Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

My heart breaks a little bit every time I hear of a firefighter or police line of duty death, no matter where in the world it happens. But my heart breaks wide open when that loss is here at home, and from the Chicago Fire Department.

R.I.P.
FF/PM Christopher Wheatley
Chicago Fire Department, Truck 2
August 9, 2010

Deepest sympathies to his family, his fiancé, and his Chicago Fire Department brothers and sisters.

I’ve written before about a number of incidents in Chicago where dogs fell or jumped into Lake Michigan and had to be rescued, sometimes along with their owners, by firefighters or police officers.

The incidents I’ve written about in the last year all had happy endings, and I really am glad for that, but I also had and still have mixed feelings about what could have happened. The reality is that the owner’s carelessness or irresponsibility that led to the dog being in the lake in the first place could have resulted in injury to or death of the dog, the owner, or a rescuer.

I just finished catching up with the video and stories about the dog saved from the flooded Los Angeles River by the Los Angeles Fire Department. This rescue did result in a dog bite injury to a firefighter, and I’m guessing the rescue in general was quite costly as a helicopter was involved, as well as about 50 firefighters and ambulance transport for the dog. The injured firefighter, who was the one lowered from the helicopter to retrieve the dog, downplayed the extent of his injury and his heroics. (By the way, this is why we love firefighters, real ones, that is. The real ones never refer to themselves as heroes, just that they are doing their job and they are glad they could help someone.)

The Los Angeles Times posed the question to its readers on one of its blogs: Should L.A. firefighters have risked their lives to save a dog? One recurring theme was the same thing that continues to worry me about these situations: what if the rescue of an animal results in injury or death to a rescuer? Some picked the cost as the main issue; it certainly was not insignificant in this case. I’m pretty sure the rescuers themselves have just as wide a range of opinions as the commenters to the article.

One comment hit me, though: the commenter said that the Los Angeles Fire Department is working without a contract. I do not know if that is true. I do know that the Chicago Fire Department, and for that matter, the Chicago Police Department, is working without a contract. As a CFD spouse, I know I am extremely biased. But after watching the video of the dog rescue, and the countless other videos out there of humans being rescued by the brave men and women of our fire departments and police departments, how can anyone think it’s right for these folks to work without a contract?

(NaBloPoMo | January ’10: 22 of 31)

(This month’s NaBloPoMo theme is heroes.)

There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary

“There Goes My Hero” is one of my favorite Foo Fighters songs. I’ve heard more than a few people say it’s about Kurt Cobain. Since I consider Cobain a talented but troubled individual who died far too young, and not a hero by my definitions, I far prefer Dave Grohl’s own explanation:

“My heroes were ordinary people and the people that I have a lot of respect for are just solid everyday people – people you can rely on.”

Especially those everyday heroes like firefighters, police officers and teachers. Not all of them, of course, and definitely not even all of the ones I personally know.

But in a week like this one, when a young Chicago police officer was killed and others seriously injured, think about those ordinary, everyday heroes who put it on the line for us, because it’s just what they do.

(brought to you by the proud wife of a Chicago firefighter/EMT)

(NaBloPoMo | June ‘09: 2 of 30 | 75% Challenge: 129 of 274)

I’ll be playing catch-up with my 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge assignments after I get this post for NaBloPoMo in. Looks like I’ll be just under the wire with it, too.

Tonight’s big draw for me was the season premiere of Rescue Me. The 2008 season was missing in action due to the writer’s strike, so we have an extended 2009 Season 5 to look forward to: 22 episodes. So I am very happy to report that the season is off to a good start.

My favorite part about Rescue Me is the scenes in the kitchen, where they have the best conversations about some really dumb topics. Tonight’s question: would you rather lose one eye… or one ball? The firehouse banter is totally back and in great form. So is the seriously screwed up mess that is the Gavin family. And I have never seen Michael J. Fox play such an assholish character; I think he is going to be a great addition to the show.

Some things about this show still leave me at a loss. Tommy Gavin has really long hair for a firefighter. Also, with his very average looks, how would he have all those hot women chasing after him (I know, it is his show, and I guess if I ran a show, I would write myself as a major sex symbol, too, regardless of how far from reality that would be). My technical advisor assures me that being a firefighter, especially in uniform, does add to one’s sex appeal even if one is average-looking, so I will let that one slide for now. I also think Garrity and Silletti are played way too clueless. If they were that dumb, they would never have even passed the entrance exam, let alone survive as many fires as they’ve been on.

Some of you already know this: my “technical advisor” is my husband who is a firefighter/EMT-B with the Chicago Fire Department and from a firefighting family. The show is a big favorite of his, too. I often ask him if something on the show is something that would happen in real life. Usually the answer is yes. But he swears that to his knowledge, there has never been a… ermmmm…. male member measuring contest… at any of the houses he has been at. Improbable stuff does happen, including accidentally setting the firehouse on fire. It just probably wouldn’t happen all at the same house, to the same guys.

I’m glad Rescue Me is back – I missed it a lot. I have only a few must-watch shows, and this is definitely one of them.