By The Rockets Red Glare

[exlrrp]

I didn't know the coolest thing about the BFD untill last Monday: They let me fire off the fireworks!!
No Fooling, and it wasn't something I'd even planned for.
Waswalking in the park to see the fireworks and saw the red trucks parked over in the corner. They had asked for volunteers for "shooters" but the ol lrrp don't volunteer to be a "shooter" without he first learns what the shooting involves, so I just stayed mum and edged around towards the door (I'd volunteered to be shooter long ago and didn't like it)
Turns out this was what they were shooting.
Ducked under the yellow tape ("I'm with the fire department!") and there I was--right in th middle of all the explosives preparation
"James, ol son, youve been here before," thinks I
I have to say that one of the favoritest things to do in the Army for me was shooting stuff off. Guns, rocket lauchers, grenade launchers, Claymores--you name it: just gimme that sucker and lets see what it'll do!
I mean: what is the Army but a bunch of guys, right? And what do guys like to do more than anything?? (almost anything??) Thats right, Shoot stuff off!! Blow stuff up!! Am I right guys?
Holy Moly what a light show war is. I mean awesome and the closer it gets the awesomer it is!
Thats what this Fourth was like for me.
Basically they have racks with 3" pipes about 2' long, maybe 10 pipes in a wood rack, 2 lines of about 100 tubes each These pipes are like mortar tubes: You poke the charge down into them and leave the fuse dangling out---you can hook this up to others or fire them off seperately.
There's always one guy who knows everything about everything in any system--in the BFD his name is Neil. He's one of them quiet ones you have to ask but once you get this guy going he's a font of useful information: like splicing fuses and setting up explosives safely and for maximum effect. I worked with him setting up the stuff while the others dug the trenches to pace the "mortars" in (Yeah I was in the Army all right!)
They also have prepacked boxes for this stuff too, just light the fuse: KERBLOOIE!! These are the sequenced things that happen, you know cartwheels and those ones that spin eccentrically all together.
So D Day H Hour approaches--had to go get my turnout rig, that heavy coat, pants and boots rig they give you plus helmet.
10:00 FIRE IN THE HOLE!! Thats what they say, too.
There were 4 of us in two teams, each team firing off a row of about 100 rockets. The "conductor"of the explosive symphony would point at us and tell us when to fire. This was done with a fusee, aka a flare: crawl on up, light the fuse and BLAAAAMMMMMOOOO!!
Well when I say I aint had so much fun since the Vietnam War, you can take it to the bank and write checks on it!! God that was cool!! Light the fuses: BOOOOMO!! light the fuse: BOOOOOOOMO!!!
My teammate and I toook turns setting em off, alternately just lying on the grass and watching them go off over me--the best seat in the house. All the crap that drops off minded me of brass falling from a gunship during a run.
This, thinks I, lying on the grass in my firemens rig is really REALLY cool!!
Well I never had so much fun on the 4th not even in The War.
I'm getting to like small town life
But here's the best thing of all: If I do this twice more working with Neil (and he does "shoots" all over the county,) I can become a licensed Pyrotechnical Technician!! This means I can legally buy fuses and explosives!!! YAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!
(dances around the room)
Yep I been feeling sorta insecure lately with the Conservatives in power and all, knowing how much they hate liberals, and thinking how much safer and better my life could be if I had some fuses and explosives around the place, all, of course for legitimate home defense. I could REALLY defend my home with some properly placed explosives, heck yes I could. This would also increase activities for a Psycovet weekend too.
Well its food for thought. You should see all the other exotic qualifications I have that I never use.
Stay good, all
James

[frisco-kid]

How COOL is that? I'm jealous. That sounds like about as much fun as you can possibly have with your clothes on. Glad for ya that ya got to do it, my friend.

[catman]

James...sounds like you had a great time! Glad for ya brother! Book is in the mail, should be getting it any day, enjoy!

Trav

[MarineAO]

James you lucky SOB Man how I wish I were there with ya.
Glad you had a BANGUP TIME and hope you have many more.

[sn-e3]

James when is the campout.? and if you have the campout do you want me to bring fireworks

[phuloi]

The funnest part of my Army Engineer career...Being a sapper and blowin shit up.I mean,what red-blooded American kid doesn`t enjoy blowing stuff to smitherines.I was always pretending that the cat couldn`t do the job so I could grab a handful of c-4.

[39mto39g]

We had to take a truck to each launch sight, For grass fires. They had two lowboy trailers full of mortar tubs, all wired togeather. Wired-no fuze. I was standing next to the guy in charge or the fireworks and all he did was puch one button and the whole thing went off in a timed mannor with some very loud music timed to the Booms.
They quite letting people light fuzes a couple years ago when a "short fuze" happened. The guy was lighting off the mortars and one came out of the tube and blew, He was decapitated and the show was over.
Be careful James.

Ron

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by 39mto39g We had to take a truck to each launch sight, For grass fires. They had two lowboy trailers full of mortar tubs, all wired togeather. Wired-no fuze. I was standing next to the guy in charge or the fireworks and all he did was puch one button and the whole thing went off in a timed mannor with some very loud music timed to the Booms.
They quite letting people light fuzes a couple years ago when a "short fuze" happened. The guy was lighting off the mortars and one came out of the tube and blew, He was decapitated and the show was over.
Be careful James.

Ron

Don't worry, Ron, I already killed myself 3 times on the first trip to the Nam (and twice on the 2d, yeah Tom?)
I'll take my chances-- been a carpenter for 30 years--still got every one of my appendages although 2 of my brothers are walking around with short thumbs. I'm an old man, its been a good life--Going out in a huge fireball may be a fitting end of it.
That ol flare was about as far out as this arm could reach it. KABOOM!!!!The percussion wave, the smell of cordite (?) The BOOMS, the rockets red glare. Ah, the good ol days!!
I forgot to say they were playing music.
They use fuses here because they're low budget in Brownsville, there's only one paid fireman (the chief)
But dang Ron,. just finished the HAZMAT training this weekend--there's plenty of colorful and comprehensive ways to kill yourself in the fire business.
The HAZMAT teacher was another of these Vietnam heores with colorful stories--this one was in the Navy para rescue and, acccording to his story HALOed into Laos to pick up downed pilots 6 times
I mean parachuting in to Laos from 24,000' to pick up downed fliers.
Well I wanted to ask him was all the recovery helicopters in the NAvy broke down or what? Why do I always run into these characters when they in some kind of authority over me? Teacher or whatever?? It sorta puts the damper on me saying " Hey you asshole, thats the phoniest story Ive heard since Ahmed Chalabi was part of the Bush Administration." It must get boring sitting out in the middle of the ocean with all those other guys, plenty of time to think up good stories
He'd also been a bomb technician
HALOing in after downed pilots from 24K feet in Laos? Lemme guess--this was at night. That would sure be doing it the hard way--I mean whats wrong with just bringing in the recovery slick and away you go--Its the way we did it--not heroic enough for the Navy??

Been workiing all weekend on the Hazmat course. The first thing they teach you is to study it from a disctance with binoculars if theyres a spill, which is entirely sensible to me. (And then run the other way!)
Bout the only hazardous material we'll ever deal with here in Linn County, GrassSeed Capital of the World, is meth labs, except if there's a major train derailment.
What it made me realize is how little training we got in the Army for dealing with some really dangerous stuff. Its intersting about the ICS command set up and all. They got a tactical playbook they run off and everybody knows their job and does it. We could have used more tactical trainin in the army, that stuff they gave us in AIT and Basic was enough to get you killed.
Its amazing how many deadly items there are going by you in every kind of truck, some of them are WMDs themselves.
All this stuff makes me more aware of what you been doing for years, Ron. Stay healthy, if thats possible for you
James

[catman]

James....we use to have nice little nicknames for those more expendable than firefighters, ie....Bluebirds = State Police or anyone from the State Offices, Yellowjackets = anyone from the DNR or railroad offices.

Always, I repeat always let one of those knuckleheads go in first, usually they are more than willing, guess that is how they get their glory, i say let them have it.

Most times by the time you get the perimeter set up around a spill there are more cops and DNR officials than you can shake a stick at walking around, they are expendable, you are not!

Be safe my friend, as you stated...there are lots of ways to die out there!


Trav

[39mto39g]

Incident comand system is kinda last year James. Allen Brunisinie is a dork. IMS or incident managment system is closer to what we are doing know, And we all just finished going to NIMS , National Incident managment system, Thats the newest thing out there in managing a scene.
Haz-mat, Yes there are a bunch of very bad things out there and if you have a rail road , your in danger. We try to use a
Cop-a-logical monitor when possible. They get in deep shit now if they go up to a Haz-mat spill and smell it. But I say F-um go ahead, my guys will watch you, Oh yea could you give me your ID so we don't have to touch you later.
Houston is housting HOTZONE in OCT. for a week, All latest Hazmat gear and information, You should come.
good luck with your training. That little orenge book is your bible.

Ron