Chad Wachs

Ice rescue of dog

2011-12-28T19:26:00.001-07:00

I've been on the other end of rescues like this where the outcome was not so good. Makes me smile to see one go successfully. Also serves as a good reminder this time of year to stay off the ice, no matter how thick you think it is. I can tell you from experience you don't want to be in that water.

Opening Supra brand key lock boxes

2011-12-19T14:46:00.002-07:00

A couple of shifts ago, we removed a Supra brand lock box from a building that was no longer using it (they had switched to a Knox-Box). This gave us the opportunity to test out our ability to try to break into this lock box. Getting our inspiration from Miami Township Fire trying to break into a Knox-Box, we had a go with our Supra box.

First test was to try to remove the hinge holding the locking lid to the back mount. We tried a Halligan pike, a Rex Tool and a screwdriver in our attempts to drive out the hinge. None of these were successful.

Second test was to use the pike end of the Halligan tool placed against the lock and strike it with a 8lb axe.

One strike of the axe and it busted the lock mechanism. The face of the lock fell off giving us access to the inside portion of the lock.

Simply giving the exposed lock a slight twist with a finger popped it out of the housing inside and the Supra box opened up with no further problems. So, in short, looks like a Halligan will easily defeat a Supra box in our non-scientific experiments. More detailed pictures below.

Above is the outer ring (lower) that fell off as soon as we hit the lock and the inside lock mechanism (upper) that twisted free and fell into the box once we pushed on it with a finger.

iTunes, you still suck!

2011-11-20T18:37:00.001-07:00

Dear iTunes,

I so want to love you. Well, I do since you are the only product that will sync my music to any Apple "i" device that I own. Short of that, you are a crappy product that has not shown any technology updates for years, with the possible exception of Music Match, which might make you worse.

I am a very technically savvy person. Have been for decades. If I can't make your consumer product work, it fails. I then have my wife try it. She is very smart. Works in a high tech field. She gets frustrated by trying to do a basic feature. Fail again.

Here is the set-up. One that I don't think is very different from many other people. We have 1 Mac in the house running iTunes with a very large (19,000+ song) music library kept on an external drive. We then have an iMac and 2 MacBook Pros. None of these machines have the drive space to hold the music library.

So, playing songs from any machine - works fine. Home sharing works for this. The problems come with every other thing we want to do.

Want to put songs on an "i" device? Well, those devices are hooked up to either the iMac or one of the MacBook Pros, depending on the device, not the media server with all the music. You can't copy songs to the i device without first copying them to the machine you have the i device hooked up to. This is crap. I now have 2 options. Either copy every song I want from the Mac with the music to the Mac with the i device or mount the drive of the Mac with all the music and have iTunes use that drive as its music store. The latter is the way I have been doing things.

Now, that sort of works. Until you buy more music or rip a new CD. I have to copy those songs manually to the drive where all the music is held. That is step 1. You would think a program like iTunes that has been around as long as it has would automatically scan a folder for new music. Nope. I now have to manually tell iTunes about each and every song I add to the drive. Fail again.

Enter Home Sharing... I thought this may solve all the issues. It was touted as the savior for people in my situation. I turn it on, plug in the iPod and drag a song from the shared Mac with all the music. No go. Can't drag music onto an i device via home sharing. WTF?!? It's my music on my devices on my network. So, again, I make a second copy of every song I want to put on my iPod.

Then comes the magical cloud! Clouds can fix anything, right? I spend 4 days syncing my music to the cloud (can't wait for the Comcast bill to arrive for bandwidth use). I can now see my cloud on all my iTunes. Pop in the iPod, grab a song from the cloud and drag it to the iPod. No go. Now I am pissed. It's still my music on my cloud trying to go to my iPod and I again have to download every song locally that I want to copy to the iPod. That means at least 2 copies of my songs, one onto a drive in a MacBook Pro that does not have room for it which is why I moved them all off in the first place.

So, iTunes fails to grasp a simple concept with each new "feature" they add. Let me keep my music in one place and one place only but put it on any i device that I own without having to make a second copy of that song on the computer my i device is plugged into.

Don't get me started with playlists, or movies. I stopped using iTunes long ago for video and am very happy with Plex Media Server for all my video needs. It scans folders and automatically adds new songs, shows, movies, etc. What a concept. It lets me watch movies on any device or any TV without making a second copy. Now, if the very talented people at Plex could make an iTunes replacement app, I'd pay for that!

Apple, perhaps you can get this right in your next 5 versions. If OS X is any indicator, you will only be taking away features to "simplify" my music experience even more.

Want a white Christmas but have no snow??

2011-11-17T11:57:00.001-07:00

I was walking the dog the other day and heard this noise that to me, sounded exactly like a snow making gun. After spending 13 years as a ski patroller, I am very aware of that sound but it was totally out of place in my neighborhood.

I came around the corner and here is what I found! An actual snow making gun and a large air compressor. So, in case you want a white Christmas this year but mother nature is not working with you, give this guy a call and perhaps you can rent the snow gun and air compressor.

It did a great job of covering the lawn with snow and the driveway and sidewalk with a nice thick sheet of ice. I don't see this working out well when they come home and try to pull up the driveway.

I think the kid that lives there sets this up before he goes to school so he can sled in the driveway when we gets home - since I've seen him doing that. We do have a great sledding hill just down the block, perhaps I'll loan him some hose and extension cords so he can cover it with snow and not his driveway.

A year in the life of a firefighter

2011-10-28T14:29:00.001-06:00

This documentary is called "Burn" and it follows City of Detroit firefighters for 1 year in a city that is rapidly deteriorating. The documentary is not yet fully funded. They are seeking donations to help complete the project and release it. Not only is the firefighting footage amazing, it tells a great story about a group of hard working citizens and the city they are fighting to save.

Help them make this a reality by clicking on the link below.

detroitfilm.org

BURN Trailer from BURN on Vimeo.

Why I am voting them all OUT

2011-10-21T11:16:00.002-06:00

Last night, the Senate blocked that $35 billion bill for states and localities to hire firefighters and cops as well as teachers, marking it the 2nd defeat for President Obama's jobs agenda in less than 2 weeks. The bill, which failed in a 50-50 vote, marked the first attempt by Senate Democrats to move pieces of the president's American Jobs Act that was defeated by a Senate filibuster last week. WTF?!? All I hear both sides in Washington say is we need more jobs. We need to protect the jobs we have. Public safety and education are "priorities." But when it comes to actually doing anything about it, you fight, bitch and do nothing to help solve the problems.

I have a new plan that I started with the election this November and will continue until things improve: If you are currently in the office you are running for, I am NOT voting for you. Regardless of party affiliation, I am not voting for any incumbents for state or federal offices. You all suck, seriously. None of you have done anything that even resembles the job you said you would do when you ran. A 2 year-old has better compromise skills than you do.

All I hear is bickering, finger pointing and blaming everyone but yourself. Even your own parties can't agree to get along internally. You all have the lowest approval rating in decades. People are camping out to protest for days (weeks) in cities across this nation. Why? We are all fed up with you. Don't you get it? You really suck and we are tired of it. It's time for all of you to go and enjoy the golden parachutes, consulting jobs, lifetime pensions and health care that you voted for yourselves after your "public service" careers. The only public I see any of you servicing is your own selfish selves, followed by a few high paying special interest groups. You've done nothing to help me or anyone I know. You've done nothing to help the economy. You've done nothing to help job growth. You've done nothing to help this country you have sworn to protect. In fact, it could be argued you have made it worse. You are leaving this world a worse place than how you found it. You couldn't even maintain. If you ran a company, you would have been fired by the board or shareholders long ago. Sadly, you don't run a company, you run a country.

I hope others will follow me and send these idiots a message. That message is: Good Bye!

Firefighter pensions

2011-09-16T16:21:00.001-06:00

I'm getting into the habit of sharing interesting videos... Here is one from Connecticut firefighters unions on protecting our pensions. Interesting way of doing it.

A way to fix a broken government

2011-08-04T10:52:00.000-06:00

Most of us will agree the government is broken. The system, the people, the direction. A relative of mine sent me an email with this in it. I am not one that re-forwards emails like this to friends, however, after reading it and agreeing with everything in it, I thought I'd put it out there for those may not have gotten this from someone they know. Take a look at it and comment on what you think. I'd love to see this get traction.

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

Ken Jeong CPR video

2011-08-04T10:45:00.000-06:00

Well done and a good message.

Videos from Africa!

2011-07-31T10:53:00.000-06:00

I've finally gotten through the videos I show while on safari in Kenya, Africa in July, 2011. All of these were shot with a Canon 5D Mark II camera in 1080p and a 70mm - 300mm lens. I did learn after watching these that you should turn off image stabilization while shooting video - you can hear the stabilization motors working the entire time. Or, get a better microphone...

Link to the playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL167045F3FC9C0A99

Pull to the Right for Sirens and Lights

2011-04-23T20:55:00.001-06:00

Love it!

Easter Eggs dropped from helicopter

2011-04-16T15:45:00.000-06:00

In Castle Rock, CO, we take the Easter Egg hunt to a whole new level. A helicopter makes a low altitude pass, dropping the eggs out into the field below.

Email signatures

2011-04-15T15:20:00.000-06:00

One of my least favorite things people put in email signatures. It seems they are totally useless as well. According to the Economist "Automatic e-mail footers are not just annoying. They are legally useless."

Instead of going green by asking people not to print your email, go green by removing this useless information from your email signature, thus sending less data over the Internet and saving money and energy that way!

http://www.economist.com/node/18529895

Firefighter Olympics

2011-04-12T15:48:00.000-06:00

Very cool to watch but I hope this never catches on in the US. I'd hate to see any member of our department wearing spandex...

Are Your Ground Ladders Safely Marked?

2011-04-06T13:19:00.002-06:00

Read this article last year and thought it was a great idea. Just finished getting it implemented at work. See comments at the end of the article for on-line sources to purchase the DOT striping tape.

Are Your Ground Ladders Safely Marked? - Firefighter Nation - Firefighter Social Network, Training & News

A Japanese Firefighter Talks Surviving the Nuclear Reactors

2011-04-05T15:27:00.002-06:00

Great story!

A Japanese Firefighter Talks Surviving the Nuclear Reactors

Bronco Cheerleader tryout

2011-04-03T16:27:00.001-06:00

Why am I not invited to judge this??

2011 Broncos Cheerleaders Tryouts, Day 1 « CBS Denver

Aurora Fire Department 10-01 graduation video intro

2011-04-02T19:05:00.002-06:00

Graduation video from the Aurora Fire Department class 10-01.

Helicopter drop on the Indian Gulch Fire

2011-04-02T19:01:00.000-06:00

Helicopter drop of water on the Indian Gulch Fire in Golden.

Dale bowling

2011-04-02T18:25:00.002-06:00

Dale bowls the best game of his life. This is his final ball.

Machine Gun Camp??

2011-02-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Couldn't help but notice this ad in front of me in a restroom of a local watering hole... It is advertising machine gun camp. Basically take a day shooting machine guns - presumably at a target of some sort.

What I found funny was the ad listed a number of "events" that this activity would be appropriate for: Birthdays, Bachelor Parties, Corporate Outings, etc.

What amused me was the 2 events that were highlighted: Bachelor Parties and Divorce. Nice. You can start and end your marriage with machine guns.

Day 14: Holland, MI to Chicago!

2009-05-22T11:15:00.000-06:00

We woke up a little later today, which was a good thing after our late dinner out the night before. We went to visit Wade and his art studio which was very cool. He's a great artist and it was nice to be able to quickly catch up with him. Our friends from the night before were all around so we got to say our goodbyes and head out across the lake for our final trip.

Winds were calm, seas were calm and all looked good. Travel time across Lake Michigan was 2.5 hours for about 70 miles. I was pretty happy things got to end on a smooth note after the last couple of days and the rough seas.

We pulled into the harbor where this boat will now live out the summer around noon Central time. We cleaned it up (again) and I said my goodbyes to the boat I had spent that last 14 days on. It was a great trip. Great to spend time with my dad and enjoy the maiden voyage of his new toy. Great to spend time with some old and new friends. Great to show Erica around a part of the country where I spent so much time as a kid and an area you can only see properly by boat. Great to get back to some places that the memories of were beginning to fade. Great to see some new places and take a journey that very few are lucky enough to take in a lifetime.

I'll be back on the boat at some point but I feel special to have played the part I did in its first voyage. That boat and I will always share a sort of bond - if that's possible with an inanimate object.

I now have a couple days in Chicago to see some family and then head back to reality. It's been a fun journey and I've enjoyed documenting here and with all the pictures which I continue to add to. Thanks for letting me take you along on the journey.

Signing off once and for all.
Chad

Day 13: Pentwater, MI to Holland, MI

2009-05-22T11:11:00.000-06:00

Wind blew and blew all day the day before. Seas were again a little rough but not as bad because the wind changed direction during the night. We had a fairly short (4 hour) ride to Holland, MI - Lake Macatawa. This was a bit of a home coming for me. I spent a tremendous amount of time as a kid on Lake Macatawa. I had a few good friends that lived there, went to sailing camp there for a few summers, raced little sailboats in the bay and basically spent a good portion of my summers there until I was in high school. I have not been back there since probably 1987 or there about.

Alot has changed and alot has stayed the same. It was great to be able to spend the afternoon walking around and looking at things, remembering my childhood and taking lots of pictures. I figured this was a good day to sea trial the dingy - and it was an opportunity to tour the lake and give Erica a tour.

When I was a kid, I had two good friends my age I played with: Wade and Kori Eldean. They lived there in Macatawa and had a house across the street from the marina. To my luck, both were there this weekend. Wade lives there still and is an artist with a studio right on the bay (http://www.eldean.com/art/) and Kori was in town organizing the Waterfront Film Festival (http://www.waterfrontfilm.org) she runs each year. This gave us a brief but fun chance to catch up. Her parents who I also knew quite well invited us to dinner. Always nice to see old friends from the past. Brought back alot of memories in the short 24 hours we spent tied up there. Weather finally calmed down so it looks like our trip across the lake to the Chicago area will be good tomorrow and then the trip will be done.

Macatawa was a great place for me to end the trip. I had been really looking forward to going back there since I had spent so much time as a kid there. It was also fun to reflect back and remember all the memories I had and some I had forgotten. My brother and I played Macatawa trivia over SMS (since he's in Santa Monica) trying to stump each other with old friends names, boat names, etc.

As the trip winds down finally, it will be good to get back on land but it has been fun making this journey. I got to spend some time and get to know some relatives better as well as see some old friends and lots of new sights. It's probably a little like RV'ing for those that do that and visit the same spots year after year. My childhood always kind of reminded me of the place in Dirty Dancing - somewhere you would spend time each summer year after year where every body knew you and you just sort of picked up where you left off the year before. Dancing was replaced with sailing and there was no gritty romance that I was ever aware of (or at least a part) of but you get the point.

Day 12: Frankfort, MI to Pentwater, MI

2009-05-20T11:09:00.000-06:00

OK, real update this time. Around 2:00am last night, I woke up because the boat was rocking back and forth and there was lots of sounds of water hitting the side of the boat. After really waking up, I heard the wind. Since we were in a protected harbor and it was rocking this bad, I knew the wind must be howling out there - not good news for the lake. The next morning, we discovered what the wind had done.

The waves were crashing over the break wall at the harbor entrance. The wind was screaming. Weather radio had it at 30 kts with gusts into the 50's. Waves were 5' growing to 10' as the day went on. Perfect. I was down below trying to quickly pour the last cup of coffee out when we hit the end of the harbor and into the surf. Coffee went every where. Up top, computers and cameras (along with everything else) flew off counters and onto the floor. Everything that was not bolted down came crashing. Even some stuff that really was bolted down eventually came crashing off.

The abuse the pounding continued for the next 6 hours. The original plan was to make it to Holland, MI for a possible layover day. We made it 60 miles (6 hours at todays speed) short of that goal due to the waves. Neither us nor possibly the boat could take it any longer. We poked our head into Pentwater to take a break and have lunch. We ended up staying the night. Getting on land was nice. We went straight to a restaurant that was luckily still serving breakfast at 1:30pm. Since I had about a half cup of coffee in me at 7am and nothing else, I was ready for eggs. No one was really sick on the trip, it was just tiring to get pounded by the waves all day.

Rob and Betsy left us in Pentwater that afternoon. They had to get back to Detroit for a wedding this weekend. The 4 of us that are left relaxed, did some work and went to bed. The wind is still screaming out there and conditions tomorrow do not look much better but we "only" have 60 miles to go. We will make the final 80 mile crossing of the lake into Chicago area on Friday morning. Erica flies out Saturday morning and I fly out Tuesday morning back to reality.

Day 11: Mackinac Island to Frankfort, MI

2009-05-19T11:07:00.002-06:00

After a great afternoon on Mackinac Island with drinks at the Grand Hotel and dinner at a local joint that specialized in whitefish, we woke up to a grey rainy morning. The excitement of the morning (other than Starbucks having no coffee) was the loss of one of our large orange fenders into the harbor. At some time early in the morning, it came loose and started to float away. To our luck, it got stuck to the inner wall of the breakwall around the harbor. We were not able to walk out and get it since the breakwall was not connected to land. Ela took the bull by the horns, smoothed down her shirt and headed over to the workers that were putting in the pilings the day earlier and talked them into taking their boat over and picking up the rogue fender. They seemed more than happy to do this for her and shortly after, our fender returned.

Rain stuck with us for a couple of hours and the wind which had stayed fairly strong all night made for a rough start to our day. Our destination was Pentwater, MI where we were planning on a great lunch of the delicious smoked fish from the local fisherman available right in the harbor. Unfortunately, there is no harbor anymore in Pentwater - at least not now. All the docks where gone and the harbor was roped off. What made this worse news was the waves were building and we were headed directly into them.

2 hours later, we made it to Frankfort - about 40 miles further south. This is a larger, well protected harbor that was open. It is clear that boating season has not yet begun in Michigan. Like all others, this harbor is totally empty. The harbor master and staff looked pretty happy to see us. Gave them something to do at least for a little while... We grilled lunch up top since the rain stopped and the sun finally came out.

I remember as a little kid sitting on a giant swing set along the lakefront watching the ships come into the harbor. I found out the ships are long gone but the old swing set still remains so I had to take a few minutes and swing. It was just as fun as I remember it!

After a walk through town, we headed back to the boat to watch the Wings / Hawks game. Go Hawks! Following that, Nuggets / Lakers are on.