no longer sick

April 13th, 2009 / posted by Jake

Since haven completed my EMT class and a few Fire Science classes,  I’ve been trying to gain some firefighting experience and so I’ve been applying to Fire Departments who are accepting non-resident  volunteers (in the area I live and surrounding areas, the local fire departments are either not accepting volunteers, or require that you live within their county).  This has proven to be a difficult task because most  departments who do hire such volunteers are usually anywhere from 1-2 hours away.  After applying and playing the waiting game, I finally heard back from the River Delta Fire, located near Rio Vista about an hour from where I live.

Oral board interviews were conducted (consisting of an interview panel made up of the Fire Chief and 2 captains), an agility test, and a basic reading and writing comprehension test.  The oral board interview is something we discussed in one of my Fire Science classes as it’s probably the most nerve wracking part of the hiring process, at least that is what all the firefighters say. For me the agility test was the real test because it required us to wear the turnouts and carry the oxygen tank  throughout the entire test (all of which totaled anywhere from 35-50lbs).  This was something I was eagerly looking forward (crazy) to because it offered me the experience of understanding what would be required of me physically when on the job.  The test consisted of throwing ladders, multiple hose drags and carries, chopping wood with an axe, a stairmaster, and ladder climbs. Surprisingly, I did well but I owe it to the cycle classes I’ve been attending daily for a few months now.

In the end, I didn’t land a volunteer position which was unfortunate but from from the experience I now know what to expect for future interview panels and agility tests which is great.  The person in charge said I did well but they were hoping for more experience.  As with any job, volunteer or paid, the most eligible candidates are those with some time of experience which I unfortunately do not have – hence the reason for my application

I’m still in school full-time, currently finishing up the last of my Fire Science classes this semester.  I’ll be applying to the fire
academies come summer and if I get into one it will last through until November.  I boxed up all my computer related books a few months ago hoping to never use them again but I just couldn’t resist and am working as a part-time contract employee managing websites, and developing web-based software.  They keep me busy during the times I’m not in class which is good.

Back in February we noticed that Kaitlyn was trying a little too hard to climb out of her crib each morning so we finally broke down and bought her a “big-girl” bed.  She had troubles sleeping in it the first week and it was cute to walk into her room in the morning to see her still sitting in it waiting for us to get her out, just like we did when she was in the crib.  Eventually she figured out that she could step out of bed on her own so around 7 in the morning she can be heard and seen cruising around the house.

Months ago, Tyler moved on from Dora the Explorer to Bob the Builder.  Luckily Bob the Builder only lasted a short while and he has since grown obsessed with firetrucks and all shows fire related.  I swear I have no influence on this either.  While driving he screams and shouts “Ambulance!! Firetruck” whenever he sees or hears one.  When we are in public buildings he points out every single fire extinguisher he sees which is great but gets old after about the 3rd “Jake! Jake! Jake! Jake! Fire Extinguisher! Look! Jake! Daddy! Jake!” Yup – I’m still Jake, the artist formerly known as Daddy. We enrolled him in gymnastics last month and he currently goes once a week.  He’s still timid for about the first 2 minutes after which he has a blast running, jumping, and participating.  Oh and he’s been potty trained since last July which has been great diaper wise, but it’s created a new problem – he insists on being completely naked whenever it’s time to do his business.

Lindsey got a job as a phlebotomist for awhile only to have me ask her to quit.  Go figure.  The kids and I were on about week 7 of being sick (which continued well after I discussed it on our last blog.  It was probably the most miserable time of my life – 4 ER visits etc;).  We were in need of mommy support and I think it worked out for the better.

Finally, for spring break we took a mini vacation to San Francisco (last Thursday) to visit the sites and just get out of the house.  The kids enjoyed it and it felt good to take a break from everything.

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