Me and my nephew rolling our tongues (Taken with instagram)
It’s our party (birthday) and we’ll cry if we want to. Hers was the 2nd and mine is the 8th (Taken with instagram)
We have a rug rolled up and leaning against our house. Lately i have been hearing a dove and i could never find it. Last night i walked past the rug and saw the dove just chillin there….it got spooked and flew away….and i was looking in the top on the rug where it was sitting to see if it built a nest….it just has been using the rug as a nest and actually layed eggs!!! How amazing!
My nephew, Alexander, singing his graduation songs! He graduated from preschool today! Yay! (Taken with instagram)
my dad has been a firefighter for the fresno city fire department for the last 35 years.
most of that time he spent as a captain and has come to be one of the most respected of all in the force. today was his last day at work, tomorrow he will be retired. this is what he wrote to pass on to those who continue on after him.
“
It has become tradition for the person that is retiring to, try to be humble, and leave behind some pearls of wisdom to help you survive till the end of your career.
August 2nd 1976, 8:00 AM and don’t dare be late. I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would be a Fireman. I was going to school working toward being a CPA. Working fulltime, going to school, wife and child at home. The only firemen I knew was Jack Conner. I knew his daughter Jackie. And Carl Herz who lived across the street from my parents. They seemed to like the job. Anyway as a dare I took the test and passed. I decided to give it a try and started Rookie School, August 2, 1976, along with 17 other strangers trying to find their futures.
Gene Berwanger: Pink Mo-Fo, Skippy. If he ever tries to show you pictures of his kids, don”t look.
Mike Potter: Quiet, Youngest of our Class, Died this past year.
Dave Taylor: The White Rhino, Great White Hunter, His father was the Shop Foreman.
John Augenstein: Gruff exterior with a heart of gold. Fondled more Tit’s than most men dream, he grew up
on a dairy.
George Albert Metzger: Bert. Started rookie school right in the middle of the divorce diet. Not a very
forgiving person. For some reason he thinks my Testacles belong to him.
Mike Smart: Not-So, So-So, S T A N short for Shit That Ain”t Nothin.
Steve Traylor: Fred Flinstone, When assigned out of rookie school the word was, Truck 11 had so much
equipment that they had to give it a Traylor.
Cirillo Medina: If you don’t like it, there is a resignation form in the office you can fill out.
Stephen Leong: The Donger. Never stopped eating and never put on any weight. Must have been
a Tapeworm or something.
Carlos Ramirez: Got to retire twice from the department.
Jim Glynn: Mulie, Talked like Henry Fonda, in the way he got around to the meat of the subject.
A good ole Okie boy. Not to be confused with an Ockey in any way.
Howard Eastom: Another country boy. One of Charlies Angles
George Moyer: A good looking, queit friend
Tim Stott: An over inteligent humble person. #1 on the Captains List ahead of Oney and Me. Flew
Helicopters over Vietnam.
Nick Becerra: Very personable, First to leave, blew out his knee.
Leonard Diaz: Lenny, Hardworking, totally and brutally honest.
Jose Gastelum: Joe, Videoman, Our daughters were friends growing up. Loved his Harley.
Al Orozco: Quiet, but saw everything. When Bryant Holcomb got his first permanent house he got Engine 8.
After about a month he called me and begged me to swap with him. His crew was Al Orozco and
Scott Rowley. He said he was going crazy, one didn’t say anything and the other didn’t say
anything he wanted to hear.
Richard Christopherson: Chris, Longest name and Last to go.
Now for the Pearls of Wisdom:
I can’t stress the importance of PPE!!!
When I came on the job we fought fire wearing a Plastic Helmet, Canvas Turnout Jacket, Frisco
” Can’t Bust-em” Jeans, Low Quarter Steel Toe Safety Shoes, and Gloves. At night we would wear
Drops with Rubber Boots. And we only had one pair.
On an initial attack Hoseman 2 would wear a “10” minute constant flow Sac Pac, a mini SCBA but
don’t suck too hard it would cave against your face. The rest of the crew would back him up till the next unit
arrived.
You were rated by how well you could eat smoke. Puking outside the front door happened more than you can imagine.
In 1976 I could blow 5.7 liters of air and was 107% of normal. Today, after 35 years and 10 months, i’m
at 3.2 liters and have what they call Occupational Asthma, and mild COPD.
Enough said!!
Being a Firefighter is a Noble career, and be proud of yourselves, but when it comes to money you are just a number on the balance sheet and there are 1000 people that would love to take your place.
Always remember, the most important thing in this job is your family. First your family at home, and second your Brothers and Sisters here at work.
This morning as I was looking through the Fresno Bee, I happened to read my horoscope. Here is what it says for me today.
You push ahead into new turf; you rarely question where you are.
If you look around, you’ll realize that you are by yourself. STOP.
Decide if this is the result of taking a risk or simply a natural change.
Regardless, you still might decide to forge ahead.
As I wake up tomorrow morning, I will drive away from work for the last time. Being a Firefighter has been a
good life. But as exciting as the job is, the thing I will miss the most is all of you and those that raised me in the life of a firefighter.
The Class of August 1976 has completed our job. We leave to you this noble passion of being a Firefighter.
It is an honor to have served with you.
Love,
Captain Richard Christopherson
Engine 23B”
i may have teared up a little bit reading it. i’m proud to have him as my father. he went out and risked his life for complete strangers and then came home and put everything he had into being a father to 5 children. i really hope you read what he has to say. he has a lot of wisdom to give.
