7:15 a.m. - Following the morning briefing, my crew and I head to the truck bay to check out the truck. We always check the truck and the equipment on the truck to make sure that it is in proper, working order. I check out my air pack to make sure that it is full so that it is ready for the next fire. Most people think that every call that we respond to involves a fire when in fact, less than 10% of our alarms involve fire. The majority of our calls involve a medical emergency or an unintentional fire alarm activation.

8:00 a.m. - After truck check, we begin our weekly chores. Each day, we have daily and weekly chores that have to be completed around the firehouse. Today's weekly chore is to inspect and clean all of the ladders on the fire truck. We will complete the daily chores tomorrow morning.

8:45 a.m. - With the ladders inspected and cleaned, the crew heads to the workout room. Since heart attacks are one of the largest killers of firefighters, our time that we spend working out is extremely valuable. We will lift weights and complete cardiovascular training.

9:39 a.m. - Medical call. We are called out to an unconscious 82-year-old female. We arrive with Pridemark Paramedics and assist with the patient's care. Pridemark transports the patient to Lutheran Medical Center.

10:05 a.m. - On the way back from the call, the lieutenant and engineer decide to go to Hill Petroleum to refuel the fire truck.

10:24 a.m. - We arrive back at the station and finish our workout.

11:00 a.m. - We head out to the grocery store. Each day, we prepare two meals for the crew. Each person chips in to pay for the groceries and takes turns cooking. Those who didn't cook that shift have clean-up detail. Our work week is three 24-hour days, so we will try to buy enough food for all six meals during this one visit. If you see an unattended, full grocery cart in the middle of the store, it could be ours. When the calls come in, we drop what we do and head to the fire truck.

11:40 a.m. - We return to the station to put away the groceries and start to prepare lunch.

11:47 a.m. - Motor vehicle crash. We are called out to a crash at Ralston Road and Garrison Street. As we arrive on the scene with Arvada Police and Pridemark, we position the fire truck so that it can be used as a shield to try and keep us safe as we help the people involved in the crash. We put an absorbent material down on all of the fluids that spilled from the two-car accident. One patient refused treatment, and one was transported by Pridemark to Lutheran. We continued to provide protection until the police officers finished their investigation and the cars are towed.

12:45 p.m. - We arrive back at the station and start making lunch.

12:55 p.m. - Medical call. We are called to a person in seizures. We arrived on the scene after Pridemark and their crew advised us that they would be able to handle the call without our help.

1:07 p.m. - We arrived back at the station and again try to make and eat lunch.

1:41 p.m. - Medical call. Just as we finished lunch, we are called out to a person who may be having a stroke. After we arrive on scene, we begin caring for the patient. Pridemark arrives and we assist them with putting the patient into the ambulance. Pridemark transported the patient to Lutheran.

2:03 p.m. - We head to Station 6 to pick up the equipment that is used to test the fire hose. Every year, each piece of fire hose has to be pressure tested to make sure that it will not fail during normal use. It will take our crew of three firefighters about five hours to unload the hose from the truck, test it, and then load it back on the truck. That will happen a different day.

2:27 p.m. - We return to the station and begin to work on the daily paperwork. The lieutenant has reports to complete, and the firefighters assist him with the medical reports from the calls that were run earlier today.

4:00 pm - The lieutenant has scheduled a meeting with his academy recruit. Each of our recruits is assigned to a mentor to help them with their adjustment from the academy to life as a volunteer/reserve firefighter.

4:06 p.m. - Medical call. We are called to someone who has fallen. Our crew and Pridemark check the patient to make sure that they are not injured and then help her to her feet and into her apartment.

4:34 pm - Returned to the station to continue the mentor meeting.

4:41 p.m. - Fire call. We responded to a report of someone burning trash. When we arrived, we found that the resident had partially buried a half barrel in his backyard. Even though the pit was built for recreational use, burning trash in it is not allowed. We put out the fire and advised the resident not to burn his trash.

4:57 p.m. - Medical call. Just as we left the fire call, we were called to an address that was less than two blocks away for a person with abdominal pain. We arrive and begin assessing the patient until Pridemark arrived. We continue to assist until the patient was transported to Kaiser/St. Joseph's Hospital.

5:30 p.m. - We return to the station. The officer continues his meeting and the crew begins fixing dinner. We turn on the television to catch the news. Our policy is to keep the television turned off until 5 p.m.

6:15 p.m. - We sit down for dinner. The meals are not always the greatest, but as long as it is not burned, it is fine with us. After dinner, the kitchen is cleaned and we sit down to watch a little television before tonight's activities. I know that we are heading out to a training later tonight, so I call my wife to say goodnight to her and my kids.

7:45 p.m. - We leave the station to attend a training at the former Fruitdale Elementary building. The building is being razed in a few weeks and the fire department has been given permission to use the building for training exercises. It is always good to train in a building that you are not familiar with since you are not familiar with the buildings that you have to enter to fight a fire.

9:45 p.m. - We return to the station and make sure that all of the equipment that we used is clean, refueled and put away properly so that it is there when we need it next time.

10:40 p.m. - With the fire truck ready for the next call, I head to my bedroom to do a little reading before bedtime.

11:34 p.m. - Medical call. We were called to a person who was having trouble breathing. When we arrived, Pridemark had already started to care for the patient. We assisted where it was needed before Pridemark transported the patient to Lutheran.

11:49 p.m. - Medical call. As we were driving back to the station, we received another call for a person with trouble breathing. We arrived with Pridemark and helped to treat the patient until he was transported to Lutheran.

12:25 a.m. - We arrive back at the station and head to bed. It usually takes a while to relax enough to fall asleep after a call. This time, I decide to watch TV for a while before falling asleep.

3:24 a.m. - Medical call. We are woken up by the station alert system to respond to an unknown medical situation. Once we arrive on scene, we discover that the female patient was suffering from chest pain. The patient said that she had been suffering from the pain for about two hours. This is yet another case of possibly waiting too long to notify emergency services. Everyone needs to understand that if you are having trouble that may involve your heart, get to the hospital as soon as possible. If your heart is damaged, that damage may be irreversible.

3:55 a.m. - We arrive back at the station and begin the process of falling back to sleep before the alarm goes off again.

6:00 a.m. - The alarm clock goes off to start the final hour of our shift. I get up, break down my bedding and clean the room for the next shift. I meet up with my crew in the truck bay to wash and dry the fire truck and to make sure that the interior of the fire truck is clean. Following that, we head into the station to clean the bathrooms, vacuum the carpets and sweep the floors.

6:50 a.m. - The next crew arrives and the morning briefing begins.

7:15 a.m. - I am out the door to head home until tomorrow. This was the first day of my work week, so I have two shifts remaining before my weekend. This was a busy shift, but it makes the day go by quickly and doesn't give me a lot of time to miss my family.