Smeggie

Good hearing from you brother! When are you going to get back in game and start slaying some C4?!

Today was super emotional for ALL of the fire-rescue and police departments in my area. We escorted Firefighter Trevor Brown from the Medical Examiners Office to the funeral home where he will stay until his funeral on March 4th. The procession went through 3 counties and covered a distance or 42 miles, which took about an hour and a half. Quint 618 (the fire truck) was part of the procession because this is the truck he was riding the night he was killed. Bucket 2, where Trevor was riding was left vacant with nothing but his helmet during the procession. There were numerous helicopters and new agencies covering the silent procession today. I was with my colleagues lined up along the highway to pay our respects to Trevor. Overpass after overpass literally jammed full of my brothers and sisters from fire-rescue agencies from all over the area. I have seen this so many times on TV. There are no words to describe how incredibly emotional it is to see all these people from your fire 'family' come out and support your 'brother'. I know @EastCoast50 knows exactly what I am talking about. It was honestly one of the most moving experiences of my life. And I have had my share..... Here is one of many new feeds of today's procession. Thought you might like it. https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/video-silent-procession-salutes-fallen-sterling-firefighter/article_c29b14be-d018-11ee-ab9f-5389ff8c5086.html So now we plan for Trevor's funeral on Monday March 4th. It's going to be a BIG deal....we are anticipating thousands of First Responders to participate. So stay tuned...

Burying propane tanks in Virginia is common practice. Most people don't, but there are some that do. Many people in the area rent their propane tanks, thus they are usually installed outside. The propane tank did not actually explode. Propane is liquid and is denser than air so it will collect in the lowest point in the house, which makes a more dangerous explosion risk. Propane had leaked into the basement of the house. The house blew up, not the tank. There are probably 30+ Fire Marshal's, investigators and the ATF onsite as we speak, investigating. Who knows if they will be able to figure out what caused the ignition.

$127.53 ?! That's more than the car is worth!

Congrats Wayne!

Thanks Lev, appreciate this. I wonder if I know your friends. Know what station they are assigned to? Perhaps you can share a name here or privately.

Oh shit I missed this. Sorry....I could have used this last night. Edit: Glad to see @ShadyBradykept his clothes on this time. I expect nothing less from @Duffy and @wildthing

Most of the blast went out towards the Alpha side (front) of the house and to the Delta side (right side) but the debris field was 100 yards in pretty much every direction. The house to the right is uninhabitable and the homeowners are displaced. The house directly across the street suffered significant damage and it blew the back doors out of that house. Those folks are able to stay in their house. We had one fire engine positioned three houses to the right at a fire hydrant. A 2x4 blasted through several trees taking down very large branches with it. The 2x4 hit the fire engine and took out the officer side windshield and ripped the large mirror on that side of the engine. Our tower truck was parked in the street just to the Bravo side (left side) of the house and a large section of the roof landed that truck with enough force it dislodged the ladder from it's parked position and significantly dented the side of it. Several of the houses closest to the blast have been condemned until contractors are able to get in and shore them up. Even though the siding may look okay on the outside they have significant structural damage to them. Vinyl siding flexes. drywall and 2x4's not so much

Some of you have probably seen the reports of the tragedy that not only happened in my neighborhood (5 houses down!) but also struck my firefighter family last night. Many of you may (or may not) know that I have been volunteering at the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company for the past 15 years. Last night my wife and I were finishing our dinner when I noticed a dispatch on my cell phone for an outside gas leak just up the street from my house. These are generally routine calls, however, last night was anything but normal. Our crews arrived on scene to find an underground 500 gallon propane tank leaking. As they normally do, they request a hazardous materials response to assist with these types of calls. Within seconds the home literally exploded. Our house shook like a plane crashed on it. I bolted out front and saw the huge plume of smoke and a fireball that was taller than the trees. I immediately knew what happened. As a company photographer I grabbed my boots and my camera and bolted. I was there in less than 3 minutes after the blast. It was literally like a war zone. We lost a brother last night. And 7 others from my fire company were severely injured. A few were released this morning, but others remain in the hospital. Please say a prayer for them all..... I want to thank those of you that reached out to me this morning. You have no idea how much that means to me. My wife and I, and our house are fine. We are devastated at the loss of our beloved friend firefighter Trevor Brown. And we are anxious to get the rest of our firefighters out of the hospital. Please keep them all in your prayers.... Here is a local news story about the incident: https://wtop.com/loudoun-county/2024/02/possible-house-explosion-rocks-loudoun-co-2/

Prayers and good vibes coming your way. I have had a few friends that have gone through the procedure with great success!

I set myself up for that one! Touché!

I like a dry rub wing over a saucy wing. Gave the wife an air fryer for xmas. Anybody know of a good wing recipe for air fyers?

I love the way you think @rexbowan!

Welcome @ToySoldier, really enjoy playing with you in game!

That looks legit @Timmah!

It's not quite New Years here.... The wife and I have a new tradition of visiting the sleepy town of Manteo, North Carolina the past few years. It's located on Roanoke Island and is famous for the Lost Colony and Virginia Dare. Google it...interesting story. They celebrated with fireworks at 8pm and the ship will glow with 2024 at midnight. I may (or may not) stay up to see that. 2023 can suck it as far as I am concerned LOL Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2024!

Dammit!

That's awesome! Congrats!!!!

And just as an update to this. Screw everyone else they can fight over whatever is left when I'm gone. I'm going on a spending spree! LOL

Now you're talking my language! Although I'd probably lean more towards a Fleming 58

@tsw 8.5 nice read. You also left off that you make some kick ass hot sauce!!

The river will freeze here at some point. But the marina put lots of de-icers in the slips, so ice should not be a problem.

Most of them are all winterized. Some pull them for the winter, others (like us) will leave them in the water. The marina uses lots of de-icers and the water is typically warmer than the air. Snow can be harsh on the canvas, so we will setup some bracing inside the cockpit. We have to replace the entire canvas on the boat in the spring so if it gets jacked up this winter we don't really care...