Because it's there.....

Hey again.

As all of you know, I am a Volunteer Fire fighter.

Every year, The Luekaemia and Blood Cancer foundation do a charity drive to raise money.

It's the Sky Tower climb. 51 Flights, 1103 steps. 750 Firefighters. Sounds easy? 

Well when you consider we are wearing our structual gear, and a BA set (Breathing Apparatus) and sucking a cylinder dry at a great rate of speed it's not so easy. And YOUR CLIMBING THE SKYTOWER!

          I'm in my third year of doing it. And a little over it, and I haven't even climbed the tower yet

It's the training.

You start of easy, just level two's (structure gear) nothing else. And climb stairs.  In our case we do Bridal veil fall steps.

There is 261 of them, Designed and built by a 9 foot tall man with a stride of about 4m.                                They are uneven, long, short, steep, shallow and lethal. And no place for a man of my stride.

We do that 4 times. 4 X 261 = 1044steps.

It's a nasty start to the day.

Then we move onto the Raglan surf steps. 99 of them, built and designed by a hobbit. So small you have to take two at a time which means you need to be 7ft tall to not feel the lactose acid build up in your legs. Now we wear a BA on our back, an extra 25kgs. Heavy and Uncomfortable.

We do that 18 times.  18 X 99 = 1782steps.

It's a real nasty start to the day.

THEN! we move onto the Wharf steps. 66 of them. Designed well enough to get into a good stepping rhythm. Only problem is there is no rest time as the short walk back down allows no time to rest or get your breath back so by number 20, your lungs are screaming, your legs shake, your hot, And your beathing with a mask on and trying to save the 180Bar of pressure in your cylinder, 

                            (By the way, you need approx 200bar to get to the top of the Sky tower)

1320 stairs later you are knackered. You collapse on the ground and try to breathe normally and trying not to puke. And clap each other on the back and know in 2 days, it's time to do it all over again.

              Put on top of that the fundraising we are asked to do, it is a big ask. Is it worth it?

Hell yes. I have seen first hand what this cancer does to a small boy, His Parents, His Brother, His Family.

Every cent we raise goes towards this foundation, Every drop of sweat I make is nothing compared to what people with this cancer go through, So I will climb more stairs, 3 times a week, for four months,                                                  until May 23 when I climb the Tower.

So If your reading this, and you have a spare dollar or 10. Please consider that we do this not for us, but for those who cant. So donate to our team. Please.

Brett Soanes.

John Oetzel.

Dirk De Ruysscher.

Daniel Mills.

Leanna Darby.

David Thompson.

Stephen O'bryne.

Nigel Mcleod.

https://secure.leukaemia.net.nz/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=84399&langPref=en- CA&Referrer=http%3a%2f%2ffirefightersclimb.org.nz%2f#&panel1-2

The body.....

No. Not Elle McPhersons amazing body.

Mine, or what I like to call the unit of failure.

You see in a week I have to have another repair job done on another part of me, This time my arm.
Well in fact my left elbow. Tennis elbow decompression.
I have had to many Cortisone shots to hide the pain and the damage.

As a builder, we use our body as everything from a digger to a forklift, let me explain.
We dig footings, lots of footings. Most houses would have a total of about 75m to 90m approx of lineal length. X's that by a conservative estimate of say 18 to 20 homes that's 1.8 kilometres of footings dug.

Then think of the lifting, a sheet of Gibb is about 15 to 18kg. 100 sheets in average house that's 1800kg, Then X's that by houses built, holy shit that's 36.000KG!
That's equivalent to lifting a fully laden concrete truck!
Then Joists, Bearers, trusses etc etc etc....

So the body takes a beating, Shoulders, Knees, backs, elbows......
I have been building since I was 16 years old. I'm now 42. That's 26 years.

Okay so some benefits are your stronger, fitter, you work in the sun, fresh air and you the customer get a lovely quality built house.

Its not so bad,
Its just the fact that when you get up in the morning things take a while to warm up.
My knees pop, And I mean so loud my wife hears them in the lounge.
My shoulders need to be gently told they need to move.
My ankles crack when I take a step.
My Back needs to be slowly straightened so it doesn't cramp.

I have had repairs to most joints in my body, My doctor says my knees will be shot by the time I'm 50.
But do I care, No,

I have built houses that look amazing
I have seen more sun than the average office worker ever will.
I don't breath recycled air.
I have created homes for people to live in and call their home.
I have travelled the world because of my skill.

Would I do it all again the same. Yes I would, Because I'm a builder, And I build shit you cant.

Builder.

Points, But not for scoring a try.....

As you all know, I'm a builder.

A damn good one, I have nearly 26 years experience in the trade.
I have built Homes, Offices, Hospitals,Garages, South Pole stations,Play grounds,Fences, Retaining walls....

You get the idea.
Now to do this I completed a Building course, an Apprenticeship, Then sat Trade Certificate Carpentry and Passed.
So, I was a Qualified Builder.

Then along came The Cowboy's, Guy's who liked the fact that you could build a house, make load's of money, Rip off the customer with a crappy build and move on. And who had no qualifications at all.

Insert leaky building syndrome here >

Everyone got shitty, Builders, Government, Local councils, home owners.
So the Government came up with a brilliant idea. Register all builders, Make them prove they're Qualified.
Then make them gain points, by reading. Not by building.
Great Idea. Get rid of the cowboy's!

Licensed Building Practitioner.  Mr Mcleod you wish to be registered
Me.   Yes, Yes I do.
LBP.  Are you Trade cert Qualified?
Me. Why Yes, Here is my certificate.
LBP.  Great! Can you prove you can build a house correctly?
Me.  Yes, Just built one, All done and to code. Nice 4 bedroom. Double glazing blah blah blah....
LBP. Can you prove you built it?
Me. Ahhhhh yeah, I did it.
LBP. Can anyone else?
Me.  My wife, she watched the whole thing, My Friends. Isn't my trade Certificate enough proof.
LBP. No. Has to be another builder, Sorry we will need to assess you.
Me.   Assess me? How.
LBP. I am sending you a document you must read and understand, then I will ask 10 questions about it.
Me. About construction?
LBP. No, about the regulations of building a house.
Me.   ?????????????????????????????????Bloody hell???????????????????????????????????

So to get my license I didn't have to build a damn thing. I have to answer a quiz. And every two years I have to gain 24 points. Points are collected by reading building magazines (yes Builders can read) And by attending trade displays or shows.
1 point for an hour of reading.
1 point for each hour of learning.

BUT NO POINTS FOR BUILDING A FREAKING HOUSE!  Really? the main thing we do, signed off by council and yet we're not allowed to use this as a great way to say "look what I built, A compliant house to code"
It's a great scheme, executed poorly, a bit like the search for WMD's in Iraq. Look's good on paper But nothing is there.

Don't get me wrong, Great that the cowboys have gone, but the point system is a little like the Duckworth Lewis in cricket, you think you have it in the bag, But your not quite sure........

Builder.

I have not one but two......

Recently, quite, actually.

I attended a QFF course at the NTC.
In English, Qualified Fire Fighter, at the National Training Centre.

To improve my fire fighting skills and knowledge, Great course.
While there, I got invovled in a debate with a trainer,

went like this....

Trainer- Why are you taking so long?!
Builder- Im working through the steps so I dont fuck anything up.
Trainer- But your a FF (Fire Fighter) you should know it!
Builder- I do, I just need to recall everything so I dont fuck this up.
Trainer- Just do it!
Builder- I will, and I am, and I did.
Went on for a bit, after at lunch, I talked to him

It was very frustrating, you see, I have two Jobs, unlike you.
I am a Builder.
And, I am a Volunteer Fire fighter.

I don't live and breathe Firefighting.
I don't stay at the Fire station ready to go
I don't work with other fire fighters, so I dont talk about jobs, practices etc
I don't have the mindset of a permanent FF

I do have another job
I do have to switch on when my pager goes
I do have to get to the Fire station
I do have to deal with the same issues as you


I explained to him.
When your siren goes off, your at the station, In the truck. And its go go go.

When I'm working and the siren goes off, I have to switch from " how do I fit that 75X25 into that frame"
To, "I'm going to a house fire, Level 2's, BA, entry techniques, Safety, Shit all my tools are lying all over the site hope they are there when I get back, No1 posistion or No2. Low pressure, HPD's?
Water to the truck, Feeders the list goes on and on.

SO, I do the same job as you, I just need to change my thinking, when all you do is think it.

Oh, and one more thing, I don't get paid to risk my life as you do.

Builder.

Something different.

Most of you will know.

1, I am a builder.
2, I am a father.
3, I am a Volunteer Fire fighter for the Raglan Brigade.

In no particular order,  Which makes my life very interesting.

Example, about a month ago while working on the house my pager went off. So I have to drop my tools, Not literally as they are bloody expensive, And bolt to the fire station jump on the truck and go.

I cannot answer pages however when I look after my two girls. Annika (5) and Riley (4) they come first. Always.

Last night was a little different. I was at home with everyone fast asleep in bed when off went the pager, this still means I have to move fast,
And even faster still when the pager says "House fire" and don't think I was the only one not "hauling ass"

So I didn't have to drop tools, but I did have to drop dinner, Fires have no sense of timing I tell you.
Beetroot risotto. Yum.
Down to the station with the other guys, Scramble on board the trucks,
 (sorry Dirk for stealing your spot on 391)
And off we go, Check you PPE (personal protection equipment) your BA  (breathing apparatus) and look up in time to see the glow of a house fire.


3 hours later and lots of water. The fire is out.  And we are all buggered as it is now 02.00 and the adrenaline has worn off.
Roll up the hoses, stow the gear back to the station, re-commission the BA sets, check the radios, Hang your wet smokey gear up, go home have a shower crawl into bed get up at 06.00.
(sorry Dirk for stealing your spot on 391)
Lots of fun.
Then do it again when the pager goes off at 08.20 but this time I have the girls, So as we drive past the station I stop, help open the door get the radios in the truck and sit with the girls and watch the truck go off on yet another callout. (sorry Dirk for stealing your spot on 391)

We have a good crew at Raglan,  A bloody good crew.

So if you ever are in Raglan and you hear the siren go off, don't worry, The Raglan brigade is on it.


Builder.

The Client.

Ahh yes, The Client, Owner, The all important bill payer.

Now don't get me wrong, the client can be great, Or can be someone you wish to bury with the 9 cubic metres of concrete you just poured.

Let's start with the good client.
They listen!
 Look, I have a fuck load of knowledge when it comes to building and Construction. A fuck load.
I have built at the South Pole, THE SOUTH POLE.
So when I say, That is not going to work, Trust me, it's not going to work.
(You can't shove a square peg into a round hole, And Shut up Mr Aitken) 
But, I can cut a curve with a skill saw.

They pay their account's on time.  
Which means I can live, and everyone screaming at me can get their cut.

They don't show up every day and demand to know why your sitting down every time they come by.
 Look you just happen to visit on your lunch and smoko breaks, 
Which shock horror, happen to be mine! Imagine that!

And they don't try to understand the plan drawings the Architect has done. Fuck, even I don't sometimes.
But that is another blogg.


The bad client.

Well its obvious. 
 1  They're Australian.        (Yes I dislike Australians)
 2  They don't listen.        ( I hate talking to concrete walls)
 3  They don't Pay on time.
 4  They show up at lunch and smoko and moan like a politician why your not working!
 5  And they change the plan without telling me, I fucken hate that. 
    (nothing like throwing away 19 hours of work so Missy can have a bigger ensuite, lose some weight bitch)

So if your my client, Listen to me, Pay me, Don't tell me what to do, Respect that I have to eat.

And I promise the workmanship you get from me will be outfuckingstanding!


Builder.

Sub-Contractors.

Sub Contractors.  Subbies.
No not stubbies, those wonderful shorts all tough men wore in the 70s and 80s.

I'm talking Electricians, Plumbers, Stoppers, Painters, roofers, carpet layers, the list goes on.
Anyone you need to finish your project that you cant do, (or want to do) yourself.
We need them, And they know it.

They are a time paradox.   Let me explain.

You contract say a Gib stopper, Good price, you know the skill level is high, Happy to have him/her
work on your house.
Your time however, is not their time, Remember this.

If said job will be started Monday, Take a couple of weeks, They mean in another dimension of this reality.
Because in fact on your job, start time is somewhere after morning smoko, or when the surf is crap.

Once started, expect a time loop hole to occur, this is when every time you see them they seem to be still holding a cigarette or a coffee, And standing in the exact same spot that you saw them in last time.
Strangely, somehow the plaster does seem to appear on walls.
(The time Paradox in effect)

I do believe they have a secret society where every month they meet and laugh at how the builder lost his rag when they didn't show up for two days work in a row.



Don't get me wrong, the work is completed. But never on time. NEVER!
I have lost days, weeks, months, sitting on the phone tracking down wayward painters, Electricians to no avail.

Once you sign them up, Einstein's theory goes out the window.
You want time travel don't call a physicist, Call a Sub Contractor.


Builder.