pickle lake!

I'm back from a week in Pickle Lake!! It was amazing- I had so much fun and got to see Northern Ontario like I have never before. We drove up on Monday, it took us about 8 hours (including a whollleee bunch of stops). When we got there we were red alert on the caravan- a fixed wing plane that Pickle Lake uses to respond to their Northern fires on a lot of the fly in reserves that are up there.

On Tuesday we were on red alert again and we got the dispatch call at 5pm to go to Cat Lake which was a 30 minute flight from Pickle. I was SO excited fore my first fire. Riding in the caravan was an adventure all in itself, you feel allll the turbulence. I had the death grip on my chair and I looked over and everyone else is sleeping haha. Apparently after a few years the hum of an airplane or helicopter puts you right to sleep.

We flew over the fire and it was right beside the runway (basically a huge gravel pit). We landed and the CFO (community fire officer) of Cat Lake met us with his truck to take our equipment to the lake. We were jammed in like sardines and the CFO commented that the tr

uck even came with air conditioning (the back window of the truck was completely smashed out haha). The CFO took us to the water and we set up our pump. The hose lay to the fire was about 1200ft and then it took us about another 1200ft to wrap the fire. It was so cool!! I loved it... minus the fact that it was a billion degrees. I got to lay hose, strangle the line and nozzle!

After we had done a first forward and second forward pass (secured the line) my crew boss asked me to take one of the hoses and straighten it out, so I was walking around and I heard a crackling noise. I looked over to the other side of the fire and I could see smoke and flames. I got my crew boss and told him there was a flare up on the other side... it was so exciting! We broke into the line and put out the flare up which had jumped over our hose somehow. It was easy to put out with the hose though, pretty standard procedure.
We worked till about 1030pm and called the fire UCO (under control) which was when it started to get dark- they have so much daylight up there right now. We were standing at the tailgate having a snack before bed and we heard a dog barking from across the runway. We heard it getting closer and then my crew leader could see it coming closer. It was a ragged white dog, it was getting closer and closer, and then we saw 2 dogs, 3, 4, 5, 6 wild dogs. A pack of Northern wild dogs. They all started trotting toward us so my crew boss and I booked it into the trailer that was beside us and my crew leader and other member hopped in the truck (with no back window). They turned the truck on and tried to scare them away... but they just kept hanging around. Our crew leader finally got out of the truck and they seemed to leave him alone. I had to come out to get my bags and I stepped on one of the dogs by accident, he just yellped.
We stayed in an MTO trailer which was right at the airport. There were a few guys staying there who were building a new MTO place. It was SO hot during the night. We started the next day at 7am to look for smokes that we hadn't gotten the night before. We found 3 or 4 which I think is about normal. We called the fire OUT at 11am and we had scheduled for the caravan to pick us up at noon. It didn't show up until 330pm because it was busy shuttling people to a big Red Lake fire that was nearby.

The fire ended up being 0.5 hectres, some parts were Rank 1 (smoking, no flames) and some parts were Rank 3 (flames less than 2 metres). All in all a great fire to start out with, I had a great time.

For the rest of the week we were on red alert with the caravan... it was at least 30 degrees everyday and less than 30% RH (relative humidity)... When the temperature is higher than the RH they call it cross over which is prime fire conditions. Unfortunately there weren't many sources of ignition (lightning, people etc.) so we didn't end up getting any more fires.

On Sunday morning we drove to Savant Lake which is a forward attack base of Pickle Lake. It was a nice location- right on a lake, but the accommodations were sort of dodgey. I didn't even sleep in the bunkhouses- just pitched my tent at the lake front, it was really nice. We were on yellow alert there for the day. After our shift we took out a little tin boat out, my crew leader and boss fished and I was their trolling motor with an oar. It was awesome- so relaxing. The guys caught about 15 fish, mostly Walleye, one Northern. I got eaten alive- mosquitoes, blackflies, noceums. SO ITCHY!!

Holiday Monday we were sent home :( We stopped in at the Sioux Lookout base which was cool, their warehouse was smaller than ours but it seemed like they had a bigger base.

The crews I met in Pickle Lake were really cool, I enjoyed getting to know them. It's a much younger base than Fort Frances- I met a guy who was a 2nd year crew boss (my crew boss has been here for 7 years and he just got crew boss this year). It's because they have a hard time retaining people- I think mainly because nobody really lives in Pickle Lake. A lot of the old timers at Fort live here so it's easier for them to commit every summer.

We stayed at the only motel in town- The Winston. It was a typical small town motel. The first thing I did every night was take off all the bedding, I slept in my sleeping bag and used a tshirt as a pillow case haha. One of the nights we were there the whole front half of the motel flooded. Another crew got all their stuff soaked, luckily we were in the other half of the motel.

One thing I learned this trip is that plans change every second. One minute you're on yellow alert with your truck, the next you're packing the caravan on red alert, and the next you're back on yellow alert because the caravan had to fly to Thunder Bay to pick up some crews. It's a huge waiting game, you wait for all the conditions to align and lighting to strike in just the right area (or for someone to light something).

Now I'm back in Fort Frances (for now)... we had a CRAZY thunderstorm last night which hammered us with lightning. The rain was intermittent, some areas getting up to 50mm, some got none. We had one lightning fire yesterday and one today- hopefully more tomorrow!

Hope everyone had a good long weekend.

Miss you guys.

MY FIRST FIRE!!!

Today was a day of excitement for me- my first fire... we got the call at 5pm that someone was reporting a smoke. We drove there, all in our NOMEX gear and our equipment in the truck.

We were driving down the lane way and some lady in her truck met us in her truck yelling "i'm the culprit! i'm the culprit!" and she was exclaiming that she didn't know she wasn't supposed to be burning and her neighbour came over and told her and she was putting it out now.

So much for my excitement! Hahaha. We rolled up to the cabin and there was a guy there with a garden hose putting out the fire. It was a decent sized pit though, 5 metres in diameter. So my crew boss took the garden hose and put it out. I kicked around some stumps and branches to mix up the ashes. We were there for like 30 mins, soaked the fire with the garden hose and then left.

My exciting first fire under my belt! Less exciting than I thought but still cool.

And more exciting news! :) I'm going to Pickle Lake tomorrow until Wednesday. A lot of the base is going to a course so my crew is going there to cover the alerts. It's super dry up north too so I'm hoping we'll get on another fire!!! I think we're staying in a motel in Pickle Lake (well THE motel). We're driving there tomorrow, apparently it's 6 hours from here. It'll be awesome to see another base and maybe get on a fire!

All in all, great day for me today! And it was gorggggggggeeeeous! 22 degrees and SUNNY! Awesome :)

<3

helicopter!!

We did our hover exits/ entrances on Wednesday, it was so cool!!! What we had to do was get in/ out of the helicopters when it was hovering at 3 feet. It really wasn't difficult, just had to have smooth movements so you didn't rock the helicopter too much. The pilot took us for a ride too... I've never flown in a helicopter before- IT WAS SO COOL!!! It was like being on a really awesome roller coaster, my stomach was flip flopping... but in a good way.
The older guys that were there were saying that after a few rides it gets less exciting. I don't know if that'll be the case for me- I hope it's just as cool everytime I do it!!

I'm on my second of two days of today. It pourrreeed rain all yesterday and actually started snowing last night. (eww!) Supposed to warm up steadily now- I'm pushing for some dry weather! I think I'm going on a bike ride today with on of my friends who has my same day off.

Hope everyone at home is well.
<3

training, training, training!

More training today... we finished pumps today. I was waist deep in freezing cold, wavy water today. Cold hands and feet!!

Tomorrow we're doing hover exits with the helicopters!! I'm so excited!! I think we're also starting hose lays tomorrow. Then we have hand tools, chainsaw... and something else I'm forgetting.

Tomorrow is my last day of my 5 and then I have 2 days off! I have lots of laundry to do, my place doesn't have laundry so I'll have to search for the laundromat.

All the guys on my crew love fishing and hunting so maybe I'll become a fisherwoman this summer. Doubtful though, I'd much rather just sit on the boat while they fish. I can't wait for warm weather so I can swim and canoe! One of the girls here lives an hour away and has a canoe that she's going to bring to the base that we can use- awesome! :)

What else? Just been doing lots of training, watching videos and learning SO much!

I'm having an amazing time. I'm so glad I got this job- I love it!! I learn so much everyday, and it's different from anything I've ever done. So cool! :)

Hope everyone at home is good. Miss you guys.
<3

My poor hands and feet.

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to the best Mom and Grandma ever, and also Happy Birthday Susan!!

I have blisters on my feet and blisters and cuts on my hands... from my work boots and the pump, mainly the recoil whipping me in the hands.

Luckily I'm starting to get the hang of starting the pump... and everything else that comes with setting it up.

I've been with my crew for the past two days- they're awesome. My crew leader is 30 and always has a smile on his face. He grew up in the Fort... he's taught me so much already in only 2 days. He's always quizzing me when we're driving around about different pump scenarios or types of trees or fires. I feel like I'm always on Jeopardy.

My crew boss is 24, he's really animated and tells all his stories with his whole body. He's from Southern Ontario but moved to the Fort 6 years ago for fire and hasn't left. He's also teaching me a lot, telling me little tricks for everything. At the end of the day today he was parking our truck (beautiful F-350) and he didn't take the corner wide enough, scratched the whollleeee side of the truck on the warehouse and popped the back tire as well. There wasn't a huge dent, just paint transfer mainly so they changed the tire and it should be alright to go.

My other crew member is a character, 50 something guy born in Toronto, lived Northwestern Ontario for ages, been fighting fires in the Fort for like 30 years. He has sooo many stories (I don't know if half of them are true) but they're certainly entertaining.

The rest of the week we'll continue to train; pump set ups, hose lays, chainsaw and helicopters. There is a whole booklet of stuff that we need to be trained on before the middle of June. Basically we just train and do odd jobs until fires come around.

Every morning the crew leaders have a meeting with the main management guy. All the other crew members sit in a different room and we listen to the meeting over a speaker and can see everything on a screen. It's pretty interesting. They talk about the current weather, the predicted weather, the systems coming in... not only for the Fort but for all the surrounding West bases (Thunder Bay, Sioux, Geraldton, Red Lake, Pickle Lake, Kenora and Dryden). Then they tell us which crews are on which type of alert, and their jobs for the day. And they also tell us which machines are on which type of alert (bombers, helicopters). Today a few crews were on yellow alert which is kind of exciting. It's supposed to rain at the end of the week though so that probably wont last long.

Will keep everyone updated about the rest of the training for the week and how my poor hands and feet are doing. I'm hoping I'll get used to my work boots and the blisters will go away, otherwise it's gonna be a long summer. Oh, and I bought a pair of work pants from Marks Work Wearhouse before I left and when I went to put them on there was a huge whole where the zipper should be sewed to the pants. Apparently they forgot to sew the zipper on. Greaaaaaat. My roomie has needle and thread so I'm going to do some stitching after work tomorrow.

Hope everyone is well at home and survived the crazy winds I've been hearing about.

Love.

Around Town.

So today I had a day off, I rode my bike around Fort Frances and International Falls, MN.

Fort Frances
The main street has everything you really need; grocery store, post office, bank, gas station, movie store, dollar store, Mr. Sub, Dominoes, a few clothing stores...
Then a little bit off the main street is the arena/ pool/ gym, the fire base... and then on the west side of town is Tim Horton's, Boston Pizza, Mc Donalds, Canadian tire, Mark's Work Warehouse, Walmart... all that stuff.

International Falls, MN
I rode my bike all around IF today, there's a main street with a bunch of little shops, a Kmart, grocery stores, a movie theatre!!!, dollar store... stuff like that.
I rode my bike over the border which was kind of cool, and cheaper than the drive because there is a toll booth that costs 8 bucks in your car.

A new girl came to the base today who was in our SP 100 course as well, she's from Hamilton. I think she's going to stay in our house too... that's 4 fire fighter girls now... should be fun!

I'm back to work tomorrow for my first full week of work with my crew, I think mostly we'll be doing pump set ups and perhaps some hover exit work with the helicopters. I will keep you updated with this week's activities!

Hope everyone is well at home. Miss you.

PS. Smokey says "Prevent Forest Fires"... I say, a few is alright because then I'll make overtime!

First day of training..

Ow.. my hands hurt.

My crew leader was getting his first aid updated this morning and my crew boss was doing some other sort of training so I went out with another crew to do some pump training. For the most part we did a lot of driving around and standing around. But we did do some pump set ups in swamps and bogs. We have to do training in a bunch of different water sources and in many scenarios such as no foot pump or no intake or no gas line.

I've got the pump set up down, it's pretty straight forward. But OH MY GOODNESSSSS, starting the pump was another story. I had to start the pump from cold and it took me about 40 pulls. My hands, back and legs were killing me. I think I just have to get the hang of it, because all the guys can do it in 1 or 2 pulls... and I don't think I'm that weak.

That was by far the most difficult part of my day, and the most frustrating. I think the more I practice the better I'll get- if that's not the case and the reason I'm struggling so much is because I'm just a weakling... well then I better hit the gym hard.

The guys I was with were all funny, two 30 year veterans, a 2nd year and another rookie like me. Fire rangers lovvvvvvveeeee to tell stories, that's pretty much all they ever do. This fire, or that fire... it's entertaining and interesting though so I don't mind.

I now have 2 days off, Thursday and Friday, and then I start on with my full crew on Saturday. We work 5 days on, 2 days off. And then sometimes we work 7+ days on, and a few times we have 4 days off in a row.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself for my days off... I'll probably explore the town some more. And buy a towel- I've been using tea towels to dry myself because I forgot a real one!!

I miss everyone from home, but so far I'm really enjoying myself!

<3

How it works...

Monday and Tuesday was just a lotttttttttt of listening!! We had to get a lot of training out of the way. We did an orientation about general fire procedures and the area of Fort Frances... a lot of it just sounds like a lot of gibberish.

Fort Frances has 10 crews, with 4 people on each. Each crew has
Crew Leader- the main person in charge of the fire action plan and what the crew members responsibilities are
Crew Boss- second in command, if the crew leader is off doing something they are in charge of the crew members
2 crew members- (that's what I'm doing)- we basically take orders from the crew leader or boss for our jobs and what we're supposed to be doing.

At any time there are 6 or 7 crews working and 3 or 4 off. The crews that are working are on one of three alerts

Red- you are ready for immediate dispatch, less than 5 minutes. So you're wearing your fire gear, bags are ready and you're around the base doing little jobs until you're dispatched.

Yellow- you are ready to dispatch in less than 30 minutes. You are around the base with your bags packed but you have a little more time to get ready.

Blue- You have up to 4 hours to dispatch. This is typically what you're on when it's rainy or there aren't any fires predicted.

There are people monitoring every aspect of the weather so they usually have a pretty good idea of when a fire is going to happen.

They said the beginning of the spring was the driest they have seen in almost 60 years. There were 16 fires before I even got here. Last year there were 18 fires all year (it was a sloooooooowww year). Of course as soon as I get here it's been raining for a week. I actually don't mind for now because I definitely can benefit from some training before I'm dispatched to a fire!

The other training we did was WHIMIS (workplace hazards) and TDG (transportation of dangerous goods), WHDT (workplace harrassment and discrimination training) and bear management. These consisted of a lot of old school videos with funny actors and advice.

1) "If a bear starts to eat you, fight back." Thanks for that... because I wouldn't start fighting back before this point.

2) "How to know if someone is getting angry- red face, clenched fists, glaring at you." Also, brand new information... thanks for the heads up.

So far so good... I'm anxious to meet my crew and start training!!

Arrived.

We got here safe and sound. Nothing fell off the car. Got pulled over by the Michigan State Police but were let go with a warning to slow down!

My room is pretty sweet! It's a little basement apartment with a kitchen, living room, bathroom and 3 rooms. The 2 girls I drove up with are sharing a room in the apartment too... rooms are hard to find in Fort Frances so they took what they could get.

I'm excited to get to my first day of work... and a little nervous too. I have no idea what to expect.

I've never done anything like this before, at least last year when I moved away by myself I was doing something I knew.... this is ALL new.

I will update when I learn more about my job and when I meet my crew... for now all I have is a lot of questions!!