Fire Brigade practice -- joint exercises with the Brigade and the Guard

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin's face appears for a few moments in the frame. He grins. ]

Welcome to the Hadriel Fire Brigade and City Guard joint training exercises! This will be the first event of its kind, and we expect to have more them in the future. All are welcome! -- Brigade members, Guard members, and any Hadriel citizen who is interested in joining the Brigade. But you don't have to promise to join in order to take part. You are welcome if you are merely considering it, or simply interested in learning more about how to deal with a fire. You may also ask questions via the network, if you are not able to make it to this event but want to talk to somebody about the Fire Brigade and its functions.

[ He starts panning his phone camera around to show all the activities that are taking place along the north shore of the reservoir and nearby. ]

As you can see, we have built two fire engines, and we are giving the participants a chance to learn how to handle them. The first is a ladder truck and the second is a tanker truck.

[ The ladder truck is tearing around the curves of the nearest road, it's driver and riders whooping and screeching with glee. You can hear them all the way to the spot where Curufin is standing. ]

As you can see, the tanker truck is parked and we are practicing putting out a fire.

[ The tanker truck is parked beside a large wooden shack that the participants put up last week, and have now set on fire. Glowing orange and yellow flames sweep upwards from its roof. Unlike modern fire engines, this one contains its own water tank, since the firefighters do not (yet) have access to the city's water mains. The firefighters have already attached the hoses to the tank and opened up the valves and are trying to douse the flames. ]

And over there, we're running some practice scenarios that involve rescuing people from a burning building.

[ The view shifts to the disused, unoccupied spire next to Spire Two. People are running multiple flights of stairs, huffing and panting, with laughter and curses. They then descend, lugging the rescued "victims," carrying them on their shoulders. A group of people outside are waiting their turn to run up multiple flights of stairs to rescue either an actual person who has volunteered to be the rescuee or. . . a store dummy. They have a number of these doll-like objects on the lawn, and people have to carry them back up again periodically, as they run out of them upstairs in the spire. Good exercise for your calf muscles, that's for sure! -- whether you're carrying the dummy or one of your actual buddies. ]

And over there, we have a little tailoring operation set up. We're all going to need protective gear, including fire-resistant clothing, and there is a logbook for you all to put your names, sizes and measurements down. Somebody will be there to help you take your measurements if you don't know them.

[ Shot of a table with book, pencils and pens, tape measure, and cheerful helper. ]

And last but not least, here's our pumping station on the riverbank, where we get the water to fill the tanker truck's tank. There, also, is the building we are currently using to house the fire engines, and in which we are also building a second tanker trunk.

[ View of the waterworks building on the edge of the reservoir. You can't see the machinery inside, but you can see an open bay on the side away from the river, where the firefighters must park the tanker truck and screw the hoses into the apparatus inside and activate the pumping mechanism in order to draw up water from the reservoir and fill the truck tank. The second tanker truck, which is still being built, is parked outside of the firehouse. Around it are scattered tools and equipment, and people are working on it.]

And here's everybody's favorite activity -- the lunch table! As I said, everybody's welcome, including those who are just looking for a square meal at the moment.

[ View of the buffet table, which is really loaded. On it is also a stack of brochures with a description of the Fire Brigade and how to sign up. Somebody who can answer questions will be there as well. ]

If you're here in person, have fun and don't break a leg! But if you do, the first aid station is over there. [ Pan to another area by the water, where a table with first aid supplies is found, and somebody who can help. ]

If you just want to make inquiries or comments by phone, that's okay, too. I or another firefighter will reply.

Enjoy, everybody! And learn something new.

[ OOC: Feel free to post your character into any of these scenarios, or make up one of your own. Put something in the subject line to indicate which scenario it is. Examples: driving the firetruck, putting out fires, rescue operations, protective clothing tailoring, pumping station & machinery maintenance, building the second tanker truck, lunch table, first aid station. Or, like Curufin says, it's okay to talk to the firefighters by video or text. This is also a mingler, a free-for-all, so tag around if you like. The purpose of this net post is for the firefighters and Guard members to get together so that they'll all be on the same page when the real fire occurs, and for the firefighters (and Guard members, and interested parties) to do some rehearsing of their skills.

If you want to sign your character up to be a member of the Fire Brigade, you can go directly to this site, where there is information about the firefighters. The signup sheet is on this page. If you have any OOC questions to ask, contact Haze at tangyminx or PM me at so_dark_a_road. (I'm logged into Curufin's journal every day, so I'll get your message quickly.)

In case you haven't seen Hadriel's September Rundown, the mods have planned to BURN UP PART OF THE CITY on September 14. So now is a good time to join the Brigade! Or for that matter, the Guard. And because that is happening so soon, feel free to just post your characters in here with short threads or single comments. There'll be plenty of firefighting "for real" in just five days! ]

Comments

[bythewaves]

"Really? I thought you get bored after the first hour!" Maglor teases back.

[so_dark_a_road]

"The first hour is for enjoyment. The second hour is for sleep." He laughs. "No, I take it back! You're never boring when you sing. I don't get tired of it."

[bythewaves]

"You say that now" Maglor shoves at him fondly, remembering when they were all much younger and more impatient.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Ah, you're remembering what a little beast I was. I really couldn't sit sill for long, and I was reluctant to go to sleep at night because being alive was so interesting." He was always trying to escape from constraint. Maglor had to collar him and put him back in bed many a time, and the harp actually helped keep him there. Most of the time.

"I used to wait until I thought you were absorbed in the music and then try to slide under the covers and slip out at the bottom of the bed. . . I thought I was so clever that you wouldn't notice." Curufin's shoulders shake with laugher.

[bythewaves]

"You were the most curious of us by leaps and bounds." Maglor nods in remembrance. "Although the Ambarussa came close, at least they were mostly content to entertain themselves!"

He snorts, amused. "It never worked, either."

[so_dark_a_road]

"I'll take that as a compliment," says Curufin, with a smile.

"The twins did like to get into things, though. I remember that. But in their case, it was pretty often me who went looking for them and got them out of trouble. And then, as per the Younger Brothers' Agreement, I didn't tell the rest of you." Snicker.

"I wonder why the old quilt-slide trick didn't work on you? I slipped under there so carefully, and was so invisible as I crept out under the shadow of the bed feet. And then suddenly the music would stop, and I'd hear Curvo!! Come back here!" He shakes his head, still laughing.

[bythewaves]

"It was." Maglor says fondly.

"Oh, is that so?" Maglor raises an eyebrow at him and pokes at him fondly. "A conspiracy from you youngsters, hey?"

"It didn't work because I could see you Curvo!"

[so_dark_a_road]

"Kindly brother, always telling me how clever I am." He grins.

"Yes. A conspiracy. Younger brothers have to even up the score somehow, don't they?"

"Can't hide from a Bard, after all!" He laughs. "You all have psychic vision and can see your little brothers trying to low-crawl past your feet to the doorway." His face lights up. "You ought to make a ballad out of that! Don't you think?"

[bythewaves]

Maglor shakes his head at him.

"Psychic vision nothing, Curvo, you weren't exactly invisible."

[so_dark_a_road]

The corners of his mouth invert.

"I wasn't?"

[bythewaves]

Maglor's eyes dance.

"No. Not in the slightest."

[so_dark_a_road]

"I could have sworn I was!"

[bythewaves]

"Curvo a moving wriggling lump of bedclothes is MOST noticable."

[so_dark_a_road]

"Clearly I should have mugged up on my invisibility spells!" Huffy.

(Haha, like he ever had any such arts.)

[bythewaves]

"Ah, are you one of the Arafinweans, now?" Maglor laughs at him.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Yes, that's me! Curufin Finarfinion. Ha ha. Say, maybe I should have tried changing into a bat or an Orc, instead of an invisible lump of bedclothing?"

[bythewaves]

Maglor snorts, amused. "If you want to have Artanis as a sister, Curvo..."

[so_dark_a_road]

"I wouldn't mind. We always did need a sister, didn't we?"

[bythewaves]

"I thought you and Tyelko wanted to adopt Irisse?"

[so_dark_a_road]

"We did! How about if we adopt both?"

[bythewaves]

"My dear brother, if you want to deal with both Artanis and Irisse, you are very much on your own!"

[so_dark_a_road]

"Too late! I hereby adopt them both, in my name and in yours. Now they're your sisters. Deal with it!"

[bythewaves]

"I refuse." Maglor sniffs. "I'll just disown you."

[so_dark_a_road]

"AAAGH! I'm disowned. I'll have to be an Arafinwean after all. Finrod, you've got a new brother!"

[bythewaves]

Maglor snorts. "Somehow, I don't think Finrod will want you either!"