The Birth of Brandi's Twins [COTW 8/8/11]

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by mlee

Worst disaster to ever hit this state as far as lives lost including many children. So very sad.

If you were to look at the calendar 365 24/7 you could not have picked a worse date/time with the 4th falling on a Friday and the Guadalupe being the #1 vacation spot for 4th of July. Then to happen at night after the big day of festivities and so fast there could be no notifications was horrific. I keep asking why didn't this at least happen any other time, middle of the week or something.

Some things you just can't understand... Just horrific and it continues... Prayers sent.

This is one of our greatest mysteries. I put my book and the associated research on hold after that, as them folks don't need me running through their stations doing my research. "I'm about ready to start up again, one since the Chief wants to discuss a former employee that I worked with well before any of the current employees worked there.


He was killed in an off duty accident, and his father was a FF in the Twin Cities area before they moved to Texas. When a new employee starts with the Fire Dept, they are given a folder with the documented history of the department as well as is known. When the current Chief, who has been instrumental in helping me, found out I worked with this young man, he asked if he could interview me so they can include his story in the folder.


And two, the department has mostly settled down and the professional help they required after this catastrophic event is mostly winding up. Or so it seems. You can never tell what little event can cause a flashback and set a person off. It's something we are all taught to watch for.


I have recently been invited to become and Instructor with ASM, (Accident Scene Management), and thus I am in Houston starting my class tomorrow. I'll guest instructing with my primary contact leader, who is from Phoenix.


Typically they want EMT's (all levels) and Nurses with current active licensing, but exceptions can and are occasionally made. I spoke with the program creator, a nurse from Michigan, and after a short discussion of my training and experience, both as a ground based paramedic, and a flight medic, both fixed wing and rotor wing, she "signed off on the waiver" and so after a chilly ride over today, I start classes in the morning. I'm looking forward to it, I always enjoyed teaching and sharing experiences....


Lawd Hep Mee....

[hesster]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

So this past Thursday, we lost our beloved Abbie… She suffered a rapid onset of Wobblers Syndrome… Initially, she didn’t give any indication of any pain, just an unsteady gait occasionally… She was still active and even seemed a little frustrated when her legs wouldn’t respond as she directed them…

Thursday, my wife Deb was in the laundry, and Abbie was maybe 10 feet away in the hallway, and fell such that she was down with her back legs stretched out behind her, and was still mostly up on her front legs…, and she was crying out in pain… Deb got to her and was able to help her back to her feet then had her lay down, which is where I found them a few minutes later when I got out of the shower… What if we hadn’t been home…

We knew it was time and so I called the Vet, a family friend, and we ended up taking Abbie to his office in my wife’s van. We got her out to walk for a minute, and then she got back in the van. Our vet came out, and sedated her in the car and we sat in back with her, (she was asleep with her head on my lap) as she snored. He came back out after a time and euthanized her, as we all cried… The vet techs, the vet, my wife and I… Abbie was an amazing personality… She was hard to know, but once you were in her circle…

We left the Vets office and drove home to get Shadrach… He sniffed of her in the back of the van and we loaded him up for the trip to the crematorium. It was a tough drive… We will scatter her ashes at the base of one of her favorite pecan trees, on my sis - in - laws 10 acre orchard… Abbie’s happy place….She will be able to chase squirrels to her hearts content…

Love Your Pets, They Love you Unconditionally…

Catching up on posts, and saw this one of yours - heartbreaking. All of us that have pets know what that is all about - like a family member, and sometimes even that loss is worse.