The Life of a Chow Truck Driver
this photo pretty much sums up my past week:
there has been a 120-acre fire on our district at mailbox park since last saturday, and i’ve had the opportunity to run support for it. i’ve been transporting supplies (mostly food) from the norwood district office to the fire staging area in nucla.
this typically means leaving norwood around six p.m., driving to nucla to pick up fifty or so hot meals, then heading up to mailbox to set up dinner before the firemen come off the line for the evening. then i feed everyone, clean up, and hopefully make it home before midnight, or camp with the crew.
it’s really not a bad deal, especially considering this employment is with the forest service and separate from my SCA position, and, thus, paid. i’m making more money as a chow truck driver than as an archaeology intern! but it’s fun to be part of the logistics for the fire, and nice to be able to help out – these crews have been on the line for six days straight, and they definitely appreciate the food. i’m a pretty popular person right now.
this past week, i’ve begun to see what the firefighting life is like. i eat dinner at 9:30, because that’s when the fire crew eats. i get up at 5:45, because that’s when the fire crew gets up. it’s tough, and i haven’t even been doing the work – 14 or 15 hours a day digging fire line, cutting trees, etc. if i decide to do this next year, i will definitely have to prepare myself for hard work, long hours, and weeks without a shower. actually, i think i’ve already got a handle on that last one.
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