The Day Job has Nothing to do with Photography OR Firefighting!

Yeah, there are a few changes to the site. I had typed up a nice blog entry outlining them for you, but the friggin' page didn't advance when I told it to save and I lost it all.

So, for now I'm gonna simply leave it at "there are a few changes to the site."

Thanks.

I'm pissed.

To my one loyal reader (who has probably also stopped waiting for updates) I say "Hello again!"

Yes, I underestimated the time paramedic school would take.
No, I have not been good about updating the site for quite some time.
Yes, I AM still shooting fires when I get the chance, but school makes it harder to get out of bed in the wee hours of the morning.
No, I do not plan on quitting shooting or giving up my sites.
Yes, I have found what is hopefully a new, more efficient way of uploading updates to the site.
No, I cannot afford to have someone else do the legwork for me.
Yes, I have skipped over some incidents that I intend to go back and upload when I get the chance.

As I write this I am crossing my fingers that the new program I am using is uploading the latest photos I took in East Bridgewater the other morning at the 4 alarm fire they had. If it doesn't work it looks like I'll be back to buinding every single image page individually. We'll see....watch for the update prolly tomorrow. (The program seems to be very slow!)

Sorry Duxbury. Missing the 2 alarmer you've got going on right now. Home alone with the sick 2 year old. No way I could take her out in these cold temps and still keep a happy wife.

Hello Loyal readers!

(silence from the empty room)

Oh well.

I shot a fire the other night! Yes, yes....you're wondering if I'll EVER put the new pix up on the site. Well, I'm currently working on them and hope they'll be up by tomorrow (01/01/07) at the latest.

The fire was the first night fire I've shot in a while, and it presented certain "technical difficulties".......in other words, some batteries were dead. Like the main flash battery for instance. With that said, I decided it was an excellent time to try some new shooting techniques with flashless photography and other such stuff that the amazing Greg Hren (www.greghren.com) has been teaching me.

This fire was also significant for me in that it was my first real foray into the world of being a firefighter! After the shooting was done I was added to the Hanson crew on Engine 2 which was a man down, and spent the next several hours waiting for tasks....which never came! LOL Yeah, we did a lot of standing there, but we were there if needed and the snacks from the Providence Canteen were good of course! Haahaa!

Here's a link to the news story about the fire.

Well, that's enough about that....back to working on the photos!

Later!

Wow! I was just organizing all the incidents I need to Photoshop and get up on the site and I realized what a SLACKER I've been! In my own defense though.....I HAVE been a bit busy.

I passed the EMT exam last Friday which means I'm "officially" an EMT. I suppose that means that technically I should know what I'm doing, but I'm thinking a bit more experience with someone else in the back of an ambulance before flying solo would be helpful. It's just nice at this point to be able to concentrate on ONE class and set of exams! Had my first exam in paramedic class tonight. I think it went well, but I guess I'll find out soon enough!

Well, back to me being a SLACKER.

I hate to say this, but I have somehow managed to miss ALL of Halifax's recent fires. I know, I know...how is it that I can miss...what has it been...FIVE fires in the past month or so?? I have no idea. I do know that a combination of child care, the day job, and station coverage in Hanson have all played some role. Much to my dissapointment, I also missed BOTH fires the day Whitman and East Bridgewater decided to get everyone's morning blood flowing the old fashioned way.....with fire instead of coffee. I was at the station for coverage for those two as well. But now that I've told you what I've missed, here's a list of the incidents I realized I need to start working on:

7.1.06 Alewife Street, Plymouth
8.12.06 Medflight @ Holt School, Whitman
8.22.06 South Meadow Road, Carver
9.23.06 South Avenue, Whitman
10.27.06 Soule Avenue, Duxbury
10.31.06 Plymouth Street, East Bridgewater

Don't expect all of these to go up right away, and if I remember correctly, don't expect to see any fire. There are some very efficient fire departments in these parts and an occasionally slow photographer. The good news though, is that now I realize I have some work to do!

Later!

Well, it was quite a tell-tale day for me that started at about 5:15am. Whitman had a structure fire and I got up to head out to shoot pix.....then I recieved my first page from Hanson Fire...my group was on call-back. Oh yeah.....I almost forgot! LOL. Well, no pix from Whitman and off to the station I went.

Fast forward to about 6:30am. The start of what turned out to be a four-alarmer in East Bridgewater. Damn. Another missed opportunity for some good fire photos.

The realization had finally hit me...being both a firefighter and fire photographer is not en easy thing to do! I can hear the critics now (actually a couple of Hanson guys have already mentioned this) "You never shoot anymore, you're too busy trying to be a firefighter." To a certain degree there is an element of truth to that sentiment.

Today was the epiphany. If there's a fire to be shot in Hanson or any of the towns touching Hanson, the chances are bad for me making it there to shoot. Not entirely out of the question, but not as easy as it used to be. Once my coverage group or an "all call" are paged it's now my duty to head to the station, and I will do so." I will try like hell to get to the scene and shoot some BEFORE being called in for coverage, but the coverage does now come first.

By no means am I done shooting. I still look forward to the challenge of fire photography as much as I did four years ago when I started it. It's just that these days I'm more likely to be available to shoot outside of an area that covers Hanson, Whitman, EB, Halifax, Pembroke, Hanover and Rockland. I'll shoot 'em when I can though!

The other issue I've been having is my classes, and I've said this before. Expect my website updates to happen more slowly for a while until I either:

a. Finish all my classes
b. Teach my wife how to use Photoshop and Dreamweaver (and this is VERY unlikely!)

The bottom line....Teague Fire Photo still exits and will continue to, but I'm going through a process of reorganization and discovery with regard to my new responsibilities.

Oh, by the way....in case you missed it.....I didn't get any pix of the Whitman and EB fires this morning. I've also missed the two Halifax fires in the past couple of weeks. Timing was simply bad on those ones. shrug

Hello to my faithful readers! (looks around and sees nobody)

Oh well.

Yes, I'm still here. I actually have done some fire photo work recently! I was working on some new pix for the Firefighters Only gallery, and I did some shooting this past weekend when the Mass. Firefighting Academy came out to Hanson Fire to do a Firefighter Survival program with us. I haven't forgotten that I was a fire photographer before being hired as a call firefighter, and I don't intent to stop shooting. It's pretty obvious though that with all the classes I've been taking I'm a bit slower about getting incidents up on the site for the time being. I expect that is only a temporary thing, although I admit the class I start tonight will take me through prolly at least all of 2007. We'll see!

Other things I have been busy with...working on websites for the Hanson Firefighter local 2713 and also for the Plymouth County Fire & Rescue Training Association. Also, planning my own website redesign which will happen someday. I have also managed to shoot and post some new glamour photos although they're not yet on my own website. For a sneak peek click here: (the top four images are new)

Model Mayhem

So yes, tonight I begin paramedic school. On this decision I have heard both opinions from people: "Do it now" and "You should have waited for some EMT experience first". I both appreciate the support from the "now" people, and can see where the "wait" crowd is coming from, but I feel a desire to explain my decision on this blog that very few people read as I mentally prepare for my first class tonight.

As those who know me are well aware, I'm not a young'un anymore. At 37, a career change is a big decision, and I haven't made it lightly. While I recognize the benefit of having a year or two's experience as an EMT-B under my belt prior to medic school, I simply don't see it as feasable for me and my family at this time. I cannot afford to take a pay cut from my current day job to go work for a private ambulance company. The bills won't allow it. For now I will do what I can to get some experience riding along when I can.

My other reasons for going right into medic school include but are not limited to: Having EMT-B information fresh in my head since that class just wrapped, being in "student" mode since Firefighter I/II began this past January 3rd and having some sort of schooling continuously since then after not having attanded any classes since I graduated college in '95, scheduling concerns, and the warm fuzzy feeling I get about knowing I'm on the right path. With all that said......wish me luck!

As I mentioned above...The MFA was at Hanson Fire this past weekend and I have to say that as much as I thought I would hate going head first out a window onto a ladder and drpping myself out a window with a rope around my Scott pak....it was great fun! Sure, they're serious skills that I may need to save my own skin one day, but who says serious skills can't give you a rush? Eh?

Well, nowhere near here it appears, but it's still a BIG FIRE!

Do we have those fancy sliding tower/ladder thingies here in the states?? Never seen a contraption like that THAT before!

Click here to watch video of the big fire.

Here's a link to an online petition to create a "National Firefighter's Day". Seems easier than the email that's been making the rounds lately:

Click here to sign the petition!

Also, I think I finally completed the Firefighter I/II program today. We had our State "Fire Practical", and the fact that none of us had to make anything up leads me to believe we'll all be seeing large envelopes in the mail soon with certificates from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy and from the Nat'l Fire Academy. Pretty sweet! Congrats to all my amigos from class and especially to my bro Sweeney and to "Engine Co. 4".....the only 100% intact Engine Co. at the end!!

Yeah, yeah, I know.....stop playing firefighter and get workin' on some of those pics you have backlogged. I'm getting there....two more exams in the next week or so, then I get a couple of weeks of breathing room!

Missed a working fire in Halifax the other night, and the house explosion in Carver this morning. Halifax actually had theirs knocked down before I could get out the door, and I was reminded of a staff meeting at the day job just before I could sneak out the door this morning to head to Carver.

I STILL have the Plymouth fire pics to do from prolly July, a Carver fire about 2-3 weeks ago, and some random MedFlight pics from Whitman a few weeks ago as well. Things have been busy with EMT school wrapping up, Firefighter I/II wrapping up, and the next round of schooling set to begin around October 3. I admit I have been taking a little break to reacquaint myself with my family before starting the next round of classes, but I expect I'll be back working on my stuff again soon. The colder weather is on it's way, and I'll be spending more time in when I'm not in class.

Had a glamour shoot that went pretty well the other day, and once I get some model releases signed you'll hopefully be seeing a website update with my glamour stuff. I have a couple more shoots on the horizon as I continue to rediscover how much fun shooting glamour was!

Finally went on my first ambulance run this past weekend after hangining around the station a few days and not seeing any. I think it went pretty well. Was also at the station Sunday night when we had a possible structure fire! No, it turned out to be a red light in a basement window on a foggy night, but it was a great drill to get my gear on quick and get into my Scott pak in the engine. It's not often us call guys have the opportunity to be on the first in engine, so it would have been a rare occurance if there had actually been a fire when we arrived.

That's all for now, have a great day!

Yes, I still have shots from Plymouth to put up on the site, and now I have shots from a fire earlier this week in Carver to work on as well. (But I missed a garage fire in EB today. I HATE that!) The Carver fire (like the Plymouth one) was over before I arrived, but as I like to do, I took a few "firefighters working" shots.

Still working on the Hanson Firefighter's local 2713 website as well. (www.hansonfirefighters.com) I think once this site is done I'll be swearing off websites for a while. Well, I want to redesign my own sites, but I can work on those on my schedule. I think giving up websites and rediscovering my interest in Glamour photography is the way I should go. I've actually had a couple of good Glamour shoots recently, and I'm thinking I've matured enough as a photographer that I can make a better effort than I used to be able to. We'll see I suppose.

Still plugging away in EMT school. Actually, classes are getting kind of close to wrapping up (mid Sept.). I STILL haven't oficially completed my Firefighter I/II program that I started back in January. One more exam to go on Sept. 9th...then I think I'll be done with it. I hope I pass!

I've been covering the station in Hanson whenever my group or an "allcall" is paged out, but station coverage is about all I have done. In a way it actually works out for a "FNG" like me as it gives me a chance to learn the basics about how things work at Hanson Fire...except for all the late late coverages when everyone is too asleep to show me stuff. Haahaa!

Trying to put together a "permanent" vs. "call guy" softball game at Hanson fire. I thought for sure enough folks would sign up from both sides, but I'm coming up short of call guys. Bummer. Hey Capt. Currier, why don't you put together a team from Kingston...we'll play you. (You're the only person who reads this crap...I can talk directly to you. Heh.)

Sayonara!



I think my blog is evolving from just Fire photography into a general photography/firefighting (not like I've done any of THAT) blog. Perhaps I shall have to change the title.

Yes, once again I feel the need to let my two loyal readers know that I haven't dropped from the face of the Earth. Now that I'm actually doing callbacks at Hanson Fire I have less time to work on other things, but I am working....just not on stuff for this site. Other than the fact that I seem to miss everything that happens in Kingston, there hasn't been much to shoot from a fire photography perspective lately, but the good news is that I have been seeing a resurgence in my glamour shooting. The "other" website will hopefully be seeing an update in the near future with some of the new stuff I've been doing.

I have another EMT exam coming up within two weeks, but I'll keep plugging on photo stuff too, and let the two of you who read this blog know when the glamour pages have been updated on the other site.

Have a nice day!!

Just been busy. Had an EMT exam last night, and have a Non-fire practical exam coming up this weekend. Add to those my daughter's birthday party, my wife's grandfather passing, the 4th of July, and getting things squared away for me to start work at Hanson Fire, and I haven't had much time lately for updates and the like. Once the Non-fire practical exam is over this weekend things should take a turn towards the "more relaxed" for a bit I think. I hope!! LOL!

Yes, it's a standard thing in these parts at this time of year....traffic heading to and off of Cape Cod. Add to the normal traffic the crush of the July 4th holiday weekend and you get major back ups on Rte 3 south of 5-7 miles long. Unfortunately I forgot about that this morning, but it didn't take long to remember as I sat in bumper to bumper traffic and as I watched Plymouth Ladder 1 making great time in the breakdown lane heading to the 2 alarm fire on Alewife Street.

Well, I made it finally, only to find that not only was the fire pretty much knocked down (if not completely), but also that the house was set back into some trees making a variety of vantage points impossible. With all that aside though, I did some shooting, although I am confident there will be nothing to "oooo and ahhhh" over when they are done.

Sorry Plymouth!

I made it to the fire in Whitman tonight, and pix will be up within a couple days.

That's all for now! Good Night!