Thursday, August 18, 2005

Im just a girl...

It was hot as fuck today. And I spent most of the day on the top of a 5 story fire tower for Technical Rope rescue training. High angle rescue and confined space. This in a city where the tallest building can't be taller than highest church steeple. But still I train in the heat, with the boys. I felt like such a girl today though. About halfway through training I quit sweating and began to see double. This while being dangled three stories above the ground. I almost didn't go over the edge. I looked at the boys and kept saying " I can;t do this" However they basically told me its too late and that I could do it. SO I went over the edge. I had a "patient" in the stokes basket who's airway I was supposed to manage by swinging the basket in front of me and slinging my legs up to straddle the head of the basket. Try doing that in the early stages of heat exhaustion and with limited lower body strands. The boys don't realize sometimes that I have a little less body mass and strenth than they do. To them I'm just one of them. I'm not to proud to admit it, Sometimes I play like a girl. I just kept looking up at the two that were leaning over the edge yelling down to me "Put the rope in between your legs and step up into the loop to flip the basket over" and "Use your legs to fling yourself up onto the head" Of course I'm dizzy by this time and just layed down in my harness, closed my eyes and centered myself. As I began to gather my strenth my "patient" asked me if I was okay. "yup", then sat up and used everything I had left to maneuver around the head. That took everything out of me. As soon as I hit the ground I ran to the air conditioned truck and fought of the waves of nausea. I felt like such a weak girl. I know they don't judge me, But I still feel inadequate.

2 comments:

Zendo Deb said...

heat stroke (the lack of sweat) can hit anyone. Drink more water next time

painter in hiding said...

I realize that, Thats what I tell my patients all the time. I think I drank 4 gallons of water. Ah well...