Thank You OSHA

So this last tour we went to a district quite a ways away for our annual infectious disease class. It's 3 hours long and can be summed up in one sentence. Use proper PPE and wash your hands, often. So the other 2 hours, 59 minutes and 45 seconds is used to go over data and trends across the country and in our county. We also went over what to do when we think (or know) that we've been exposed to some creepy crawly bad stuff. The entire class is meant as a review. In other words, BORING!

I've found over the years that it doesn't matter who is presenting the class. It's a dry subject. Throw in the fact that the AC unit was not working in our class room and you have a recipe for nodding heads. zzzzzzzzz

About half way through our class we were on a break. While we were milling about our radios crackled to life. We heard all the engine companies in the districts that borders ours (yes, the one we were not currently in) get toned out for an apartment structure fire, reports of black smoke coming from a second floor window. So those of us that were outside immediately switched our radios to the tactical channel. All of us from Station 51 kept our fingers crossed hoping it was "a pot on the stove."

As the first in engine company arrived on scene we heard them give the size up. "Engine 52 is on scene, we have a 2 story, garden style apartment with nothing showing. This is Main Street IC, engine 52 is investigating."

So far, so good. At least for us. We were expecting to hear that they had smoke and flames showing and that we'd miss our structure fire. About a minute later the IC reported that they had light smoke showing. They asked that the next in engine lay in a supply line. They then went into attack mode (sounds kinda like a guard dog going after a criminal).

Just about a minute after that the report came in that the fire was out and that it was just a pot on the stove. Hehehehe. We didn't miss "the big one."

In talking with the crew the next day we found out that the firefighter, after forcing open the security door, simply walked in, picked up the pot, and walked right back outside. All that was left for them to do was smoke removal. Oh yeah, and to find some way to secure the now really broken front door.

So thank you OSHA (or it may be Cal OSHA) for nearly making me miss a structure fire so I could learn how to wash my hands, again.