Prepare for the worst...

Be prepared. The Boy Scout motto. When the founder of Scouting, Robert Baden-Powell, was interviewed, he was asked what Scouts should be prepared for? His reply, “Why, any old thing.” His reply was open-ended and loaded. Be prepared for anything! That’s a daunting statement. The comedian, Steven Wright, once quipped, “You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?” The same for preparation – You can’t prepare for everything. Where would you put the equipment? You could dig a tornado shelter and it might flood. You could buy snow chains and get a mudslide. You could buy a flashlight and the batteries are dead. You could buy a rope, but really need a tarp. You can buy equipment, but the best preparation is to train your brain. Know how to make the best of what you’ve got with you…and sometimes that’s a spoon and some lint out of your pocket.

Emergency Services

A Fire Chief once told me they arrived at a house fire on foot in a blinding snowstorm. No vehicles. No water. No hoses. They found the family standing under a pine tree while watching their house burn. The Fire Chief offered them the only thing he had brought with him – a blanket. He led them off the mountain to a 4-wheel drive vehicle which had been parked due to the drifted snow. Three fire trucks and two support vehicles turned around on the steep mountain and escorted the family to warmth and safety of the nearest town. Could the Fire Chief have predicted that their house, which was up a steep mountain road on top of a ridge, would catch fire at 2:00 AM during a blizzard?

I once responded to a medical call that took me and my partner to the far edge of our North district. While clearing from that response, we received another call at the very southern edge of our district. Our district spans 117 square miles and from North to South, response can take up to 30 minutes. No one else answered the call. We drove 25 minutes with lights and sirens. We arrived as the ambulance was transporting the patient. Did I ever think that we could be tasked with driving to and from the furthest extents of our district?

In 2016, with wildfires raging all around, we received a call for a vehicle fire in the middle of a mountain road. The vehicle fire was preventing evacuations. Our fire engine responded, but it was blocked by a fallen tree. The tree fell and hung across the roadway – low enough to prevent our engine from responding and high enough to allow cars to travel past. Finally, a truck pushed the flaming vehicle out of the roadway. On fire, it careened down a sloped embankment, caught the grass and leaves on fire and contributed to the destruction of more than 3,000 structures. What’s more important – evacuations or firefighting?

Life Application

There will always be situations that are impossible to predict. Even firefighters can’t be prepared for everything. There will always be surprises. The best thing we can do is react within our training and never look surprised. When someone needs your help, respond with confidence. As the underarm deodorant demands, “Never let them see you sweat.”