Victoria In Victorialand

Auroras 04/12/13 between 0230 and 0530.  Some of the most amazing ones that I have seen!

Where there is an airport, there be ARFF, matey…

Yaarrrrr…  Okay, I’m past the whole pirate thing.

So, one of the main reasons that the Antarctic Fire Department has a permanent station at McMurdo, a temporary station at the airfield (depends on the season and which airfield is operational – Pegasus or the seasonal (temperamental) ice runway – as well as the South Pole station (also seasonal), is to provide ARFF services.  ARFF stands for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting.  ARFF certified firefighters have gone through special courses, and they continue to train yearly, in order to become the best at handling aircraft emergencies.

From (yes I know I love it) Wikipedia –

Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) is a special category of firefighting that involves the response, hazard mitigation, evacuation and possible rescue of passengers and crew of an aircraft involved in (typically) an airport ground emergency.

Airports may have regulatory oversight by an arm of their individual national governments or voluntarily under standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Due to the mass casualty potential of an aviation emergency, the speed with which emergency response equipment and personnel arrive at the scene of the emergency is of paramount importance. Their arrival and initial mission to secure the aircraft against all hazards, particularly fire, increases the survivability of the passengers and crew on board. Airport firefighters have advanced training in the application of firefighting foams, dry chemical and clean agents used to extinguish burning aviation fuelin and around an aircraft in order to maintain a path for evacuating passengers to exit the fire hazard area. Further, should fire either be encountered in the cabin or extend there from an external fire, the ARFF responders must work to control/extinguish these fires as well.

But Tori, what does purple stuff have to do with this?

Well, I’ll tell you.  Purple stuff – AKA Purple K, and PKP –  is a dry-chemical fire suppression agent used in some dry powder fire extinguishers. (yep, Wikipedia)  It also –

Purple-K powder has an acrid taste and odor, is free-flowing, floating on most liquids, non-abrasive, does not wet with water and is compatible with most foam concentrates. It has violet color, to distinguish it from other dry agents. Its principal component is potassium bicarbonate (78–82% by weight), with addition of sodium bicarbonate (12–15%), mica (1–3%), Fuller’s earth (1–3%), amorphous silica (0.2–%), and is made hydrophobic bymethyl hydrogen polysiloxane (0.2–1%).

Purple-K is normally non-toxic, but ingestion of large amount can cause alkalosis. In high temperatures it decomposes to carbon dioxide andpotassium oxide, which is toxic and highly corrosive. (Wikipedia again)

But why am I talking about it?  Okay, last Wiki reference –

Purple-K is commonly used in oil refineries, airport ramps, service stations, military facilities, naval warships, power plants, and other places where flammable liquids are handled. It is often paired with foam in twin agent systems, usually found fitted to airport fire appliances.

Purple-K is used in many forms, from small handheld fire extinguishers to large mobile and stationary units, including fixed-nozzle piping systems.

Cleanup of spent agent can be difficult, as it creates a mess when discharged. If the spent agent is dry it can be removed by suction, but when combined with water, hydrocarbons and other liquids, it forms a thick crusty scum that can be challenging to remove.

Hrm… Why am I writing about it.  Well!  I’ll tell you!!!

The last portion that I referenced, you know, the part about the spent agent being a mess when discharged…  Well, heh, we have purple stuff in the bay.  And I have pictures and videos of the discharging process of dry chem and photos of the mess it leaves all over the place.

Enjoy!

Stay safe and purple free!

Well, at least people around here are.  With the increasing darkness, it is now time to start looking for the Aurora Australis, commonly known as the Southern Lights.  I know I blogged about them last year, as well as posted some photos, but the Southern Lights are the counterpart to the well known Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).

From Wikipedia – … It’s southern counterpart, the aurora australis (or the southern lights), has almost identical features to the aurora borealis and changes simultaneously with changes in the northern auroral zone^[7] and is visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, New Zealand, and Australia. Aurorae occur on other planets. Similar to the Earth’s aurora, they are visible close to the planet’s magnetic poles. Modern style guides recommend that the names of meteorological phenomena, such as aurora borealis, be uncapitalized.

There haven’t been any reports of the amazing phenomenon (yet) but they’re coming.  I can feel it.  The question is, how well will I be able to see them…

A few days ago, I was pulling an impromptu barista shift.  Late into the evening, two of my co-workers and I decided to play in the snow.  While Wes was doing a backwards flip into a snow angel, I decided to put my glasses into one of the pockets of our lieutenants “Big Red” and tried diving over a snow bank.  I’m short.  I didn’t make it.  After a hearty laugh and floundering in the snow, I went to retrieve my glasses and lo and behold, they were no longer in the pocket.  So there we were, in the dark, looking for my glasses.  I caught a glimpse of them against the snow and picked them up.  That’s when we discovered that my right lens was missing.  The three of us, plus a good friend of ours, Suzy, searched through the snow for the next 30 minutes or so.  No luck.

The next day at work, Raymond (our Lt), Mason, and  FlareBear (two of my other firefighters) went in search of the lens.  Marsha also informed me that she went looking for it at another point that day, and I went looking for it when I got off of work at 1500.  So around 4 hours have been spent searching for my missing lens.

It’s still missing.

I get off work at 0700 and plan on going and searching for it this afternoon, before dinner.  Hopefully the snow will continue to hold off.  The weather has been lovely as of late.  And I can still see the stars.  I’m very thankful for that.

On a positive note, once I return to my bespectacled state and peruse the photos that I plan on taking throughout the season, it will be like I’ve been down here twice in once season since I don’t have the best vision.  But for now, I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that I’m able to locate my lens and it won’t be in too terrible a shape.

I’m also very glad that I can enlarge the font on my personal computer, as well as my work computer so I don’t make too many typos when blogging.

I hear the weather is warming up back at home so stay safe and stay cool.

Tori

Dear Tori,

Why haven’t you been blogging lately?  It’s disappointing.

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

Well.  Frankly… I haven’t felt like it.  The past few weeks I’ve been averaging about three hours of sleep a night.  The exhaustion I’ve been feeling has worn me down physically and emotionally.  I also went through a pretty rough patch of the crud.  Not as bad as some people, but I still felt like poop.  I won’t lie, these past two months have been rough.  I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life and have been sticking my head in the snow trying to avoid everything.  Not literally of course.  Snow up the nose hurts.  First, it freezes all of the hair in your nostril, then it melts and you experience a feeling like snorting water up your nose…  But in all seriousness, I’ve been rather blah.  I haven’t felt like going out and experiencing the amazing beauty of this place.  I haven’t felt like going to the gym.  I haven’t even felt like going out and taking photos.  (I know, weird…)  I haven’t felt like doing much of anything.

But, on a good note, I have amazing friends here.  Friends that I can talk to, vent to, complain to…  And that’s why I’m here.  This place is now an extension of my home and family.  No one here is a replacement for my family or friends at home.  There are times when I want to be with my parents more than a person dying of thirst wants a glass of water.

Things are looking up though.  We’ve been having more recreational opportunities happen so that helps with the “routine” around here.  I’ve also taken up a few more opportunities than I did last year.  I’m working as a barista at our makeshift coffee house.  The building that is the actual coffeehouse has been closed for the season.  It’s now in one of the bars that is being used as a lounge due to renovations occurring in 155.  During the summer, it’s the bar I prefer to go to because of the games (shuffleboard, darts and billiards).  I’m also a peer counselor, but I haven’t had to use my listening skills with anyone yet.

So, just bear with me while I find my feet again.  I’m working on getting back to my normal self.

Stay safe and warm-

Tori

Antarctica is a harsh continent.  The winter residents here at McMurdo prepare for the worst several times during the year by performing Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) drills.  Because we are isolated and cannot depend on any outside assistance, we are all interdependent upon each other for survival.  At the beginning of the winter season, we were all given a survey to provide input on any relevant training we may have for such an occurance.  People were also given the opportunity to sign up to be part of the walking blood bank as well as volunteer for tasking if an incident occurs.  If an event happens, I’ll be working in dispatch with Wes and Marsha, so Iwould be unable to do any of the extra taskings.  Some of the other tasks include:

• Stretcher bearers – Pretty self explanatory
• Recorders – People that basically stick with the medical department personnel and record everything that goes on
• Runners – People that pass along information between all of the different groups involved in the incident
• SAR – Search and Rescue team
• EOC – Emergency Operation Center
• HASTY team – Transportation
• MedAux Triage
• MedAux First Aid
• MedAux Blood Bank
• MedAux Xray
• Security

  

On March 14th, there was a mock medical set up for an MCI event.  In the event of an MCI, the Firehouse becomes Primary medical and the “hospital” becomes secondary but all of the seriously injured patients will go there.  All vehicles are removed from the bay and the town will come over and set things up to prepare for patients.  This time, since there was no actual event, the fire department personnel helped with the set up of the event. 

Attached are a few pictures from the drill.  I didn’t take these shots, these were taken by Melanie Troftgruben. 

 

Stay safe and warm!

And other styrofoam items!

No, really.  Packing peanuts are banned from Antarctica.  Sure, we get family members sending us things (no, not me personally, but I’ve recently run across a bag of packing peanuts in Skua central from a well meaning family members), and we get frowned upon for receiving items with this.  Why?

Fact:  We at McMurdo recycle about 70% of what we receive.  Fact #2:  Packing peanuts are non-recylable.  That and it is REALLY windy here.  A couple of those buggers escape and they’re off to who knows where.  Fact is, they’re really bad for the environment.  Let me go ahead and wave my hippie flag and hug a tree, but really, they’re bad.  Even with as much as I like filling the cab of Mike Baker’s truck with them, they’re bad.

Dear Tori,

I’m still taking questions, but right now I have a few that I can answer.  Others are going to take me a while to answer, but as soon as I find out the correct information, I’ll answer them in other posts.  I’m looking at you, Andy Hall.

Dear Tori,

Do you have any pets on base?

and

Do firefighters count?  If so, I have six of them this season. 

In all honesty though, no, we don’t have pets.  Nor do we have chia pets either.  Plants are also banned* (There are some special provisions for the greenhouse, but we won’t have the greenhouse this winter season)

From Wikipedia – Some U.S. laws directly apply to Antarctica. For example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, Public Law 95-541, 16 U.S.C. § 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for the following activities, unless authorized by regulation or statute:

• the taking of native Antarctic mammals or birds
• the introduction into Antarctica of non-indigenous plants and animals
• entry into specially protected or scientific areas
• the discharge or disposal of pollutants into Antarctica or Antarctic waters
• the importation into the U.S. of certain items from Antarctica

Violation of the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to US$10,000 in fines and one year in prison.

Frankly, I can’t think of a single pet I would own that I’d risk paying $10,000 in fines for keeping and spending time in prison for.  Plus feeding it could be a problem and I don’t want to think about what it would be like to have to walk a dog outside here.  Not to mention cleaning up after it. 

Goblin, you wouldn’t want to spend all day locked in a building now, would you?

Thanks for the questions y’all!  I’ll get in touch with you about getting your addresses.

Stay warm!

But YOU haven’t!

Most of my readers (and you all are lovely readers at that…) haven’t been to Antarctica…  If there are any particular questions that you want answered (and I will answer them publicly in a post so you’ve been warned)…  Email me at victoriatparker@gmail.com.

The people who send me questions that I choose to answer will receive lovely prizes!

This video was filmed on Friday, February 22nd, 2013 at approximately 0300.  This is my walk to work.