In the Time of Need

 With Father's Day approaching, I was reminded earlier this week of just how great of a privilege it is to be a father. Daily I have the opportunity to watch my daughters grow, and do so with joy on their faces.  It was, however, when my youngest fell off of a couch onto a hardwood floor, that I was given an entirely new perspective on what it means to be their dad.
 
While I am so often able to swoop in prior to impact, instead of catching my youngest as she took a tumble off our living room couch, I found myself picking my daughter up from the floor. It's not the first time she has experienced the inevitable crash-and-burn, likely not the last either, but everything about this fall was different from before. When tears should have been rolling, she only gave a gasp. She arched he back. Then, nothing. My baby slipped into unresponsiveness. 

Fresh Take on Aerial Ops Training

Coming up with ways to keep trainings fresh and exciting can be difficult. While throwing ladders or advancing a hand-line are vitals skills that should be continuously reviewed, it may not always evoke jubilation when these trainings are announced.  In an effort to avoid monotony, seek new ways to stay up on the basics. It was in this spirit that we decided upon a way to incorporate some fun into aerial ops.
 
Start by grabbing some utility rope and tying off an inverted pike pole to the tip of your aerial (I am assigned to a tower, but this drill works the same with a straight stick ladder as well). The pike pole should hang below the aerial's tip several feet. You will find that the greater the distance below the tip that it hangs, the more difficult the drill becomes.