Here's Your Sign... a Dumpster Standby

[Eydawn]

So... when I was in my 3rd rider days, we got toned out to a working fire at a pallet factory out by I-225. We get there, and this industrial sized dumpster is VERY on fire, and it's wedged right up against this steel wall, which is starting to look kind of unhappy. The FF's kind of need to put this out.

Surprise: This is a difficult angle to work the fire from! The side that drops down is wedged against the wall. The dumpster is full. So we have FF's standing on top of the truck, shooting down into the fire... not much good being done there. The EMT I was riding with went off in search of something, so I went with him... and lo and behold, "Fred" as we shall call him finds a forklift! The first thing I did was dive for cover.

Fred, having never driven the forklift before, gets the forklift to the scene, puts a pallet on it, and they put a firefighter on the pallet. Better angle to shoot from! Still not working. Fire still going. Bummer.

So one of the owners/employees of the factory shows up. They decide to hook a semi up to this recalcitrant dumpster in order to pull it out where the side can be dropped and the fire broken into better. Semi burns rubber. Bummer!

By this time, Waste Management shows up with 2 large pickup trucks- the industrial tow-truck cousin types. So they hook up to this dumpster. Now, looking at these fellows... I decided, along with most of everybody there, to hide behind the fire trucks. (Side note... there was a beautiful brand new truck out there... this was its inaugural run!)

So they rev up, drop into a low gear, and start pulling the dumpster. Friction decreases, it breaks loose and starts sliding... and genius in truck # 2 hits the brakes. Here's your sign... dumpsters DON'T have brakes!!!

So the flaming dumpster collides with the back of moron's truck and sends him hurtling at a wierd angle, RIGHT AT the brand new firetruck. Eliciting a collective "AW, $H!T" from everyone and a mass exodus! Fortunately, he missed.

Also fortunately, no one was injured. But it still remains burned into my mind (pardon the phrase) as the "flaming flying dumpster incident... also known as Here's Your Sign."

I was pissed off! We missed a respiratory, a seizure and a cardiac arrest while we were stuck there (and I really could have used the experience) but at least it's a good story.

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[spenac]

Good one.

[GBFDEMS174]

Good story, at least it didn't collide with the new truck

[steph1030]

good story makes you wonder where people sheads are sometimes

[spenac]

good story makes you wonder where people sheads are sometimes

Whats a sheads? :?:

[Adam Swartz]

Whats a sheads? :?:

lmao that is cute. Heads must have rolled. Nice call though.

[Scaramedic]

When I was just a wee probie Volunteer FF we were at our second practice fire. We were finished up so it was time to let the house burn. So the house is going up real nice with a lot of heat. Someone looks over and one of the Senior (read Macho, Stud, Firegods) FF's had parked one of the tankers to close to the house. All the paint on the front fender and door was bubbling! It was awesome to see the all the Senior FF's tripping over each other to move that tanker.

[flffemt2006]

would it have been better to put on a distributor nozzle on and shut the lid ? just an idea.

[AnnaBanana]

Too funny! Good thing no one was hurt...