3 style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 15px;">
<em class="intro-txt" style="color: #666666; display: block; font-size: 17px; line-height: 20px; padding: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Research & high-tech training tools help firefighters prepare for the modern fireground</span></em><em class="intro-txt" style="color: #666666; display: block; font-size: 17px; line-height: 20px; padding: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">By </span><a href="http://www.firefighternation.com/author/vicki-schmidt" style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">Vicki Schmidt</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><em class="publish" style="display: inline !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">Published Monday, September 30, 2013 <a href="http://www.firefighternation.com/article/training-0/training-times">firefighternation.com</a></em></em></h3>
<h3 style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 15px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 25px;">
Chief training officers with any degree of awareness cannot ignore the writings of groups such as <a href="http://compartment%20fire%20behavior%20training/" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">Compartment Fire Behavior Training (CFTB-US)</a>, <a href="http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">UL</a>, <a href="http://www.nist.gov/index.html" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)</a> and the <a href="http://www.poly.edu/fire/" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">NYU-Poly Fire Research Group</a>. These organizations, and many others, are offering some of the best online training for tactics for modern fires. These resources feature quick links to videos and are complemented with questions and testing to help ensure that the knowledge is entrenched and retained in viewers. Further, the programs are designed to meet the needs of both career and volunteer firefighters.<br />
<br />
There’s no doubt we live in a technology-driven era. Fire research and the resulting recommendations are addressing the dramatic changes in tactics that have been driven by the building and construction industries. As chief commanders, instructors and training officers, we need to review our current curriculums and update our skill drills and our quality indicators (the criteria instructors use to measure and ensure a skill drill is done properly). We need to work with other officers to ensure that our standard operating procedures (SOPs) match the recommended tactics and direct the tasks that produce the safest, most effective outcomes.<br />
<br />
Instituting the knowledge and implementing the recommendations from recent research does not mean abandoning what we know. Progressive instructors will use the technologies and recommendations to expand and enhance existing skills. As Steve Kerber from UL often states in his lectures, “As a whole, the fire service knows very well how to ventilate, but we do not know the what, where, when and why.” Fortunately, online training resources offer training officers the opportunity to present the “what, where, when and why” to their company officers and grassroots firefighters.<br />
<br />
For those who have reviewed the recent reports from the UL ventilation studies, the most overt take-home message is this: Everything we do on the fireground has an impact on the flow path. While the phenomenon itself is nothing new, our level of knowledge about it certainly is. The synergistic effect of modern construction with a modern fuel load often leads to very dramatic and hostile fire dynamics. Air movement has always been one of the more abstract elements of the fireground. We rarely notice or detect changes in pressurization and interior air currents, or the impact of air movement, until we see or physically feel the result of the changes. Visual changes in smoke characteristics (volume, velocity, density, color) or a rapid rise in temperature felt through our protective fire gear signal the impending consequence of hostile conditions.<br />
<br />
Fireground commanders with instilled wisdom or firefighters reacting on “gut instinct” may predict and react swiftly to dramatic changes and prevent a tragedy. But the changes can be rapid, volatile and deadly, especially to inexperienced or distracted commanders and firefighters. A moment’s missed action due to a change in smoke conditions or a change in temperature may lead to firefighters being caught in a flashover or a global collapse of the structure.<br />
<br />
P.J. Norwood, the training officer and deputy chief at East Haven (Conn.) Fire Department, sees the new research as supporting tactics we already know, but tactics we rarely incorporate into our standard fireground strategies. “We all know and teach VES, but how many of us actually have it in our SOPs or consider it as a regular tactic?” he asks. More recent literature accentuates VES with isolation (VEIS) and closing the door, but this has always been a part of VES. “Recent research brings to light the added importance of isolation,” he adds.<br />
<br />
While we often hear the phrase another “tool in the toolbox,” we need to realize that the fire service has a lot of tools—blitz attack, VEIS, foam and CAFS, to name a few. But like most craftsmen, we only use the tools we prefer. We have skills and tactics with which we are most comfortable and therefore use routinely. We utilize these skills because they have served us well in the past, but does that ensure they will serve us well in the modern fire environment? Again, the available online training can provide a fundamental foundation that allows your training officers to complement modern training technologies with field-based, hands-on training activities.<br />
<br />
As a chief training officer, ask yourself, “Are there tactics we have that we’re not using due to skill level or comfort? Can we bring them to the forefront? Practice them? And see how they work to complement the new research?” Tools and skills that sit idle may fail to serve us when we need them. Rarely do we reach for every tool equally. But the new research suggests those “tools at the back of our toolbox” might merit the grasp, the perfecting of advanced techniques, and their incorporation into our SOPs<br />
<br />
One indisputable fact is that the research from NIST, UL and many others is driven 100% by questions from fire departments, fireground commanders and firefighters who have an insatiable appetite for answers about the what, where, when and why related to their fallen brothers and sisters. The research was designed and conducted <em>by</em>firefighters <em>for </em>firefighters. Furthermore, these years of research were funded, and continue to be funded, in part by the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, along with support from administrators at UL and NIST who believe in their staff.<br />
<br />
Whether old school, new school or no school, as a chief training officer, make it your duty to bring attention to the new training opportunities. Bring that attention with honor and gratitude and on behalf of those who brought us answers when firefighters asked the questions “why?”<br />
<br />
<strong>Suggested Links</strong><br />
Polytechnic Institute of NYU<br />
<a href="http://www.poly.edu/fire/" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">www.poly.edu/fire/</a><br />
<br />
Underwriters Laboratory, Research and Training information<br />
<a href="http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/newscience/firesafety" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/newscience/firesafety</a><br />
<br />
Compartment Fire Behavior Training, resource pages<br />
<a href="http://www.cfbt-us.com/resources.html" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">www.cfbt-us.com/resources.html</a><br />
<br />
County of Los Angeles, Training Service Section<br />
<a href="http://www.lacofdturnout.com/" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">www.lacofdturnout.com/</a><br />
<br />
National Institute of Standards and Technology<br />
<a href="http://www.nist.gov/fire/training.cfm" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">www.nist.gov/fire/training.cfm</a></div>
</h3>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-59236102629514071472013-08-22T14:48:00.002-07:002013-08-22T14:49:36.859-07:00By the Light of the Full Moon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There's a kinda cute guy I've know
awhile. He finally calls and asks if I'd like to do something Saturday night.
He's a nice guy, sorta of citified, but says he thinks he'd like the
country life. So I say “sure, what sounds good”. He says “its
going to be a nice cool crisp evening with the light of a full moon”,
then he asks, what sounds good to me. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think for a moment and reply,
“Well, I have a swarm of honey bees I really need to move to a new
area. That would be the perfect weather and amount of light. Would
you like to help?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Click.
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Did I say something wrong?</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBKwllwn3X0vV0rsmloith2M3wq6YHlD2-Ov9afhW7zO4kBDs0781YCMtF8KEHlpZkKTtjB-_RZ0bJT0zVMmDaG6p-_-UYj6kJ01Oely-K_7d1Vc-l3QPEdD1n4SB2NoTxzp3CutWKVDS/s1600/fullmoon8_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBKwllwn3X0vV0rsmloith2M3wq6YHlD2-Ov9afhW7zO4kBDs0781YCMtF8KEHlpZkKTtjB-_RZ0bJT0zVMmDaG6p-_-UYj6kJ01Oely-K_7d1Vc-l3QPEdD1n4SB2NoTxzp3CutWKVDS/s320/fullmoon8_2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-29531311168716690932013-07-19T05:30:00.001-07:002013-07-19T05:30:48.063-07:00Mother's Things
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mother's Things</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mothers are amazing. I always knew that
about my mom, who has been gone for six years now . A few weeks ago I
found the courage to start going through some of the boxes of her
things. They were stashed in an unused upstairs bedroom in my home
soon after she passed away.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One box was tagged “Vicki's stuff”.
I never knew it was my stuff, I just thought it was an old box that
had been at the house. Some of her clothes were in that box and after
all these years, they still smelled of the laundry soap she used. It
was like she was there with me somehow. At the bottom of the box were
piles of papers. Documents I'd written in college, report cards from
grade school, lots of letters I'd written to her over the years, and
a July 1982 issue of Firehouse magazine.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I suspect I left the magazine at their
home on one of my visits. My mom was a nurse and told me several
times how she thought she would have enjoyed being a medevac nurse.
Mom enjoyed hearing about my activities as a volunteer EMT, and my
dreams of being a firefighter too someday. The magazine was something
she'd enjoy reading through as well. And she knew I'd be back to read
it someday.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know mom's going to be a medevac
nurse on a helicopter in her next life time. I want to fly
helicopters, so maybe I'll be her pilot. But either way, thirty one
years later, we finally finished reading the magazine. Together.
Thanks Mom. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPA6YhgwwETll4ocVTqgLEDVgDod8Bpy2c44uuPeo3QnEFbPBke3IEsbo0tOFrlWadSVtP7x_SEoNj_oBj1Bdo1SVjbuKyPPLfUAY7VDquNcs3JaWZZw0Mh9AQhcmDL6KC-uVaYTRqWGO/s1600/fhmag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPA6YhgwwETll4ocVTqgLEDVgDod8Bpy2c44uuPeo3QnEFbPBke3IEsbo0tOFrlWadSVtP7x_SEoNj_oBj1Bdo1SVjbuKyPPLfUAY7VDquNcs3JaWZZw0Mh9AQhcmDL6KC-uVaYTRqWGO/s320/fhmag.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-61000062334719020312013-06-27T09:29:00.001-07:002013-06-27T09:29:59.079-07:00Does Anyone Here Speak Fire?<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My Chief is very old school. When I brought out the NFPA certified pink camo helmet I’d won at a weekend fire school he just about went over the edge. Gruff words followed “There will be no pink worn on this Department”. Having learned long ago how to dodge a chief’s bullet, I just smiled and quickly turned the subject to other things I’d learned that weekend. Knowing full well that after a few weeks of seeing the helmet sitting by my gear he’d say; “it’s probably OK to wear it”. He’s is a great firefighter, a wonderful big brother, and a very good chief. I’ve been his Training Officer for several years and I’ve come to realize. Chiefs are very much like my other fire students – give them the “why” to the lesson and the desired shift in attitude, skill, or behavior, often follows. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The pink helmet stirred much less attention than a question from one of our Junior firefighters later in the evening “when is our next training on fire behavior?” I casually mentioned sometime soon, and went onto explain that from now on we’ll call it “fire dynamics”. There’s a big difference. Fire behavior has inherent limits to its definition, but fire dynamics involves the fire’s reaction to all the actions of every firefighter and every happening on the fire ground. My chief stopped dead in his tracks, turned and looked at me and said “when are they going to stop?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In all honesty, I wanted to answer - hopefully never, but I knew what he meant. Today’s changes are a lot to absorb, especially for Chiefs and chief officers. Not only do they have a calamity of endless paperwork, regulations, codes, and political issues to deal with; research and science seems to be changing all the definitions, training needs, and tactics at the same time. I sensed my chief’s growing frustration with the challenges and told him not worry; we’ve got it under control. We have the science, we have the technology, and we have fire fighters excited to learn. (What more could a training officer ask for?) And one more shining star: our Department’s internet service is now up to speed and can serve our rural western Maine town with ease. YouTube video’s and webcasts are broadcast without interruption. It will take time to adapt to the knowledge but we can do it. We can now talk fire. We can bring it all right to our little department. We can address the challenges, explain the science, expand our skills, and practice a variety of tactics. I sincerely believe, there is no greater time than now to be a training officer and an instructor.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But all this said, I think I’ll wait until next month, after my Chief says it’s OK to wear my new helmet to break the news: someday soon we’re going to have a class on flow path control. “You know Chief, all stuff that we used to just call ventilation but now we know there’s more to it. We have to help them understand the difference between flow path control and tactical ventilation?” Once again, he’ll almost be over the edge, but along with being a great Chief he’s a great firefighter as well. He’ll adapt and overcome and in that gruff voice he’ll eventually say, “OK, I trust you know what you’re doing”.
Did I mention what a great Chief he is?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-53552045842895997032013-03-17T06:11:00.001-07:002013-03-17T06:11:45.722-07:00Maine Fire Incident Reporting (MEFIRS) by CountyThis series of maps shows the Maine Fire Incident Reporting for fire departments 2009-2011. This is a draft project with ArcGIS Online and presented via Arc Explorer. Feedback and comments much appreciated. . .
<iframe width="500" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/presentation.html?webmap=a0f36a763a2e4af3a86363a229d0ccb6&extent=-74.7465039027225,42.6144791570165,-63.079746677926,48.074749534208"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/presentation.html?webmap=a0f36a763a2e4af3a86363a229d0ccb6" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left" target="_blank">View Larger Map</a></small>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-4777641797390222452013-03-13T04:57:00.000-07:002013-03-13T04:57:45.050-07:00Learning Arc GIS Online - 1982 Maine Rivers StudyThis is a bit of a test. Working at learning ArcGIS Online. .
This is a map project for the 1982 Maine Rivers Study. We'll see how it goes : )
Comments and feedback appreciated.
<iframe width="500" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/embedViewer.html?webmap=51a45cbadda04b35924dc2b2df43d46c&extent=-75.4889531508228,43.1880538239964,-64.3208468491772,47.3523379537755"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=51a45cbadda04b35924dc2b2df43d46c" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left" target="_blank">View Larger Map</a></small>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-54762997834346124422013-02-26T05:47:00.000-08:002013-02-26T05:47:05.162-08:00Commanding The Box
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Arriving
home safe from a structure fire demands every firefighter fully
understands knowing where they are located at all times relative to
alpha, bravo, charlie, delta. Knowing the sides of the box,
especially when that box is a residential home, is paramount for a
firefighter to excel at situational awareness. But as important as it
is for a firefighter to know the sides of the box, key leadership
must also know the value of the other two sides, the inside and the
outside. This combined knowledge sets the stage for reducing fire
fighter injuries and fatalities. </span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
momentum of knowledge streaming in from research by the National
Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) and Underwriters
Laboratory, (UL) combined with such agencies as the International
Society of Fire Services Instructors (ISFSI) needs no introduction.
Firefighters and commanding officers everywhere have experienced what
high-level technical research can now prove to us; the buildings
reaction to fire in the modern box is different from that experienced
by generations before us. Echo the words of one undeniably passionate
instructor, Peter Van Dorpe, Chief of Training at the Chicago Fire
Academy, “everything about the built environment has changed”. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A decade
ago few could have envisioned the new wave of fire terminology that
changes in building construction would bring to fire sciences. Words
such as flow path, heat release, ventilated limited, and “the
spike” were rarely heard. And, as is still the case today, were not
included in the commercial fire curriculums used by most fire
training academies. Modern firefighting demands everyone involved
understand the knowledge behind the new terminology, and more
importantly that everything that happens on every side of the box has
a direct and immediate impact on the flow path and in turn - fire
behavior inside the box. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As a
fire commander, when you pull onto a reported fire scene and see
little or nothing showing always ask yourself “at what stage of
the fire are we arriving”. Know the time it takes from the moment
the air brakes are set to the time your crew will have water ready to
attack the fire. You might arrive post initial growth and the report
of “little smoke showing” is masking a ventilation limited fire.
Enter into the box of a residential fire, whether VES without
immediate isolation or an aggressive attack through the front door
and the result will often spawn an immediate secondary growth of a
ventilation limited fire; termed by many as “the spike”. The
spike occurs when a secure and ventilation limited “box”, the
residential home your crew is about to enter, is violated. The air
fed to the fire due to the violation, causes the ventilation limited
area to flashover. Temperatures during the ventilation limited
flashover caused by this second growth phase will often spike to over
1000 degrees in less than ninety seconds. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Modern
commanders need to know how their commanding actions outside the box
are going to impact the flow path and resulting fire conditions
inside the box. Commanders must be prepared for an immediate change
in fire behavior and conditions. If your crew reports “its getting
extremely hot in here” order an immediate evacuation. Those words
are a red flag that your crew has entered a ventilation limited area
and the area will spike. Additionally, the high degree of heat
release is negatively impacting the structural components of the
building and global failure, usually a ceiling or floor collapse, is
imminent. Study research noted by Dan Madrzykowski of NIST and Steve
Kerber of UL and you’ll understand the impact of our tactics on
ventilation limited fires: how to better recognize them and how to
prevent firefighter death and injury due to them. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Change
happens, whether a decade of research and a few definitions, or a few
seconds of fire attack and a resulting flashover. Know where you and
your crews are at all times, both inside and outside the box.
Additionally, know at all times how you and your crews actions, both
inside and outside the box, will impact the flow path, heat release
rates, ventilation, and the resulting building behavior. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">View on FireChief Mutual Aid with video links:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://firechief.com/blog/determining-fire-behavior-modern-construction-furnishings-related-video"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">http://firechief.com/blog/determining-fire-behavior-modern-construction-furnishings-related-video</span></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-39067220331786490792012-11-13T12:06:00.000-08:002012-11-13T12:06:49.095-08:00The Enemy Environment
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Spend
just the minimum of hours teaching building construction to a
classroom of new firefighter recruits and you'll most likely state
the words: The building is your enemy; know your enemy. The late
Francis L. Brannigan, coined the phrase in his 1971 book “Building
Construction for the Fire Service” and a devote following of fire
instructors have echoed it for decades. </span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Near the
start of the next class you instruct on structural fire attack ask
your students; “How many of you are hunters?” With luck, most of
the hands will go up. Bless your lucky stars as delivering your
message just got easier. While the building is still the enemy, the
modern firefight takes this enemy territory one step further. The
modern firefight is about the prey and the predator. The prey is you
and your firefighters, the predator is the fire. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Survival
of the prey depends on the ability of the prey to expertly respond to
changes in its environment. The keener the prey the sooner it learns
and responds to the changes. Ideally, the prey learns to adapt before
the predator takes advantage of the changes to help confuse, trap,
and kill, the prey. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Fight
and flight are survival skills inherited by the best of prey. Fight
the fire at its source, but know when its time for flight. Flight is
a valuable life saving skill practiced by the most skilled of prey.
Flight is never quitting or giving up. It’s a viable conclusion
based on a split second summary of knowledge, training, and
experience. It is an instinctive reaction that launches a survival
based action. Reacting with instinctive flight avoids major injury or
death; ignore the warning and fall prey to the expert predator. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Nature
does not reason or rationalize, nor can it apply research. The
ability to take research and apply reason and rational decision
making to its conclusions is an ability unique to humans. As
firefighters, company officers, administrators, and instructors, we
need to take today's research and apply it not only in the classroom,
but to our fire ground command, tactics, and strategies as well. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Study
and learn to instantly recognize and react to the signs and signals
of the modern fire environment. Beat the predator at the game by
making inspection holes above and below immediately upon entry to any
building that could harbor lightweight construction (LWC). Look at
more than just the surface temperatures noted on your thermal imaging
camera; learn to recognize the thermal signatures and clues of LWC
and probable compromise of structural materials that will lead to
global collapse of the structure. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And most
importantly, know your lead out time complete with a command 360 of
the building. Make it the first due engines immediate priority to get
sufficient suppression water between any possible victims and the
fire. Suffice to say “get water on the fire”. Beat the predator
in the new enemy environment, and live to fight another day.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-6105018794449819342012-11-09T17:17:00.001-08:002012-11-09T21:49:00.623-08:00Science to the Streets and a Message to Moms<div align="CENTER" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.04in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.vplhgsojrahe"></a>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Science to the Streets and a Message
for Moms</span></b></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.04in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.b9c553t9wyp"></a>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Fire prevention week has come and
gone. We've changed our clocks back for daylight savings time, and we
all completed our fire safe duty and changed the batteries in our
smoke detectors. Before long we'll be baking holiday goodies, burning
yuletide candles, and decorating with mistletoe and fir boughs. Every
night we'll snuggle in with little concern of how or if our home may
burn. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As a mother it may be hard to realize
that your home, especially if it was built within the last decade and
is filled with modern furnishing, is built to burn. Your home is not
only built to burn, it is built to burn extremely fast, and extremely
hot, and in a ferocious manner that within minutes can consume
everything within it; you, your family, your belongings. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Another fact to realize, is that no
matter how hard we try, firefighters can not keep you safe;
especially from a fire in a home built with modern materials. Safe is
the total elimination of risk. Firefighters and other first
responders can only work to keep you safer. We need your help,
especially in rural areas or areas where fire response services have
been eliminated or sharply curtailed. I ask that you take a few
minutes to read what follows, take the information seriously, help
spread the word, and please follow the recommendations to help keep
your home and neighborhood as fire safe as possible. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.04in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.04in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.ab4p4y70j4lh"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.pry7q49tgo7x"></a>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As a volunteer firefighter in a small
town in Western Maine, and a Fire Services Instructor for the Maine
Community College System, one of my favorite classes to teach is fire
behavior, and particularly fire behavior in modern construction.
Modern building materials and construction methods have removed the
heavier wood and other sturdier mechanisms that comprised homes built
decades ago. In addition, modern insulation and furnishings, made
primarily from plastic and petroleum based materials, burn with a
significantly higher heat release rate. When these two facts of the
modern home meet fire, the result is an immediate and violent growth
of fire. This type of fire results in a consuming and complete loss
of the home and everything within it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.04in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.72gtfwtjbn5v"></a>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.04in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.oco6dshxepqc"></a>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In many ways, the threat of fire and
its consuming consequences for modern homes has been a tough one for
the fire service to deal with. It has only been in the last few years
that research, sponsored in part by funding from the Assistance to
Firefighters Grant Program, has scientifically and visually proven
what firefighters have suspected for years: fires in homes built with
modern lightweight construction and filled with modern furnishing
made of plastics and foams, burn with a significantly higher heat
release rate than homes built and furnished with legacy materials
such as heavier wood, ceramics, glass, wools, and cottons. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.k8o25mnndnzo"></a>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Research that shows firefighters the
extreme rate at which fire burns in modern homes is often termed
“bringing science to the streets”. The fire service is taking
this research to our firefighters through conferences, workshops, and
trainings. We are learning to adjust our tactics and strategies to
fight fire in modern homes with greater safety and efficiency. Our
goal is not only to keep ourselves and our fellow firefighters safer
but to help keep our towns and families more safe as well. This is
the reason for the message to moms. We need your help from inside the
home. As a mother and homeowner there are several actions you can
take to make your home and family more safe from fire related death
and injury. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.62lwdakdjgrc"></a>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Choose products and home furnishings
that are made with natural fibers such as wool, linen, or cotton.
Consider heavier wood furnishings and non-combustible materials over
plastic or polyester whenever possible.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Design and establish a fire safe plan
for your home. Along with sprinklers, install smoke alarms and CO detectors. Design fire drills with your family and practice them
three to four times a year to fully establish them as emergency exit
pathways. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Close the bedroom and other doors in
your home. Research has shown highly improved survivability rates for
occupants in rooms when doors are closed. Firefighters also use a
tactic known as Vent Enter Search (VES) that compliments search and
rescue efforts when bedroom doors are closed. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Support building codes that encourage
sprinklers and fire safe homes. Educated yourself on such things as
passive and active fire protection systems. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Support local leaders and political
activities that support and endorse sprinklers, fire safe homes, and
fire wise neighborhoods. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.4xi4bae2j4wo1"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.c1sy1f4b15n3"></a>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When shopping for a home, ask your
realtor for listings that have sprinklers. Fire sprinklers are the
next best thing to having on-duty firefighter at your home at all
times. In addition, shop and dine at small businesses that have
sprinklers installed.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.62lwdakdjgrc1"></a>
</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.os9ghtzf2aan"></a>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Residential home fires are the leading
cause of fire related death and injury in the United States. An
estimated 374,900 residential building fires are reported to U.S.
fire departments each year. These fires cause approximately 2,630
deaths, along with 13,075 injuries and 7.6 billion in property loss.
Firefighters fully agree and support the position of the United State
Fire Administration in that the most effective fire prevention and
reduction activity a homeowner can take is the installation and
maintenance of fire sprinklers. Fire sprinklers offer the highest
level of fire safety because they control the fire immediately and
help prevent deadly flashover. Home sprinklers react automatically to
a fire and often extinguish the fire before the fire department
arrives. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For more information and to help others understand the danger of
fires in homes constructed with modern materials and furnishing
please take time to watch the following video from Underwriter
Laboratory.
</span></i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.mksrmpt6j34k"></a>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">UL’s three-minute
video
</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(</span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/industries/buildingmaterials/fire/fireservice/ventilation/"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/industries/buildingmaterials/fire/fireservice/ventilation/</span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">)
. This video </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">shows
what happens to a modern room and a “legacy” room, when a lit
candle is placed on each sofa. The fire in the legacy room takes 29
minutes, 25 seconds to reach flashover; the fire in the modern room
takes just 3 minutes and 40 seconds. This is the message firefighters
are adapting their tactics and strategies when it comes to fighting
fire in modern construction. </span></span></span></i>
</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8240791942111943912" name="h.5g5u2jphs0wx"></a>
</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
References and Additional Readings:</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Residential Building Fires (2007–2009)</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
United States Fire Administration</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">http</a></u></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">://</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">www</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">.</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">usfa</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">.</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">fema</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">.</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">gov</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">/</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">downloads</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">/</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">pdf</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">/</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">statistics</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">/</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">v</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">12</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">i</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">10.</a><a href="http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v12i10.pdf">pdf</a></u></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Residential Fire Statistics</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Urban Fire Protection</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">http</a></u></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">://</a><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">www</a><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">.</a><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">urbanfire</a><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">.</a><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">com</a><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">/</a><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">firestatistics</a><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">.</a><a href="http://www.urbanfire.com/firestatistics.htm">htm</a></u></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Fire Death & Injuries</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Center for Disease Control</span></i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">http</a></u></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">://</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">www</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">.</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">cdc</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">.</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">gov</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">/</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">homeandrecreationalsafety</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">/</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">fire</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">-</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">prevention</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">/</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">fires</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">-</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">factsheet</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">.</a><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/fires-factsheet.html">html</a></u></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Vicki Schmidt</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hebron ME</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="mailto:horses@troikadrafts.com"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></a></u></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">207-890-4590</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">November 2012</span></span></i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-27841256050013090242012-10-10T17:46:00.002-07:002012-10-10T17:49:46.575-07:00Considerations for Fire Prevention Week<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Since
1922 Fire Prevention Week has been observed to honor the victims and
survivors of the Great Peshitgo and Chicago Fires. While Maine's fire
history is only a shadow of the Great historic fires of this week,
here in Maine fire departments all across the state work to keep the
public informed about the importance of fire prevention and safety. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Just
over 140 years ago, two Great fires, The Peshitgo Fire and the
Chicago Fire both started on the evening of October 8th, 1871. The
Great Peshitgo Fire consumed 2,400 square miles (1.5 million acres),
killed over a thousand people, and continued to burn until it reached
the waters of Green Bay and it met the fall rains. The Great Chicago
Fire burned for two days; destroying over 3 square miles of the city,
leaving over 100,000 homeless, and killing hundreds more. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Closer
to home in Maine, and sixty five years ago this week, a few small
woods fires were reported to the Maine Fire Service. By the middle of
the month over 20 large fires were burning all across Maine. The
fires consumed 175,000 acres of timberland and destroyed over a
thousand homes. Sixteen citizens were killed and over 10,000 citizens
were injured by the fires. Finally, cooler fall weather assisted with
bringing the fires under control. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Fires
happen every day and whether they consume thousands of acres of
forestland, a major business, or a single family home, the greatest
tragedy is when they take a life. Residential home fires are still
the leading cause of fire related death and injury in the United
States. Annually, fire departments respond to nearly 365,000
residential fires. These fires cause over 7 billion in direct losses,
and sadly, kill more than 2600 family members. Our annual residential fire deaths are
equal to the number that would die if 7 jumbo jets crashed ever year
in the United States: killing all on board.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Please
take some time this week to consider what a fire in your home would
do to your family and your life. If possible, visit the National Fire
Protection Association's Fire Prevention Week home page. Spend some
time reviewing ways you and your family can prevent, and
survive, a fire in your home. Note that two-thirds of reported home
fire deaths occur in homes with no working fire alarm, and that
something as simple as a working alarm cuts your risk of dying in a
home fire in half. </span>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-15741852673433628262012-09-23T17:09:00.000-07:002012-11-09T21:52:13.986-08:00The Badge in Your Pocket<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Imagine
for a moment that one day in casual passing, the firefighter, Chief,
or your favorite instructor: the fire service someone you most
admire, tucked a little note into your hand. Wrapped in the note was
a fire department badge. The badge they’d worn for decades, and the
best part of their career. </span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
imagine for a moment, you are the one giving the badge. </span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There’s
considerable talk these days about the photos in your wallet. The
visual icons of the spouses, kids, significant others, and even pets,
to which we vow to stay safe for and always come home to. Consider in
this same fashion, not just the badge you currently wear, but the one
you thought about above as it was given to you. Consider too, the
badge you'd give someone; and what is it about that person that moves
you to give them your most treasured badge? </span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As
we go through our careers we make choices and are chosen. Those we
choose to admire, respect, and glean knowledge from will not only
mold us into the firefighters we become, they mature us into our fire
service career. At the start few of us realize, between the giving
and the getting, is an enormous amount of mentoring, leadership, and
a variety of roll models. </span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Mentors
give us direction and help us learn and refine valuable skills.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Leaders
keep us on track and within boundaries that progress our careers</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Roll
models possess the complete set of core values, on and off the fire
ground, that we aspire to. </span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
majority of firefighters most likely go through their career never
identifying or considering those who influenced the establishment or
growth of their career. The mentors, leaders, and roll models who
impact us are dynamic. Whether we recognize them or not, they exist.
Some grow and stay with us from the start, others come and go. </span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
challenge we most face is knowing who to watch and learn from, who to
follow when and how, and most of all, knowing and honoring when we
ourselves are being watched and followed. The answers come a little
easier when you know who's badge you'd carry in your pocket, and who
you'd be most honored to have carrying yours. </span>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-49493089677018924442011-01-05T02:45:00.000-08:002012-09-23T17:31:10.972-07:00How the Weather Rules the DaySuffice to say I am a morning person. Approximately 4am you can find me in my chair, enjoying my first cup of coffee, and contemplating the days events for the farm. First check the weather. Will the crew and horses face winds and cold this morning, or will the day be a mild one for chores with "tons" of horses worked in the afternoon. Will the ground stay frozen just enough so the horses keep a grip, or will it soften and be slippery on top? Did little puddles of snow thawed by yesterdays sun refreeze over night causing icy spots? Can we use all the pastures and paddocks? Where will the weanlings go today?<br />
<br />
Temperatures in the high 20's, sunshine, and no wind are glorious days here in Maine for working drafts in the winter. There is no wind to chill the sweat against a horses skin, the sunshine warms just enough to dry the hairs. The air doesn't hurt for either horse or driver as we breathe, and the ground is the right consistency of grip for both hooves and boots. A few twitches of fire wood come in to the yard near the wood furnace. And the girls get to ride. <br />
<br />
If I could custom design the winter days here on the farm the vast majority would be just like that. No hay blowing out of the pastures, no wondering if the young or older horses are comfortable with the windy chill. I'm often told I worry too much, that the horses are fine. But I know the difference between a horse basking in the glow of warm sunshine, and bracing their back to the winds. The picture is the same, its the emotion that the are sending that tell me; the weather rules. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8240791942111943912.post-61205059788119606542010-12-26T06:02:00.000-08:002012-09-23T17:32:04.274-07:00The Calm Before the StormThe air is fresh and crisp and the sky has breaks of light between the dark clouds. It could fool one into thinking the day is ripe for riding and driving. But reality says its short lived, by noon the sky will cloud in and snowflakes will start falling and the cold sharp winds will begin to howl. The horses will get a few hours outside today while barn is cleaned, and staged with hay to last a few days. The foals seem to know tomorrow will be a day inside, so had best get out all the sprints and bucks and kicks for now. <br />
<br />
Snow will fall through the night and tomorrow will dawn with more snow and high winds. The barn will stay snug and warm as its insulated and full of drafts. Water buckets will not be frozen in the least as the 26 "draft furnaces" will keep it a comfortable temperature for both man and beast. Every horse, from weanlings through adults will get a good grooming and a few treats while on the crossties. Its a enjoyable break while their stalls are being cleaned. Only the door to the "nutrient recycling" pit will be open at times, which allows the right amount of needed fresh air.<br />
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The horses will munch, and drink and lay content while I concern myself with plowing, the wood furnace that heats the house, and the possibility of loosing electricity, getting the generator started and a host of other "what if's". But the horses are safe and happy, and that is what matters most.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909630158730697516noreply@blogger.com0