Pay Back

Steve had a little humour in his last post. Very little!!!! He forgets that I'm the funny one in this duo. Actually Steve is very funny and he has a great sense of humour. When we are together, no matter where we are, we have fun and we laugh, usually at our own expense.

In the course of our careers we have made our share of silly mistakes. I remember more of Steve's mistakes and I would like to share a small one. Steve went to the store to buy chicken for dinner. The cook told him to get enough for 15 hungry firefighters. Steve was a brand new firefighter and had little shopping experience. The result was Steve buying 15 whole chickens(about 90lbs.) When the cook stopped screaming and the guys stopped laughing, Steve began to clean the chicken and prepared to freeze about 80lbs. Steve's shift had chicken for the next month - chicken parm, chicken francese, creamed chicken, chicken soup, chicken and bisquits, barbequed chicken, etc... You get the picture. 20+ years later, the chicken story is still told over coffee and doughnuts and the guys still laugh hysterically.

Firefighters enjoy a good laugh and they really enjoy laughing at each other. Humour is essential in the fire service. We see and face so much despair and tragedy, that it is essential to tease and poke fun at each other. Its all done in good taste and it promotes a sense of belonging and brotherhood.

In closing, keep an eye out for Steve's chicken recipes. He's had a lot of practice.

Heroes in the House is coming soon.

Be safe.

Pete