Pics From A Past Life… (Fulton County Fire Dept./EMS)
Posted on August 12, 2008
Filed Under Pictures
Below are some past-life pictures I recently found. I’ve done many, many things in my life; but they were all things I imagined or dreamed about as a kid. I used to get a real kick out of the old television show, "EMERGENGY!" and, when I grew-up, I got to run about 35,000 ambulance/rescue calls in Atlanta, I got to be on the FCFD Water Rescue & Dive Team with the great Captain Barry Wayne Lipham, I got to drive Fire Engines, Ladder Trucks, and Rescue Trucks, and I got to teach Fire, Rescue, Hazardous Materials, and Emergency Medical classes all over the state and around the world. In fact, the first time I went to the Soviet Union to teach Emergency Responders, I was accompanied by Dr. Gail Anderson — whose father was the Emergency Physician who was the basis for guess what television show — that’s right, "EMERGENCY!" If you let life surprise you, it will.
These pictures are only a small part of a story that is a only a small part of an amazing life — a life that is testament to the fact that THOUGHTS BECOME THINGS! For good or bad or better or worse, I can clearly see how I have created every moment of my life with a thought. Whether you call it, "Prayer," or not, you can imagine desired realities and then live the experience. I had a very vivid and active imagination when I was a kid; and I still do. Thus, I have a very vivid and active life. And, as my life changes and expands, my mind changes and expands. I look at these pictures and I remember how I used to think about the world — how much I thought I knew, and how little I really did. I can still see my old perspective; but I’ve seen other perspectives, now, also. And my world is a bigger and brighter place as a result. I’ll share some more pictures soon… Stay tuned; I’ve done some cool things and seen some beautiful places over the years!
Click ‘Read More’ to see pictures of one of the many chapters of a very colorful life…
From Top-to-Bottom: 1.) Pete Koerner working at FCFD Fire Station 12 in the Spring of 1997; 2.) Fulton County EMS Units in front of the old Atlanta/Fulton County Stadium — Quick Response Vehicle/Ambulance/Neonatal Transport Unit (I ran thousands of 911 Calls in trucks like the two on the left; and you don’t even want to imagine some of the things I saw…); 3.) One of the newer Fulton Co. EMS unit (Grady EMS); 4.) Four of my nephews and nieces playing on FCFD Ladder 8 (Spring 1996); 5.) Pete’s nephew, Paul (now a senior at Clemson University), climbing out of the cab of Ladder 8; 6.) Pete helping his nephew, Sloan, dress-out; 7.) Pete showing the kids what it looks like when a firefighter is trying to find them; 8.) Playing with the kids at 12’s (We had a really nice Engine at Station 12, but this ain’t it! It was in the shop… The kids loved it, anyway; and I always love playing with the kids!) *That’s Sam Rodriguez with me and the kids.
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The Belief Formula
If you want to know what it looks like when you leave the station on a fire call, check out this really cool video put together by Jeff Chaffin on Atlanta Squad 4-A shift. Of course this video is “intensity-compressed,” but this is really what it looks like to walk into a burning apartment building or cut ventilation holes in the roof of a burning building.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0KKuReLSys
Here’s another video from Atlanta Fire Rescue Squad 4’s Jeff Chaffin. These are great videos of what metro firefighters deal with on a pretty regular basis. Most firefighters never have the time or the manpower to get video on-the-job; but Squad 4 , besides being Haz Mat and Heavy Rescue, was also a manpower squad that responded to all structure fires in the city — so there were at least a few “photo ops” when they were on the scene… Last I heard, this Squad was shut down and the guys were all sent to Ladder Companies around the city — still doing the same things, of course, just with less help… Atlanta without a Haz-Mat / Heavy Rescue unit on duty? That could be interesting!
Check out another video of firefighters working: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gikZSDLcXHc