Urban Search and Rescue

Erie Fire Chief at Weekly Brigade Meeting

I found out yesterday at the Brigade weekly meeting that I wasn't officially a member of the Fire Department. I had to apply! It just doesn't seem right that a Dalmatian wouldn't automatically be a member, but I filled out the application and today I was accepted! Fire Chief Aircom has given a lot of thought as to how I can fit in (other than just running after the Fire Truck):

Ever heard of a USAR Team?
Urban Search & Rescue
It's a specialty rescue unit that launches a massive response to a disaster like a hurricane, a terrorist attack or an earthquake

And he says I can be half of a K-9 team. Actually, what he said was I would have to find a handler. (After a little discussion we agreed to say partner instead of handler. )

He told me about a great web site - http://www.peopleandpaws.org/AreasofExpertise/USAR/tabid/58/Default.aspx

I'm going to study the information there to prepare for my training. I do have to find a partner first. I asked my BGF Danielle if she would like to be partners, but she has just been asked to be a Senior Role Player and may not have the time for search and rescue. We'll talk about it more later this week. I hope she can do it, but it's really an honor for her to be a Senior Role Player and I can see how it could be very time consuming.

Job Fair

What a fun evening I had yesterday! It was the Erie Job Fair, a tour of the island so that new and potential residents could see what part they might want to play. In the top picture you can see the tour group coming across the street from the Courthouse, where they learned what it takes to get on the Council and how someone can be a DJ on Erie Isle. The second picture is outside the Hospital. Doc Ran (in the white coat) and Brigade Chief Journey are in the back (they had finally stopped dancing!) with Fire Department Lieutenant Choi in the foreground. (I don't remember who the legs on the left belong to.) Right behind me you can see our Fire Hydrant - we really need one on every corner.

Brigade members were dancing when I arrived before the tour.

Doc says "glad to be brigade.. even when times are tough..we dance."

It took forever for things to rez well enough to take pictures. We were asked not to to wear radar HUDs so as to keep the lag down, but my personal opinion is that flexi hair is the lag monster. I hate being without my Mystitool - it's almost as bad as losing my sense of smell would be. Sure, I know if my friends are online, but how far away are they? I took it off, though (/me sighs noisily!).

When it was the Brigade's turn to answer questions Choi and Journey told the newcomers we need drivers, helicopter pilots, fire crew, paramedics, and even a bomb technician. Ran explained that the hospital needs nurses, orderlies, doctors, and janitors. Healers can be herbalists, whole health, and magic and science healers. I wore a title that said Fire Dog - Erie's Best Job. But really I hoped no one else would want to be a Fire Dog. I bet we could use a bloodhound for tracking or a Newfoundland for water rescue, though.

Before the group left the Sheriff talked about law enforcement jobs. The Sheriff is pretty scary so I stayed out of his way. The tour moved on to the Red Zone, where they planned to meet a surprise guest in the Butcher Shop. I kinda wanted to go, but Colly IM'd me: "I wouldn't Marzipan, or you may wind up being served" so instead I stayed and played with Jaden. We gave eskimo kisses, which didn't have anything at all to do with being an Eskimo dog - it's just rubbing noses together. Jaden says anybody with a nose can have eskimo kisses, even a Dalmatian!

I am just about blogged out now. I think it's time for a snack.

3 weeks later . . .

How embarrassing! There is a link to this blog at www.erie-isle.com and I haven't posted for three whole weeks! Bad dog!

I can explain, though - I have been so busy participating in island life that I haven't had time to keep up the blog. I am having a wonderful time and have made lots of new friends. Everyone is so nice and so much fun (well, except for the people who tried to run over me with the ambulance when I first started). I am finding I love Role Playing. It's kinda like improvisational theatre, except that you can take your time thinking about what you're going to say because everything moves rather slowly. And that's okay, because at the same time you will be juggling instant messages with several other people and waiting for lag to catch up with your typing if there are lots of people in the sim.

I wasn't sure at first just how to play a dog on Erie Isle - it's not like being myself in regular Second Life, where people take it for granted that I can talk. I've taken a couple of "emoting" classes (one offered in Erie - they are great on educating residents and have several classes each week on all kinds of topics) so I knew that I could type /me happily accepts the jerky offered to her and see it appear on the screen as

Marzipan Zanzibar happily accepts the jerky offered to her

I almost always use that format since most Erie residents can't hear me speak to them ICly. (Don't you love that abbreviation? IC for "in character" and OC for "out of character" - thus ICly and OOCly). I do attempt to talk directly to people on occasion, especially if I have important information for them. For instance, I may type <<< CAN YOU HEAR ME? >>> to get their attention at first.

I decided on this format because the symbols look a little like radio waves, and I'm hoping to convey the idea of telepathy. Often someone I'm talking to will IM me and ask if they are supposed to be able to understand me. I reply that it's up to the individual whether or not they can "hear" me. Then depending on their own character's abilities, they may say something like /me wishes she could understand the little dog, who almost seems to be trying to talk or /me's cat-like senses immediately detect what the puppy is saying.

When someone can't understand my telepathic words I have to resort to the Lassie method of communication - I bark a lot and try to get people to follow me. It's exhausting, let me tell you. How Lassie ever managed to get Timmy out of the well so many times is beyond me!

Just one picture this time - I must remember to take more, but I get so caught up in the moment it's not easy!

I'm not the only puppy on Erie Isle?