I'm going through changes

There’s an old joke. How do you know if a firefighter is at your party? He’ll tell you.

So how do you know when a firefighter is writing your bike blog? Well, I’ll explain.

See, I was mountain biking one day...and I had an epiphany. Something about hucking a carbon 29er at an awesome bike park with an awesome trick jump has allowed me to keep progressing as a fifty year-old dirt jumper. 2025 kicked off strong and I was starting to think about tricks I could dial in this year.

I remembered that I used to have a decent bar spin, but I haven't done those since I had a bike with a Gyro. I stopped by my LBS and talked it over with the owner. To allow my bars to spin around he picked out an extra long brake line and added in a new extra long cable and housing. The parts would be about $75 and I could bring my bike in and he'd help me do the swap. I said I'd be back.

That's when the epiphany happened, I thought, "Do I NEED to do bar spins?"

I know I would get them. I'd practice them on the trick jump, maybe wipe out a few times, keep practicing and take them to the dirt by mid summer. But do I NEED to do that? Will that improve my life?

My conscience told me what I NEEDED to do, the thought had been simmering for a while. I told my buddy to put the parts back on the shelf, then I took the $75 and spent it on a CPR course and applied to be a volunteer firefighter at Left Hand Fire Rescue.

In truth I have a whole list of reasons for doing this. I could point to the 2013 floods or the Marshall fire. There's the fact that my oldest kid is now driving, so that frees up a lot of time from running all over town. I also feel the existential dread that the world has a lot of problems and first responders solve problems. I could have a chance to help people on their worst day.

The department I joined covers the Left Hand Canyon mountain bike area that I love to ride. So in a way I'm becoming a protector of mountain bikers. I will step back and give up my parking spot at the trailhead so others may experience the joy of riding.

I chose Left Hand because I already love the canyon they watch over. I also like that department requires a diverse skill set. Members are expected to become proficient in structure fire fighting, wildland fire fighting and EMS. That's like becoming a cyclist and being capable of trail riding, dirt jumping and road riding. Hey! I can do that!

I started the process in the early spring. First I had to hike 3 miles in 45 minutes with a 45 lb pack on. After that I started attending training events. I had to stand back and observe from the side, but each time I joined them I met more people and learned more about the program. In June I became an official probationary member. There's a small group of us probies, you can tell us by our red T-shirts that say RECRUIT.

Not long after I went on my first incident. We were first on the scene to help a mountain biker who had crashed. I stood on the trail and helped slow down approaching riders, then I helped when we all lifted him onto a stretcher. There was something serendipitous about helping a mountain biker for my first experience.

In the following months I've attended more trainings and gotten to know my teammates. Each member brings their own skill set and experience. Many are professional firefighters and EMT's who volunteer with our department as a side gig. Before I joined I had the misconception that a fire department would be a crew of macho alpha dogs looking like extras from Top Gun. Instead I found a welcoming team of committed individuals happy to have an extra hand.

Right now I'm in the middle of Fire Academy. After ten weeks of intensive instruction I'll be qualified to "go interior" on a structure fire. The program includes hard training sessions and long nights of power point presentations. Often the instructor finishes a series of slides by describing a relevant situation where fire fighters died.

I'm in a class with a dozen other students, they are all from surrounding departments in the county. There is a good chance we could be working together on any big emergency that hits the area. As we struggle through each new physical challenge we are cheering each other on and learning to work together. We've helped each other break down doors, search rooms for victims and hoist heavy ladders.

Yesterday I completed one of the notorious challenges that every new recruit has to attempt. It's called an SCBA confidence course. This concept is now used in fire academies all over and it's meant to simulate a fire fighter who has become lost in a smokey structure with no visibility. Each recruit enters the maze blindfolded with a full tank of breathing air. They have to maneuver through a series of challenges. Every challenge consists of some level of confined space. This varies from narrow passageways to tight tunnels to sharp 180 degree switchbacks. Another section contained ropes and netting hanging down to snag on the air tank and get tangled around the firefighter.

The maze is designed to test your stress management and problem solving abilities. Body shape and physical fitness also comes into play. I'm just gonna come out and say that being a mountain biker helped lead to my success. I got tangled in the ropes, then I paused, addressed the problem and moved on. Twice something rubbed against my breathing air vent valve and opened it up. I heard the leaking air and reached for the valve to quickly close it. Mountain biking taught me to keep calm in tense situations. It has also given me great cardio to help make the most of each breath. A few of us (a specific body type) got to the end without much trouble. Then the boasting had to come down to who had the most air left in their tank.

When I started I thought that I would be giving up all my mountain biking time for training and going on duty. I've since realized that part of the reason I can do this is because I'm a mountain biker. It is an integral part of my life now. After a hard Saturday pulling heavy hoses and heavier ladders, all with a pack on my back, I want a Sunday morning ride more than ever. I'm not trading mountain biking for firefighting, I'm adding firefighting to my life as a mountain biker.

Besides, I'm still progressing on slopestyle, and maybe bar spins aren't off the table.