Training
with SMUD
“Professionalism”
This
is one of the first lessons our instructors preached in the classroom.
“When you come out of that SMUD
vehicle, you represent our company".
Too bad professionalism didn’t apply to our teachers while teaching. I couldn’t understand half the lecture as our teachers chewed tobacco and spit into a water bottles while
lecturing. They were asked several times to repeat themselves because no one could understand their slurred speech
between the chewing and spitting of tobacco or the eating and spitting of sunflower seeds mid lecture.
Blindfolded
You’re not allowed to look at your feet while climbing, even though your feet should be placed
on a specific part of the pole. I understand after you learn how to climb to no longer look down, but initially? It was a week before they advised me that I could glance down at my feet to make
sure my feet were properly placed, (this is after I brought it up in our evaluations),
after a week of people falling off the pole and getting splintered arms and chests, how were these people to improve when
they kept yelling… “ don’t look at your feet, look to where you are climbing”. Its funny how the following Monday all the instructors came out and started to emphasize form… are
you kidding me??? After a week??? Was it funny to watch people falling, injuring
themselves after a week? How is someone’s technique to improve when you
cant even verify your feet are place properly. I compare climbing to learning
a golf swing, very complex, but try learing how to golf without looking at your feet.
- -
Teaching
technique… these guys are horrible teachers…. Lets go through 46 wire sizes, and I mean right
through… then question people immediately after to check retention… going through the sizes is ok, but then asking
the class in a semi-quiz immediately after? Sorry, no Rainman types in here. And when asked and you didn’t know, they act like you weren’t paying attention.
- Back to professionalism….. lets take some wagers on which students will drop the class…..
I actually saw money exchange hands! So apparently there wasn’t any bias
by the instructors in choosing which students to help, and which students to flounder.
Do you really believe a teacher is going to go out of their way to assist a student that they have a bet against? We both know the answer to that.
Physical Aspects….
Running??? It’s a wonder it took a whole week for you guys to close down the running segments of our training. I know how safe it is to run in heeled boots and all, but out in the field, during
a storm, in the dark, is way more practical. I know how much running all those guys must be doing with
their guts hanging over their belts.... The same guys who demonstrate climbing technique and soon are seen hunched
over out of wind. Running is so essential to the job. But makes me wonder, why would they close down all the running
after a week?
Dehydration
100 plus degrees
outside and I have the chills all day? Is this a sign of heat exhausting?? So I look it up online.... Signs and symptoms
Heat prostration, or heat exhaustion, is characterized by mental confusion, muscle cramps, and often nausea or vomiting.
At this stage the victim will likely be sweating profusely. With continued exposure to ambient heat, which sometimes is facilitated
by the mental confusion, temperature may rise into the 39 to 40 °C range (103 to 104 °F), and lead to full-blown heat stroke.
One of the body's most important methods of temperature regulation is perspiration. This process draws heat from inside, allowing it to be carried off by radiation and/or convection. Evaporation of the sweat furthers the cooling process, since this is an endothermic process that draws yet more heat from the body. When the body becomes sufficiently dehydrated to prevent the production of sweat, this avenue of heat reduction is closed. When the body is no longer capable of sweating,
core temperature begins to rise swiftly.
Victims may become confused, may become hostile, often experience headache, and may seem intoxicated. Due to dehydration, blood pressure may drop significantly, leading to possible fainting or dizziness, especially if the victim stands suddenly. As blood pressure drops, heart rate and respiration rate will increase (tachycardia and tachypnea) as the heart attempts to supply enough oxygen to the body. The skin will become red as blood vessels dilate in an attempt to increase heat dissipation. As heat stroke progresses, the decrease in blood pressure will cause
blood vessels to contract, resulting in a pale or bluish skin colour. Complaints of feeling hot may be followed by chills and trembling, as is the case in fever. Some victims, especially young children, may suffer convulsions. Acute dehydration such as that accompanying heat stroke can produce nausea and vomiting; temporary blindness may also be observed. Eventually, as body organs begin to fail, unconsciousness and coma will result.
Under very rare circumstances, a person may exhibit symptoms similar to heat stroke without suffering a heat stroke.Signs and symptoms
Heat prostration, or heat exhaustion, is characterized by mental confusion, muscle cramps, and often nausea or vomiting.
At this stage the victim will likely be sweating profusely. With continued exposure to ambient heat, which sometimes is facilitated
by the mental confusion, temperature may rise into the 39 to 40 °C range (103 to 104 °F), and lead to full-blown heat stroke.
One of the body's most important methods of temperature regulation is perspiration. This process draws heat from inside, allowing it to be carried off by radiation and/or convection. Evaporation of the sweat furthers the cooling process, since this is an endothermic process that draws yet more heat from the body. When the body becomes sufficiently dehydrated to prevent the production of sweat, this avenue of heat reduction is closed. When the body is no longer capable of sweating,
core temperature begins to rise swiftly.
Victims may become confused, may become hostile, often experience headache, and may seem intoxicated. Due to dehydration, blood pressure may drop significantly, leading to possible fainting or dizziness, especially if the victim stands suddenly. As blood pressure drops, heart rate and respiration rate will increase (tachycardia and tachypnea) as the heart attempts to supply enough oxygen to the body. The skin will become red as blood vessels dilate in an attempt to increase heat dissipation. As heat stroke progresses, the decrease in blood pressure will cause
blood vessels to contract, resulting in a pale or bluish skin colour. Complaints of feeling hot may be followed by chills and trembling, as is the case in fever. Some victims, especially young children, may suffer convulsions. Acute dehydration such as that accompanying heat stroke can produce nausea and vomiting; temporary blindness may also be observed. Eventually, as body organs begin to fail, unconsciousness and coma will result.
Under very rare circumstances, a person may exhibit symptoms similar to heat stroke without suffering a heat stroke.
