My friend

I once had a great friend, his name was Brian.

For some reason I have been thinking about him alot lately, not really sure why. Last time I spoke to him was February 15, 1999.

We were called mutual aid to a fire in a lil suburb of Ft. Worth, apon arrival there were reports of three firemen trapped inside. The roof collapsed and they were stuck. I got on the radio and had the last conversation Brian and I would ever have in this world. They were in a corner, stuck but still had a workin hose line and holdin their own. I promised him I'd git him out. He knew I would.

After we started breaching a wall he called out his hose quit, he thought it was burned thru, "Please hurry if ya can."

After that we got feedback over the radios until his melted and heard P.A.S.S. alarms sounding until they failed too. (Alarms we wear to let other firemen know we are down, most of y'all have heard them on 9/11 footage, that annoyin lil chirp soundin over and over on the videos)

His first fire bout 20 years before, when he was 16, was at a church, his last was at this church.

Brian and two other firefighters died that day. It was late afternoon when we pulled them out and brought them home.

Raise a glass lads...

When I was a relatively new fireman I met an interestin character named "Corn Water"

Corn Water's real name is Jerry. He is an expert in vertical rescue. He is the man who trained me in the joys of roping off buildings, bridges, cranes, water towers, out of helicopters, and into deep holes in the dirt, or any numerous other area where people find themselves hurt or stuck.

Jerry got named Corn Water at the fire station due to his particularly weird fetish. Every time we cooked canned corn he would suddenly appear like a squirrel on crack cocaine. He would be lickin his lips, holdin his cup and sayin things like "That corn water looks good" or "Ya ain't gonna pour out that corn water are ya?" or my personal favorite "If you ain't gonna drink that corn water I sure wouldn't mind havin it"

It got rather amusing when somebody would pretend to dump the water out. Corn Water would be so forlorn, until he would see you apper in the doorway holdin his corn cup and he would just grin and swig his elixer.

Sorry y'all, I sure do suck at this bloggin. Seems like life is movin so fast with deer season around the cornor, then holidays and b-days commin up. Will just have to make myself sit and write when stories pop in my head.