Thursday, August 25, 2011

A Shaker Makes New Memories

It’s not often the east coast experiences an earthquake, 1897 by some accounts being the last one in the Virginia environs. The DC metro area including sections of Maryland and Virginia are used to major incidents, other than snow, an inch of which cripples the entire area. I waited an hour and a half before trying Mike to see how things were first hand. A fast busy was followed by a connected call, which surprised him as he couldn’t make calls at all, so busy were the circuits.

“Did you feel it?” I opened.

“Oh yeah, you could say that. I was riding the squad and we were on New Hampshire Avenue on an 8 inch high pressure gas main leak. “Montgomery County Squad 15 is a heavy rescue with a 32 ft. walk-in box, not a small rig.

“I was putting my airpack back in the bracket when the squad starting shaking. I thought somebody was screwing around in the back until I stood back and could see the whole thing moving.”

The officer was Fitz, a captain. “He came around the rig and yelled for everyone to get dressed again.” If the gas main ruptured, it could get interesting real fast.

Luckily it stayed quiet after that, Mike told me. I’m sure 5.8 is nothing to get excited about on the west coast, but it’s different back east. This will not rise to the level of where were you when Kennedy was shot or on 9/11, but a lot of people will remember it for a long time.

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