48's

Ok.

Ima tell you right up front, this one is kind of hitting to all fields.  I guess that happens when you go a month(!) between posts...

I just settled in to my local happy place (with a lovely vanilla latte) after getting home from a 48.  For the uninitiated, a 48 is what we around the firehouse call it when we work two shifts back-to-back.  Our annual union golf outing (where we raise money for these folks) was yesterday, and, since I learned a long time ago my temperament is not conducive to happiness on the golf course (it does, however, dovetail nicely into creative use of bad words) I wasn't planning on going.  My Lieutenant was going to get "forced back" to work yesterday.  That means exactly what you think it means.  Since I wasn't golfing, he asked if I could take the force back for him.  Bob, in addition to being a good (shameless pandering since I know he reads this stuff) dude is also VP of our local so it was, to me, kind of a big deal that he be there.  Btw Bob, I heard you won some swag yesterday... just sayin... any way, I worked a 48 in the high-rise district.  It was basically uneventful, busyish both days but not crazy.  Apparently someone turned the gravity up in beautiful DG since several of our calls the last two days involved picking up someone unable to do so on their own.  Typically the people most affected by this uptick in the Earth's gravitational pull are, shall we say, full figured.  Additionally, it's rare that these folks are injured, other than maybe bruised pride.

That doesn't always go both ways either.  The last two people we helped to regain verticality were both in excess of 350 pounds.  It's also, btw, rare that these folks are left in a position that lends itself to proper lift technique.  You know, lift with your legs and not your back?  Yeah, that's often just not possible in the real world.  So there are two main goals here-

A.) don't cause further harm to the patient.
B.) don't cause harm to any of our crew.

But when said patient is wedged alongside her car with the door hanging open it's not easy to get enough people in there to make a lift while spreading the work to enough of our people so that no one had to move awkwardly.

This is also one of the reasons I'm as active politically as I am.  The laws of unintended consequences are fully involved in things like, oh... say... Tier II pensions.  These came about due to some "sky is falling" types that said public safety pensions wrecked, and would ultimately destroy, America as we know it.  And quite possibly the entire planet if not the entire solar system.  Tier II came about as compromise legislation by all involved stakeholders and, among other things, it raises the minimum retirement age from 50 to 55 along with raising minimum service time from 20 years to 25 years.

At face value these moves are no big deal, right?

Life rarely operates on face value only.

When people ask me why I'm retiring, I often tell them I know it's time because "everything aches, nothing hurts" and while I say it to bring a chuckle, it's also pretty accurate.  Twenty eight years of picking up people that fought the law (of physics) and the law won has taken a toll on my body.  Without going into details I'll just say that the longer I stay, the more likely I'm going to get hurt or cause injury to one of the guys I work with.

Neither is an acceptable outcome.

Ever.

What I'm getting at here is this; the guys that are now Tier II employees are going to, I believe, have a much higher incidence of on-the-job injuries than my generation has had.  I mean, through no fault of their own, it's just the aging process of the human body.  There's no way a 55 year-old can do the things as well as she or he could do at 40, 45, or 50.  The differences may be negligible, but when compounded over time, they show up.  In the form of more workers comp claims.  Something our very own governor (small "g"intended) Nero is trying to address by making it harder for employees to qualify for, file for, and claim, workers comp injury.  And that's assuming no one comes on the job above age 30.

That's messed up, imho.

Last thing; if you start today at 35 years of age, the maximum here in Illinois, you'll be 60 years old when you're eligible to retire.  I do know a couple guys that worked or are working into their 60's and believe me, they are the exception and not the rule.  That's not throwing shade at anyone either, merely my opinion.

So, back to my 48.

One of the perks to this recent 48, which is very likely my last one because did you even read what I just wrote, is the Lt. I worked with yesterday is a wonderful baker and he made for me (us) a blueberry cobbler from scratch.  Can I just say that my belly was very happy?  Despite a mild admonition at my annual physical to cut down on sweets, I had a chunk for breakfast too because, again, did you read what I just wrote?

BLUEBERRY.

COBBLER.

Yes, please.

I kind of wanted to say a little more here, but when I got home this morning the pooch was off her game a little, I think due to my absence, so I'm gonna head back and hang out with her a little longer. Besides, I think I hear an ice pack calling out for my back...

Peace