Finally, some time off of work. I really needed this, so I could get some stuff done around the house. It feels real good to get Christmas out of the way and get life back to normal.
For some people, Christmas is a bad time of year. I don't mind Christmas, especially because it is the time of year we celebrate the birth of Christ. I just get tired of all the commercialism of it and everyone trying to find that perfect gift for someone else. Plus, this was our third Christmas without my mother-in-law. I still really miss her and the Christmas season reminds me of it even more. One thing I have really emphasized since my MIL passed away, is it is more important to me to spend good, quality, time with my family, than to worry about buying gifts for each other. This year, my brother-in-law had a stroke about two weeks before Christmas. About a week after his stroke, he had a heart attack. We really did not think he would be home at Christmas, but he was. He was extremely tired, but he was there.
Another thing I enjoy about Christmas is our tradition of taking breakfast items to the firefighters on Christmas morning. The organization I belong to, the Citizen's Fire Academy Alumni Association (CFAAA) delivers breakfast items to all Okla. City fire stations on Christmas morning. Our members adopt a station, find out how many firefighters will be at the station on Christmas morning and buy breakfast items for them. Then, on Christmas morning, we deliver the breakfast items to each fire station as a "thank you" for the service they provide 365 days a year, 24/7. Each member normally adopts one station, however, we were short on members this time around, so a few members adopted more than one station.
I adopted one station, but myself and the Vice-President of our organization, wound up delivering to seven different fire stations Christmas morning because other members backed out. Actually, myself, my daughter, the Vice-President and her husband, made all the deliveries. We started at 6:15 Christmas morning and finished around 9 am. Afterwards, we had Christmas at our house with my son, daughter and wife. Then, we went to my sister-in-law's house for Christmas and lunch. Finally, at around 2 pm, we headed up to north OKC to my sister's house and had Christmas there. Yes, it was a very long day.
For the last couple of days, I have been doing quite a bit of work around the house. I had promised my wife I would clear out the storage facility we have been renting for years and get all our stuff moved to the storage building in our back yard. We were getting tired of paying $64.00 a month for storage when we had a large storage building in our own backyard. Early Monday, I started hauling stuff back and forth......putting all the furniture and stuff in the rented storage and moving our personal stuff from that storage facility to our storage building. For now, my sister-in-law will be using the rented storage facility for her stuff and paying the monthly rental fee. I did lots of sorting, lots of throwing away....and gave lots of stuff to Goodwill. I spent 6 hours on Monday moving all the stuff and then spent four hours today, cleaning up the garage, throwing junk away and making more trips to Goodwill.
My back, legs, neck and arms are all sore. I did lots of hard labor, but it was all worth it. I got it all done. I even had time today to buy me a pair of new shoes and watch some TV. Tomorrow should be a pretty easy day. Looking forward to relaxing.
www.centralokreact.org
CERT Training
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Various Traffic Assists by Central OK REACT team members.
We are Central OK REACT. One of our main responsibilities is to assist local and state law enforcement in any way possible. Many times, that means assisting with traffic control during an accident, or assisting a stranded motorist on the side of the road. I have compiled some of these "motorist assists," and "Traffic Assists" from some of our various members..........enjoy.
At 1805 hrs, I was driving northbound on Sooner Rd between SE 44th and SE 29th. Traffic in the left lane was becoming severely backed up. I slowly made my way up and there was a two vehicle collision blocking the left northbound lane and debris covering the left southbound lane. I activated my 4 way flashers and my rear dash light, grabbed my vest, ID, and flashlight. I approached the first vehicle and noticed an older gentleman by the car. I asked if 911 had been called and if everyone was okay. He responded he called 911 and that he and his passenger were okay. I approached the second vehicle and the lady still in the vehicle stated she was okay. Traffic southbound was still driving very near the incident and over the debris, so I promptly directed traffic to the outside lane going southbound. A few minutes later OKCFD showed up on scene and blocked the inside northbound and inside southbound lanes. Since both lanes were blocked and the scene was safe I cleared at 1815hrs.
John Linley, unit 718
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12/13/11 @ 01:42, I was en route to my residence from work when I came upon a maroon Chevy truck, blocking both lane 1 & 2 on NE 23rd street, just east of Westminster, at approximately 11005 NE 23rd in Nicoma Park. I noticed that this vehicle did not have any hazard lights on and was in a dangerous spot being on an upside of a hill. I contacted a Spencer Police officer via Cell phone and advised him of my location since I knew that the Nicoma Park officer was out on an agency assist in MWC. He advised he would be en route to my location to assist me with traffic. I then attempted to contact anyone on the OKC repeater. I activated my T/A grabbed my vest and stepped out of my vehicle. I asked the driver of the vehicle what was the problem and he stated he had run out of gas and that his battery was now dead. I also advised them who I was with and gave him a business card. @ 01:45, Spencer 11 arrived on scene and positioned himself on the hill to advise oncoming motorists of the hazard ahead. At that point, he advised me to help get the vehicle out of the road. I grabbed a tow chain from my vehicle and repositioned it to tow the vehicle into a parking lot up the road. @ 01:50 I had successfully moved the vehicle out of NE 23rd street. I then successfully jump-started the vehicle. They thanked spencer 11 and me for our help @ 0155. Nicoma Park 5 arrived on scene he thanked both Spencer 11 and myself for the help while he was away. We all went back into service at 0200 I continued home to my residence at that point.
Brett Conner
Unit 740
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Time: Approx. 11:15AM
While returning from the Blanchard parade, I exited onto I240EB from I44EB. As I approached the MayAve off-ramp, I noticed a large amount of smoke behind the retaining wall for the I240WB May Ave on ramp. I exited at May Ave and made a U-turn under the bridge. I entered the On Ramp to May ave. A medium sized grass fire has sparked along the on ramp. I activated my lights, pulled on the north side shoulder. I grabbed my reflective vest and fire extinguisher. I was able to knock most of the flames down using the FE. OCFD Brush pumper arrived on the scene about 4 minutes after I did. The FF drove along the side of the on ramp, while I manned the hose. We got the fire extinguished in under 5 minutes.
He thanked me for my help. I gave him a REACT card.
We both left the scene at 11:30 AM.
Mike Weiss, Unit 728
*******************************************************************************************
On October 4th, 2011, at approximately 19:45 hours, I was traveling west on Reno, approaching Portland, I noticed a semi making a wider than usual left turn. When the truck cleared, I observed a older Lincoln Town car with 2 passenger side flats sitting beside the center median divider. I activated my lights and pulled around behind the vehicle. I attempted to call for monitoring units on the Edmond repeater, with no response. With no contact, I exited and spoke with the driver. Both passenger and driver were in there 50's. The driver still had the car in drive and was asking how far it was to 50th and portland. I convinced the driver to place the car in park and to come look at her wheels. She believed the front was flat but not the back until I showed her. I was trying to talk her into pulling in to the gas station and calling a wrecker or someone she knows for help. She seemed a little incoherant but I thought it was from age. We started to move the car toward the gas station parking lot when she continued north bound and still accelerating. I contacted OCPD and advised them of what was happening and who I was. They stayed on the line with me as I advised of the drivers location and how the driver was acting. Before reaching the railroad tracks on Portland, the driver had increased to approximately 45 mph and was having a hard time maintaining control. She almost didnt get stopped at 10th street. At 23td she entered the left hand turn lane, but when the arrow came on, she remained still. When the northbound light went green, she cut off the second car, which had allowed me to stay behind the individual. Just as we crossed the light, OCPD turned on to 23rd and fell in behind the woman. I dropped back and maintained closure of both lanes until the office could get the woman stopped. We came to a stop at 30th and Portland and another officer joined us. both the driver and passenger resisted arrest and the driver threw herself to the ground. Due to this, I had to wait for a PD LT to show up on scene for my statement. I was released from the area at approximately 2030 hours.
Chris Hadley, Unit 716
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On 1-3-2011, at approximately 21:45, units 715 and 714 were en route to our residence following a movie at the Warren Theatre in Moore. We were northbound on 1-35 nearing the I-40 Junction, when I observed a red Dodge 1500 4x4 in the far eastern lane with it’s hazards on. I also observed an older Honda Accord 4 door turned sideways in a snow drift.. I threw on my lights and stopped behind the Dodge. I put my vest and got out, approached the vehicles and was advised that the guy driving the Honda just lost control of his vehicle and ended up sideways. The driver of the red Dodge advised me that he was just going to pull him out if I thought that was ok. I assisted them in hooking up the tow rope and then the Dodge pulled the Honda out. We went 10-8 at 2150.
Daak Love, Unit 714
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While traveling home from "Haunt the Zoo". I observed a black 4 door sedan with the hood up and flashers on, under the I35 overpass at NE 50th Street. I passed the vehicle to "check" the situation. Not seeing any obvious danger signs, I made a turn around and pulled up behind the vehicle. I activated my over head lights and corner strobes. I called on the OKC repeater that I would be out with a stranded motorist at NE 50th and I35, on NE 50th. I gave a description of the vehicle (Blk Chrysler 300, with OK Lic 322EYG) occupied by two subjects.. I put on my reflective jacket and approached the passenger side of the vehicle. The driver exited the vehicle and met me on the curb, between our vehicles. He was an elderly blk gentleman. He stated his vehicle had just died and would not start back. We checked under the hood for any obvious defects. He attempted the start the vehicle, with no luck. He stated that he and his wife had just left church in Forest Park and were heading home, when the vehicle died. He was able to contact a motorist assist service, who would send Arrow wrecker to the location. I stayed with the couple until the wrecker arrived. #740, 717, and 725, who also worked the Zoo event, came by. Through radio communications, I informed them of the situation. No further assistance was needed, so they continued home. While waiting for the wrecker, the gentleman informed me that he was the pastor of the church, and really appreciated my stopping and staying with them until the wrecker arrived. He was given a card with the REACT contact information. The wrecker arrived and I cleared off, after the vehicle was loaded, at 2247.
Mike Weiss, Unit 728
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On December 23, 2011, at around 18:40, I was eastbound on W Memorial Rd., approaching May. I was in the right-hand lane and noticed traffic slowing down in the middle and left-hand lane. As I got closer, I noticed an accident had occurred in the middle lane. I had already past it, so I turned left on May and did a turn-around in order to get back to the accident. I got on my REACT radio and asked for any unit that may be monitoring. Unit 716 (Hadley) responded and I explained my situation and my location. He was not that far away, so he responded as well. As I pulled up on the accident scene, I activated all my emergency lights, contacted 716 and notified him I would be out of my truck on the accident scene. At that time, 718 (Linley), also advised me he was monitoring. I grabbed my refelctive vest and my cell phone and approached the drivers. I verified they had called 911 and spoke to one of the drivers. His air bag did not deploy, so he slammed his head into his windshield and also got a bloody nose. I advised him he needed to get checked out, so I contacted 911 and asked for EMS. Shortly after my call, 716 arrived on the scene, activated his emergency lights and blocked off the right-hand lane, diverting all traffic to the left-hand lane. Moments later, fire, EMSA and OHP, arrived on the scene. While the firefighters, medical personnel and OHP spoke to the drivers, 716 and myself directed traffic. The OHP Trooper asked if we could stay on the scene to assist with traffic control, so I went ahead and left the scene at 19:00, to attend a dinner and 716 stayed behind to assist with traffic. Note: The OHP Trooper did thank myself and 716 for assisting with traffic and told us we did a great job of diverting traffic around the accident. One more thing......I gave REACT business cards to both drivers.
Keith Sossamon, Unit 706
*********************************************************************************************
At around 14:40 on October 4, 2011, I had just left the Lake Overholser area and was heading eastbound on NW 39th Expressway, approaching N. Council Rd. As I sat at the light, I noticed northbound traffic on council was coming to a standstill just past the intersection. After looking closer, I realized there had been a traffic accident. I got on my REACT mobile to see if any units were on the air....got no response. I was in the middle lane, so I carefully moved into the left-hand turn lane. Once I got turned, I immediately turned on all my emergency lights, stopped my truck, grabbed my reflective vest and ID and approached the other drivers. There were four vehicles involved and they had both northbound lanes blocked. I checked for injuries and then verified that someone called 911. Traffic was heavy and getting backed up. I stopped traffic from getting in the left-hand lane that was turning to eastbound NW 39th and diverted all northbound traffic on Council to that lane. It was one-way northbound and one-way southbound on Council, just north of NW 39th. At around 15:00, a Bethany Police Officer arrived on the scene and started checking on the vehicles that were involved in the accident. I continued to direct traffic, while he took care of the accident scene. Two vehicles were movable, while two were disabled. He walked back to his patrol car and thanked me for stopping and staying. A few minutes later, another Bethany Police officer arrived on the scene.Two cars were moved into a parking lot, while the other two waited for wreckers. The other officer put on his reflective vest and relieved me from traffic control. He commented to me, "I would hate to see what traffic would have looked like if you had not stopped to direct it around the accident scene." I went back to my truck, grabbed two brochures and two business cards and gave them to each officer. The first officer was in his car, writing up the accident report. When I approached him and gave him my information, he thanked me again. I also gave the second officer my card and brochure and he said he was already familiar with REACT. I left the scene at 15:15.
Keith Sossamon, Unit 706
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At approximatley 16:00, just north of I40 on I44, I noticed a Toyota Camry parked on the inside shoulder. I made contact with 706 by team radio and advised him of my stopping to assist. As I was talking to the female driver, her father arrived and parked in front of our vehicles, As we inspected the vehicle, we found that it had overheated. The father advised he would contact AAA. I let him know that I would wait with them until the wrecker arrive due to traffic increasing and location. I cleared off scene at 1645
Chris Hadley, unit 716
At 1805 hrs, I was driving northbound on Sooner Rd between SE 44th and SE 29th. Traffic in the left lane was becoming severely backed up. I slowly made my way up and there was a two vehicle collision blocking the left northbound lane and debris covering the left southbound lane. I activated my 4 way flashers and my rear dash light, grabbed my vest, ID, and flashlight. I approached the first vehicle and noticed an older gentleman by the car. I asked if 911 had been called and if everyone was okay. He responded he called 911 and that he and his passenger were okay. I approached the second vehicle and the lady still in the vehicle stated she was okay. Traffic southbound was still driving very near the incident and over the debris, so I promptly directed traffic to the outside lane going southbound. A few minutes later OKCFD showed up on scene and blocked the inside northbound and inside southbound lanes. Since both lanes were blocked and the scene was safe I cleared at 1815hrs.
John Linley, unit 718
******************************************************************************************
12/13/11 @ 01:42, I was en route to my residence from work when I came upon a maroon Chevy truck, blocking both lane 1 & 2 on NE 23rd street, just east of Westminster, at approximately 11005 NE 23rd in Nicoma Park. I noticed that this vehicle did not have any hazard lights on and was in a dangerous spot being on an upside of a hill. I contacted a Spencer Police officer via Cell phone and advised him of my location since I knew that the Nicoma Park officer was out on an agency assist in MWC. He advised he would be en route to my location to assist me with traffic. I then attempted to contact anyone on the OKC repeater. I activated my T/A grabbed my vest and stepped out of my vehicle. I asked the driver of the vehicle what was the problem and he stated he had run out of gas and that his battery was now dead. I also advised them who I was with and gave him a business card. @ 01:45, Spencer 11 arrived on scene and positioned himself on the hill to advise oncoming motorists of the hazard ahead. At that point, he advised me to help get the vehicle out of the road. I grabbed a tow chain from my vehicle and repositioned it to tow the vehicle into a parking lot up the road. @ 01:50 I had successfully moved the vehicle out of NE 23rd street. I then successfully jump-started the vehicle. They thanked spencer 11 and me for our help @ 0155. Nicoma Park 5 arrived on scene he thanked both Spencer 11 and myself for the help while he was away. We all went back into service at 0200 I continued home to my residence at that point.
Brett Conner
Unit 740
******************************************************************************************
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Time: Approx. 11:15AM
While returning from the Blanchard parade, I exited onto I240EB from I44EB. As I approached the MayAve off-ramp, I noticed a large amount of smoke behind the retaining wall for the I240WB May Ave on ramp. I exited at May Ave and made a U-turn under the bridge. I entered the On Ramp to May ave. A medium sized grass fire has sparked along the on ramp. I activated my lights, pulled on the north side shoulder. I grabbed my reflective vest and fire extinguisher. I was able to knock most of the flames down using the FE. OCFD Brush pumper arrived on the scene about 4 minutes after I did. The FF drove along the side of the on ramp, while I manned the hose. We got the fire extinguished in under 5 minutes.
He thanked me for my help. I gave him a REACT card.
We both left the scene at 11:30 AM.
Mike Weiss, Unit 728
*******************************************************************************************
On October 4th, 2011, at approximately 19:45 hours, I was traveling west on Reno, approaching Portland, I noticed a semi making a wider than usual left turn. When the truck cleared, I observed a older Lincoln Town car with 2 passenger side flats sitting beside the center median divider. I activated my lights and pulled around behind the vehicle. I attempted to call for monitoring units on the Edmond repeater, with no response. With no contact, I exited and spoke with the driver. Both passenger and driver were in there 50's. The driver still had the car in drive and was asking how far it was to 50th and portland. I convinced the driver to place the car in park and to come look at her wheels. She believed the front was flat but not the back until I showed her. I was trying to talk her into pulling in to the gas station and calling a wrecker or someone she knows for help. She seemed a little incoherant but I thought it was from age. We started to move the car toward the gas station parking lot when she continued north bound and still accelerating. I contacted OCPD and advised them of what was happening and who I was. They stayed on the line with me as I advised of the drivers location and how the driver was acting. Before reaching the railroad tracks on Portland, the driver had increased to approximately 45 mph and was having a hard time maintaining control. She almost didnt get stopped at 10th street. At 23td she entered the left hand turn lane, but when the arrow came on, she remained still. When the northbound light went green, she cut off the second car, which had allowed me to stay behind the individual. Just as we crossed the light, OCPD turned on to 23rd and fell in behind the woman. I dropped back and maintained closure of both lanes until the office could get the woman stopped. We came to a stop at 30th and Portland and another officer joined us. both the driver and passenger resisted arrest and the driver threw herself to the ground. Due to this, I had to wait for a PD LT to show up on scene for my statement. I was released from the area at approximately 2030 hours.
Chris Hadley, Unit 716
******************************************************************************************
On 1-3-2011, at approximately 21:45, units 715 and 714 were en route to our residence following a movie at the Warren Theatre in Moore. We were northbound on 1-35 nearing the I-40 Junction, when I observed a red Dodge 1500 4x4 in the far eastern lane with it’s hazards on. I also observed an older Honda Accord 4 door turned sideways in a snow drift.. I threw on my lights and stopped behind the Dodge. I put my vest and got out, approached the vehicles and was advised that the guy driving the Honda just lost control of his vehicle and ended up sideways. The driver of the red Dodge advised me that he was just going to pull him out if I thought that was ok. I assisted them in hooking up the tow rope and then the Dodge pulled the Honda out. We went 10-8 at 2150.
Daak Love, Unit 714
*******************************************************************************************
While traveling home from "Haunt the Zoo". I observed a black 4 door sedan with the hood up and flashers on, under the I35 overpass at NE 50th Street. I passed the vehicle to "check" the situation. Not seeing any obvious danger signs, I made a turn around and pulled up behind the vehicle. I activated my over head lights and corner strobes. I called on the OKC repeater that I would be out with a stranded motorist at NE 50th and I35, on NE 50th. I gave a description of the vehicle (Blk Chrysler 300, with OK Lic 322EYG) occupied by two subjects.. I put on my reflective jacket and approached the passenger side of the vehicle. The driver exited the vehicle and met me on the curb, between our vehicles. He was an elderly blk gentleman. He stated his vehicle had just died and would not start back. We checked under the hood for any obvious defects. He attempted the start the vehicle, with no luck. He stated that he and his wife had just left church in Forest Park and were heading home, when the vehicle died. He was able to contact a motorist assist service, who would send Arrow wrecker to the location. I stayed with the couple until the wrecker arrived. #740, 717, and 725, who also worked the Zoo event, came by. Through radio communications, I informed them of the situation. No further assistance was needed, so they continued home. While waiting for the wrecker, the gentleman informed me that he was the pastor of the church, and really appreciated my stopping and staying with them until the wrecker arrived. He was given a card with the REACT contact information. The wrecker arrived and I cleared off, after the vehicle was loaded, at 2247.
Mike Weiss, Unit 728
********************************************************************************************
On December 23, 2011, at around 18:40, I was eastbound on W Memorial Rd., approaching May. I was in the right-hand lane and noticed traffic slowing down in the middle and left-hand lane. As I got closer, I noticed an accident had occurred in the middle lane. I had already past it, so I turned left on May and did a turn-around in order to get back to the accident. I got on my REACT radio and asked for any unit that may be monitoring. Unit 716 (Hadley) responded and I explained my situation and my location. He was not that far away, so he responded as well. As I pulled up on the accident scene, I activated all my emergency lights, contacted 716 and notified him I would be out of my truck on the accident scene. At that time, 718 (Linley), also advised me he was monitoring. I grabbed my refelctive vest and my cell phone and approached the drivers. I verified they had called 911 and spoke to one of the drivers. His air bag did not deploy, so he slammed his head into his windshield and also got a bloody nose. I advised him he needed to get checked out, so I contacted 911 and asked for EMS. Shortly after my call, 716 arrived on the scene, activated his emergency lights and blocked off the right-hand lane, diverting all traffic to the left-hand lane. Moments later, fire, EMSA and OHP, arrived on the scene. While the firefighters, medical personnel and OHP spoke to the drivers, 716 and myself directed traffic. The OHP Trooper asked if we could stay on the scene to assist with traffic control, so I went ahead and left the scene at 19:00, to attend a dinner and 716 stayed behind to assist with traffic. Note: The OHP Trooper did thank myself and 716 for assisting with traffic and told us we did a great job of diverting traffic around the accident. One more thing......I gave REACT business cards to both drivers.
Keith Sossamon, Unit 706
*********************************************************************************************
At around 14:40 on October 4, 2011, I had just left the Lake Overholser area and was heading eastbound on NW 39th Expressway, approaching N. Council Rd. As I sat at the light, I noticed northbound traffic on council was coming to a standstill just past the intersection. After looking closer, I realized there had been a traffic accident. I got on my REACT mobile to see if any units were on the air....got no response. I was in the middle lane, so I carefully moved into the left-hand turn lane. Once I got turned, I immediately turned on all my emergency lights, stopped my truck, grabbed my reflective vest and ID and approached the other drivers. There were four vehicles involved and they had both northbound lanes blocked. I checked for injuries and then verified that someone called 911. Traffic was heavy and getting backed up. I stopped traffic from getting in the left-hand lane that was turning to eastbound NW 39th and diverted all northbound traffic on Council to that lane. It was one-way northbound and one-way southbound on Council, just north of NW 39th. At around 15:00, a Bethany Police Officer arrived on the scene and started checking on the vehicles that were involved in the accident. I continued to direct traffic, while he took care of the accident scene. Two vehicles were movable, while two were disabled. He walked back to his patrol car and thanked me for stopping and staying. A few minutes later, another Bethany Police officer arrived on the scene.Two cars were moved into a parking lot, while the other two waited for wreckers. The other officer put on his reflective vest and relieved me from traffic control. He commented to me, "I would hate to see what traffic would have looked like if you had not stopped to direct it around the accident scene." I went back to my truck, grabbed two brochures and two business cards and gave them to each officer. The first officer was in his car, writing up the accident report. When I approached him and gave him my information, he thanked me again. I also gave the second officer my card and brochure and he said he was already familiar with REACT. I left the scene at 15:15.
Keith Sossamon, Unit 706
********************************************************************************************
At approximatley 16:00, just north of I40 on I44, I noticed a Toyota Camry parked on the inside shoulder. I made contact with 706 by team radio and advised him of my stopping to assist. As I was talking to the female driver, her father arrived and parked in front of our vehicles, As we inspected the vehicle, we found that it had overheated. The father advised he would contact AAA. I let him know that I would wait with them until the wrecker arrive due to traffic increasing and location. I cleared off scene at 1645
Chris Hadley, unit 716
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tis the Season.....
I had a great weekend!
I spent Saturday morning at the church, practicing the Christmas musical/drama with the choir. Gayla and I had the main speaking parts in the musical, so we had our dress rehearsal to work out the kinks. Fortunate for us, all of our lines were put on a power point and shown on a big screen in the balcony so we wouldn’t have to memorize much. That’s a good thing for me, especially since my memory is so bad. All we had to do was look to the balcony for our words. The rehearsal went great and I felt pretty comfortable with it.
Afterwards, I went to the flea market to buy my cologne. Just as I was getting out of my truck, a friend of mine that works security at the flea market, stopped and talked to me. We had just started talking when a pick-up, right in front of us, backed into a car while he was backing out. He didn’t just barely tap it either…he hit it hard. The security guard got out of his truck, approached the truck and advised the driver to kill the engine. Come to find out, the driver did not have a license, or insurance. It also so happened the driver of the hit vehicle just happened to be walking back to his car when he saw the truck hit his car.
So, the security guard, his supervisor, the man in the truck and the guys whose car got hit, talked for a while and tried to come to a mutual agreement on what to do. The man driving the truck was not intoxicated, but he wasn’t very steady. The security guards made him call someone to come and get the truck because they would not allow this guy to drive off in it without insurance and license. If it had been me, I would have called the police and had the guy hauled off the jail……but it wasn’t my call. Since the accident was in the parking lot of the flea market, the police would not work it anyway….but, since the guy had no license, or insurance, the police could still arrest him. The parties decided to work it out amongst themselves, so I left the scene and went inside the flea market.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at home, watching TV and playing on my computer. I actually got a nap in as well. My wife and I had a Christmas dinner/party to go to in Moore at 5:30 pm., so I got up and around at 4:30 and we left the house at 5 pm. We had a good time at the party and had a great meal. Since it was still early when that party was over, we headed over to another party we had been invited to. We spent time at that party and then headed home at 9 pm. I stayed up until around 11 pm, going over some of my lines for the Christmas musical.
I was up early on Sunday morning, rehearsing my lines and getting myself psyched up for the musical. Once I got to church, I did the final preparations to get myself ready for the musical. Gayla and I were both somewhat nervous, but we knew we could do it. I said several prayers and just put it all in God’s hands. Amazingly, things went great and the entire musical/drama was almost flawless. When it was finally over, Gayla and I both had a look of relief on our faces. Even though we did have a great time doing it and it actually brought us closer together, we were glad it was over with. Having a great performance feels so good and satisfying. I am just glad I did not make a fool of myself. After church, we went to lunch and I crashed the rest of the day on my couch.
Monday morning was tough. I did not want to get up for work. I only work four days this week and then my vacation starts…..I will be off work until after the first of the year. I need a break from some of my co-workers, who feel they have to watch every move I make.
There are two co-workers in my office that keep to themselves and don’t speak unless they are spoken to. They mind their own business and don’t joke around. I guess I will be in that mindset now. My life is my business. I will go to work, put in my 8 hours and go home. It’s pitiful when you have to watch everything you say, in fear someone is going to take what you say in the wrong way. Well, no more jokes….and no more laughter.
http://www.centralokreact.org/
I spent Saturday morning at the church, practicing the Christmas musical/drama with the choir. Gayla and I had the main speaking parts in the musical, so we had our dress rehearsal to work out the kinks. Fortunate for us, all of our lines were put on a power point and shown on a big screen in the balcony so we wouldn’t have to memorize much. That’s a good thing for me, especially since my memory is so bad. All we had to do was look to the balcony for our words. The rehearsal went great and I felt pretty comfortable with it.
Afterwards, I went to the flea market to buy my cologne. Just as I was getting out of my truck, a friend of mine that works security at the flea market, stopped and talked to me. We had just started talking when a pick-up, right in front of us, backed into a car while he was backing out. He didn’t just barely tap it either…he hit it hard. The security guard got out of his truck, approached the truck and advised the driver to kill the engine. Come to find out, the driver did not have a license, or insurance. It also so happened the driver of the hit vehicle just happened to be walking back to his car when he saw the truck hit his car.
So, the security guard, his supervisor, the man in the truck and the guys whose car got hit, talked for a while and tried to come to a mutual agreement on what to do. The man driving the truck was not intoxicated, but he wasn’t very steady. The security guards made him call someone to come and get the truck because they would not allow this guy to drive off in it without insurance and license. If it had been me, I would have called the police and had the guy hauled off the jail……but it wasn’t my call. Since the accident was in the parking lot of the flea market, the police would not work it anyway….but, since the guy had no license, or insurance, the police could still arrest him. The parties decided to work it out amongst themselves, so I left the scene and went inside the flea market.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at home, watching TV and playing on my computer. I actually got a nap in as well. My wife and I had a Christmas dinner/party to go to in Moore at 5:30 pm., so I got up and around at 4:30 and we left the house at 5 pm. We had a good time at the party and had a great meal. Since it was still early when that party was over, we headed over to another party we had been invited to. We spent time at that party and then headed home at 9 pm. I stayed up until around 11 pm, going over some of my lines for the Christmas musical.
I was up early on Sunday morning, rehearsing my lines and getting myself psyched up for the musical. Once I got to church, I did the final preparations to get myself ready for the musical. Gayla and I were both somewhat nervous, but we knew we could do it. I said several prayers and just put it all in God’s hands. Amazingly, things went great and the entire musical/drama was almost flawless. When it was finally over, Gayla and I both had a look of relief on our faces. Even though we did have a great time doing it and it actually brought us closer together, we were glad it was over with. Having a great performance feels so good and satisfying. I am just glad I did not make a fool of myself. After church, we went to lunch and I crashed the rest of the day on my couch.
Monday morning was tough. I did not want to get up for work. I only work four days this week and then my vacation starts…..I will be off work until after the first of the year. I need a break from some of my co-workers, who feel they have to watch every move I make.
There are two co-workers in my office that keep to themselves and don’t speak unless they are spoken to. They mind their own business and don’t joke around. I guess I will be in that mindset now. My life is my business. I will go to work, put in my 8 hours and go home. It’s pitiful when you have to watch everything you say, in fear someone is going to take what you say in the wrong way. Well, no more jokes….and no more laughter.
http://www.centralokreact.org/
Friday, December 16, 2011
Don't Drink and Drive!
Ahhhh, I finally made it to Friday. This has been one long week.
Last night was a very interesting and educational night. Our REACT team was invited to a Victims Impact Panel in Norman. This panel is something that is court ordered for those who have been convicted of Driving under the Influence (DUI). During this panel, there are normally three individuals who speak to the class. One is usually a police officer, or someone in law enforcement. They are there to tell the class what they see when they have to deal with a DUI accident. Many times what they see is very graphic and gory. They see mangles bodies and destroyed lives. Then, they are the ones who have to go to the homes of the deceased and inform their next of kin that they were killed in an accident.
The other speaker is someone who has actually had a family member, or close friend, die in a DUI-related accident. They tell about the horrors of hearing their doorbell ring in the middle of the night, just to see police officers outside their door. They know their loved one is not home, so they know the police are there to give them bad news. They tell about how they feel when they learn their loved one has been killed. They tell how they are still coping with the death and how they deal with it on a daily basis.
The third speaker is someone who has been convicted of a DUI and has actually been in an accident where a death was involved. It might have been a death of their passenger, or a death in the other vehicle they hit. They tell of how great their life was and how they had a full life ahead of them….until they decided to drink and drive and someone was killed because of their drinking and driving. Now, they have lost just about everything. They are now a felon and it is very hard for someone that is convicted of a felony, to get a job.
After attending this class last night and listening to the stories, I have come to the conclusion (which I already knew) that drinking and driving, or driving under the influence of drugs, can change yours and somebody else’s life forever. Not only does it destroy your family, your life and your goals, it also destroys the lives of other families. It isn’t worth it. Please, don’t drink and drive.
http://www.centralokreact.org/
Last night was a very interesting and educational night. Our REACT team was invited to a Victims Impact Panel in Norman. This panel is something that is court ordered for those who have been convicted of Driving under the Influence (DUI). During this panel, there are normally three individuals who speak to the class. One is usually a police officer, or someone in law enforcement. They are there to tell the class what they see when they have to deal with a DUI accident. Many times what they see is very graphic and gory. They see mangles bodies and destroyed lives. Then, they are the ones who have to go to the homes of the deceased and inform their next of kin that they were killed in an accident.
The other speaker is someone who has actually had a family member, or close friend, die in a DUI-related accident. They tell about the horrors of hearing their doorbell ring in the middle of the night, just to see police officers outside their door. They know their loved one is not home, so they know the police are there to give them bad news. They tell about how they feel when they learn their loved one has been killed. They tell how they are still coping with the death and how they deal with it on a daily basis.
The third speaker is someone who has been convicted of a DUI and has actually been in an accident where a death was involved. It might have been a death of their passenger, or a death in the other vehicle they hit. They tell of how great their life was and how they had a full life ahead of them….until they decided to drink and drive and someone was killed because of their drinking and driving. Now, they have lost just about everything. They are now a felon and it is very hard for someone that is convicted of a felony, to get a job.
After attending this class last night and listening to the stories, I have come to the conclusion (which I already knew) that drinking and driving, or driving under the influence of drugs, can change yours and somebody else’s life forever. Not only does it destroy your family, your life and your goals, it also destroys the lives of other families. It isn’t worth it. Please, don’t drink and drive.
http://www.centralokreact.org/
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
We are Central OK REACT
I love to volunteer. I am part of two different organizations I volunteer for and both organizations are community minded. The one I am most active in is Central Oklahoma REACT (Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams). Many people don’t realize what is involved in being a REACT member. They don’t know all the extensive training and classes we go to in order to be a part of this team.
This organization isn’t a free-for-all…and not just anybody can join. You must be honest, have integrity and have an unquestionable character. The reason those are so important is because we work very closely with emergency management and many law enforcement agencies. That’s one reason why we will not allow anyone on the team that has been convicted of a felony. Even if that felony happened 40 years ago, it is still not acceptable to our team. All of our team members have to go through an OSBI background check and we have to provide a copy of our Motor Vehicle Record to prove that we are legal to drive. Any kind of traffic infraction is gone over with a fine-tooth comb. We are very picky on who we allow to be a part of our team.
Once the OSBI background check is clear and the MVR is acceptable, that member pays dues of $42.00, which covers dues to REACT International, insurance and our REACT ID’s. They are also required to purchase a black REACT polo shirt, to be worn at our different events. All in all, it is about a $100.00 investment to join the team. When they first start out on the team, they are interviewed by the Board of Directors. If that goes well, they are put on probation status for six months. That way, the Board can watch them and see if they are a fit for the team or not and it gives them a chance to decide if REACT is right for them. After three months on the team, they go through another interview with the Board of Directors.
During their probationary period they are required to take several of the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) courses online. These are a requirement through REACT International. They must complete ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700 and ICS-800. They must take each test and pass. Once they pass their tests, they will be awarded a “certificate of Completion” from FEMA. Also during the six months probationary period, they are required to get CPR/First Aid Certified. Once their six month probationary period is over, they go through an extensive interview with the Executive Board of Directors, to make sure they have completed everything in a timely manner. Once the Board gives its approval, they are officially a REACT member.
During the year, there are many opportunities to attend training classes. There is training on traffic control, flagging, crowd control, search and rescue, motorist assists, storm spotting and other training. The Central Oklahoma REACT Team 6023 has a set of by-laws and SOP’s (standard operating procedures) that we use to operate with. These by-laws and SOP’s are followed very closely. There are protocols that we must follow, depending on the situation. We are governed by a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer….and five Board members, including a Chairman of the Board.
As you can very well see, we are volunteers doing professional work. We go through many hours of constant training and we stay in touch via email, text messaging, facebook and two-way radios (operating on a repeater system). We are always looking for volunteers who want to be a part of our team. If you are looking for excitement, adventure and want to help your community, REACT is for you.
www.centralokreact.org
This organization isn’t a free-for-all…and not just anybody can join. You must be honest, have integrity and have an unquestionable character. The reason those are so important is because we work very closely with emergency management and many law enforcement agencies. That’s one reason why we will not allow anyone on the team that has been convicted of a felony. Even if that felony happened 40 years ago, it is still not acceptable to our team. All of our team members have to go through an OSBI background check and we have to provide a copy of our Motor Vehicle Record to prove that we are legal to drive. Any kind of traffic infraction is gone over with a fine-tooth comb. We are very picky on who we allow to be a part of our team.
Once the OSBI background check is clear and the MVR is acceptable, that member pays dues of $42.00, which covers dues to REACT International, insurance and our REACT ID’s. They are also required to purchase a black REACT polo shirt, to be worn at our different events. All in all, it is about a $100.00 investment to join the team. When they first start out on the team, they are interviewed by the Board of Directors. If that goes well, they are put on probation status for six months. That way, the Board can watch them and see if they are a fit for the team or not and it gives them a chance to decide if REACT is right for them. After three months on the team, they go through another interview with the Board of Directors.
During their probationary period they are required to take several of the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) courses online. These are a requirement through REACT International. They must complete ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700 and ICS-800. They must take each test and pass. Once they pass their tests, they will be awarded a “certificate of Completion” from FEMA. Also during the six months probationary period, they are required to get CPR/First Aid Certified. Once their six month probationary period is over, they go through an extensive interview with the Executive Board of Directors, to make sure they have completed everything in a timely manner. Once the Board gives its approval, they are officially a REACT member.
During the year, there are many opportunities to attend training classes. There is training on traffic control, flagging, crowd control, search and rescue, motorist assists, storm spotting and other training. The Central Oklahoma REACT Team 6023 has a set of by-laws and SOP’s (standard operating procedures) that we use to operate with. These by-laws and SOP’s are followed very closely. There are protocols that we must follow, depending on the situation. We are governed by a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer….and five Board members, including a Chairman of the Board.
As you can very well see, we are volunteers doing professional work. We go through many hours of constant training and we stay in touch via email, text messaging, facebook and two-way radios (operating on a repeater system). We are always looking for volunteers who want to be a part of our team. If you are looking for excitement, adventure and want to help your community, REACT is for you.
www.centralokreact.org
Monday, December 12, 2011
Busy Weekend!!
It was a busy weekend, to say the least.
Last Friday evening, Karla and I went to a “dinner theater” at my mom and dad’s church in Edmond. We enjoyed a nice meal and then got to enjoy a nice musical presentation. It was something fun for Karla and I do do….and to top it all off, dad had baked his famous chocolate chip cookies and gave us a plastic bag full.
I was up early Saturday morning (as usual) because I had to be at my office at around 8:30 am for the big Line Maintenance turkey giveaway. A few days last week, several of our crews went out into the neighborhood and passed out “coupons” for free turkeys. All the residents had to do was bring the coupons to our office between 9 am – noon to claim their free turkey. Unfortunately, there were many people that heard about the turkey giveaway, but did not have a coupon. Those that had coupons were separated from those that did not have coupons. The ones with coupons went first, then the ones without coupons.
Most everybody cooperated, but there were a few that really got irate because they had been sitting idle for a long time and felt someone would cut in front of them and get a free turkey….and they would not get one. If a car had three coupons, they were given three turkeys. If a car had no coupon, they were given only one turkey. That did not settle well with many people. It amazed me at how many people got mad because all they got was one turkey. They should be happy they got anything, especially for free. We were cussed at and yelled at by some of those who expected free turkeys for everyone in their vehicles, but ended up with only one. It did give me a good feeling to give to others……and the happy and positive people outweighed those that were negative, or mad. It was very interesting to see how many “needy’ people drove up in expensive cars and trucks, to receive a free turkey.
After the turkey giveaway, I headed home to rest. Then, I went to Sonic, bought lunch for me and another friend and went to his house to eat so he could change out the thermostat in my truck. It didn’t take long to change out and, before I knew it, I was back home watching TV. During the evening, I received a text from my mom, informing me my brother-in-law (sister’s husband) had a stroke. They were on their way to the hospital and told me they would keep me up to date on what was going on. Since Karla and I were waiting to see if we needed to go to the hospital or not, we stayed at home and watched TV.
Early Sunday morning, I received a text, informing me that my brother-in-law was doing much better. I then received a text message from our youth minister, informing me he was sick and would not be at church. So, I got to church early to help get things set up for Sunday School and one of the other youth leaders had already taken care of setting things up. Since the children were doing their musical during the morning service, I did not have to run the sound for it. One of the other guys was running the sound for them. I was able to sit with my wife and daughter during church. But, all good things must come to an end. During the children’s musical, Stephen sent me a text message and told me he had a flat….and no spare. So much for my relaxing morning. I left church and headed to near Edmond to rescue him. Unfortunately, the tire was shot, so he was going to have to buy a new one.
My son is not real good at maintaining vehicles. He needs a front-end alignment, but hasn’t taken time to get one. Because of that, the insides of both his front tires are wearing quickly. The radials are showing. We grabbed his tire and headed back to church. As we talked, we decided it would be better for him to purchase a used tire, instead of a new one, until he could get his front-end aligned. Fortunately, there is a place that sells used tires down the street from the church. He was able to buy a tire for $20.00, so he could at least have something to drive on. Since it was a very busy day for the whole family, he had no choice but to hang out with me all afternoon, so it would be later that evening before he could put his tire back on his car.
That afternoon, our REACT team was having our monthly meeting, including a luncheon and our annual elections. Since Stephen was stuck with me, he had no choice but to stay for our meeting. There was free food, so he did not mind. We had a good meal and a good meeting. I did not want to be treasurer next year, so I chose not to run for re-election as treasurer. Instead, I was voted in as Board member. I was happy with that decision and hope to be voted in as Chairman of the Board. That vote will take place at the first of the year. I was also the recipient of the “Most Outrageous Incident of 2011” award, That award was for the day I chased and corralled a donkey that was running loose on I-240 early one Saturday morning last Summer. Overall, we had a great time at the meeting.
I don’t really have that much planned this week. I have Stephen’s bed in our storage building that he is giving away to some friends. I am hoping to get it out of my storage building this evening and get it delivered. I also have to continue to go over my part of the Christmas musical that we are presenting to the church this coming Sunday. I have a major role as an actor, so I have many lines. Fortunately, there is a big screen set up in the balcony that will have my lines on it, so I don’t have to memorize much of anything. I told the music minister at the very beginning I would not do the part unless I had the words in front of me. I don’t do well as memorizing…..so, I now have a big screen to look at with my lines on it.
http://www.centralokreact.org/
Last Friday evening, Karla and I went to a “dinner theater” at my mom and dad’s church in Edmond. We enjoyed a nice meal and then got to enjoy a nice musical presentation. It was something fun for Karla and I do do….and to top it all off, dad had baked his famous chocolate chip cookies and gave us a plastic bag full.
I was up early Saturday morning (as usual) because I had to be at my office at around 8:30 am for the big Line Maintenance turkey giveaway. A few days last week, several of our crews went out into the neighborhood and passed out “coupons” for free turkeys. All the residents had to do was bring the coupons to our office between 9 am – noon to claim their free turkey. Unfortunately, there were many people that heard about the turkey giveaway, but did not have a coupon. Those that had coupons were separated from those that did not have coupons. The ones with coupons went first, then the ones without coupons.
Most everybody cooperated, but there were a few that really got irate because they had been sitting idle for a long time and felt someone would cut in front of them and get a free turkey….and they would not get one. If a car had three coupons, they were given three turkeys. If a car had no coupon, they were given only one turkey. That did not settle well with many people. It amazed me at how many people got mad because all they got was one turkey. They should be happy they got anything, especially for free. We were cussed at and yelled at by some of those who expected free turkeys for everyone in their vehicles, but ended up with only one. It did give me a good feeling to give to others……and the happy and positive people outweighed those that were negative, or mad. It was very interesting to see how many “needy’ people drove up in expensive cars and trucks, to receive a free turkey.
After the turkey giveaway, I headed home to rest. Then, I went to Sonic, bought lunch for me and another friend and went to his house to eat so he could change out the thermostat in my truck. It didn’t take long to change out and, before I knew it, I was back home watching TV. During the evening, I received a text from my mom, informing me my brother-in-law (sister’s husband) had a stroke. They were on their way to the hospital and told me they would keep me up to date on what was going on. Since Karla and I were waiting to see if we needed to go to the hospital or not, we stayed at home and watched TV.
Early Sunday morning, I received a text, informing me that my brother-in-law was doing much better. I then received a text message from our youth minister, informing me he was sick and would not be at church. So, I got to church early to help get things set up for Sunday School and one of the other youth leaders had already taken care of setting things up. Since the children were doing their musical during the morning service, I did not have to run the sound for it. One of the other guys was running the sound for them. I was able to sit with my wife and daughter during church. But, all good things must come to an end. During the children’s musical, Stephen sent me a text message and told me he had a flat….and no spare. So much for my relaxing morning. I left church and headed to near Edmond to rescue him. Unfortunately, the tire was shot, so he was going to have to buy a new one.
My son is not real good at maintaining vehicles. He needs a front-end alignment, but hasn’t taken time to get one. Because of that, the insides of both his front tires are wearing quickly. The radials are showing. We grabbed his tire and headed back to church. As we talked, we decided it would be better for him to purchase a used tire, instead of a new one, until he could get his front-end aligned. Fortunately, there is a place that sells used tires down the street from the church. He was able to buy a tire for $20.00, so he could at least have something to drive on. Since it was a very busy day for the whole family, he had no choice but to hang out with me all afternoon, so it would be later that evening before he could put his tire back on his car.
That afternoon, our REACT team was having our monthly meeting, including a luncheon and our annual elections. Since Stephen was stuck with me, he had no choice but to stay for our meeting. There was free food, so he did not mind. We had a good meal and a good meeting. I did not want to be treasurer next year, so I chose not to run for re-election as treasurer. Instead, I was voted in as Board member. I was happy with that decision and hope to be voted in as Chairman of the Board. That vote will take place at the first of the year. I was also the recipient of the “Most Outrageous Incident of 2011” award, That award was for the day I chased and corralled a donkey that was running loose on I-240 early one Saturday morning last Summer. Overall, we had a great time at the meeting.
I don’t really have that much planned this week. I have Stephen’s bed in our storage building that he is giving away to some friends. I am hoping to get it out of my storage building this evening and get it delivered. I also have to continue to go over my part of the Christmas musical that we are presenting to the church this coming Sunday. I have a major role as an actor, so I have many lines. Fortunately, there is a big screen set up in the balcony that will have my lines on it, so I don’t have to memorize much of anything. I told the music minister at the very beginning I would not do the part unless I had the words in front of me. I don’t do well as memorizing…..so, I now have a big screen to look at with my lines on it.
http://www.centralokreact.org/
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Avoid Frozen Pipes
Avoid Freezing Pipes
Following The Steps......
Taking the steps below before freezing temperatures arrive can help you avoid frozen pipes.
Seal cracks.
Caulk around doorframes and windows and around pipes where they enter the house to reduce incoming cold.
Wrap all pipes in unheated areas. Pipes in unheated areas such as the crawl space under the house, attic, garage and unheated basement should be wrapped to prevent freezing. Use insulating tape and wrap it over the entire length of exposed pipe. You can also use flexible molded pipe sleeves. Cover all valves, pipe fittings, etc. with insulating tape or fiberglass. We do not recommend electric heat tape for insulating water lines.
Protect outdoor pipes and faucets. In some homes, the outside faucet has its own shut-off in the basement in addition to the shut-off valve for the entire house. If you have a separate valve for outside faucets, close the valve, remove hoses, and drain the faucet. If you do not have a separate valve, wrap the outside faucets (hose bibs) in newspapers or rags covered with plastic.
Drain in-ground sprinklers. Check the manufacturer's instructions for the best way to do this.
Open cupboard doors in the kitchen and bathrooms. Water lines supplying these rooms are frequently on outside walls. Any air leaks in siding or insulation can cause these pipes to freeze. Leaving the doors open when the temperature is below freezing allows them to get more heat.
Let faucets farthest from the street or at the end of the system drip in below-freezing weather. This will add to your bill, but the amount will be nothing compared to the inconvenience and cost if the meter or pipes freeze.
Turn off all your water and drain your system if you are leaving for a long time. Turn off the main shut-off valve, then turn on all faucets, sinks tubs, showers, etc. and flush the toilets. Turn off the water heater. Then go back to the main shut-off valve and remove the plug so it can drain completely. Leaving your furnace on a low setting while you are gone helps, but it may not prevent freezing.
What should you do if a water pipe freezes?
You should make sure it never happens again! When the water freezes, it tries to expand inside the pipe. It pushes against the sides of the pipe, as well as any nearby valves, seams and faucets. The freezing action of the water is more than capable of rupturing any pipe.
Unfortunately, a water pipe may freeze even if you have taken precautions. Perhaps you lost electrical power for several hours, the temperature inside your house fell and the pipes froze. Or maybe you left on vacation, turned down the heat and weren't expecting an early blizzard. Or perhaps your heat tape quit working, and you didn't find out until you discovered none of the faucets worked.
Whatever the cause, it's important that you thaw out your pipe for two reasons:
1. You almost certainly need the water.
2. You should be at home when the pipe thaws, just in case the pipe and/or joint is ruptured.
Bear in mind that a frozen pipe doesn't leak - the water is ice. You'll discover you have a leak only after the ice melts. If you're not home, a ruptured pipe can cause a great deal of damage.
Here are some methods to thaw out frozen pipes:
CAUTION!: Before you try any of these methods, first open the faucet the frozen pipe supplies. The steam you create while heating the pipe can burst the pipe if it doesn't have an escape.
Method #1: Use electric heat tape on the pipe, and wait for it to thaw out. This is a good method to use because it slowly thaws the pipe, which means it reduces wear and tear on the pipe itself.
CAUTION!: Remember to use only heat tape certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory for use with mobile homes. Be careful never to wrap the heat tape back over itself. This could cause the heat tape to overheat and start a fire.
Method #2: Wrap the pipe with several layers of cloth or toweling and pour hot water over the cloth / toweling. Repeat several times until the pipe is unfrozen.
Method #3: Direct a heat lamp on the pipe itself. Place the lamp at least a foot away from the pipe. Cover adjacent areas with a layer of aluminum foil so the heat does not scorch these materials. Make sure the heat lamp is on dry ground. Even better, plug it into a ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlet.
CAUTION!: Do not use any direct heating method if the frozen pipe is next to a gas pipe! Call a professional for help.
Method #4: Hold a hand-operated hair dryer to the pipe, and slowly move up and down the length of the frozen section. Make sure you are standing on dry ground. Because you are working this close to water, plug the dryer into a GFCI protected outlet.
You will know the pipe is thawed out when water starts to trickle out of the open faucet. Let the water run for a while to completely clear the pipe. Then, close the faucet and check for leaks.
CAUTION!: Do not use a propane torch to thaw out frozen pipes. Do not use a propane torch even if it has a fire spreader attachment. This is not only a fire hazard, bit it's also a quick way to destroy your plastic plumbing pipes.
Following The Steps......
Taking the steps below before freezing temperatures arrive can help you avoid frozen pipes.
Seal cracks.
Caulk around doorframes and windows and around pipes where they enter the house to reduce incoming cold.
Wrap all pipes in unheated areas. Pipes in unheated areas such as the crawl space under the house, attic, garage and unheated basement should be wrapped to prevent freezing. Use insulating tape and wrap it over the entire length of exposed pipe. You can also use flexible molded pipe sleeves. Cover all valves, pipe fittings, etc. with insulating tape or fiberglass. We do not recommend electric heat tape for insulating water lines.
Protect outdoor pipes and faucets. In some homes, the outside faucet has its own shut-off in the basement in addition to the shut-off valve for the entire house. If you have a separate valve for outside faucets, close the valve, remove hoses, and drain the faucet. If you do not have a separate valve, wrap the outside faucets (hose bibs) in newspapers or rags covered with plastic.
Drain in-ground sprinklers. Check the manufacturer's instructions for the best way to do this.
Open cupboard doors in the kitchen and bathrooms. Water lines supplying these rooms are frequently on outside walls. Any air leaks in siding or insulation can cause these pipes to freeze. Leaving the doors open when the temperature is below freezing allows them to get more heat.
Let faucets farthest from the street or at the end of the system drip in below-freezing weather. This will add to your bill, but the amount will be nothing compared to the inconvenience and cost if the meter or pipes freeze.
Turn off all your water and drain your system if you are leaving for a long time. Turn off the main shut-off valve, then turn on all faucets, sinks tubs, showers, etc. and flush the toilets. Turn off the water heater. Then go back to the main shut-off valve and remove the plug so it can drain completely. Leaving your furnace on a low setting while you are gone helps, but it may not prevent freezing.
What should you do if a water pipe freezes?
You should make sure it never happens again! When the water freezes, it tries to expand inside the pipe. It pushes against the sides of the pipe, as well as any nearby valves, seams and faucets. The freezing action of the water is more than capable of rupturing any pipe.
Unfortunately, a water pipe may freeze even if you have taken precautions. Perhaps you lost electrical power for several hours, the temperature inside your house fell and the pipes froze. Or maybe you left on vacation, turned down the heat and weren't expecting an early blizzard. Or perhaps your heat tape quit working, and you didn't find out until you discovered none of the faucets worked.
Whatever the cause, it's important that you thaw out your pipe for two reasons:
1. You almost certainly need the water.
2. You should be at home when the pipe thaws, just in case the pipe and/or joint is ruptured.
Bear in mind that a frozen pipe doesn't leak - the water is ice. You'll discover you have a leak only after the ice melts. If you're not home, a ruptured pipe can cause a great deal of damage.
Here are some methods to thaw out frozen pipes:
CAUTION!: Before you try any of these methods, first open the faucet the frozen pipe supplies. The steam you create while heating the pipe can burst the pipe if it doesn't have an escape.
Method #1: Use electric heat tape on the pipe, and wait for it to thaw out. This is a good method to use because it slowly thaws the pipe, which means it reduces wear and tear on the pipe itself.
CAUTION!: Remember to use only heat tape certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory for use with mobile homes. Be careful never to wrap the heat tape back over itself. This could cause the heat tape to overheat and start a fire.
Method #2: Wrap the pipe with several layers of cloth or toweling and pour hot water over the cloth / toweling. Repeat several times until the pipe is unfrozen.
Method #3: Direct a heat lamp on the pipe itself. Place the lamp at least a foot away from the pipe. Cover adjacent areas with a layer of aluminum foil so the heat does not scorch these materials. Make sure the heat lamp is on dry ground. Even better, plug it into a ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlet.
CAUTION!: Do not use any direct heating method if the frozen pipe is next to a gas pipe! Call a professional for help.
Method #4: Hold a hand-operated hair dryer to the pipe, and slowly move up and down the length of the frozen section. Make sure you are standing on dry ground. Because you are working this close to water, plug the dryer into a GFCI protected outlet.
You will know the pipe is thawed out when water starts to trickle out of the open faucet. Let the water run for a while to completely clear the pipe. Then, close the faucet and check for leaks.
CAUTION!: Do not use a propane torch to thaw out frozen pipes. Do not use a propane torch even if it has a fire spreader attachment. This is not only a fire hazard, bit it's also a quick way to destroy your plastic plumbing pipes.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Sossmobile is Back on the Street!!
The good news is……I got my truck fixed and it is running great. Yes, for a grand total of $550.00, I got a major tune-up and a few other things done to my truck, making it a smooth ride. Karla and I had actually decided if the repairs were over $500.00, we would just get rid of the truck and find something else for me to drive….but, since it was only $50.00 over, we decided to have it repaired and keep it. I really did not want to go buy another vehicle. I hate vehicle shopping. I actually picked the truck up on Wednesday afternoon…and it runs and sounds much better.
Not much happened during the latter part of last week. I had a REACT Board meeting on Thursday evening and then on Friday morning, I received a text message that one of our teenagers from church, who was pregnant, had her baby. Everything went well and she had a healthy baby. I left the office at 1:45 pm and spent the rest of the afternoon at the hospital with the new mom and baby. Just after I arrived at the hospital, I had the privilege of holding the baby and then got the opportunity to assist with giving the baby her first bath. It felt really strange….but a good kind of strange. When I decided to leave the hospital and go home, I went to the hospital parking lot and could not find my truck. It was cold, wet and nasty and I could not remember where I parked. When I went into the hospital, I got turned around, so I could not remember where I parked.
I walked around for a good 30 minutes, trying to find my truck. I did eventually find it and decided that I would not be going back to that hospital anytime soon. To top it all off, I had to pay $5.00 to park. That, to me, was ridiculous! As I left the hospital, Karla and Gayla were just arriving. I left the hospital, stopped at Del Rancho and then headed home. After being home for about an hour, Gayla called to tell me she was staying the night at the hospital with the new mom and I needed to come back up to the hospital to pick Karla up. I was not looking forward to another trip to that hospital. When I arrived, I told Karla where I was parked. It didn’t matter. She got lost too. I finally drove around the hospital, trying to spot Karla……she was walking down the street and talking to me on the phone. I finally found her and we went home.
We were up early on Saturday morning. We had breakfast at the church and then spent all morning in the church sanctuary, decorating for Christmas. After the decorating, I went to Hibdons and spent two hours getting my oil changed. When I finally left, I went home and took a long nap. I got up just in time to head to the church for the OU/OSU Bedlam game. We had planned a bedlam party for the students, so they could get out of the house and enjoy football and fellowship. We had a great time, despite the fact the game was all OSU. I congratulate OSU on their win, especially since OU played terribly.
The rest of the weekend went quietly by. After church on Sunday, I took a nap and then headed to the church for choir rehearsal. We have our musical/drama on December 18th and Gayla and I have the leading drama parts. So, we spent the afternoon rehearsing…and then Karla, Gayla and myself, went out to eat. Afterwards, it was back home for the evening to rest up and get ready for Monday.
It was a long and very busy Monday. To top it off, it was bitterly cold and the wind was blowing hard. I got a lunch hour, but I spent it at my desk. After work, I was scheduled to go by a REACT team member’s house and have him re-mount my REACT radio antenna. On my way over to his house, as I was getting off the interstate at NE 10 & I-35, I noticed a lady on the shoulder with a flat tire. After I stopped and assisted her, I came upon another lady whose car died….she thought the battery was dead, so we tried to jump it. We could not get it started, so she called a tow truck. I was finally back on the road to my friend’s house. It was hard working on my truck because it was cold, dark and windy…..plus, my heater still does not work well. After spending about an hour on it, we finally got the antenna re-mounted.
It was a very long day and a tiring day. When I got home, I spent about 15 minutes on the computer and then went to bed.
www.centralokreact.org
Not much happened during the latter part of last week. I had a REACT Board meeting on Thursday evening and then on Friday morning, I received a text message that one of our teenagers from church, who was pregnant, had her baby. Everything went well and she had a healthy baby. I left the office at 1:45 pm and spent the rest of the afternoon at the hospital with the new mom and baby. Just after I arrived at the hospital, I had the privilege of holding the baby and then got the opportunity to assist with giving the baby her first bath. It felt really strange….but a good kind of strange. When I decided to leave the hospital and go home, I went to the hospital parking lot and could not find my truck. It was cold, wet and nasty and I could not remember where I parked. When I went into the hospital, I got turned around, so I could not remember where I parked.
I walked around for a good 30 minutes, trying to find my truck. I did eventually find it and decided that I would not be going back to that hospital anytime soon. To top it all off, I had to pay $5.00 to park. That, to me, was ridiculous! As I left the hospital, Karla and Gayla were just arriving. I left the hospital, stopped at Del Rancho and then headed home. After being home for about an hour, Gayla called to tell me she was staying the night at the hospital with the new mom and I needed to come back up to the hospital to pick Karla up. I was not looking forward to another trip to that hospital. When I arrived, I told Karla where I was parked. It didn’t matter. She got lost too. I finally drove around the hospital, trying to spot Karla……she was walking down the street and talking to me on the phone. I finally found her and we went home.
We were up early on Saturday morning. We had breakfast at the church and then spent all morning in the church sanctuary, decorating for Christmas. After the decorating, I went to Hibdons and spent two hours getting my oil changed. When I finally left, I went home and took a long nap. I got up just in time to head to the church for the OU/OSU Bedlam game. We had planned a bedlam party for the students, so they could get out of the house and enjoy football and fellowship. We had a great time, despite the fact the game was all OSU. I congratulate OSU on their win, especially since OU played terribly.
The rest of the weekend went quietly by. After church on Sunday, I took a nap and then headed to the church for choir rehearsal. We have our musical/drama on December 18th and Gayla and I have the leading drama parts. So, we spent the afternoon rehearsing…and then Karla, Gayla and myself, went out to eat. Afterwards, it was back home for the evening to rest up and get ready for Monday.
It was a long and very busy Monday. To top it off, it was bitterly cold and the wind was blowing hard. I got a lunch hour, but I spent it at my desk. After work, I was scheduled to go by a REACT team member’s house and have him re-mount my REACT radio antenna. On my way over to his house, as I was getting off the interstate at NE 10 & I-35, I noticed a lady on the shoulder with a flat tire. After I stopped and assisted her, I came upon another lady whose car died….she thought the battery was dead, so we tried to jump it. We could not get it started, so she called a tow truck. I was finally back on the road to my friend’s house. It was hard working on my truck because it was cold, dark and windy…..plus, my heater still does not work well. After spending about an hour on it, we finally got the antenna re-mounted.
It was a very long day and a tiring day. When I got home, I spent about 15 minutes on the computer and then went to bed.
www.centralokreact.org
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
What a Week!
This has not been a very good week, so far. I am having some major issues with my truck. I first noticed the problem Monday afternoon, after I got off work. When I tried to start my truck, it took me three tries to get it started….very unusual. Then, it seemed like it was running very rough. It was not idling correctly and was making more racket than normal. That evening, I drove out to Spencer, Okla. For a REACT meeting and the truck seemed to do fine.
When I got up Tuesday morning and started my truck, I noticed it was not idling correctly and very loud. I pulled out of my driveway and headed down the street. No matter how hard I accelerated, the truck would not pick up any speed. It had no power at all. As I drove down Drexel, I continued to accelerate, but there was still very little power. Then, when I tried to get on I-44 from SW 89, I put the pedal to the floor….and nothing. As a matter of fact, I lost speed. Traffic was going 60-70 mph on the interstate and all I could get my speed to was 25 mph. I drove on the shoulder for about ¼ mile..and once I finally got up to 45 mph, I merged onto the highway. I drove 45-50 all the way to work. Once I got to work, I could still tell my truck was running real rough and something was wrong.
Since I know very little about vehicles, I decided to email my friend and ask him about it. He informed me it was probably something to do with the electronics on my truck. For the past couple of years, my “check engine light” has continuously stayed on, but I was told by a couple of mechanics it was nothing to be concerned about. This time, the light kept flashing off and on, which I had never seen before. My friend advised me that I needed to go ahead and take the truck to a mechanic that had all the up-to-date equipment and have them check it out.
So, After I got off work, I headed to the mechanics shop. Once again, I tried to merge onto the interstate and could only get up to 35 mph. Eventually, as I got moving on the interstate, I was finally able to hit 65-70. I got off at SE 89 & I-35 and drove into the parking lot of the mechanic’s shop. When I explained to the mechanic what the problem was, he didn’t act like it was anything major, so I left him the keys. As of this morning, they still had not had a chance to look at it, so I hope to hear something this afternoon.
Here’s the thing. The truck has 176,000 miles on it and is a 2000 model. It has gone through two transmissions since I have had it. It has been a great truck for me for the past 6-7 years. Karla and I decided if it was going to cost over $500.00 to have it repaired, we would just get rid of it and find something else for me to drive. We really don’t have the money to buy another vehicle, but we also don’t want to keep investing money in a truck that may be on its last leg anyway. Plus, if we have to get rid of it, I may have to spend a whole day taking all my REACT stuff off of it. I have all kinds of wiring for my REACT lights going throughout my truck, so all the wiring will have to be removed. I really don’t want to do that, so I am hoping the problem is an inexpensive one to repair.
Until we find a solution, Karla and I are sharing her car. It’s not what I want to do, but there is no other alternative.
www.centralokreact.org
When I got up Tuesday morning and started my truck, I noticed it was not idling correctly and very loud. I pulled out of my driveway and headed down the street. No matter how hard I accelerated, the truck would not pick up any speed. It had no power at all. As I drove down Drexel, I continued to accelerate, but there was still very little power. Then, when I tried to get on I-44 from SW 89, I put the pedal to the floor….and nothing. As a matter of fact, I lost speed. Traffic was going 60-70 mph on the interstate and all I could get my speed to was 25 mph. I drove on the shoulder for about ¼ mile..and once I finally got up to 45 mph, I merged onto the highway. I drove 45-50 all the way to work. Once I got to work, I could still tell my truck was running real rough and something was wrong.
Since I know very little about vehicles, I decided to email my friend and ask him about it. He informed me it was probably something to do with the electronics on my truck. For the past couple of years, my “check engine light” has continuously stayed on, but I was told by a couple of mechanics it was nothing to be concerned about. This time, the light kept flashing off and on, which I had never seen before. My friend advised me that I needed to go ahead and take the truck to a mechanic that had all the up-to-date equipment and have them check it out.
So, After I got off work, I headed to the mechanics shop. Once again, I tried to merge onto the interstate and could only get up to 35 mph. Eventually, as I got moving on the interstate, I was finally able to hit 65-70. I got off at SE 89 & I-35 and drove into the parking lot of the mechanic’s shop. When I explained to the mechanic what the problem was, he didn’t act like it was anything major, so I left him the keys. As of this morning, they still had not had a chance to look at it, so I hope to hear something this afternoon.
Here’s the thing. The truck has 176,000 miles on it and is a 2000 model. It has gone through two transmissions since I have had it. It has been a great truck for me for the past 6-7 years. Karla and I decided if it was going to cost over $500.00 to have it repaired, we would just get rid of it and find something else for me to drive. We really don’t have the money to buy another vehicle, but we also don’t want to keep investing money in a truck that may be on its last leg anyway. Plus, if we have to get rid of it, I may have to spend a whole day taking all my REACT stuff off of it. I have all kinds of wiring for my REACT lights going throughout my truck, so all the wiring will have to be removed. I really don’t want to do that, so I am hoping the problem is an inexpensive one to repair.
Until we find a solution, Karla and I are sharing her car. It’s not what I want to do, but there is no other alternative.
www.centralokreact.org
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The weekend is Almost Over
I had a very good weekend.
I am glad Thanksgiving is over...now it is time to focus on Christmas. In the past few years, our Christmas's have been less materialistic and more family oriented. Don't get me wrong....I see nothing wrong with buying gifts at Christmas, but I can't see charging everything on credit cards just so you can buy gifts for people. Most of the time, people don't really have the money to purchase gifts, so they start charging presents on credit cards. While there is nothing wrong with doing that, the fact is...the credit card bills will come in and they have to be paid.
This year has been an extremely tough one for us financially. Karla had her surgery, which put her off work for a couple of months. Even though she did get paid a little while she was off, it wasn't enough to keep us going. Because of that, I had to pick up as much overtime as I could to compensate for the difference. Many times, it still wasn't enough. The fact is, Karla's surgery was necessary and she is doing much better because of it. So, her being off was just one of those things in life you deal with and you pay whoever you have to pay with whatever you have.
This Christmas, we will make sure Stephen and Gayla get gifts. They will be the only ones we buy for this Christmas. Even if we have to sacrifice here or there, they will have presents. Karla and I are not concerned about receiving gifts. They are nice to receive, but the greatest gift we can receive is spending time with our children and the rest of our family. So, neither myself, or Karla are buying anything for each other this year. Plus, we have let our families know our situation, so they won't buy us anything either. It's rather awkward to receive a gift, especially when you did not give a gift.
Anyway, back to my weekend.........yesterday was a great day! One of my REACT friends invited me to the OU/Iowa St football game in Norman. It was only the second time I had been to an OU game. I took him up on the offer, despite knowing it was going to be a cold, windy and rainy day. The last time I went was last year. I wound up sitting in the upper level when it was extremely hot. The only good way to watch the game was through binoculars. It wasn't that much fun and I can't even remember who won.
The seats we got Saturday were great seats. We actually sat in the student section, right behind the OU band. We were at the 30 yard line. They were great seats....and despite the weather conditions, I had a great time. There's nothing like watching a college football game......live. I did dress warmly...with a long sleeved shirt, two heavy jackets, gloves and my stocking hat to cover my bald head. One thing I learned about sitting in the student section of the ball game, is they never sit down. If you want to see the game, you have to stand the whole time. It was a great game and OU did win, but my feet, my back and my legs ached from standing for four housr. After the game, we went to Furrs in Moore to eat. Then, I went home and crashed.
Today was another nice day, just a little windy. We had a great worship service and I enjoyed a nice afternoon nap. Our choir is presenting a musical in three weeks, and for once, I am not running the sound. It is actually a musical/drama and I am playing one of the main characters....and my daughter is playing a character as well. We had our first rehearsal this afternoon and although it went well, I am still a little nervous. I had already told our music minister that I am not good at memorization. He told me they would have all my lines on a power point so I would not have to worry about it. The thing is, I have never been good at memorizing anything......I think it is called the nervous factor. I memorize something, get nervous and then forget my lines. Hopefully, I will be able to see the power poing just fine and things will go well.
My rant........I am getting sick and tired of people proclaiming to be Christians, yet not living the lifestyle. I get emails from "Christians" that are not godly, yet they feel the need to send it anyway. I am in no way perfect, but I feel like I live the Christian life the way I should. Yes, I sin everyday....sometimes not even realizing it. The fact is, if you are a Christian, you should not be gambling, cussing, drinking in excess, posting dirty jokes on FaceBook, or posting questionable things on FB. What you post is who you are.
I know people that call themselves Christians, yet they cuss like a sailor, or tell dirty jokes. They are the ones who give Christianity a bad name. I actually try to stay away from these people because I just don't get why they feel they have to live a "fake" Christian life. Don't tell me you faithfully attend church and are very active.....and then tell a dirty joke or start cussing. Of course, going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than being in a garage makes you a car. It's that personal relationship with Christ.....that's what makes you a Christian. If you feel you have to cuss and tell dirty jokes, please don't confess to be a Christian. It makes all Christians look bad.
Facebook.....is a wonderful thing if you use it right. There again, many of my friends post on their profile they are Christian, yet their posts say otherwise. When they post profanity, questionable cartoons, or profanity in cartoons, it causes me to question their relationship with Christ. I am not being judgmental, just curious. This also brings to mind the students at church that have a FB page. I am very surprised at some of the things they post. I know many of them struggle with their Christina lives, but some of the things they post are embarrassing to me.
Anyway, if you are going to confess to be a Christian, act like one.....
Rant over...
http://www.centralokreact.org/
I am glad Thanksgiving is over...now it is time to focus on Christmas. In the past few years, our Christmas's have been less materialistic and more family oriented. Don't get me wrong....I see nothing wrong with buying gifts at Christmas, but I can't see charging everything on credit cards just so you can buy gifts for people. Most of the time, people don't really have the money to purchase gifts, so they start charging presents on credit cards. While there is nothing wrong with doing that, the fact is...the credit card bills will come in and they have to be paid.
This year has been an extremely tough one for us financially. Karla had her surgery, which put her off work for a couple of months. Even though she did get paid a little while she was off, it wasn't enough to keep us going. Because of that, I had to pick up as much overtime as I could to compensate for the difference. Many times, it still wasn't enough. The fact is, Karla's surgery was necessary and she is doing much better because of it. So, her being off was just one of those things in life you deal with and you pay whoever you have to pay with whatever you have.
This Christmas, we will make sure Stephen and Gayla get gifts. They will be the only ones we buy for this Christmas. Even if we have to sacrifice here or there, they will have presents. Karla and I are not concerned about receiving gifts. They are nice to receive, but the greatest gift we can receive is spending time with our children and the rest of our family. So, neither myself, or Karla are buying anything for each other this year. Plus, we have let our families know our situation, so they won't buy us anything either. It's rather awkward to receive a gift, especially when you did not give a gift.
Anyway, back to my weekend.........yesterday was a great day! One of my REACT friends invited me to the OU/Iowa St football game in Norman. It was only the second time I had been to an OU game. I took him up on the offer, despite knowing it was going to be a cold, windy and rainy day. The last time I went was last year. I wound up sitting in the upper level when it was extremely hot. The only good way to watch the game was through binoculars. It wasn't that much fun and I can't even remember who won.
The seats we got Saturday were great seats. We actually sat in the student section, right behind the OU band. We were at the 30 yard line. They were great seats....and despite the weather conditions, I had a great time. There's nothing like watching a college football game......live. I did dress warmly...with a long sleeved shirt, two heavy jackets, gloves and my stocking hat to cover my bald head. One thing I learned about sitting in the student section of the ball game, is they never sit down. If you want to see the game, you have to stand the whole time. It was a great game and OU did win, but my feet, my back and my legs ached from standing for four housr. After the game, we went to Furrs in Moore to eat. Then, I went home and crashed.
Today was another nice day, just a little windy. We had a great worship service and I enjoyed a nice afternoon nap. Our choir is presenting a musical in three weeks, and for once, I am not running the sound. It is actually a musical/drama and I am playing one of the main characters....and my daughter is playing a character as well. We had our first rehearsal this afternoon and although it went well, I am still a little nervous. I had already told our music minister that I am not good at memorization. He told me they would have all my lines on a power point so I would not have to worry about it. The thing is, I have never been good at memorizing anything......I think it is called the nervous factor. I memorize something, get nervous and then forget my lines. Hopefully, I will be able to see the power poing just fine and things will go well.
My rant........I am getting sick and tired of people proclaiming to be Christians, yet not living the lifestyle. I get emails from "Christians" that are not godly, yet they feel the need to send it anyway. I am in no way perfect, but I feel like I live the Christian life the way I should. Yes, I sin everyday....sometimes not even realizing it. The fact is, if you are a Christian, you should not be gambling, cussing, drinking in excess, posting dirty jokes on FaceBook, or posting questionable things on FB. What you post is who you are.
I know people that call themselves Christians, yet they cuss like a sailor, or tell dirty jokes. They are the ones who give Christianity a bad name. I actually try to stay away from these people because I just don't get why they feel they have to live a "fake" Christian life. Don't tell me you faithfully attend church and are very active.....and then tell a dirty joke or start cussing. Of course, going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than being in a garage makes you a car. It's that personal relationship with Christ.....that's what makes you a Christian. If you feel you have to cuss and tell dirty jokes, please don't confess to be a Christian. It makes all Christians look bad.
Facebook.....is a wonderful thing if you use it right. There again, many of my friends post on their profile they are Christian, yet their posts say otherwise. When they post profanity, questionable cartoons, or profanity in cartoons, it causes me to question their relationship with Christ. I am not being judgmental, just curious. This also brings to mind the students at church that have a FB page. I am very surprised at some of the things they post. I know many of them struggle with their Christina lives, but some of the things they post are embarrassing to me.
Anyway, if you are going to confess to be a Christian, act like one.....
Rant over...
http://www.centralokreact.org/
Friday, November 25, 2011
Uneventful Week
I realize I have not posted anything in over a week, but there is a good reason for that. It has been an absolutely uneventful week for me. This is Thanksgiving week, so there is not very many activities going on. I have had no REACT events, no CFAAA meetings, nothing going on at church and not much going on at work. I did stay and work some overtime on paperwork last Monday evening for a couple of hours, but that was it. It was kind of nice not having anything planned, but on the other hand, I was bored. I am so used to always doing something. Because of the uneventful week, I have had more time to spend with my family.
We had our normal Thanksgiving lunch at my sister-in-law’s house and then went to mom and dad’s for dessert and fellowship. We usually don’t go to mom and dad’s until Saturday, but I am going to the OU football game tomorrow with a friend and will be gone all day long. I have only been to one OU football game, which was last year. When I went, it was extremely hot outside and the heat was unbearable. Tomorrow’s game will be a complete contrast. It is suppose to be cloudy and 53 degrees, with the cold north wind blowing around 40 mph. That means dressing very warmly.
www.centralokreact.org
We had our normal Thanksgiving lunch at my sister-in-law’s house and then went to mom and dad’s for dessert and fellowship. We usually don’t go to mom and dad’s until Saturday, but I am going to the OU football game tomorrow with a friend and will be gone all day long. I have only been to one OU football game, which was last year. When I went, it was extremely hot outside and the heat was unbearable. Tomorrow’s game will be a complete contrast. It is suppose to be cloudy and 53 degrees, with the cold north wind blowing around 40 mph. That means dressing very warmly.
www.centralokreact.org
Friday, November 18, 2011
Ah Yes...The Weekend is Almost Here.....
Well, the fat lady has sung….so to speak.
We had our monthly CFAAA meeting at the church last night and we held our election of officers for 2012. Since I am term limited, I am unable to run for office again until 2013 (since I have been president for the last two years). I have to take the year off from being an officer. I was highly disappointed in the turn-out at our meeting, but there is nothing I can do about it. You can plan meetings until you are blue in the face, but you can’t make people come. We did have a good time last night and the elections went well.
Since I am no longer going to be an officer, I will have much less to do as a CFAAA member. My main responsibilities now will be keeping the CFAAA website updated and proof-reading the CFAAA newsletters each month. It will be a little strange, though, because for the last 6 years or so, I have been the main person who had been sending email reminders to the rest of the membership. Now that responsibility will be for the next president. As a matter of fact, today I sent out my last official email as CFAAA President. I feel a little bit relieved because the big responsibilities are gone. I will miss staying in touch with Fire Administration……since that is what the CFAAA President does. I will have to remember that I am no longer president, so much of the stuff I was doing, I will no longer be doing.
I am actually still the president until January 1, 2012, but I have pretty much turned everything over to the next president already…..and she is ready to take off with it. I hope to still make the monthly meetings each month and plan to volunteer for some of the CFAAA events, but my main focus now will be spending more time with REACT. I have been treasurer this year for REACT, but I am not really enjoying it. The main reason I am treasurer is to be on the Board of Directors. I would love to just give it up and just be a Board member. In December, we will be having our elections for officers and I don’t think I am going to accept the nomination for treasurer. Somebody else can do it.
Today has been a slow day at work. I am staying late to work on some paperwork and then coming in tomorrow from 7 am – noon and do more paperwork. Gayla is working until 10 tonight and Karla is going to Kansas with some friends this evening. She will be back tomorrow evening. Other than that, I really don’t have anything planned for the weekend….except that we are taking Scout in to the groomers tomorrow to get bathed and groomed.
www.centralokreact.org
We had our monthly CFAAA meeting at the church last night and we held our election of officers for 2012. Since I am term limited, I am unable to run for office again until 2013 (since I have been president for the last two years). I have to take the year off from being an officer. I was highly disappointed in the turn-out at our meeting, but there is nothing I can do about it. You can plan meetings until you are blue in the face, but you can’t make people come. We did have a good time last night and the elections went well.
Since I am no longer going to be an officer, I will have much less to do as a CFAAA member. My main responsibilities now will be keeping the CFAAA website updated and proof-reading the CFAAA newsletters each month. It will be a little strange, though, because for the last 6 years or so, I have been the main person who had been sending email reminders to the rest of the membership. Now that responsibility will be for the next president. As a matter of fact, today I sent out my last official email as CFAAA President. I feel a little bit relieved because the big responsibilities are gone. I will miss staying in touch with Fire Administration……since that is what the CFAAA President does. I will have to remember that I am no longer president, so much of the stuff I was doing, I will no longer be doing.
I am actually still the president until January 1, 2012, but I have pretty much turned everything over to the next president already…..and she is ready to take off with it. I hope to still make the monthly meetings each month and plan to volunteer for some of the CFAAA events, but my main focus now will be spending more time with REACT. I have been treasurer this year for REACT, but I am not really enjoying it. The main reason I am treasurer is to be on the Board of Directors. I would love to just give it up and just be a Board member. In December, we will be having our elections for officers and I don’t think I am going to accept the nomination for treasurer. Somebody else can do it.
Today has been a slow day at work. I am staying late to work on some paperwork and then coming in tomorrow from 7 am – noon and do more paperwork. Gayla is working until 10 tonight and Karla is going to Kansas with some friends this evening. She will be back tomorrow evening. Other than that, I really don’t have anything planned for the weekend….except that we are taking Scout in to the groomers tomorrow to get bathed and groomed.
www.centralokreact.org
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Wednesday....already??
Once again, it has been a week since I have posted anything. I have been rather busy at work, training co-workers how to dispatch and then going home and trying to have some relaxation. Last weekend was rather busy for me. Friday was Veteran’s Day, so I was off for the holiday. I did some housework, but I also went and visited the graves of Zackery Wells (Mike Weiss’ son) and Derek Calhoun. Both young men were in the military and died a heroes death. It was the first time I had ever visited the graves on Veteran’s Day of servicemen who had perished. It was an honor, but it was also sad. We all take our freedoms for granted some times.
On Saturday, myself and several other REACT members participated in the Blanchard, Okla. Veteran’s Day parade. It was a short parade, but we had lots of fun and was able to throw candy out our windows to the children. That’s one thing I learned about being in a parade. If you throw candy to the kids, they are happy and their parents are happy because you gave their child some candy. It makes a lasting impression.
After the parade, several of us drove to Chickasha to attend a funeral of one of our members’ mom. Since Chickasha is a small town and have limited resources, we were asked to assist with the funeral procession to the cemetery. Chickasha Police escorted us to the outskirts of the city, but the cemetery was outside the city limits, so our REACT team had to take over and escort the procession the rest of the way to the cemetery. It was a beautiful service and a beautiful day. After the funeral, we all headed back to the city. I arrived home at around 4:30 pm and stayed home the rest of the evening. I watched TV and did some computer work.
I was up early Sunday morning, working on the power point for the morning worship service. That afternoon, we had our annual Thanksgiving Dinner at the church. As usual, we had a large crowd and, as usual, there were people there I had never seen before. Everyone got plenty to eat and everyone seemed to have a great time.
I slept in a little on Monday. I took Monday off work because I had some things I wanted to get done. The plans I had made, changed early Monday morning. Because of the change, I had a free day, sort of. I still had two lawns and my lawn to mow one last time. I loaded my mower and my other lawn equipment into my truck and headed out. I mowed two lawns and then came home and mowed mine. The timing was perfect because when I got through with my lawn, it started raining. I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the house. That evening, several REACT members were coming to my house to meet and go over our REACT SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures), so I wanted the house to look good.
We had all decided to meet at Golden Corral at 5 pm to eat. Golden Corral was feeding all veterans for free and several of our REACT members were veterans, so we decided to meet there for dinner. Unfortunately, there were hundreds of other people with the same idea. The wait to eat was going to be over an hour, so we all decided to eat at a Chinese Buffet instead. The food was good and we had a good time of fellowship. Afterwards, we all met at my house and spent about two hours working on the SOP’s. After the guys left, I went to bed, but woke up around midnight with terrible indigestion. Karla told me to suck on a peppermint and to sit in the chair in the living room…..so I did. My stomach gurgled and gurgled for the longest time. I dozed off, but then I woke up around 3 am, felt better and went back to bed.
I woke up Tuesday morning at 5:30 with the worst crick in my neck. Since I slept in the chair for a couple of hours without good neck support, my neck was really hurting. All day long at work, my neck hurt. I could barely look down and could barely move my neck without it hurting. I was miserable. By the time I got off work, I just wanted to go home and get some relief. I did nothing last night but lie around and watch TV.
This morning, I felt better, but the soreness is still there. We are having a turkey party tonight for the youth at church. Fortunately, we are eating pizza, not turkey. It will be a time for fun, food, fellowship and games. Next Wednesday, we will not meet because it is Thanksgiving week.
Tomorrow evening is our CFAAA monthly meeting and our annual elections. I will not be running for any office because I am term limited. I have served as president for the last two years, so I have to take a year off from being an elected officer. I will be eligible to run for office in 2013. That’s fine with me, though. I need a break. I am doing quite a bit with REACT, so taking some time away from the CFAAA will help me be able to re-group. I will still be working on the CFAAA website and doing a few things here and there, but that’s it. I am looking forward to the change.
www.centralokreact.org
On Saturday, myself and several other REACT members participated in the Blanchard, Okla. Veteran’s Day parade. It was a short parade, but we had lots of fun and was able to throw candy out our windows to the children. That’s one thing I learned about being in a parade. If you throw candy to the kids, they are happy and their parents are happy because you gave their child some candy. It makes a lasting impression.
After the parade, several of us drove to Chickasha to attend a funeral of one of our members’ mom. Since Chickasha is a small town and have limited resources, we were asked to assist with the funeral procession to the cemetery. Chickasha Police escorted us to the outskirts of the city, but the cemetery was outside the city limits, so our REACT team had to take over and escort the procession the rest of the way to the cemetery. It was a beautiful service and a beautiful day. After the funeral, we all headed back to the city. I arrived home at around 4:30 pm and stayed home the rest of the evening. I watched TV and did some computer work.
I was up early Sunday morning, working on the power point for the morning worship service. That afternoon, we had our annual Thanksgiving Dinner at the church. As usual, we had a large crowd and, as usual, there were people there I had never seen before. Everyone got plenty to eat and everyone seemed to have a great time.
I slept in a little on Monday. I took Monday off work because I had some things I wanted to get done. The plans I had made, changed early Monday morning. Because of the change, I had a free day, sort of. I still had two lawns and my lawn to mow one last time. I loaded my mower and my other lawn equipment into my truck and headed out. I mowed two lawns and then came home and mowed mine. The timing was perfect because when I got through with my lawn, it started raining. I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the house. That evening, several REACT members were coming to my house to meet and go over our REACT SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures), so I wanted the house to look good.
We had all decided to meet at Golden Corral at 5 pm to eat. Golden Corral was feeding all veterans for free and several of our REACT members were veterans, so we decided to meet there for dinner. Unfortunately, there were hundreds of other people with the same idea. The wait to eat was going to be over an hour, so we all decided to eat at a Chinese Buffet instead. The food was good and we had a good time of fellowship. Afterwards, we all met at my house and spent about two hours working on the SOP’s. After the guys left, I went to bed, but woke up around midnight with terrible indigestion. Karla told me to suck on a peppermint and to sit in the chair in the living room…..so I did. My stomach gurgled and gurgled for the longest time. I dozed off, but then I woke up around 3 am, felt better and went back to bed.
I woke up Tuesday morning at 5:30 with the worst crick in my neck. Since I slept in the chair for a couple of hours without good neck support, my neck was really hurting. All day long at work, my neck hurt. I could barely look down and could barely move my neck without it hurting. I was miserable. By the time I got off work, I just wanted to go home and get some relief. I did nothing last night but lie around and watch TV.
This morning, I felt better, but the soreness is still there. We are having a turkey party tonight for the youth at church. Fortunately, we are eating pizza, not turkey. It will be a time for fun, food, fellowship and games. Next Wednesday, we will not meet because it is Thanksgiving week.
Tomorrow evening is our CFAAA monthly meeting and our annual elections. I will not be running for any office because I am term limited. I have served as president for the last two years, so I have to take a year off from being an elected officer. I will be eligible to run for office in 2013. That’s fine with me, though. I need a break. I am doing quite a bit with REACT, so taking some time away from the CFAAA will help me be able to re-group. I will still be working on the CFAAA website and doing a few things here and there, but that’s it. I am looking forward to the change.
www.centralokreact.org
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Still Alive and Kicking!!
Hello??? Anybody there??? Gee, it has been a week since I blogged any. Part of the reason is I was without my laptop for a couple of days. The other reason is…well, I have been a little busy at home and extremely busy at work, so my mind seems to be going into overload. It’s like plugging too many things in an electrical outlet. If you run too much power through, it blows a circuit. That’s how I have felt this week.
Last weekend…..is just a blur. After Karla and I spent three hours at our storage facility going through boxes and tossing junk, I spent the rest of my afternoon at a friend’s house in north OKC, watching the OU and OSU football game. After the game, as I was heading home on I-44, I turned my REACT two-way radio on to see if anything was going on. Almost immediately after I turned it on, I heard a few of my REACT team members discussing an earthquake. It seems as if we had a 5.6 earthquake in central Oklahoma and I did not even feel it. Of course, I was in my small truck, going against a strong south wind, so even if there was an earthquake, my truck was shaking already from the wind, so I would not have felt it anyway. When I got home, my whole family was still up because they felt the earthquake. Since Daylight Savings Time was ending, it was time for us to set our clocks back one hour. That meant I actually went to bed at 10:30 pm.
I was up early on Sunday morning so I could work on the PowerPoint for the morning worship service. It’s nice to get up before everyone else does because I can get more done with no distractions. It was a good day. After church, Karla and I went to lunch with a deacon from our church and his wife. We had a good time of food and fellowship. Then, it was time to go back to the church for a REACT team meeting. After the meeting, I was going to head home…..but I learned in church that morning our quartet was singing Sunday night, so I had to stay.
I have never liked Daylight Savings Time. I hate to Spring forward and I hate falling back. Why can’t they leave our time alone? Now, when it starts getting dark, I want to automatically go to bed. I was in bed early on Sunday and Monday night. Last night, I had to do some work in my office, so I actually stayed up until 10:15 pm. I was wide awake by 5 am.
The last two evenings have been very uneventful. Monday evening, the weather started getting bad in western Oklahoma and radar showed it was heading our way. So, at around 16:30, our REACT President activated our team and we went into storm spotting mode. Several large tornadoes were spotted in SW Oklahoma, but fortunately, they were in an areas that were open fields, so they did very little damage. The storms were moving in our direction, so we were getting prepared to meet them as they came in. As we watched the radar, we noticed the storms took a northward turn. Because of that, they were going to miss OKC, so there was nothing for us to spot. We were still going to eventually get some small hail, heavy rain and lightning, but no tornadoes or strong winds.
Today has been a very busy day at the office. To top it all off, I am still training a couple of people how to dispatch. Tomorrow, I will probably spend all day training, so I will not get much done at my desk. These busy days wear me out mentally.
www.centralokreact.org
Last weekend…..is just a blur. After Karla and I spent three hours at our storage facility going through boxes and tossing junk, I spent the rest of my afternoon at a friend’s house in north OKC, watching the OU and OSU football game. After the game, as I was heading home on I-44, I turned my REACT two-way radio on to see if anything was going on. Almost immediately after I turned it on, I heard a few of my REACT team members discussing an earthquake. It seems as if we had a 5.6 earthquake in central Oklahoma and I did not even feel it. Of course, I was in my small truck, going against a strong south wind, so even if there was an earthquake, my truck was shaking already from the wind, so I would not have felt it anyway. When I got home, my whole family was still up because they felt the earthquake. Since Daylight Savings Time was ending, it was time for us to set our clocks back one hour. That meant I actually went to bed at 10:30 pm.
I was up early on Sunday morning so I could work on the PowerPoint for the morning worship service. It’s nice to get up before everyone else does because I can get more done with no distractions. It was a good day. After church, Karla and I went to lunch with a deacon from our church and his wife. We had a good time of food and fellowship. Then, it was time to go back to the church for a REACT team meeting. After the meeting, I was going to head home…..but I learned in church that morning our quartet was singing Sunday night, so I had to stay.
I have never liked Daylight Savings Time. I hate to Spring forward and I hate falling back. Why can’t they leave our time alone? Now, when it starts getting dark, I want to automatically go to bed. I was in bed early on Sunday and Monday night. Last night, I had to do some work in my office, so I actually stayed up until 10:15 pm. I was wide awake by 5 am.
The last two evenings have been very uneventful. Monday evening, the weather started getting bad in western Oklahoma and radar showed it was heading our way. So, at around 16:30, our REACT President activated our team and we went into storm spotting mode. Several large tornadoes were spotted in SW Oklahoma, but fortunately, they were in an areas that were open fields, so they did very little damage. The storms were moving in our direction, so we were getting prepared to meet them as they came in. As we watched the radar, we noticed the storms took a northward turn. Because of that, they were going to miss OKC, so there was nothing for us to spot. We were still going to eventually get some small hail, heavy rain and lightning, but no tornadoes or strong winds.
Today has been a very busy day at the office. To top it all off, I am still training a couple of people how to dispatch. Tomorrow, I will probably spend all day training, so I will not get much done at my desk. These busy days wear me out mentally.
www.centralokreact.org
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Fall Fire Safety Tips.
So far, it has been a quiet, non-dramatic week for me.
I worked from 7 am – 8 pm on Monday, so that pretty much blew my whole day. I did not do much when I got home because I was way too tired. Yesterday evening, I got home, thinking I was going to rest and relax for the evening, but my son came by and reminded me I was suppose to help him move furniture out of his old apartment. I had forgotten all about it. So, I spent about an hour or so moving a huge couch from a fifth floor apartment to the back of my truck…and then to the house. Just what we needed….something else to store in the garage…..
It looks as if old man Winter is trying to show his ugly face again. I wore shorts to work today, but I did carry a pair of jeans with me…just in case it got real cold. I received some information via email today from the Oklahoma City Fire Department that I want to pass along. With it getting colder, more people will be firing up their furnaces. Here are some Fall Fire Safety Tips to help keep you safe.
Fall Fire Safety Tips
With colder weather approaching, it is time to think about fire safety in relation to heating our homes. First, the most important aspect of home fire safety is making sure that every home has a working smoke detector, and that these detectors are checked monthly and batteries are changed annually. Residents of Oklahoma City, who do not have a working smoke detector, may contact the Oklahoma City Fire Department’s Public Education section at 297-3318 for a free battery or smoke detector and installation. Second, here are some tips that may be used during the next few months of cold weather.
Carbon Monoxide Alarms are easy to install and can save lives. They do not take the place of a Smoke Alarms, however, having one is the next step to a safe environment in the home. Any open flame heater creates Carbon Monoxide gas and if your heating devices in the home are not functioning properly, this gas can be deadly.
They are becoming more affordable, more effective and if you have a flame operated heating device in your home, indispensable.
Space Heaters
Dust and lint may have accumulated in the space heater. Be sure to clean them thoroughly with a vacuum cleaner.
Gas space heaters need to have the flame adjusted to blue in order to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide build up.
Caution children not to stand too close to a space heater to warm up, as their clothing could catch fire.
Give space heaters their space! Be sure that all combustible material is away from the heater, at least three feet in all directions.
Floor Furnaces
Floor furnaces are safest when they are equipped with a thermostat and automatic shut off device.
Clean the floor furnace by removing the grate and using a vacuum to remove dust and lint from inside the unit.
During the summer months, people often place throw rugs on the floor furnace. As the weather cools, they may remove these rugs and turn the furnace on. During the warm days following a cold snap, people often throw the rug back onto the furnace without turning the unit off. Then, when it becomes cold again, the floor furnace automatically comes back on igniting the throw rug. Be sure to remove rugs whenever the unit is switched on.
Central Heaters
Clean or replace the furnace filter.
Clean the entire furnace area using a vacuum to remove dust and lint.
Be sure to remove any brooms, boxes, magazines, newspapers, or any other combustible material stored in the heater closet.
Fireplaces
Inspect the fireplace and chimney at least once a year. Look for cracks in the firebox, flue, and chimney. Also check for build up of soot and creosote inside the flue.
Open the damper enough to allow the smoke and gases to escape up the chimney.
Never start a fire with gasoline, kerosene, or any other flammable liquid.
Always keep a good-quality metal fireplace screen in front of the fireplace whenever it is being used to prevent burning logs from rolling out or embers from flying out.
Keep a three-foot area in front of and to the sides of the fireplace clear of any combustibles including, logs, kindling wood, paper, rugs, clothing, or furniture.
Never leave a fire unattended. Make sure the fire is completely out before leaving your home or going to bed.
Never burn charcoal in a fireplace. Charcoal gives off deadly carbon monoxide gas that can fill a room and overcome the occupants.
Never cook in a fireplace. Grease from the food can build up inside the flue and catch fire.
Never burn more than two or three natural logs at one time.
Artificial logs made of compressed sawdust and wax should be handled differently than natural logs because they generate more heat. Burn only one artificial log at a time and do not burn an artificial log with natural logs.
Always make sure fireplace ashes are placed in a metal container. Never place hot embers in a combustible container such as a trashcan. Allow ashes to cool thoroughly before disposing of them.
There are many potential problems when we are heating our homes during the cooler months. If you need professional assistance with heating equipment preparation, look in the Yellow Pages under "Heating Contractors" or "Chimney Cleaning". With a little caution, we can all remain safe and healthy during the fall and winter season.
www.centralokreact.org
I worked from 7 am – 8 pm on Monday, so that pretty much blew my whole day. I did not do much when I got home because I was way too tired. Yesterday evening, I got home, thinking I was going to rest and relax for the evening, but my son came by and reminded me I was suppose to help him move furniture out of his old apartment. I had forgotten all about it. So, I spent about an hour or so moving a huge couch from a fifth floor apartment to the back of my truck…and then to the house. Just what we needed….something else to store in the garage…..
It looks as if old man Winter is trying to show his ugly face again. I wore shorts to work today, but I did carry a pair of jeans with me…just in case it got real cold. I received some information via email today from the Oklahoma City Fire Department that I want to pass along. With it getting colder, more people will be firing up their furnaces. Here are some Fall Fire Safety Tips to help keep you safe.
Fall Fire Safety Tips
With colder weather approaching, it is time to think about fire safety in relation to heating our homes. First, the most important aspect of home fire safety is making sure that every home has a working smoke detector, and that these detectors are checked monthly and batteries are changed annually. Residents of Oklahoma City, who do not have a working smoke detector, may contact the Oklahoma City Fire Department’s Public Education section at 297-3318 for a free battery or smoke detector and installation. Second, here are some tips that may be used during the next few months of cold weather.
Carbon Monoxide Alarms are easy to install and can save lives. They do not take the place of a Smoke Alarms, however, having one is the next step to a safe environment in the home. Any open flame heater creates Carbon Monoxide gas and if your heating devices in the home are not functioning properly, this gas can be deadly.
They are becoming more affordable, more effective and if you have a flame operated heating device in your home, indispensable.
Space Heaters
Dust and lint may have accumulated in the space heater. Be sure to clean them thoroughly with a vacuum cleaner.
Gas space heaters need to have the flame adjusted to blue in order to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide build up.
Caution children not to stand too close to a space heater to warm up, as their clothing could catch fire.
Give space heaters their space! Be sure that all combustible material is away from the heater, at least three feet in all directions.
Floor Furnaces
Floor furnaces are safest when they are equipped with a thermostat and automatic shut off device.
Clean the floor furnace by removing the grate and using a vacuum to remove dust and lint from inside the unit.
During the summer months, people often place throw rugs on the floor furnace. As the weather cools, they may remove these rugs and turn the furnace on. During the warm days following a cold snap, people often throw the rug back onto the furnace without turning the unit off. Then, when it becomes cold again, the floor furnace automatically comes back on igniting the throw rug. Be sure to remove rugs whenever the unit is switched on.
Central Heaters
Clean or replace the furnace filter.
Clean the entire furnace area using a vacuum to remove dust and lint.
Be sure to remove any brooms, boxes, magazines, newspapers, or any other combustible material stored in the heater closet.
Fireplaces
Inspect the fireplace and chimney at least once a year. Look for cracks in the firebox, flue, and chimney. Also check for build up of soot and creosote inside the flue.
Open the damper enough to allow the smoke and gases to escape up the chimney.
Never start a fire with gasoline, kerosene, or any other flammable liquid.
Always keep a good-quality metal fireplace screen in front of the fireplace whenever it is being used to prevent burning logs from rolling out or embers from flying out.
Keep a three-foot area in front of and to the sides of the fireplace clear of any combustibles including, logs, kindling wood, paper, rugs, clothing, or furniture.
Never leave a fire unattended. Make sure the fire is completely out before leaving your home or going to bed.
Never burn charcoal in a fireplace. Charcoal gives off deadly carbon monoxide gas that can fill a room and overcome the occupants.
Never cook in a fireplace. Grease from the food can build up inside the flue and catch fire.
Never burn more than two or three natural logs at one time.
Artificial logs made of compressed sawdust and wax should be handled differently than natural logs because they generate more heat. Burn only one artificial log at a time and do not burn an artificial log with natural logs.
Always make sure fireplace ashes are placed in a metal container. Never place hot embers in a combustible container such as a trashcan. Allow ashes to cool thoroughly before disposing of them.
There are many potential problems when we are heating our homes during the cooler months. If you need professional assistance with heating equipment preparation, look in the Yellow Pages under "Heating Contractors" or "Chimney Cleaning". With a little caution, we can all remain safe and healthy during the fall and winter season.
www.centralokreact.org
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Getting Ready for Another Work Week
I can safely say I have had an enjoyable and relaxing weekend.
One of the highlights of my weekend was the National Weather Service Festival, which I attended on Saturday. It was held at the National Weather Service in Norman. Around five of our Central Oklahoma REACT members attended the festival and we all entered our vehicles in the car show, including me. The car show is usually one of the highlights of the festival because there are so many storm spotters and chasers that come and show off their vehicles.
Not only do they show off their vehicles, they show off what they have in their vehicles. Many of them have mounted video cameras, assorted two-way radios, assorted scanners and laptops. Lots of them have some very expensive weather equipment that I just dream about. I took quite a few pictures of these vehicles and equipment, which I posted on my Facebook page.
Every year, they hand out small trophies to the winners of the chase vehicles. They have four different categories: storm spotters, storm chasers, media storm trackers and student/researchers. In each category, there is a second place winner and a first place winner. There is also a winner who has the most hail damage to their vehicle. The winners are determined by fellow storm chasers and spotters. I was one of the judges for the student/researchers.
Close to the end of the show, all the storm chasers, etc...meet together in the NWS auditorium. That's where they award the trophies and give away door prizes. With all the neat storm spotter vehicles (the category I was in), I knew I did not have a chance to win. I tried my best, but it wasn't good enough. I did win a door prize.....some kind of amplified cell phone booster for my truck. I am not sure how it works yet.
After the festival, I headed home and that's where I stayed. I did nothing for the entire afternoon and evening but watch football.
This morning came and I decided I needed a break. I knew if I went to my church, I would be running the sound and not really get a chance to worship. We are still looking for someone to assist in running the sound during worship services, but not having much success. I contacted one of my buddies at church and he agreed to cover the worship services for me. Plus, I am having a few issues with our youth minister and I really did not want to see him today....long story.
So, this morning, I went back to the church in Moore where I grew up....Regency Park Baptist Church. I went to the 8:15 am early service, since I am an early riser and then stayed for Sunday School. The service was outstanding and the SS was just as good. I had a great time of listening and participating in the worship service. After church, I bought groceries and then went home. I have stayed home all afternoon, just watching football and doing chores.
Tomorrow is the big day. Our new supervisor starts in her new position. She comes to us from N. Carolina, so we are not sure what to expect. She came by our office last Wednesday and many of us in dispatch met her briefly. She has orientation until noon tomorrow and then she comes to our office to assume her new position. This is exciting in a way because we finally get a permanent supervisor. It will be strange, though, to have a female supervisor, especially since I have had a male supervisor for the last 16 years. All in all, I am excited and hope that she will bring some welcome change to our office.
www.centralokreact.org
One of the highlights of my weekend was the National Weather Service Festival, which I attended on Saturday. It was held at the National Weather Service in Norman. Around five of our Central Oklahoma REACT members attended the festival and we all entered our vehicles in the car show, including me. The car show is usually one of the highlights of the festival because there are so many storm spotters and chasers that come and show off their vehicles.
I did get the opportunity to meet one of my favorite News9 StormTrackers, Hank Brown...
Not only do they show off their vehicles, they show off what they have in their vehicles. Many of them have mounted video cameras, assorted two-way radios, assorted scanners and laptops. Lots of them have some very expensive weather equipment that I just dream about. I took quite a few pictures of these vehicles and equipment, which I posted on my Facebook page.
Every year, they hand out small trophies to the winners of the chase vehicles. They have four different categories: storm spotters, storm chasers, media storm trackers and student/researchers. In each category, there is a second place winner and a first place winner. There is also a winner who has the most hail damage to their vehicle. The winners are determined by fellow storm chasers and spotters. I was one of the judges for the student/researchers.
Close to the end of the show, all the storm chasers, etc...meet together in the NWS auditorium. That's where they award the trophies and give away door prizes. With all the neat storm spotter vehicles (the category I was in), I knew I did not have a chance to win. I tried my best, but it wasn't good enough. I did win a door prize.....some kind of amplified cell phone booster for my truck. I am not sure how it works yet.
After the festival, I headed home and that's where I stayed. I did nothing for the entire afternoon and evening but watch football.
This morning came and I decided I needed a break. I knew if I went to my church, I would be running the sound and not really get a chance to worship. We are still looking for someone to assist in running the sound during worship services, but not having much success. I contacted one of my buddies at church and he agreed to cover the worship services for me. Plus, I am having a few issues with our youth minister and I really did not want to see him today....long story.
So, this morning, I went back to the church in Moore where I grew up....Regency Park Baptist Church. I went to the 8:15 am early service, since I am an early riser and then stayed for Sunday School. The service was outstanding and the SS was just as good. I had a great time of listening and participating in the worship service. After church, I bought groceries and then went home. I have stayed home all afternoon, just watching football and doing chores.
Tomorrow is the big day. Our new supervisor starts in her new position. She comes to us from N. Carolina, so we are not sure what to expect. She came by our office last Wednesday and many of us in dispatch met her briefly. She has orientation until noon tomorrow and then she comes to our office to assume her new position. This is exciting in a way because we finally get a permanent supervisor. It will be strange, though, to have a female supervisor, especially since I have had a male supervisor for the last 16 years. All in all, I am excited and hope that she will bring some welcome change to our office.
www.centralokreact.org
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Weekend is Finally Here!!!
Well, I finally made it to Friday. This week seemed to go on forever. Last evening, myself, another member of REACT and a guest, all attended an appreciation dinner at the F & M Bank, in Piedmont. This appreciation dinner was for all the volunteers that helped with the benefit concert, "Concert in the Cornfield," a couple of weeks ago in Piedmont. The benefit concert was put on because of the tornado that ripped through Piedmont on May 24th. Many families lost everything, so many residents from Piedmont got together and organized this concert in order to raise money for those who still needed assistance rebuilding.
Since our REACT team was one of the volunteer groups that participated, we were invited to attend. It was so good to see all the volunteers that made it to the dinner. There were presentations made, food to eat and music to listen to....but most importantly, it was a time to celebrate and a time to present a check to the Piedmont Service Center for $31,000.00. The money came from donations and proceeds from the concert. It was indeed a great time of celebration and I was glad our team was a part of it.
I am not sure what this weekend holds for me. This evening, our youth are going to the Judgment House at Wilmont Place Baptist Church. This is an annual event that is held every Halloween. This is drama that follows the lives of several people and the different scenarios of their lives. It shows everyday people and the conflicts they have in life and the way they deal with them. Some of the actors portray non-believers and they give the non-believers point of view on how they would handle a tragedy in their life. There is also the believer's perspective. As a believer, they show how they would handle a tragedy by relying on God. There is a realistic heaven scene and a very realistic hell scene that makes you think which road you want to take.
The Judgment House isn't there to scare the students. It is not a haunted house. It is a tool used to help students make a decision as to whether they want to spend eternity in hell, or make the decision to accept Christ and go to heaven. Every year, the story changes and every year, it has touched and changed the lives of our students. As a youth leader, my main goal is to see the students come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior and to help them in their Christian walk. I also want to get to know them better personally, so I know how to pray for them.
I have been working with the youth in my church for the last 10 years. I have seen so many of them come and go and I have seen many of them grow up in our youth group and be a part of our youth group from 7th - 12th grade. I have history with many of them and know them and their parents. I know what is going on in their lives and what is troubling them. After 10 years of being in the youth ministry, I have developed this trust between me and the students. They know they can talk to me anytime and share their problems with me. I will pray for them and support them all the way. I would never, ever, do anything that would break that trust. With teenagers, trust is a big thing. Many of them don't have much trust in their parents, so they don't share as much with them. I always encourage the students to love and honor their parents, unless their parents are abusive......then, they need to tell me.
One thing I have learned as a youth leader is when a student is being abused, it is my responsibility to step in, intervene and get the local authorities involved. I have told the students time and time again that abuse is not normal, whether it is physical, mental, or verbal abuse. Nobody, especially students, kids, or small children, should ever have to endure any type of abuse. If they do, they need to come see a youth leader who they trust. My goal is to get to know these students and not only be their youth leader, but be their friend. I guess I could possibly be a youth minister if God was ever going to call me into the ministry, but, at age 50, I am probably too old to make that big of a difference. I want to be more of a youth leader to these student and not like a father.
Tomorrow morning is the National Weather Festival in Norman at the National Weather Service. This is where the general public, including storm spotters, storm chasers, storm researchers and other weather enthusiasts show up and enjoy a time of fellowship and showing off all their cool equipment. Last year, I attended the Festival and entered my truck in the storm spotter category contest. Since I was not that big into storm spotting yet, I didn't have much equipment. This year, though, I have entered my truck in the storm spotting category again. Now, I have a mounted light bar, lots of LED lights, a two-way radio, CB Radio, my laptop and several other things that I use for storm spotting. I would love to win in my category, but I doubt that will happen because many of the storm spotters will have nicer equipment than I have. Either way, it is going to be a fun day for me.
www.centralokreact.org
Since our REACT team was one of the volunteer groups that participated, we were invited to attend. It was so good to see all the volunteers that made it to the dinner. There were presentations made, food to eat and music to listen to....but most importantly, it was a time to celebrate and a time to present a check to the Piedmont Service Center for $31,000.00. The money came from donations and proceeds from the concert. It was indeed a great time of celebration and I was glad our team was a part of it.
I am not sure what this weekend holds for me. This evening, our youth are going to the Judgment House at Wilmont Place Baptist Church. This is an annual event that is held every Halloween. This is drama that follows the lives of several people and the different scenarios of their lives. It shows everyday people and the conflicts they have in life and the way they deal with them. Some of the actors portray non-believers and they give the non-believers point of view on how they would handle a tragedy in their life. There is also the believer's perspective. As a believer, they show how they would handle a tragedy by relying on God. There is a realistic heaven scene and a very realistic hell scene that makes you think which road you want to take.
The Judgment House isn't there to scare the students. It is not a haunted house. It is a tool used to help students make a decision as to whether they want to spend eternity in hell, or make the decision to accept Christ and go to heaven. Every year, the story changes and every year, it has touched and changed the lives of our students. As a youth leader, my main goal is to see the students come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior and to help them in their Christian walk. I also want to get to know them better personally, so I know how to pray for them.
I have been working with the youth in my church for the last 10 years. I have seen so many of them come and go and I have seen many of them grow up in our youth group and be a part of our youth group from 7th - 12th grade. I have history with many of them and know them and their parents. I know what is going on in their lives and what is troubling them. After 10 years of being in the youth ministry, I have developed this trust between me and the students. They know they can talk to me anytime and share their problems with me. I will pray for them and support them all the way. I would never, ever, do anything that would break that trust. With teenagers, trust is a big thing. Many of them don't have much trust in their parents, so they don't share as much with them. I always encourage the students to love and honor their parents, unless their parents are abusive......then, they need to tell me.
One thing I have learned as a youth leader is when a student is being abused, it is my responsibility to step in, intervene and get the local authorities involved. I have told the students time and time again that abuse is not normal, whether it is physical, mental, or verbal abuse. Nobody, especially students, kids, or small children, should ever have to endure any type of abuse. If they do, they need to come see a youth leader who they trust. My goal is to get to know these students and not only be their youth leader, but be their friend. I guess I could possibly be a youth minister if God was ever going to call me into the ministry, but, at age 50, I am probably too old to make that big of a difference. I want to be more of a youth leader to these student and not like a father.
Tomorrow morning is the National Weather Festival in Norman at the National Weather Service. This is where the general public, including storm spotters, storm chasers, storm researchers and other weather enthusiasts show up and enjoy a time of fellowship and showing off all their cool equipment. Last year, I attended the Festival and entered my truck in the storm spotter category contest. Since I was not that big into storm spotting yet, I didn't have much equipment. This year, though, I have entered my truck in the storm spotting category again. Now, I have a mounted light bar, lots of LED lights, a two-way radio, CB Radio, my laptop and several other things that I use for storm spotting. I would love to win in my category, but I doubt that will happen because many of the storm spotters will have nicer equipment than I have. Either way, it is going to be a fun day for me.
www.centralokreact.org
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
So Far, So Good!
I had a wonderful, very relaxing, weekend. It all started Friday evening after Karla and I ate dinner. I took my bike up to Lake Hefner and rode around the lake. I had gotten new tires and new tubes for my front and back tires, so I wanted to try them out. The bike rode great, but I did not get finished riding until after dark. I had to use my flashlight as a headlight.
Hello Saturday!! Several weeks ago, our REACT team assisted in the Chicken Run in Chickasha, Okla. This run was to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). We were there for crowd control and traffic control. Last Saturday, the coordinators of the Chicken Run had a check to present to the CFF. Since our team was an important part of the event, we were invited to Chickasha to witness the handing over of the check. Only two of us from REACT were able to attend, so I invited my wife to ride with me to Chickasha, so we could be at the presentation and take some pictures. The presentation took place at a Mexican restaurant, so after the presentation, my wife and I ate. Then, we headed home.
The rest of the day was very relaxing….just laying around the house, doing a few chores and watching TV. At around 4 pm, I decided to head up to Lake Hefner and ride my bike. On my way to the lake, I was informed we might be in for a round of severe weather and to keep my eyes on the sky. It had turned cloudy north of the city, so I figured it was a matter of time before storms started building. As I rode around the lake, I had my REACT radio with me, just in case the storms popped up before I got back to my truck. Fortunately, my timing was perfect. Just as soon as I got to my truck, the weather started turning bad. Unfortunately, there were some people still out jogging and riding their bikes. Why do they get out and do this stuff when they know a storm is coming? Some people just aren’t smart.
I knew I could get some great pictures of the storm coming through if I would just drive to the north side of the dam….so that’s what I did. I pulled around to the north side of the dam, parked my truck and started taking some pictures. It was so neat to watch the clouds and their formations. You could see where the gust front was and you could see the rain band moving in. Then, the lightning and thunder started. At that point, I realized that anyone that was still jogging or bicycling would be in some danger. The rain started coming down heavier, so I decided to move to another spot, just in case it started hailing. As I drove east on the road, I came upon a father and son who were riding their bikes. I got on my PA and asked if they wanted a ride. They signaled to be that they did want a ride, so I stopped to pick them up.
Now remember, I have a small Chevy S-10 pick-up that is not an extended cab. We threw both of their bikes in the back of my truck (on top of my bike) and then the man and his son literally squeezed into my front seat. Since I had my crate with all my stuff in it and my first aid kit in the floor, there was not much room. The man had to hold my crate in order to sit down. His son sat in his lap. Luckily, we weren’t going that far. Once I dropped them off at their destination, I headed back to the highway to continue tracking the storm.
There was a report of some rotation in the El-Reno area, around I-40, so I was sent west on I-40 to check it out. I called our weather specialist on the radio to make sure I was not driving into danger. At about I-40 and Cimarron Rd I ran into ping-pong sized hail. Fortunately, it only lasted about half a mile, so I did not receive any damage. Plus, I was going real slow. The storm was a quick mover. By the time I got to Yukon, the rotation was not as bad and the storm had moved south of me. So, the weather specialist sent me to SW Oklahoma City. By the time I got there, everything was south of me and out of our area, so I called it a night.
There was not really much happening on Sunday. I went to Sunday School and church and then ate lunch afterwards. I spent all afternoon at work, catching up on some paperwork. When I did leave work, I was heading southbound on I-44, just passing SW 74, when I saw two females on the side of the road with their emergency flashers on. I took the next exit and doubled back. When I finally stopped to check on them, I found out they were on their way to Bridge Creek and had just purchased some furniture from Mathis Brothers. The problem, though, was the load did not get tied properly, so it came undone, causing a problem. So, I stood by with the lady and her daughter until Mathis Brothers arrived on the scene to properly tie the load down. Once I got finished with that motorist assist, I went home, made a grocery list and bought groceries.
Yesterday, I worked 12 hours, so I did not get home until after 8 pm. Other than working, there was not much going on worth talking about.
Today is Karla’s 50th birthday. I have sent FB messages and text messages to all her friends, asking them to send her Happy Birthday text messages, or just calling her on her cell phone. Due to finances, a gift was not in the picture, but several of us are going to Boomerangs tonight after work, to celebrate her birthday. Oh yeah, she is coming too.
www.centralokreact.org
Hello Saturday!! Several weeks ago, our REACT team assisted in the Chicken Run in Chickasha, Okla. This run was to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). We were there for crowd control and traffic control. Last Saturday, the coordinators of the Chicken Run had a check to present to the CFF. Since our team was an important part of the event, we were invited to Chickasha to witness the handing over of the check. Only two of us from REACT were able to attend, so I invited my wife to ride with me to Chickasha, so we could be at the presentation and take some pictures. The presentation took place at a Mexican restaurant, so after the presentation, my wife and I ate. Then, we headed home.
The rest of the day was very relaxing….just laying around the house, doing a few chores and watching TV. At around 4 pm, I decided to head up to Lake Hefner and ride my bike. On my way to the lake, I was informed we might be in for a round of severe weather and to keep my eyes on the sky. It had turned cloudy north of the city, so I figured it was a matter of time before storms started building. As I rode around the lake, I had my REACT radio with me, just in case the storms popped up before I got back to my truck. Fortunately, my timing was perfect. Just as soon as I got to my truck, the weather started turning bad. Unfortunately, there were some people still out jogging and riding their bikes. Why do they get out and do this stuff when they know a storm is coming? Some people just aren’t smart.
I knew I could get some great pictures of the storm coming through if I would just drive to the north side of the dam….so that’s what I did. I pulled around to the north side of the dam, parked my truck and started taking some pictures. It was so neat to watch the clouds and their formations. You could see where the gust front was and you could see the rain band moving in. Then, the lightning and thunder started. At that point, I realized that anyone that was still jogging or bicycling would be in some danger. The rain started coming down heavier, so I decided to move to another spot, just in case it started hailing. As I drove east on the road, I came upon a father and son who were riding their bikes. I got on my PA and asked if they wanted a ride. They signaled to be that they did want a ride, so I stopped to pick them up.
Now remember, I have a small Chevy S-10 pick-up that is not an extended cab. We threw both of their bikes in the back of my truck (on top of my bike) and then the man and his son literally squeezed into my front seat. Since I had my crate with all my stuff in it and my first aid kit in the floor, there was not much room. The man had to hold my crate in order to sit down. His son sat in his lap. Luckily, we weren’t going that far. Once I dropped them off at their destination, I headed back to the highway to continue tracking the storm.
There was a report of some rotation in the El-Reno area, around I-40, so I was sent west on I-40 to check it out. I called our weather specialist on the radio to make sure I was not driving into danger. At about I-40 and Cimarron Rd I ran into ping-pong sized hail. Fortunately, it only lasted about half a mile, so I did not receive any damage. Plus, I was going real slow. The storm was a quick mover. By the time I got to Yukon, the rotation was not as bad and the storm had moved south of me. So, the weather specialist sent me to SW Oklahoma City. By the time I got there, everything was south of me and out of our area, so I called it a night.
There was not really much happening on Sunday. I went to Sunday School and church and then ate lunch afterwards. I spent all afternoon at work, catching up on some paperwork. When I did leave work, I was heading southbound on I-44, just passing SW 74, when I saw two females on the side of the road with their emergency flashers on. I took the next exit and doubled back. When I finally stopped to check on them, I found out they were on their way to Bridge Creek and had just purchased some furniture from Mathis Brothers. The problem, though, was the load did not get tied properly, so it came undone, causing a problem. So, I stood by with the lady and her daughter until Mathis Brothers arrived on the scene to properly tie the load down. Once I got finished with that motorist assist, I went home, made a grocery list and bought groceries.
Yesterday, I worked 12 hours, so I did not get home until after 8 pm. Other than working, there was not much going on worth talking about.
Today is Karla’s 50th birthday. I have sent FB messages and text messages to all her friends, asking them to send her Happy Birthday text messages, or just calling her on her cell phone. Due to finances, a gift was not in the picture, but several of us are going to Boomerangs tonight after work, to celebrate her birthday. Oh yeah, she is coming too.
www.centralokreact.org
Friday, October 21, 2011
The Weekend is Almost Here!!
I finally made it to Friday!
This has been a week full of surprises and a few disappointments . Yesterday, we had a meeting in our office. Without going into detail and releasing too much information, I had a co-worker who said they would have my back at the meeting and back me up on what I had to say at the meeting. We had agreed earlier on the points I was going to bring up. Instead, my co-worker did just the opposite and practically threw me under the bus. Their idea of backing me up was actually stabbing me in the back….with me being there. I am sure I had a very surprised look on my face when my co-worker said the opposite of what we had discussed earlier. I told this person after the meeting I was very disappointed in them and their actions…..but they did not seem to care. Needless to say, I have nothing more to say to them. They have already alienated a few people in our office, so they can just add my name to the list.
I hate back-stabbers and two-faced people. They are nothing but scum in my book. They have no real friends because they have alienated any friendships they had. I really never considered this co-worker a true friend anyway because of their know-it-all attitude and their arrogance. They feel they can do nothing wrong and they make no mistakes. I normally don’t associate with these type of people because of their attitude and arrogance, but I am always willing to give everyone a chance. This incident changed everything. I know who my true friends are….they are the ones who I can confide in and they stick by your side. They are intelligent, trustworthy, honest and keep things confidential. From now on, I am staying away from the know-it-alls and the arrogant ones. They aren’t worth my time. There are only a few people I can trust in my office to keep things confidential. They are friends I have trusted for a long time. That trust will continue unless someone betrays it.
Yesterday was a rather busy day at work and after work. I had to stay until after 6 pm last night so our night dispatchers could go to the same meeting I went to earlier that morning. Then, I had to head to south OKC for the October CFAAA meeting at fire station #9. I was late, but we had a good meeting. Even though I am president, I let the vice-president preside over the meeting because I could not talk very well (sinuses were acting up). We didn’t have very many members at the meeting, but we still had a good meeting.
The weekend is almost upon us. There is no REACT event this weekend, so my weekend is free and clear. There is going to be a presentation made to Cystic Fibrosis tomorrow in Chickasha (from an event our team worked three weeks ago), so several of us are going down there in the morning for the presentation. I should be back home by noon and have the rest of the day to do whatever I want to do.
www.centralokreact.org
This has been a week full of surprises and a few disappointments . Yesterday, we had a meeting in our office. Without going into detail and releasing too much information, I had a co-worker who said they would have my back at the meeting and back me up on what I had to say at the meeting. We had agreed earlier on the points I was going to bring up. Instead, my co-worker did just the opposite and practically threw me under the bus. Their idea of backing me up was actually stabbing me in the back….with me being there. I am sure I had a very surprised look on my face when my co-worker said the opposite of what we had discussed earlier. I told this person after the meeting I was very disappointed in them and their actions…..but they did not seem to care. Needless to say, I have nothing more to say to them. They have already alienated a few people in our office, so they can just add my name to the list.
I hate back-stabbers and two-faced people. They are nothing but scum in my book. They have no real friends because they have alienated any friendships they had. I really never considered this co-worker a true friend anyway because of their know-it-all attitude and their arrogance. They feel they can do nothing wrong and they make no mistakes. I normally don’t associate with these type of people because of their attitude and arrogance, but I am always willing to give everyone a chance. This incident changed everything. I know who my true friends are….they are the ones who I can confide in and they stick by your side. They are intelligent, trustworthy, honest and keep things confidential. From now on, I am staying away from the know-it-alls and the arrogant ones. They aren’t worth my time. There are only a few people I can trust in my office to keep things confidential. They are friends I have trusted for a long time. That trust will continue unless someone betrays it.
Yesterday was a rather busy day at work and after work. I had to stay until after 6 pm last night so our night dispatchers could go to the same meeting I went to earlier that morning. Then, I had to head to south OKC for the October CFAAA meeting at fire station #9. I was late, but we had a good meeting. Even though I am president, I let the vice-president preside over the meeting because I could not talk very well (sinuses were acting up). We didn’t have very many members at the meeting, but we still had a good meeting.
The weekend is almost upon us. There is no REACT event this weekend, so my weekend is free and clear. There is going to be a presentation made to Cystic Fibrosis tomorrow in Chickasha (from an event our team worked three weeks ago), so several of us are going down there in the morning for the presentation. I should be back home by noon and have the rest of the day to do whatever I want to do.
www.centralokreact.org
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Still Trying to Rest.
I really am trying to rest, but I am not very good at it.
Last evening, I actually got off work on time and ran a few errands. I had to pick up some medicine, go pick up my bike and go by the credit union. I made it home by 4:45 pm. When I got home, I was really tired, so I laid down on the couch and watched TV. Normally when I get home, I log on to my laptop and check my email, but I was even too tired to do that. My back was tired and tight and my head was stopped up. Since the weather has turned cooler, it is playing havoc with my sinuses. I think that’s why I feel so run down. Of course, working so many hours last weekend and not getting much rest didn’t help either.
I tried not to plan anything last night, but one of our REACT team members, who is the fundraising chairperson for our team, wanted to have a fundraising committee meeting in Midwest City and I wanted to show my support. I went ahead and attended the 6:30 pm meeting and was glad I did. We got quite a bit accomplished. I made it home at around 9 pm, got on my laptop for 30 minutes and went to bed.
Back to REACT. Our event last Saturday in Piedmont, was the last event we had scheduled this year. Normally, during the holidays, we do not schedule events because of everyone’s busy schedule. Plus, for the time being, we are not responding to emergencies until we can write up our Mutual Aid Agreements and present them to other municipalities. Mutual Aid Agreements are necessary to have in order for us to work side-by-side with other communities and their emergency managers. Without them, we can’t aid other communities. This is actually the first year we have actively acted as emergency responders, but we failed to write up any mutual aid agreements with other communities, so we have to hold off on emergency responses until we get the agreements written up and signed. It’s no big deal…just a formality that has to be done.
For the meantime, we will just be assisting with certain events, do more traffic control at accidents and do more motorist assists. We are prepared to deploy on emergencies if we are called out, but our focus at this time is to do a little re-organizing and to get our SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) up to date, get our by-laws tweaked and do some more training. At the end of this month, we have the weather event at the National Weather Service in Norman where we show off our vehicles and attend a few workshops.
www.centralokreact.org
Last evening, I actually got off work on time and ran a few errands. I had to pick up some medicine, go pick up my bike and go by the credit union. I made it home by 4:45 pm. When I got home, I was really tired, so I laid down on the couch and watched TV. Normally when I get home, I log on to my laptop and check my email, but I was even too tired to do that. My back was tired and tight and my head was stopped up. Since the weather has turned cooler, it is playing havoc with my sinuses. I think that’s why I feel so run down. Of course, working so many hours last weekend and not getting much rest didn’t help either.
I tried not to plan anything last night, but one of our REACT team members, who is the fundraising chairperson for our team, wanted to have a fundraising committee meeting in Midwest City and I wanted to show my support. I went ahead and attended the 6:30 pm meeting and was glad I did. We got quite a bit accomplished. I made it home at around 9 pm, got on my laptop for 30 minutes and went to bed.
Back to REACT. Our event last Saturday in Piedmont, was the last event we had scheduled this year. Normally, during the holidays, we do not schedule events because of everyone’s busy schedule. Plus, for the time being, we are not responding to emergencies until we can write up our Mutual Aid Agreements and present them to other municipalities. Mutual Aid Agreements are necessary to have in order for us to work side-by-side with other communities and their emergency managers. Without them, we can’t aid other communities. This is actually the first year we have actively acted as emergency responders, but we failed to write up any mutual aid agreements with other communities, so we have to hold off on emergency responses until we get the agreements written up and signed. It’s no big deal…just a formality that has to be done.
For the meantime, we will just be assisting with certain events, do more traffic control at accidents and do more motorist assists. We are prepared to deploy on emergencies if we are called out, but our focus at this time is to do a little re-organizing and to get our SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) up to date, get our by-laws tweaked and do some more training. At the end of this month, we have the weather event at the National Weather Service in Norman where we show off our vehicles and attend a few workshops.
Yep, that's me in the gator at the Piedmont event last Saturday.
www.centralokreact.org
Monday, October 17, 2011
Still Veryyyyyyyy Tired!
What a BUSY and TIRING weekend.
I worked Friday from 7 am – 7 pm and then had a couple of errands to run afterwards. I got home, ate dinner and then headed out to wash my truck. I am not really the type to go to a car wash after dark, but I did not have much of a choice. I went to a car wash by my house, so I felt pretty safe. While I washed my truck, I kept looking around to make sure nobody was lurking around. Some call me paranoid, but I call it being safety conscious. While I washed my truck, a van pulled up and backed in to one the slots where the vacuum cleaners are. He just sat there, so I watched him like a hawk. Once I was finished, I headed home.
I actually slept well on Friday night, which was a good thing….especially since Saturday was going to be a long day. I was up at 6:30 am on Saturday morning. I took my shower, shaved my head and got all my REACT equipment loaded into my truck. I headed up to Piedmont, Okla. And arrived at 7:45 am. Our REACT team met at 8 am that morning at the Piedmont Bank to get ready for the big benefit concert. The concert, named “Concert in the Cornfield,” was a benefit concert that was organized in order to raise money for those families that had been affected by the May 24, 2011 tornado that ripped through Piedmont, destroying neighborhoods. The event featured many fun things for the kids, lots of food and beverages and continuous bands from 1 pm – 9 pm, with the headliner performing at 9 pm.
One of the organizers of the event is a wonderful lady I work with. She is in a management position and asked me a couple of months ago if our REACT team could assist them with traffic control, crowd control and pedestrian safety. We gladly accepted the invitation. They had actually planned for over 1,000 people to attend, but about half of that attended. We were ready to assist with parking and pedestrian safety at 9:30 am. We had the parking lots marked, safety cones and barricades in place and REACT members were at their assigned posts. Since this was an event that I scheduled and since I personally knew one of the coordinators, I was the Incident Commander for the event. One of our members brought his gator for me to drive, making it easier to keep a check on everything.
Our team made an excellent showing and were prepared for the worst, but were relieved when it wasn’t going to be as difficult as we thought it would be. It was easy to maintain the parking lots and easy to make sure pedestrians got across Piedmont Rd without getting hit by a vehicle. We are a professional emergency response team and we proved it at this event. We worked very closely with the Piedmont Police and the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office. We all worked very well together and our team made a great impression. It was a 16 hour day for me, but it was well worth it. The lady I work with was very happy with the way we handled things and some of the event attendees thanked us as well. We were all very tired and sleepy as the event came to an end. We all left at 23:30.
I slept in on Sunday morning and did not make it to Sunday School. I did get up in enough time to make it to the worship service. Afterwards, it was lunch time, football time and nap time. I took advantage of all three. Since our pastor had lost his voice and our music minister was in revival Sunday night, I was filling in for him and leading the music during the evening worship service. I made it back to the evening service and led music. Everything seemed to go just fine. After church, I picked up a couple of burgers for me and Karla and went home to watch football. My body was still so tired and sore, I could not stay awake. I was in bed by 9 pm.
Next thing I know, my alarm is going off….and it’s Monday!!
www.centralokreact.org
I worked Friday from 7 am – 7 pm and then had a couple of errands to run afterwards. I got home, ate dinner and then headed out to wash my truck. I am not really the type to go to a car wash after dark, but I did not have much of a choice. I went to a car wash by my house, so I felt pretty safe. While I washed my truck, I kept looking around to make sure nobody was lurking around. Some call me paranoid, but I call it being safety conscious. While I washed my truck, a van pulled up and backed in to one the slots where the vacuum cleaners are. He just sat there, so I watched him like a hawk. Once I was finished, I headed home.
I actually slept well on Friday night, which was a good thing….especially since Saturday was going to be a long day. I was up at 6:30 am on Saturday morning. I took my shower, shaved my head and got all my REACT equipment loaded into my truck. I headed up to Piedmont, Okla. And arrived at 7:45 am. Our REACT team met at 8 am that morning at the Piedmont Bank to get ready for the big benefit concert. The concert, named “Concert in the Cornfield,” was a benefit concert that was organized in order to raise money for those families that had been affected by the May 24, 2011 tornado that ripped through Piedmont, destroying neighborhoods. The event featured many fun things for the kids, lots of food and beverages and continuous bands from 1 pm – 9 pm, with the headliner performing at 9 pm.
One of the organizers of the event is a wonderful lady I work with. She is in a management position and asked me a couple of months ago if our REACT team could assist them with traffic control, crowd control and pedestrian safety. We gladly accepted the invitation. They had actually planned for over 1,000 people to attend, but about half of that attended. We were ready to assist with parking and pedestrian safety at 9:30 am. We had the parking lots marked, safety cones and barricades in place and REACT members were at their assigned posts. Since this was an event that I scheduled and since I personally knew one of the coordinators, I was the Incident Commander for the event. One of our members brought his gator for me to drive, making it easier to keep a check on everything.
Our team made an excellent showing and were prepared for the worst, but were relieved when it wasn’t going to be as difficult as we thought it would be. It was easy to maintain the parking lots and easy to make sure pedestrians got across Piedmont Rd without getting hit by a vehicle. We are a professional emergency response team and we proved it at this event. We worked very closely with the Piedmont Police and the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office. We all worked very well together and our team made a great impression. It was a 16 hour day for me, but it was well worth it. The lady I work with was very happy with the way we handled things and some of the event attendees thanked us as well. We were all very tired and sleepy as the event came to an end. We all left at 23:30.
I slept in on Sunday morning and did not make it to Sunday School. I did get up in enough time to make it to the worship service. Afterwards, it was lunch time, football time and nap time. I took advantage of all three. Since our pastor had lost his voice and our music minister was in revival Sunday night, I was filling in for him and leading the music during the evening worship service. I made it back to the evening service and led music. Everything seemed to go just fine. After church, I picked up a couple of burgers for me and Karla and went home to watch football. My body was still so tired and sore, I could not stay awake. I was in bed by 9 pm.
Next thing I know, my alarm is going off….and it’s Monday!!
www.centralokreact.org
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