Additional Post Two: Mentorship

During the month of October I did many things at my service learning in fire station 166. One of the most memorable things that I have had the opportunity to do was help during El Monte's Children Day Parade with the rest of my fire explorer post. 

My duty for the day was to put on a costume, in the blazing sun, and wave at the pedestrians during the parade. Although it was extremely tiring, the experience was well worth it because I got the be in the parade with the rest of my fellow explorers. Aside from that I later had to help clean up and put stuff away once the parade was over. 

This experience showed me that being an explorer doesn't only consist of meeting on the weekends and learning about something new, we also have to give back the the community and the people even if it means getting your hands a little dirty. 

The picture above is me prior to the parade. I only had a piece of the costume on. 

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

Content:

1.  What is your working EQ?

What is the best way for firefighters to limit injuries and fatalities when fighting structure/wildland fires?

2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format. 

• If firefighters take time to perform a proper scene size up at every call then they will be aware of their surroundings and environment, thus helping then know possible exit routs . 
• Firefighters should properly inspect their equipment and turn out gear daily in order to be properly suited for any incident or call that may arise in the near future. 
• If firefighters properly communicate with their fellow brothers, meaning that each one talks to one another about their situation and if they feel the are is becoming unsafe, then there will be a lesser chance of getting and injury or death. 

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ? 

My most important source that I have used that has helped me come up with an answer to my working EQ is probably my 13th source which is titled "Sizing Up For Structure Fires" because it allowed me to see the true importance that being aware of your surroundings on the job. 

click here to view 13th source

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

My mentor is Firefighter Cunningham who is a firefighter for LA County Fire Department. He is also a fire explorer post leader who decides what we are doing most of the time. I am volunteering my time every weekend at fire station 166 in the city of El Monte. This is related to my working EQ because by learning about the career of firefighting I am also getting the opportunity to learn about how injury and death goes hand in hand with the career. 

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

For my 30 hours, I plan on continuing to mentor at my local fire station and doing any tasks they require me to do. I would be able to meet every weekend for approximately 4-5 hours. I'd be expanding my knowledge on the topic of firefighting mostly by becoming familiar with basic fire techniques which we usually learn there. These techniques range from topics such as hose lay evolution, ladder techniques, the proper us of fire fighting tools and equipment, and many other fire fighting skills. I'm eager to learn about anything fire related that my mentor, or post leader, has in store for the other explorers and I. The topics we are taught often overlap week after week, since many are skills that we have to master through hands on activities.  All these skills are basic techniques that, although may be simple to learn, are hard to perfect and master. I plan on doing any tasks that are required of me during my explorers program and also hopefully becoming an expert on as many of these subjects as I possibly can by completing these 30 hours. 

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

I plan on recording everything that I do for this independent component by accurately filling out my hours log. I will also ask my mentor to write me a letter that confirms my attendance. Aside from that I will also be keeping any handouts that we receive and making copies of them in order to store them aside for this specific component. Lastly, I plan on taking as many pictures as possible in order to completely justify my 30 hours of work. I feel that taking photographs is probably the best way of showing evidence because someone can't just create a fake picture and have it pass as evidence. 

3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

Continuing to attend my fire explorer meeting will allow me to explore my topic more in depth by helping establish me for future success. Every piece of information that we receive is used in one way or another and is eventually applied to the real world. I would also get to learn more about firefighting by simply being exposed to other firefighters and observing the way they work. Learning the basics of firefighting will eventually aid me in truly understanding the much more complex aspects of this job, which I plan on doing in the near future. 

4.  Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your mentorship log and call it the independent component 1 log.

Done.