Today I got another ride in the CDF helicopter, and like the two previous years when I got to go up in it, we ended up flying directly over our house. That makes it pretty hard to get a picture …
This afternoon the FVFD received a call for a small vegetation fire reported near Capetown. Now Capetown isn’t that far away, but the problem is you have to go up the Wildcat to get there, and our over the hill …
The FVFD responded to a single vehicle traffic accident four miles up the Wildcat. A lady driving from Petrolia to Ferndale drove her car off the side of the road. I’ve circled the car so you can see it. It …
This afternoon the FVFD responded to a structure fire up Williams Creek Road. This road is a very narrow country lane, and the structure was at the very end of it, making it difficult to get all our equipment up …
Well once again it was time for the annual Fireman’s Games in Ferndale. I had three goals this year, one personal, one for Company One, and one for the department. My personal goal was to not do anything embarrassing or …
Sometime around 9:00 this morning, most of Ferndale lost power. Winds were up to category 1 hurricane levels (98 mph recorded in Eureka) so trees and even buildings were crashing down everywhere. The fire department was jumping all day, starting …
The last few mornings have been very cold by Ferndale standards, with temps dipping just below freezing. This morning the FVFD got a call of a traffic accident on Williams Creek Road, which is the same road as Rose Ave …
Yesterday, Lori had off from work so we thought we would finally get our Christmas tree. We went to the lot in Ferndale but nobody was there. So we went to one cut your own lot in Loleta where we …
Sunday morning I got up early to join the Ferndale firefights in putting up the lights on the town Christmas tree. There’s more pictures on the Ferndale Fire Department web site.
Here’s a bit more Photoshop fun. The flaming house was taken in 2003 during a Ferndale Fire Department training burn. Becki was shot in our studio, and then Photoshop was used to put the two together.
Third Thursday of the month means it’s fire department drill night, and tonight’s drill was on auto extrication. That meant the jaws were out and two cars fell victim to it. As you can see, firemen and firetrucks are quite …
After the parade, and since it was out and all spiffy, I took some pictures of Ferndale’s antique fire engine. More pictures of it can be found on the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department web site.
Instead of being in town for Udders Day, I was at the fairgrounds helping out with the installation of new barn doors. This is the building that we store the fire department’s vintage fire engine in, and on previous workdays …
I went to Haz-Mat drill for the fire department this morning. The first part of the drill was a tour of the Humboldt Creamery plant, which is located right by Fernbridge. They make some of the best ice cream in …
The new Engine 2 is in its new home. When parked, the ladder clears the overhead beam by about 2 inches, but as the truck rolls out or in, the clearance goes down to about 1 inch. So unless we …
Ferndale has a brand new fire truck to replace the aging Engine 2. It won’t be put into service until later this week when the radios are installed. I will believe that it will fit in the hall when I …
The fire department drill this month was on search and rescue. The bump on my head was still sore so I didn’t feel like putting on a mask and helmet. I thought it would be cool to take pictures of …
Christmas morning I went out with Don and John from Company 1 to deliver a few bicycles to kids around Ferndale. It is a refreshing change to show up at someone’s home in a fire truck and have everyone happy. …
I started the day responding to a chimney fire in a garage even before I had breakfast. An hour later I was back at home, but was only halfway through my bowl of cereal when an alarm came in for …
This morning I photographed our Engine 1 for the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department web site. Lori has wanted a picture of me in my full turnouts so I figured I would take a shot with me posing with the engine …
I spent the morning at a practice burn in Rio Dell. This is the fourth time I’ve been in a burning building, and I’m getting a lot more comfortable with it than I would have ever imagined. Still not something …
Here is the back view of the house. The fire appeared to spread from a shed into the kitchen area of the house, and then took off from there. Note the amount of firewood. A tractor was used to spread …
Around 12:30 this morning I awoke to my fire pager going off. Fully involved structure fire was the call. That will get you from sleeping to wide awake in 2 seconds. Russ Lane is off of Centerville road towards the …
After the parade, the firemen had a picnic at the chief’s house. They had some tradition picnic games like egg toss and three-legged race, but Lori got herself entered into the hammering contest. First person to hammer in three nails …
Up until today, I had never ridden a Harley, and today I got to ride two of them. First I rode Tony Leonardo’s Sportster on a quick loop around Ferndale. To say it handles differently than my Sprint or KLR …
The state air quality board recently banned the use of burn barrels, which was this regions’ way of dealing with junk paper and other household waste. Unfortunately too many people were burning things that are really unhealthy for you, like …
Sunday at last. Nothing planned except for sleeping in, going to the Veterans Pancake Breakfast, and then working in the yard. Fire alarm goes off at 6am, for a mutual aid call in Loleta. They were working on a structure …
Today is the bicycle tour of the lost coast, so that means our annual helicopter training, and of course the best part, the helicopter ride above Ferndale. This year I sat on the other side to the chopper, so I …
Tonight we had our graduation for the Firefighters Academy. Once again Lori proved that she’s not the photographer in the family. The truck in the background is Eureka’s HazMat truck, which is a converted beer delivery van. The fireman on …
Today was our annual Firemen’s Games in Ferndale, the day when all new members get dunked. Two of the probationary members were sure they weren’t going to get dunked. They tried resisting and one of them ended up breaking a …
So that new car you have your eyes on isn’t available as a convertible? Well I just happen to know a group of guys who can do a real quick modification for you, at a very reasonable price. Ok, maybe …
