Three More Days

Today was a fascinating day out on the grade which means the crew’s project for the day. My crew once again had the very high energy replacement Captain. He displayed much of this as he took us through a fire readiness training day. He drove to the same site we have been at all week and we were in the same vicinity of the Oleander bushes. I clearly assumed we were going to cut down more bushes. This was not the case. As soon as we arrived at the destination, the Captain called out, “I want everyone in full gear and you have five minutes.” This surprised me and most of our crew members. It is fascinating how 15 men in a very close space can get fire reading in 5 minutes. There really isn’t much room to maneuver on the bus so some of us went outside to put on the gear. When it was all said and done, according to the Captain, our readiness was “pathetic”. It took well over the allotted 5 minutes and much closer to 8 minutes.

The Captain then inspected each and everyone of us. He proceeded to display his high energy as he went into a Vince Lombardi like tirade. The good thing about the tirade was it wasn’t directed at any of us. This was a collective tirade espousing how important it is to have all the proper equipment in all the proper places. I didn’t know any of this so it was a good learning experience for me. The Captain went on with his speech for a solid 20 minutes. This man was so passionate about what he was talking about, his face grew red and the veins in his neck bulged. It took well over an hour to go through the inspection. Yes, the temperature was well into the 90’s and I was standing out there in very heavy clothing along with a 40 plus backpack on my back. However, this is all a part of being an inmate/firefighter. As the Captain reiterated time and time again we are firefighters first and foremost. His mission is safety and I do feel safe with him leading the way on any fire campaigns. This Captain has been associated with a few tragedies and it was clear he learned a great deal from these experiences and was conveying this to the crew.

It was a fascinating morning because after the gear inspection, the Captain organized the inside of the bus. Instead of us cutting down Oleander bushes, the Captain took it upon himself to ensure we were fully prepared for a wildfire. He did mention something about a State Assembly Bill which was passed in 2002 that states that a person or persons leading firefighters is civility responsible for the safety of the crew. If something goes wrong on a fire and crew members are hurt, the Captain can be civilly sued for the mishap. This Captain took this bill very personally and he was doing everything in is power to ensure the crew knew what they were doing. This was very good to see and it was also great to see how much the Captain cared about his job. He has been doing this for over 30 years and instead of burning out – he cared very much.

Most of the day was rearranging and cleaning the bus. We headed back to camp and about 10 minutes from camp, the Captain stopped the bus in the middle of the road and called out, “Everyone, full gear and you have 5 minutes.” Once again there was a rush to get ready and the energy level this time was much higher than earlier in the morning. We did get ready in the 5 minute time span and the Captain complimented us. He is very passionate about what he does and it shows. I’m not sure how often we will have this Captain because our regular Captain comes back next week and new shifts change. Even if we don’t have the replacement Captain again, he has left a lasting impression with me.

When we arrived back in camp, I noticed the Counselor was here. She arrives every two weeks on Thursday and I was looking forward to seeing her so I could obtain my new official release date. Much to my surprise, my name was called to see her. The Counselor called me to the office to give me my arrival review. Much like in a regular job, the prison system has annual reviews. It is not as formal as job reviews that I have had in the past. In fact, it is quite anti-climatic. I was handed 2 sheets; one – a summary of my points which are now 0. I started out with 8 and each year the points are reduced by 8 points as long as the inmate remains discipline free. The other is a summary of what the review committee decided which is to reaffirm my current program meaning I stay at camp.

After this, I asked the counselor if she had my official release date. Unfortunately, it is not February 28th of next year, it is March 2nd. It is three more days than I figured and at first I was somewhat depressed. Oh well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I am still saving 4 ½ months from my original release date of July 17, 2008. It is a positive thing that I will be released on March 2nd – a Sunday.

For my own edification, I sent a request to the records office for a recalculation of the release date. I’m sure it will be the same but I learned awhile ago not to take anything for granted and I won’t. March 2nd will be a glorious day, but in the meantime I will stay focused with a positive attitude. I hope to absorb some of the high energy which was displayed by the Captain. I am headed in the right direction and everything is truly working out for the best.