It’s hump day and this week just seems to linger on…..
Last evening, Karla had a Premier Jewelry Party at the house, so I had to find some place to hang out for the evening. I had actually posted on Facebook that I needed something to do Tuesday night and actually received a couple of invites. One friend invited me to his house in east Norman, but I really did not feel like driving that far. One of my REACT team members, David, invited me over to one of his friend’s house to hang out for awhile. I had met his friend at one of our REACT meetings and didn’t really know him that well. This friend, Peter, has all kinds of WWII memorabilia that he retrieved from jump zones during the Vietnam War. He actually has what he calls his “war” room where he keeps all his souvenirs and stuff that he has collected from WWII.
I had never seen the room, so David invited me over to Peter’s place, along with a few other REACT members to see his “war” room and talk about his adventure in retrieving some of these war collectables. I was amazed at the war room. There were army helmets from all over the place, there were things from the Nazi’s when they were under Adolf Hitler……and there was a collection of old army uniforms, parachutes and other things associated with the war. I was impressed with all the history that he had collected. At one point of the evening, we went to the kitchen and Peter cooked us some frozen pizzas. We ate and continued to talk about all the stuff he had in the army room.
Then I got to see something that I had never seen before. Peter has a HUGE gun collection. He has revolvers, pistols, assault rifles, semi-automatic weapons of all kinds and ammunition of all kinds. Even though many of the guns he had were old and collectables, most all of them were still working. I had the opportunity to hold some of them and get the feel for some of the older weapons. He had weapons from WWII and even had some German weapons.
During the time we were looking at the weapons, he gave us the opportunity to shoot a few of his weapons. So, off to the firing range we went. I actually got to shoot a Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum (a very rare gun), a Colt 45 semi-automatic and a Smith & Wesson 44 Magnum. Man, it was great! I had not shot a gun in probably 25 years, so this was lots of fun for me. To top it all off, I actually shot two bulleseyes with the Colt 45. The other shots I took with the other guns were good shots as well. I wasn’t sure how good I would do, but evidently I have a pretty good aim…even with my hands shaking.
All in all, I had a great time and learned quite a bit from Peter….not just about the war and all, but about the kinds of weapons that were used in battle.
Today is Gayla’s 18th birthday. Yep, my little girl is growing up. It is hard to believe she is already 18. She is my princess and always will be. She is doing great in school and is getting prepared to go to college. She is wanting to go to OBU, so she is trying to secure some scholarship funds so she can go. She has made me a very proud dad. She has matured into a very fine young lady and I know she will go far in life because of the good decisions she is making.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
(Sorry....my spell checker is not working)
CERT Training
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday Already!
I made it through the weekend and feel I got some things accomplished.
I was suppose to help do some yard work at Gayla’s school on Saturday morning, but there wasn’t that much weed eating to do and the lawns around the school did not need to be mowed…..so I went on. They are having another work day this coming Saturday, so I will probably go to it and try to get some yard work done then.
It was too late to make it to a funeral that Karla and Gayla were going to, so I headed up to the NW part of town and met up with a couple of my REACT team members. Our “installation technician” was installing some lights on one of our members’ vehicles and was also going to move some wiring around on my lights. It was really too cold of a day to be doing anything outside, but it was something that needed to be done…and….it was the only convenient time to do it (we were all off work). We got the one vehicle wired up with lights and then he moved some wiring in my truck. To begin with, one of my switches controlled the strobes on my light bar and the LED lights in my grill. I wanted to have the switch that controlled the strobes on my light bar, to ONLY control the strobes on my light bar. I wanted the wiring for my LED’s to be moved so they would come on at the same time my front flashers on my light bar came on. So, he moved the wiring around…and now my LED’s in my grill only come on when the front flashing light on my light bar come on.
After we finished working on the lights, I headed back to the south east part of town, to my church, so I could run the sound system for a wedding. A Hispanic couple were suppose to get married at 3 pm, although, the wedding ceremony did not start until around 3:40 pm. It was a nice wedding….a little strange….but nice. I left there at around 4:15 pm and headed to McAlister’s Deli for Gayla’s 18th birthday party. Even though her birthday is not until Wednesday, Saturday was the only day that our immediate family could get together. We had a good time and SHE had a good time.
The rest of my evening was spent on the computer and watching TV.
I was up early Sunday morning because it was going to be a busy morning. A southern gospel group, called “The New Plainsmen,” were going to be performing a concert in our sanctuary during our morning worship service. They were suppose to arrive in a big bus, so I was instructed to bring some orange safety cones (from work) and block off the north circle drive at the church and reserve it for their bus. Once I got the cones in place, the group showed up…in pick-ups and a U-Haul trailer. It seems as if their bus had some air problems, so it was in the shop. Because of that, they had to haul their equipment around in a U-Haul trailer. They unloaded the trailer and got things set up in the sanctuary.
It was probably one of the best concerts I had ever been to at our church. The three men in the group not only sang some very familiar songs, they went out to the audience and made it more personal. They spent half of their concert on stage and the other half on the floor, mingling with the audience. I had a front row seat because I was taking pictures. I had a great time and they picked on me a little because I was bald. It was all in fun, though. Once it was all over with, myself and D.J. assisted them in getting their equipment out to their trailer. When they left, D.J. and I headed over to Jimmy’s Cafe for some catfish.
The rest of my afternoon was spent napping. I went back to church for the evening service and then went by my office to drop off the safety cones I had borrowed. I then went home, had some chips and salsa, watched TV and played on the computer.
Today has been a very difficult day. It has been an emotional roller coaster for me. Finances are very tight and I wonder how I am going to pay some bills…..Karla is hurting and not feeling good physically or emotionally……and there is so much to do at the house. We have to clean it good tonight because Karla is having a jewelry party tomorrow evening.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
I was suppose to help do some yard work at Gayla’s school on Saturday morning, but there wasn’t that much weed eating to do and the lawns around the school did not need to be mowed…..so I went on. They are having another work day this coming Saturday, so I will probably go to it and try to get some yard work done then.
It was too late to make it to a funeral that Karla and Gayla were going to, so I headed up to the NW part of town and met up with a couple of my REACT team members. Our “installation technician” was installing some lights on one of our members’ vehicles and was also going to move some wiring around on my lights. It was really too cold of a day to be doing anything outside, but it was something that needed to be done…and….it was the only convenient time to do it (we were all off work). We got the one vehicle wired up with lights and then he moved some wiring in my truck. To begin with, one of my switches controlled the strobes on my light bar and the LED lights in my grill. I wanted to have the switch that controlled the strobes on my light bar, to ONLY control the strobes on my light bar. I wanted the wiring for my LED’s to be moved so they would come on at the same time my front flashers on my light bar came on. So, he moved the wiring around…and now my LED’s in my grill only come on when the front flashing light on my light bar come on.
After we finished working on the lights, I headed back to the south east part of town, to my church, so I could run the sound system for a wedding. A Hispanic couple were suppose to get married at 3 pm, although, the wedding ceremony did not start until around 3:40 pm. It was a nice wedding….a little strange….but nice. I left there at around 4:15 pm and headed to McAlister’s Deli for Gayla’s 18th birthday party. Even though her birthday is not until Wednesday, Saturday was the only day that our immediate family could get together. We had a good time and SHE had a good time.
The rest of my evening was spent on the computer and watching TV.
I was up early Sunday morning because it was going to be a busy morning. A southern gospel group, called “The New Plainsmen,” were going to be performing a concert in our sanctuary during our morning worship service. They were suppose to arrive in a big bus, so I was instructed to bring some orange safety cones (from work) and block off the north circle drive at the church and reserve it for their bus. Once I got the cones in place, the group showed up…in pick-ups and a U-Haul trailer. It seems as if their bus had some air problems, so it was in the shop. Because of that, they had to haul their equipment around in a U-Haul trailer. They unloaded the trailer and got things set up in the sanctuary.
It was probably one of the best concerts I had ever been to at our church. The three men in the group not only sang some very familiar songs, they went out to the audience and made it more personal. They spent half of their concert on stage and the other half on the floor, mingling with the audience. I had a front row seat because I was taking pictures. I had a great time and they picked on me a little because I was bald. It was all in fun, though. Once it was all over with, myself and D.J. assisted them in getting their equipment out to their trailer. When they left, D.J. and I headed over to Jimmy’s Cafe for some catfish.
The rest of my afternoon was spent napping. I went back to church for the evening service and then went by my office to drop off the safety cones I had borrowed. I then went home, had some chips and salsa, watched TV and played on the computer.
Today has been a very difficult day. It has been an emotional roller coaster for me. Finances are very tight and I wonder how I am going to pay some bills…..Karla is hurting and not feeling good physically or emotionally……and there is so much to do at the house. We have to clean it good tonight because Karla is having a jewelry party tomorrow evening.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
I am Blessed!
Once again, it is the middle of the week and I am already tired.
So far, I have had no problems getting back in the swing of things at work. Since Linda has been out on OJI, I have been working her radio. It’s the one radio I enjoy working, but it has kept me busy. Monday and Tuesday were steady, which kept me busy, but today it has kicked my tail.
What’s on my mind? The earthquake in Japan…..the fighting in Libya….the tsunami’s that hit Japan and Hawaii……people suffering in these countries. I also think about the homeless not having a place to stay, people with cancer and other illnesses, people without family, people without a church home, people without Jesus and people with no hope. I have a place to stay, a truck to drive, food to eat, no illnesses, a great family, a great church family, I have Jesus and I have hope. If you make the comparisons to others, I have no problems……I am blessed!
In other news…
Yesterday was high fire danger day in OKC. I really expected there to be some wildfires like there were on Sunday, but nothing ever happened. Our REACT team was put on level 1, but like I said, nothing ever happened. I am not complaining though, because anytime we have wildfires, there is always the chance that someone could lose their house….or even their life. Even though we weren’t called out, I was prepared for activation. There was a commercial fire alarm last evening near downtown, but it turned out to be food burning on a stove.
One thing that made my day yesterday was a phone call from an elderly lady. A couple of weeks ago, I assisted on a traffic accident at I-44 and NW 39th. The accident involved an elderly lady and a young man. I turned my emergency lights, pulled over to the shoulder and assisted until OCPD arrived. I talked with the lady for a long time because she hadn’t had an accident in years and was a shaken up a little. I gave her advice on what type of information she would need for the police and then stood by until they got there. Before I left, I gave her one of my City business cards. Yesterday, she called me and told me I had been on her mind. She wanted to thank me again for stopping and assisting her at the traffic accident. With everybody in a hurry nowadays, she was pleasantly surprised that someone cared enough to stop and check on her.
This evening, I am attending another storm spotting class at the National Weather Service in Norman. Myself and 8 other REACT team members will be attending. This will be our last class until late Summer. It never hurts to have continuous training when it comes to severe weather. Since I am low on gas, I am riding down there with another REACT member.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
So far, I have had no problems getting back in the swing of things at work. Since Linda has been out on OJI, I have been working her radio. It’s the one radio I enjoy working, but it has kept me busy. Monday and Tuesday were steady, which kept me busy, but today it has kicked my tail.
What’s on my mind? The earthquake in Japan…..the fighting in Libya….the tsunami’s that hit Japan and Hawaii……people suffering in these countries. I also think about the homeless not having a place to stay, people with cancer and other illnesses, people without family, people without a church home, people without Jesus and people with no hope. I have a place to stay, a truck to drive, food to eat, no illnesses, a great family, a great church family, I have Jesus and I have hope. If you make the comparisons to others, I have no problems……I am blessed!
In other news…
Yesterday was high fire danger day in OKC. I really expected there to be some wildfires like there were on Sunday, but nothing ever happened. Our REACT team was put on level 1, but like I said, nothing ever happened. I am not complaining though, because anytime we have wildfires, there is always the chance that someone could lose their house….or even their life. Even though we weren’t called out, I was prepared for activation. There was a commercial fire alarm last evening near downtown, but it turned out to be food burning on a stove.
One thing that made my day yesterday was a phone call from an elderly lady. A couple of weeks ago, I assisted on a traffic accident at I-44 and NW 39th. The accident involved an elderly lady and a young man. I turned my emergency lights, pulled over to the shoulder and assisted until OCPD arrived. I talked with the lady for a long time because she hadn’t had an accident in years and was a shaken up a little. I gave her advice on what type of information she would need for the police and then stood by until they got there. Before I left, I gave her one of my City business cards. Yesterday, she called me and told me I had been on her mind. She wanted to thank me again for stopping and assisting her at the traffic accident. With everybody in a hurry nowadays, she was pleasantly surprised that someone cared enough to stop and check on her.
This evening, I am attending another storm spotting class at the National Weather Service in Norman. Myself and 8 other REACT team members will be attending. This will be our last class until late Summer. It never hurts to have continuous training when it comes to severe weather. Since I am low on gas, I am riding down there with another REACT member.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Monday, March 21, 2011
Vacation is OVER...
My vacation is over.
Yes, at 5:30 this morning, my alarm went off….something that hasn’t happened since I started my vacation last week. I was actually up at 4:30 am this morning to let the dogs out. Why can’t my two dogs and one cat have a NORMAL schedule like we do? It actually felt good to come back to work. I enjoyed my week off, but I am ready to get back in the swing of things.
I really did not do much the week of my vacation. We posted some furniture on Craigslist to sell and sold everything, except for our blanket chest. I stayed around the house Monday and Tuesday morning, so I could be home in case somebody wanted to come by and look at our sale items. Unfortunately, I had a few people call and tell me they would come by and they never did. One thing you can count on if you post on Craigslist….is that people that call will lie to you. One guy said he would be by Tuesday morning and never showed. Then he called and said he would be there Wednesday morning and he never showed. He tried to call me Thursday morning, but I did not answer my phone….and he did not leave a message.
I am not the type of person that likes to use Craigslist, mainly because I don’t know the people who call, inquiring about the sale items and I really don’t like giving out my address…..but, sometimes that’s the only way to really sell stuff. Like I said, we still have our blanket chest left, so I re-posted it on Craigslist. I would like to get it sold asap.
Last Friday evening, we had a lock-in at the church for our students. To be honest, I wasn’t really in the mood for a lock-in because I was already tired from doing stuff all week. I knew, though, that the students were real excited about it and I let Andrew plan everything. I was there as the head sponsor and “bouncer,” but we did not have any problems. We started at 5 pm on Friday and it ended at 2 pm on Saturday. We did have a good time, but I did not get much sleep. Both the girls and the guys slept in the gym…the guys were upstairs and the girls were behind partitions on the stage. After the lock-in, I headed home to get some sleep, but could not go back to sleep, so I just played on my computer and watched TV.
I went to bed early on Saturday evening, but still did not sleep well, so I was groggy all day Sunday. We had a very small crowd in Sunday School and church. After church, I went by Wal-Mart and bought some more jean shorts and then went home to eat lunch. After eating, I decided to lay down and take a power nap….which did not last long. I was listening to the fire department calls on my laptop and heard them talking about a huge grass fire at SW 29 % County Line Rd. I still could not sleep, so I got up, grabbed my bike and rode over to OCCC where I rode around the college campus 5 times. When I got home, I started listening to the fire calls again and found out they were still fighting the grass fire.
I called fellow REACT member Mike Weiss and met up with him at I-44 and SW 89th. From there, we drove out to the fire scene and offered our assistance to the fire department command post. They were in the stage of knocking out hot spots, so our help was not needed. We drove into the neighborhood and started assisting homeowners who were in their backyards with water hoses, attempting to put out some hot spots. Once the hot spots were finally knocked down, we headed to a “possible” large grass fire at SW 29 & Frisco Rd. When we arrived, there was no fire. Mike had to be somewhere at 6 pm and it was already around 5:30 pm, so we left the area.
The rest of my evening was spent at home with my wife, daughter, two dogs and one cat. We watched TV, I sent emails out and we had the Sonic Brown Bag special.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Yes, at 5:30 this morning, my alarm went off….something that hasn’t happened since I started my vacation last week. I was actually up at 4:30 am this morning to let the dogs out. Why can’t my two dogs and one cat have a NORMAL schedule like we do? It actually felt good to come back to work. I enjoyed my week off, but I am ready to get back in the swing of things.
I really did not do much the week of my vacation. We posted some furniture on Craigslist to sell and sold everything, except for our blanket chest. I stayed around the house Monday and Tuesday morning, so I could be home in case somebody wanted to come by and look at our sale items. Unfortunately, I had a few people call and tell me they would come by and they never did. One thing you can count on if you post on Craigslist….is that people that call will lie to you. One guy said he would be by Tuesday morning and never showed. Then he called and said he would be there Wednesday morning and he never showed. He tried to call me Thursday morning, but I did not answer my phone….and he did not leave a message.
I am not the type of person that likes to use Craigslist, mainly because I don’t know the people who call, inquiring about the sale items and I really don’t like giving out my address…..but, sometimes that’s the only way to really sell stuff. Like I said, we still have our blanket chest left, so I re-posted it on Craigslist. I would like to get it sold asap.
Last Friday evening, we had a lock-in at the church for our students. To be honest, I wasn’t really in the mood for a lock-in because I was already tired from doing stuff all week. I knew, though, that the students were real excited about it and I let Andrew plan everything. I was there as the head sponsor and “bouncer,” but we did not have any problems. We started at 5 pm on Friday and it ended at 2 pm on Saturday. We did have a good time, but I did not get much sleep. Both the girls and the guys slept in the gym…the guys were upstairs and the girls were behind partitions on the stage. After the lock-in, I headed home to get some sleep, but could not go back to sleep, so I just played on my computer and watched TV.
I went to bed early on Saturday evening, but still did not sleep well, so I was groggy all day Sunday. We had a very small crowd in Sunday School and church. After church, I went by Wal-Mart and bought some more jean shorts and then went home to eat lunch. After eating, I decided to lay down and take a power nap….which did not last long. I was listening to the fire department calls on my laptop and heard them talking about a huge grass fire at SW 29 % County Line Rd. I still could not sleep, so I got up, grabbed my bike and rode over to OCCC where I rode around the college campus 5 times. When I got home, I started listening to the fire calls again and found out they were still fighting the grass fire.
I called fellow REACT member Mike Weiss and met up with him at I-44 and SW 89th. From there, we drove out to the fire scene and offered our assistance to the fire department command post. They were in the stage of knocking out hot spots, so our help was not needed. We drove into the neighborhood and started assisting homeowners who were in their backyards with water hoses, attempting to put out some hot spots. Once the hot spots were finally knocked down, we headed to a “possible” large grass fire at SW 29 & Frisco Rd. When we arrived, there was no fire. Mike had to be somewhere at 6 pm and it was already around 5:30 pm, so we left the area.
The rest of my evening was spent at home with my wife, daughter, two dogs and one cat. We watched TV, I sent emails out and we had the Sonic Brown Bag special.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Busy Thursday!
So far, I have enjoyed my week's vacation.
Today, I had the opportunity to do a ride-a-long with a Sergeant from the Oklahoma City Police Department. I arrived at the Santa-Fe Briefing station at 7 am this morning and informed the Lt. in charge that I was there to do a ride-a-long. I signed the proper waivers that a person is required to sign in order to do a ride-a-long. Then, I met the officer I was going to be riding with, Sgt. Joey Laughead. His area covered from S. May Ave to Gregory Rd (far west Okla. County) and from SW 89th to I-40. So, much of his area covers the outskirts of Yukon and Mustang.
We headed out to his district and waited for calls to come in. Knowing it was a day shift and knowing that not much goes on in the Yukon/Mustang, I figured it would be a slow day. Not much happened. We drove through a couple of truck stops and checked on several vehicles to see if they were stolen...they weren't. We went to several areas out west where he had found stolen vehicles before, but we found nothing.
Our first few calls were loud alarms at residences. Each time we arrived on the alarm calls, I went with him to investigate. No problems were found on either alarm call. Then, we were dispatched to a "check the welfare" call to check on a mental patient with some other medical issues. When we arrived, we could not get anyone to come to the door. We both walked around the house and looked into the windows to see if we could see anyone inside. Finally, a rather large black male came to the door. He was the one we were checking on. He was ok and his mom was on her way to take him to the hospital. We could not leave him by himself, so we sat in the patrol car in front of his house for 45 minutes until his mom got there.
Once we left that call, we headed up Czech Hall Rd. The Sgt was running his radar the whole time and clocked a lady, going the other direction, doing 73 in a 55. He pulled off the road, did a u-turn and took off after her. She turned the corner and went down a side street. We caught up with her and he turned on his overheads...she pulled over. He wrote her a citation and we left.
Call after call came in on his computer, but none were in his district, so we continued to drive around and patrol the area. We were running radar as well, but we only made one traffic stop the whole day. At one point, we were going down a country road, following a Suburban, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a trash can blows into the street, right in front of the Suburban. He hits it and knocks it over. He stopped and we checked on him. Neither the trash can or the Suburban received any damage.
At around 1 pm, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant at around SW 38th and S Council. We met with another officer and had a very quick lunch. Afterwards, we went back on patrol. Since all the calls were closer in to the city and we had no calls holding in our district, the dispatcher dispatched us to what would be our last call of the day....a signal 7 (which is a deceased person). It was way out of our district, but they sent us on it anyway. The deceased was a lady in her lower 40's that lived in an apartment by herself. She had some serious medical problems, so it was believed she may have had a seizure which caused her to pass away.
When we arrived on the scene, EMSA was still there. They had responded to a "check the welfare" call and when they arrived, they determined the individual was deceased. Since the person was young and the cause of death was unknown, the police are always called. Once we entered the apartment, we saw the three EMSA paramedics and then saw the deceased on the couch. The Sgt checked the apartment to make sure there were no signs of foul play, or anything suspicious and then started gathering information.
He then proceeded to interview witnesses that lived at the complex. One thing I can say is paperwork is a BIG part of the officer's duty. I have never seen so much paperwork involved in making a report. Then, to arrived on the scene where a person has died, it seems the paperwork tripled. We spent almost three hours on this call, doing paperwork and then having to sit and wait for the Medical Examiner's Office to show up and remove the body. Once the ME showed up and took the body away, it was finally time for us to clear off.
While in the apartment, we found many prescription drugs that had to be taken into custody as evidence. Since the ME's office would not take it with them, we had to take it and check it into the police property room downtown. So, we gathered up all the medication and drove downtown to the property room. It was a pretty interesting place. There were other officers there as well, checking in some evidence they had collected on a crime scene.
Once the Sgt checked in the evidence, we headed back to the Santa-Fe Briefing station (in rush-hour traffic). On the way, we made two different stops to assist motorists with broken down vehicles.
All in all, I had a very good day and, although there was not much excitement, I enjoyed my ride-a-long.
This evening was our monthly CFAAA meeting, which was held at fire station #12, located just south of NE 23rd and MLK. I was not very well prepared, but we still had a great meeting and a great time with the firefighters.
Today, I had the opportunity to do a ride-a-long with a Sergeant from the Oklahoma City Police Department. I arrived at the Santa-Fe Briefing station at 7 am this morning and informed the Lt. in charge that I was there to do a ride-a-long. I signed the proper waivers that a person is required to sign in order to do a ride-a-long. Then, I met the officer I was going to be riding with, Sgt. Joey Laughead. His area covered from S. May Ave to Gregory Rd (far west Okla. County) and from SW 89th to I-40. So, much of his area covers the outskirts of Yukon and Mustang.
We headed out to his district and waited for calls to come in. Knowing it was a day shift and knowing that not much goes on in the Yukon/Mustang, I figured it would be a slow day. Not much happened. We drove through a couple of truck stops and checked on several vehicles to see if they were stolen...they weren't. We went to several areas out west where he had found stolen vehicles before, but we found nothing.
Our first few calls were loud alarms at residences. Each time we arrived on the alarm calls, I went with him to investigate. No problems were found on either alarm call. Then, we were dispatched to a "check the welfare" call to check on a mental patient with some other medical issues. When we arrived, we could not get anyone to come to the door. We both walked around the house and looked into the windows to see if we could see anyone inside. Finally, a rather large black male came to the door. He was the one we were checking on. He was ok and his mom was on her way to take him to the hospital. We could not leave him by himself, so we sat in the patrol car in front of his house for 45 minutes until his mom got there.
Once we left that call, we headed up Czech Hall Rd. The Sgt was running his radar the whole time and clocked a lady, going the other direction, doing 73 in a 55. He pulled off the road, did a u-turn and took off after her. She turned the corner and went down a side street. We caught up with her and he turned on his overheads...she pulled over. He wrote her a citation and we left.
Call after call came in on his computer, but none were in his district, so we continued to drive around and patrol the area. We were running radar as well, but we only made one traffic stop the whole day. At one point, we were going down a country road, following a Suburban, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a trash can blows into the street, right in front of the Suburban. He hits it and knocks it over. He stopped and we checked on him. Neither the trash can or the Suburban received any damage.
At around 1 pm, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant at around SW 38th and S Council. We met with another officer and had a very quick lunch. Afterwards, we went back on patrol. Since all the calls were closer in to the city and we had no calls holding in our district, the dispatcher dispatched us to what would be our last call of the day....a signal 7 (which is a deceased person). It was way out of our district, but they sent us on it anyway. The deceased was a lady in her lower 40's that lived in an apartment by herself. She had some serious medical problems, so it was believed she may have had a seizure which caused her to pass away.
When we arrived on the scene, EMSA was still there. They had responded to a "check the welfare" call and when they arrived, they determined the individual was deceased. Since the person was young and the cause of death was unknown, the police are always called. Once we entered the apartment, we saw the three EMSA paramedics and then saw the deceased on the couch. The Sgt checked the apartment to make sure there were no signs of foul play, or anything suspicious and then started gathering information.
He then proceeded to interview witnesses that lived at the complex. One thing I can say is paperwork is a BIG part of the officer's duty. I have never seen so much paperwork involved in making a report. Then, to arrived on the scene where a person has died, it seems the paperwork tripled. We spent almost three hours on this call, doing paperwork and then having to sit and wait for the Medical Examiner's Office to show up and remove the body. Once the ME showed up and took the body away, it was finally time for us to clear off.
While in the apartment, we found many prescription drugs that had to be taken into custody as evidence. Since the ME's office would not take it with them, we had to take it and check it into the police property room downtown. So, we gathered up all the medication and drove downtown to the property room. It was a pretty interesting place. There were other officers there as well, checking in some evidence they had collected on a crime scene.
Once the Sgt checked in the evidence, we headed back to the Santa-Fe Briefing station (in rush-hour traffic). On the way, we made two different stops to assist motorists with broken down vehicles.
All in all, I had a very good day and, although there was not much excitement, I enjoyed my ride-a-long.
This evening was our monthly CFAAA meeting, which was held at fire station #12, located just south of NE 23rd and MLK. I was not very well prepared, but we still had a great meeting and a great time with the firefighters.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Accident Assistance
At 17:20 pm I was southbound on I-44, approaching NW 39th st exit. I noticed traffic coming to a complete stop, so I knew something was up. A Toyota was stopped in the middle lane and a Cadillac was off on the shoulder with front-end damage. I turned on all my emergency lights, pulled in front of the vehicle that was still in the middle of the interstate, grabbed my reflective vest and approached the driver. I checked on him and his car. Since the car was still drivable, I suggested he pull of onto the shoulder so we would not tie up traffic.
Once he drove to the shoulder, I carefully pulled to the shoulder myself. Unfortunately, he had not pulled all the way off and was still blocking a lane of traffic. I backed my truck up so he could get completely off the highway. I checked on the driver of the Cadillac (who was already standing by her car), which was an older lady (in her 60's). There were no injuries and the damage was minor. Nobody had called 911 yet, so I made the call. I assumed it was OHP's since it was on the interstate (but later learned it was OCPD's call).
I informed the OHP dispatcher where we were at and that I was a member of Central Oklahoma REACT and was behind the vehicles with my emergency lights on. I gave her a description of both vehicles involved in the accident and then a description of my vehicle. I also informed her both vehicles were off the roadway and not causing a traffic hazard.
During our wait, I was able to speak with both drivers and give them advice as to what paperwork the officer would need when he arrived on the scene. Three OCPD units drove by and one Okla. County Sheriff's Deputy drove by. Finally, at 18:07 pm and OCPD officer arrived on the scene. The motorist that had been rear-ended had opened his trunk and could not get it shut again, so while the officer did the paperwork, I worked on tying his trunk down.
There was nothing more I could do and the officer had one of the lanes blocked, so I saw no reason to stay around. The officer did not say much to me, but he was friendly. I gave both drivers my City business card because I could not find my REACT ones. I left the scene at 18:20 pm.
Keith Sossamon, Treasurer
Central OK REACT Team 6023
Unit 706- WQLN506
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.keith49.blogspot.com/
Submitted to the Central Oklahoma REACT Team 6023 Board of Directors.
Once he drove to the shoulder, I carefully pulled to the shoulder myself. Unfortunately, he had not pulled all the way off and was still blocking a lane of traffic. I backed my truck up so he could get completely off the highway. I checked on the driver of the Cadillac (who was already standing by her car), which was an older lady (in her 60's). There were no injuries and the damage was minor. Nobody had called 911 yet, so I made the call. I assumed it was OHP's since it was on the interstate (but later learned it was OCPD's call).
I informed the OHP dispatcher where we were at and that I was a member of Central Oklahoma REACT and was behind the vehicles with my emergency lights on. I gave her a description of both vehicles involved in the accident and then a description of my vehicle. I also informed her both vehicles were off the roadway and not causing a traffic hazard.
During our wait, I was able to speak with both drivers and give them advice as to what paperwork the officer would need when he arrived on the scene. Three OCPD units drove by and one Okla. County Sheriff's Deputy drove by. Finally, at 18:07 pm and OCPD officer arrived on the scene. The motorist that had been rear-ended had opened his trunk and could not get it shut again, so while the officer did the paperwork, I worked on tying his trunk down.
There was nothing more I could do and the officer had one of the lanes blocked, so I saw no reason to stay around. The officer did not say much to me, but he was friendly. I gave both drivers my City business card because I could not find my REACT ones. I left the scene at 18:20 pm.
Keith Sossamon, Treasurer
Central OK REACT Team 6023
Unit 706- WQLN506
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.keith49.blogspot.com/
Submitted to the Central Oklahoma REACT Team 6023 Board of Directors.
Friday, March 11, 2011
It's Amost VACATION Time!!
The countdown begins….tick….tick…tick…..tick….
My vacation officially starts at 4 pm this afternoon and I am SO ready for it to happen. I don’t have any real plans to speak of while I am off, but I do plan on working around the house and spending some time with my daughter. We also have some furniture out in the garage that we will be trying to sell and get rid of (I want my garage back!!) Once we get some of Stephen’s stuff moved out this evening, I am hoping to have more room in my garage…..and in my storage building in the backyard.
Yesterday was a day that I took a big chance. I would not normally do something like this, but for some strange reason, I did. I had stopped at a car wash at NW 16 & May yesterday to wash the Sossmobile. When I pulled in, all the bays were being used, so I pulled in behind an old beat up pick up. I sat there and watched as the driver and a friend of his were using rags to wipe down the truck. The truck still looked pretty dirty to me, but I guess they had already washed it and were doing some touch up drying on it. Normally, on a slow day at the car wash, I would have no problem with this and would just go to another wash bay to wash my truck….but……the longer I sat in my truck waiting, the more vehicles pulled in to get washed.
I was starting to get very irritated because the guy kept wiping down his truck, knowing that others (including myself) were waiting in line to wash our vehicles. Several times, he would stop wiping and just stand there and talk to his friend. He was basically being very rude and discourteous to the others by wiping down his truck in the wash bay, when he could be doing it outside the bay. There was plenty of room for him to pull out and move his truck, but he just continued to wipe his truck down. His friend finally started walking away, but this guy continued to take his time. I had finally had enough!
I turned on my CB radio and turned on my PA speaker that I have hooked up. I said. “excuse me sir”….he looked at me and pointed at himself and I said, “yes, I am talking to you. If you are through washing your truck, could you please move it out of the wash bay and wipe down your truck somewhere else? There are people out here waiting to use the wash bays and you are holding everybody up. Please move your truck out of the wash bay so that others can wash their vehicles.” He looked at me and halfway apologized to me and then got in his truck. He started his truck, passed me the peace sign (which I politely passed back to him) and he pulled out. There were quite a few people at the car wash by now, so many people heard what I said. I don’t know if the man had any other motives, but there were so many people around, I don’t think he wanted to start anything. The guy pulled out of the wash bay and pulled up to the area where the vacuums are. He continued to dry his truck off with his rag
I grabbed my City Inspector badge, clipped it on my jeans and started washing my truck. I kept one eye on him and one eye on my truck as I washed it. He never made eye contact with me as I washed my truck. I wasn’t there very long. When I finished, I pulled out and drove right past him. He looked at me and I looked at him and kind of nodded my head….and then I left. Normally, I would not have done what I did because there are way too many crazy people out there that would just shoot or stab you for doing what I did. He was a tall black guy and did look pretty harmless, but you never know. I was fortunate that he didn’t try anything. About an hour later, I was still shaking from it.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
My vacation officially starts at 4 pm this afternoon and I am SO ready for it to happen. I don’t have any real plans to speak of while I am off, but I do plan on working around the house and spending some time with my daughter. We also have some furniture out in the garage that we will be trying to sell and get rid of (I want my garage back!!) Once we get some of Stephen’s stuff moved out this evening, I am hoping to have more room in my garage…..and in my storage building in the backyard.
Yesterday was a day that I took a big chance. I would not normally do something like this, but for some strange reason, I did. I had stopped at a car wash at NW 16 & May yesterday to wash the Sossmobile. When I pulled in, all the bays were being used, so I pulled in behind an old beat up pick up. I sat there and watched as the driver and a friend of his were using rags to wipe down the truck. The truck still looked pretty dirty to me, but I guess they had already washed it and were doing some touch up drying on it. Normally, on a slow day at the car wash, I would have no problem with this and would just go to another wash bay to wash my truck….but……the longer I sat in my truck waiting, the more vehicles pulled in to get washed.
I was starting to get very irritated because the guy kept wiping down his truck, knowing that others (including myself) were waiting in line to wash our vehicles. Several times, he would stop wiping and just stand there and talk to his friend. He was basically being very rude and discourteous to the others by wiping down his truck in the wash bay, when he could be doing it outside the bay. There was plenty of room for him to pull out and move his truck, but he just continued to wipe his truck down. His friend finally started walking away, but this guy continued to take his time. I had finally had enough!
I turned on my CB radio and turned on my PA speaker that I have hooked up. I said. “excuse me sir”….he looked at me and pointed at himself and I said, “yes, I am talking to you. If you are through washing your truck, could you please move it out of the wash bay and wipe down your truck somewhere else? There are people out here waiting to use the wash bays and you are holding everybody up. Please move your truck out of the wash bay so that others can wash their vehicles.” He looked at me and halfway apologized to me and then got in his truck. He started his truck, passed me the peace sign (which I politely passed back to him) and he pulled out. There were quite a few people at the car wash by now, so many people heard what I said. I don’t know if the man had any other motives, but there were so many people around, I don’t think he wanted to start anything. The guy pulled out of the wash bay and pulled up to the area where the vacuums are. He continued to dry his truck off with his rag
I grabbed my City Inspector badge, clipped it on my jeans and started washing my truck. I kept one eye on him and one eye on my truck as I washed it. He never made eye contact with me as I washed my truck. I wasn’t there very long. When I finished, I pulled out and drove right past him. He looked at me and I looked at him and kind of nodded my head….and then I left. Normally, I would not have done what I did because there are way too many crazy people out there that would just shoot or stab you for doing what I did. He was a tall black guy and did look pretty harmless, but you never know. I was fortunate that he didn’t try anything. About an hour later, I was still shaking from it.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Thursday, March 10, 2011
One More Day until.....VACATION!
One more work day until it’s vacation time…..I am SO ready!
This has been a pretty good week and not real busy. Both Monday and Tuesday evenings were spent at home doing chores and doing things on my laptop. Plus, there have been no accidents to assist with and no motorist assists. I usually get at least a couple of motorist assists a week, but so far I have had nothing. My little amber strobe beacon that I usually keep on the bed of my truck is not working for some reason, so yesterday I took it off and put it in my garage. I really need to wash my truck because it is really filthy.
Stephen finally got the keys to his apartment yesterday. Once again, he is going to have a roommate (which I don’t think is a good idea because he seems to have bad luck with roommates), so we will see what happens. The way I understand it, they both work different shifts so they won’t see much of each other anyway. He wanted to move his bed, couch and TV there last night, but one of his buddies from work that said he would help him move, backed out. I was busy at church last night, so I could not help him. This evening I can’t help either because I have a REACT Board meeting after work. I will be available tomorrow evening, so he may just have to wait for me. Hopefully, he can get some help tonight and get some of his stuff moved. I know he is getting tired of sleeping on our couch and we are ready for him to be on his own again.
Taxes…gotta love’em. We actually got our taxes done over a week ago, but they still showed Stephen as one of our dependents….and he should not be since he is not living with us permanently. So, I had to drop the taxes back off to the CPA so they could make the correction. We weren’t getting much back to begin with and with them taking him off as one of our dependents, we will either get less back, or we will owe. They haven’t called us yet to tell us the outcome, but I do dread the news. I actually did Gayla’s taxes myself through a website called taxhawk.com. It was pretty simple, especially since she has only had two jobs and no deductions. Stephen is on his own for his taxes.
Gayla has also been very busy trying to qualify for college scholarship money. She plans on going to OBU, but that is a very expensive school, so she will need all the help she can get. We are going through avenues to get her scholarship money. I haven’t seen much of her this week because of her school and work. Next week is Spring Break, she is out of school and I took a week’s vacation. I am going to help Andrew some at the church with the students, but I am mainly going to try to get stuff done around the house…plus, I might see if a buddy of mine that owns a radiator shop will let me work some for him for part of the week. The extra money will come in handy.
Well, some of my REACT team is going to meet at Shorty Smalls for dinner this evening before we have our Board meeting.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
This has been a pretty good week and not real busy. Both Monday and Tuesday evenings were spent at home doing chores and doing things on my laptop. Plus, there have been no accidents to assist with and no motorist assists. I usually get at least a couple of motorist assists a week, but so far I have had nothing. My little amber strobe beacon that I usually keep on the bed of my truck is not working for some reason, so yesterday I took it off and put it in my garage. I really need to wash my truck because it is really filthy.
Stephen finally got the keys to his apartment yesterday. Once again, he is going to have a roommate (which I don’t think is a good idea because he seems to have bad luck with roommates), so we will see what happens. The way I understand it, they both work different shifts so they won’t see much of each other anyway. He wanted to move his bed, couch and TV there last night, but one of his buddies from work that said he would help him move, backed out. I was busy at church last night, so I could not help him. This evening I can’t help either because I have a REACT Board meeting after work. I will be available tomorrow evening, so he may just have to wait for me. Hopefully, he can get some help tonight and get some of his stuff moved. I know he is getting tired of sleeping on our couch and we are ready for him to be on his own again.
Taxes…gotta love’em. We actually got our taxes done over a week ago, but they still showed Stephen as one of our dependents….and he should not be since he is not living with us permanently. So, I had to drop the taxes back off to the CPA so they could make the correction. We weren’t getting much back to begin with and with them taking him off as one of our dependents, we will either get less back, or we will owe. They haven’t called us yet to tell us the outcome, but I do dread the news. I actually did Gayla’s taxes myself through a website called taxhawk.com. It was pretty simple, especially since she has only had two jobs and no deductions. Stephen is on his own for his taxes.
Gayla has also been very busy trying to qualify for college scholarship money. She plans on going to OBU, but that is a very expensive school, so she will need all the help she can get. We are going through avenues to get her scholarship money. I haven’t seen much of her this week because of her school and work. Next week is Spring Break, she is out of school and I took a week’s vacation. I am going to help Andrew some at the church with the students, but I am mainly going to try to get stuff done around the house…plus, I might see if a buddy of mine that owns a radiator shop will let me work some for him for part of the week. The extra money will come in handy.
Well, some of my REACT team is going to meet at Shorty Smalls for dinner this evening before we have our Board meeting.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Monday, March 7, 2011
Monday Again!
It was a pretty decent weekend.
I thoroughly enjoyed attending the severe weather workshop Saturday morning in Norman. Members of the National Weather Service were on hand to give a presentation on storm spotting….how to do it carefully and what to look for. There were around 5 of my REACT team members there with me as well. It started at 8 am and ended around noon. It was very informative and I was able to see some good video of tornadoes and the people that were chasing them. It has always interested me to see “behind the scenes” when a chaser is chasing a storm. Unfortunately, if you are not careful, the storm will catch you off guard and you can get stuck right in the middle of it. We saw a couple of videos showing storm chasers getting way too close.
While at the workshop, I did some shopping. I bought a couple of Emergency Management stickers for the back of my truck and purchased an Emergency Management cap to wear. The lettering on the cap is reflective, so it is easy to see after dark. After the workshop, myself and a couple of other REACT members drove to Moore and ate at Furrs. The rest of the afternoon was spent at home, resting, watching TV and listening to the fire department on my laptop.
Yesterday was ok, but I am still not happy with what I am doing at the church. I am still stuck upstairs either doing the power point or running the sound system. I am so ready to be downstairs with the rest of the congregation, worshipping and sitting with the students. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. I am so burned out on doing the power point and so burned out on running the sound. I used to get lots of satisfaction doing the “behind the scenes” stuff, but now I am ready to leave it behind and go on.
We are still having a problem getting more students involved in our student ministry. Our attendance for both Sunday morning and Wednesday night has really dwindled down. We have very few to no students on Sunday night. The fact is, for a long time, we have not had anything planned for the youth on Sunday evenings. Now that we have our new youth pastor, Andrew, he is trying to get things going again, but with not much success. It’s not his fault. We found out about a month ago many of our students go to other churches on Sunday night and Wednesday night because these churches have live bands (which we do not have) and they serve free food (which we don’t do because of our small budget). Our hands are tied. We are feeding the Word to these students, but they are wanting to eat real food, not spiritual food.
This is not a new problem. A couple of years ago, we had a couple that attended our church and worked with our students. Every Wednesday evening, they would bring something for the students to eat. Whether it was chicken, pizza, or just sandwiches, they brought something every Wednesday night. Then, they left and went to the mission field for about 6 months. They have returned, but they are not as involved with the youth anymore, so there have not been any more meals. Most of our students come to church hungry, so if there is another church they can attend…that will feed them…they will go to that church. I would love to buy food for the students each week, but I do not personally have the funds. Right now, prayer is the only answer I can think of. We have to pray that we can get these students in the habit of coming to Sunday School again and to Sunday night discipleship training….as well as Wednesday night services.
Well, after church on Sunday morning, I went home. Karla wasn’t feeling well, so I popped in a microwave pizza and had that for lunch. Then, I decided to drive to my office to print off some tax forms for Gayla’s income tax. On my way to the office, I came upon an accident at I-44 and Airport Rd. It seems as if a lady had missed her exit and over-corrected, causing her to roll her SUV. When I pulled up and got out of my truck, several bystanders had already freed her from her vehicle. I made sure 911 had been called and then checked on the driver. She had some cuts and bruises on the outside, but could not tell if she had internal injuries. A nurse had stopped and offered her assistance, so I just stayed back. The driver asked for some of her possessions, so I grabbed my work gloves and carefully retrieved the items she asked for.
About 10 minutes after I arrived, OCPD arrived. I filled him in on what was going on and he went to talk with the driver. By then, OCFD, EMSA and OHP arrived on the scene. Since the accident was not blocking the road, traffic control was not necessary. While the trooper spoke to the driver in the back of the ambulance, I stood by the accident scene. Once he was through with the driver, he released me from the scene.
I arrived at my office, but for some odd reason, I could not get the tax forms to print for me. So, I decided to just head back home. I took a nap and then headed back to the church for the evening service.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
I thoroughly enjoyed attending the severe weather workshop Saturday morning in Norman. Members of the National Weather Service were on hand to give a presentation on storm spotting….how to do it carefully and what to look for. There were around 5 of my REACT team members there with me as well. It started at 8 am and ended around noon. It was very informative and I was able to see some good video of tornadoes and the people that were chasing them. It has always interested me to see “behind the scenes” when a chaser is chasing a storm. Unfortunately, if you are not careful, the storm will catch you off guard and you can get stuck right in the middle of it. We saw a couple of videos showing storm chasers getting way too close.
While at the workshop, I did some shopping. I bought a couple of Emergency Management stickers for the back of my truck and purchased an Emergency Management cap to wear. The lettering on the cap is reflective, so it is easy to see after dark. After the workshop, myself and a couple of other REACT members drove to Moore and ate at Furrs. The rest of the afternoon was spent at home, resting, watching TV and listening to the fire department on my laptop.
Yesterday was ok, but I am still not happy with what I am doing at the church. I am still stuck upstairs either doing the power point or running the sound system. I am so ready to be downstairs with the rest of the congregation, worshipping and sitting with the students. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. I am so burned out on doing the power point and so burned out on running the sound. I used to get lots of satisfaction doing the “behind the scenes” stuff, but now I am ready to leave it behind and go on.
We are still having a problem getting more students involved in our student ministry. Our attendance for both Sunday morning and Wednesday night has really dwindled down. We have very few to no students on Sunday night. The fact is, for a long time, we have not had anything planned for the youth on Sunday evenings. Now that we have our new youth pastor, Andrew, he is trying to get things going again, but with not much success. It’s not his fault. We found out about a month ago many of our students go to other churches on Sunday night and Wednesday night because these churches have live bands (which we do not have) and they serve free food (which we don’t do because of our small budget). Our hands are tied. We are feeding the Word to these students, but they are wanting to eat real food, not spiritual food.
This is not a new problem. A couple of years ago, we had a couple that attended our church and worked with our students. Every Wednesday evening, they would bring something for the students to eat. Whether it was chicken, pizza, or just sandwiches, they brought something every Wednesday night. Then, they left and went to the mission field for about 6 months. They have returned, but they are not as involved with the youth anymore, so there have not been any more meals. Most of our students come to church hungry, so if there is another church they can attend…that will feed them…they will go to that church. I would love to buy food for the students each week, but I do not personally have the funds. Right now, prayer is the only answer I can think of. We have to pray that we can get these students in the habit of coming to Sunday School again and to Sunday night discipleship training….as well as Wednesday night services.
Well, after church on Sunday morning, I went home. Karla wasn’t feeling well, so I popped in a microwave pizza and had that for lunch. Then, I decided to drive to my office to print off some tax forms for Gayla’s income tax. On my way to the office, I came upon an accident at I-44 and Airport Rd. It seems as if a lady had missed her exit and over-corrected, causing her to roll her SUV. When I pulled up and got out of my truck, several bystanders had already freed her from her vehicle. I made sure 911 had been called and then checked on the driver. She had some cuts and bruises on the outside, but could not tell if she had internal injuries. A nurse had stopped and offered her assistance, so I just stayed back. The driver asked for some of her possessions, so I grabbed my work gloves and carefully retrieved the items she asked for.
About 10 minutes after I arrived, OCPD arrived. I filled him in on what was going on and he went to talk with the driver. By then, OCFD, EMSA and OHP arrived on the scene. Since the accident was not blocking the road, traffic control was not necessary. While the trooper spoke to the driver in the back of the ambulance, I stood by the accident scene. Once he was through with the driver, he released me from the scene.
I arrived at my office, but for some odd reason, I could not get the tax forms to print for me. So, I decided to just head back home. I took a nap and then headed back to the church for the evening service.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Traffic Accident Assistance
At 12:45 pm, I was north bound on I-44, approaching the Airport Rd exit, when I noticed around 9-10 vehicles pulled onto the shoulder. I carefully changed lanes to the left-hand lane and proceeded to where the vehicles were. As I pulled off the road, I activated my emergency lights and saw about 6-8 people standing by a vehicle….that was on its side. It originally looked like they were trying to rescue someone from the SUV, so I grabbed my asp (in case I needed to break a window) and headed over to the wrecked vehicle. One bystander informed me the driver was already out of her SUV and had been moved about 20 feet away. I stepped over to the driver to check her condition and then asked if 911 had been called. One man said he “assumed” they had been called, but was not for sure. I started back to my truck to get my phone when another bystander told me he had called 911. I went back to check on the driver, who was bleeding from cuts and scrapes. Another lady came up and identified herself as a nurse form OU Medical Center, so I let her take care of the driver.
The driver had requested some personal belongings from her SUV, so I grabbed my work gloves and retrieved her keys (which were still in the ignition) and retrieved some of her personal belongings. At around 12:50 pm, an OCPD officer arrived on the scene, so I told him what the driver had told me. At 12:55 pm, an engine and rescue ladder arrived on the scene, as well as EMSA, an EMSA Supervisor and an OHP unit. I watched as the paramedics and firefighters rendered aid to the driver. From the outward appearance, her injuries seemed minor, with cuts and scrapes from where they pulled her out through her windshield. It is possible she had internal injuries and she did complain that the back of her head was hurting. She did tell us she had been wearing her seatbelt. I know she was telling the truth, otherwise, she would have been ejected. At approximately 13:00 pm, the fire units left the scene.
Because of where the accident happened, my truck was completely off the road into the grass, so I was not blocking traffic. As a matter of fact, the wreck was not causing any traffic issues and motorists were continuing to drive as normal. As the trooper sat in the ambulance to get information from the driver, I stayed by my truck and took a few pictures. When he got out of the ambulance, he thanked me for stopping and released me from the scene at 13:07 pm. The cause of the accident? The driver and several bystanders told the trooper she had missed her turn and over corrected trying to make her exit.
Submitted to the Central Oklahoma REACT Team 6023 Board of Directors.
The driver had requested some personal belongings from her SUV, so I grabbed my work gloves and retrieved her keys (which were still in the ignition) and retrieved some of her personal belongings. At around 12:50 pm, an OCPD officer arrived on the scene, so I told him what the driver had told me. At 12:55 pm, an engine and rescue ladder arrived on the scene, as well as EMSA, an EMSA Supervisor and an OHP unit. I watched as the paramedics and firefighters rendered aid to the driver. From the outward appearance, her injuries seemed minor, with cuts and scrapes from where they pulled her out through her windshield. It is possible she had internal injuries and she did complain that the back of her head was hurting. She did tell us she had been wearing her seatbelt. I know she was telling the truth, otherwise, she would have been ejected. At approximately 13:00 pm, the fire units left the scene.
Because of where the accident happened, my truck was completely off the road into the grass, so I was not blocking traffic. As a matter of fact, the wreck was not causing any traffic issues and motorists were continuing to drive as normal. As the trooper sat in the ambulance to get information from the driver, I stayed by my truck and took a few pictures. When he got out of the ambulance, he thanked me for stopping and released me from the scene at 13:07 pm. The cause of the accident? The driver and several bystanders told the trooper she had missed her turn and over corrected trying to make her exit.
Submitted to the Central Oklahoma REACT Team 6023 Board of Directors.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Handicapped.....or not Handicapped?
People never cease to amaze me with their laziness.
There is a special place in my heart for those people that are handicapped, whether it be mentally or physically. I thank God every day that I am healthy and that I don’t have any physical or mental handicaps. What bothers me are the lazy people that somehow or another are able to obtain a handicapped sticker or placard, which allows them to park in a handicapped parking space. I speak about the ones that work at my office. I know two or three employees that are actually handicapped, so they deserve to park in a handicapped space, BUT, I see two or three more that are no more handicapped than the man in the moon. I don’t consider being lazy and having a fat butt as a reason to be able to park in a handicapped spot, but we have a lady here that does it. I do realize that some people can manipulate their doctor and have him give them a signed document stating they are handicapped. Shame on them and shame on the doctors.
The handicapped places are for the handicapped, not the lazy. Unfortunately, I have some people at my office who feel their laziness should be rewarded with a handicap placard. Just this morning, an employee who always tries to get a front row parking place, parked in a handicapped spot. All of a sudden, he produces a handicapped placard……….so, now he is handicapped? It sure did not look like it when he walked normal after getting out of his car. Those type of people make me sick to my stomach.
Another thing that bothers me in the workplace are those employees who are always doing manipulative things to get other people in trouble. There is a female in our department that is always waiting for that opportunity to slap a sexual harassment suit against someone. I have learned (after many years of working here), to stay away from her, stay out of her office and not carry any type of conversation with her unless it is business related. Unfortunately, there are some other men who have not seen through her and are mesmerized by her “beauty.” In my opinion, she is not attractive or beautiful, but she sure likes to lead these men on and she always seems to wear strong perfume. She is also in everybody else’s business. These men have no idea what kind of trouble they can get into if they make her mad. She can and will make their lives miserable. One wrong word said to her and they WILL be toast.
This evening is another storm spotting class at OSU/OKC. It starts at 6 pm and finishes at 9 pm. Several of my REACT team members will be attending, so I hope we have a good showing. I took this class twice last year, but I always like to keep taking it because I learn something new every time I attend.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
There is a special place in my heart for those people that are handicapped, whether it be mentally or physically. I thank God every day that I am healthy and that I don’t have any physical or mental handicaps. What bothers me are the lazy people that somehow or another are able to obtain a handicapped sticker or placard, which allows them to park in a handicapped parking space. I speak about the ones that work at my office. I know two or three employees that are actually handicapped, so they deserve to park in a handicapped space, BUT, I see two or three more that are no more handicapped than the man in the moon. I don’t consider being lazy and having a fat butt as a reason to be able to park in a handicapped spot, but we have a lady here that does it. I do realize that some people can manipulate their doctor and have him give them a signed document stating they are handicapped. Shame on them and shame on the doctors.
The handicapped places are for the handicapped, not the lazy. Unfortunately, I have some people at my office who feel their laziness should be rewarded with a handicap placard. Just this morning, an employee who always tries to get a front row parking place, parked in a handicapped spot. All of a sudden, he produces a handicapped placard……….so, now he is handicapped? It sure did not look like it when he walked normal after getting out of his car. Those type of people make me sick to my stomach.
Another thing that bothers me in the workplace are those employees who are always doing manipulative things to get other people in trouble. There is a female in our department that is always waiting for that opportunity to slap a sexual harassment suit against someone. I have learned (after many years of working here), to stay away from her, stay out of her office and not carry any type of conversation with her unless it is business related. Unfortunately, there are some other men who have not seen through her and are mesmerized by her “beauty.” In my opinion, she is not attractive or beautiful, but she sure likes to lead these men on and she always seems to wear strong perfume. She is also in everybody else’s business. These men have no idea what kind of trouble they can get into if they make her mad. She can and will make their lives miserable. One wrong word said to her and they WILL be toast.
This evening is another storm spotting class at OSU/OKC. It starts at 6 pm and finishes at 9 pm. Several of my REACT team members will be attending, so I hope we have a good showing. I took this class twice last year, but I always like to keep taking it because I learn something new every time I attend.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Guidelines announced for outdoor warning sirens
Guidelines announced for outdoor warning sirens
The Central Oklahoma Emergency Management Association (COEMA) announced today the publication of regional guidelines for outdoor warning systems, formerly known as tornado sirens.
The guidelines coordinate the activation, operation and testing of outdoor warning systems between eleven jurisdictions in Central Oklahoma. Participating cities and counties include Bethel Acres, Del City, Edmond, Midwest City, Moore, Norman, Oklahoma City, Tecumseh, Yukon, Canadian County and Oklahoma County.
These guidelines provide a consistent message to Central Oklahoma citizens about outdoor warning sirens.
“It’s critical that we communicate clearly during times of crisis,” Task Force Chair Frank Barnes said. “These guidelines let people know what they should do when they hear a siren – regardless of where they live in Central Oklahoma.”
The guidelines are:
· When a siren is sounded, people should take shelter immediately and seek more information. With more information, they can decide what further protective measures to take. When the sirens stop, it does not indicate the threat of a tornado has passed.
· Sirens may be activated more than once, as new or additional threats are identified.
· Cities and counties will never sound an “all clear” signal.
· Activation of sirens are based on:
o National Weather Service (NWS) Tornado Warning
o Credible report of tornadic conditions
o Location of the hazard or threat
o Timing of the hazard or threat
· Cities and counties have a “local option” allowing them to activate their sirens for hazardous conditions that pose a significant threat to life. Examples include: potential dam breaches, wildfires, hazardous material incidents or enemy attack. These situations may involve a different siren tone, use of the public address (voice message) or both.
· Sirens will be tested at least once per month for three (3) minutes at noon on Saturday.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
The Central Oklahoma Emergency Management Association (COEMA) announced today the publication of regional guidelines for outdoor warning systems, formerly known as tornado sirens.
The guidelines coordinate the activation, operation and testing of outdoor warning systems between eleven jurisdictions in Central Oklahoma. Participating cities and counties include Bethel Acres, Del City, Edmond, Midwest City, Moore, Norman, Oklahoma City, Tecumseh, Yukon, Canadian County and Oklahoma County.
These guidelines provide a consistent message to Central Oklahoma citizens about outdoor warning sirens.
“It’s critical that we communicate clearly during times of crisis,” Task Force Chair Frank Barnes said. “These guidelines let people know what they should do when they hear a siren – regardless of where they live in Central Oklahoma.”
The guidelines are:
· When a siren is sounded, people should take shelter immediately and seek more information. With more information, they can decide what further protective measures to take. When the sirens stop, it does not indicate the threat of a tornado has passed.
· Sirens may be activated more than once, as new or additional threats are identified.
· Cities and counties will never sound an “all clear” signal.
· Activation of sirens are based on:
o National Weather Service (NWS) Tornado Warning
o Credible report of tornadic conditions
o Location of the hazard or threat
o Timing of the hazard or threat
· Cities and counties have a “local option” allowing them to activate their sirens for hazardous conditions that pose a significant threat to life. Examples include: potential dam breaches, wildfires, hazardous material incidents or enemy attack. These situations may involve a different siren tone, use of the public address (voice message) or both.
· Sirens will be tested at least once per month for three (3) minutes at noon on Saturday.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
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