Here is yours truly casting a shadow, all dressed to kill fires. With my Darth Vader sound effects mask strapped across my chest aka Self contained breathing apparatus. The yellow helmet is of brand ” Cromwell” which I thought was very ironic, fire equipment with the same name as the Cromwell who burned Drogheda and Wexford, perhaps the descendants have a private laugh about it at company parties, or maybe they don’t know……it felt weird all the same.
Anyway dressing up like a fireman and being a fireman are two different things, and I like the prevention is better than cure theory.
We have had Cork City Fireman teaching us, so phrases like “get moving langer” and ” you look flahed out Boy” and “dowtcha boy” have been used with great gusto, also “alright kid”, “alright boy” or “alright buddy” used as a greeting has been popular
We have dragged fire hose and clambered in and out of a burning module with breathing equipment and black smoke billowing out so it is impossible to see, roasting hot like the hobs of hell and when you apply water to hot metal it turns to steam which burns you too. Hard to talk with breathing gear on, and the more you shout the more air you waste, it’s no joke. Then theres the smell of burning diesel and wet gloves and well worn wellington boots. All this and trying to stay calm, and trying to think straight, and this is only instruction with qualified firemen.
Anyway last day tomorrow, thank the gods. Fireman Tim will return to being sailor Tim, a far more relaxed type of guy!
Hi Tim,
I just found your blog which I find very interesting. I have added a link on my own blog that I invite you to visit.
Best nautical regards,
MV
Hi Tim,
You look like a stripper.
“Flah” is a very versatile word. In my time in Cork you could be “flahed out” with tiredness, but you could also “flah” a girl (e.g. “I would flah her, boy!) which could mean kiss, or have intercourse with, a girl. Interestingly, for a girl to be considered a “flah” seems to have been accepted a compliment. I once heard a student at UCC say something like “She was a flah boy, and I flahed her over by the goldy fish”. This was translated to me as “She was gorgeous my friend, and I kissed\had intercourse with her over in Shandon”. I was fascinated - same word, two different meanings, in the same sentence. I don’t recall “dowtcha boy”, and to be honest “alright buddy” sounds a bit like a Dublin import to me.
I was also interested in your firemans helmet, and googled the company before I realised you provided a link. However I think I found a different web site for the same company - Cromwell do a nice line in motorcycle helmets, and they don’t seem to have anything to do with other fella. Incidently, the one you have in the photo could be quite easily spotted on a carousel, not that you would be allowed to bring such a weapon on a plane, provided it doesn’t blend with the your suitcase of course…
your breathing gear looks a lot more compact and comfortable than what i’ve used in the past.
quite dashing figure, dude. must make the ladies swoon when you are about town lifting a few brews, gussied up in your fireman gear.
Jaysus Tim that’s some shape you’re throwing there.I’m strangely aroused…..er…enough of that.
Is that a specialized SCBA for ships? I once ran a FD’s physical ability test course in the full rig and it damn near killed me.
Ah…Cork has a patois all of it’s own.I asked a friend of mine down there what the deal was with the goldfish on the the steeple and the answer was;
“You’re sum staaar like.It’s on the lookout for enemy aircraft carriers bhoy.”
Hi everyone and thanks for the comments, if my comment thingy was working properly, you would all be able to see your names and all, I will fix it as soon as I can.
Being half Cork myself, I slipped into the lingo quick enough, I used the word “ye” for you e.g. “Ye 3 are Fire team one, when ye start running out of air, ye come out of it…” etc.
Dev, that is a Marine SCBA, one cylinder 200bar about 30 minutes of air and 10 minutes reserve on the whistle, its made of steel and weighs about 25kg, feels more like 100! the real firemen have lightweight gear modern with one hours worth of air, made of some alloy with aluminium and something else, I don’t know the psi and lbs. off the top of my head!