This is hilarious,I'd love to find some of this to give away as gifts, I already have some reciepients in mind. E would hate it,which makes me want to find it even more.

My best friend and his wife. Professional firefighter,business owner and all around great human. He would not only give you the shirt off his back,but he'd also help you change into it. I've known JS for many years starting when he first came to SIVFD as a junior,we lost touch over the years, but over the past few years,we've reconnected and our friendship has flourished.

I could'nt ask for a better friend.

I can only hope to be as good a friend in return.

More creature comforts,less miles. New on top.

July 3, 2009
House fire for Mooresville. Hot day,Hot fire,just "Hot as Hell" in general.
Family out to watch commercial fireworks. Dog saved, house and cat total loss. This sucker took off,arrived onscene heavy smoke showing, hose team inside. 45 secs later ,evac alarm, secs later roof collapse. Go defensive. Hell of a job, Eng 1,2,3,4, Tower 1,Mooresville Rescue.

BEAUTIFUL!!

WHY WASN"T THIS ON THE FRONT PAGE NEWS?
Navy Petty Officer Mike Monsoor PO2 (EOD2) (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Mike Monsoor, a Navy EOD Technician, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for jumping on a grenade in Iraq, giving his life to save his fellow Seals. (Notice: Mike was not a Navy SEAL, he was EOD.He gave his life to save a group of Navy SEALS.)During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego , as his coffin was being moved from the hearseto the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery , SEAL's were lined up on both sidesof the pallbearers route forming a column of two's,with the coffin moving up the center. As Mike'scoffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident from his uniform, slapped it downembedding the Trident in the wooden coffin.The slaps were audible from across the cemetery; by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents pinned to it.This was a fitting send-off for a warrior hero...This should be front-page news instead of the crap we see every day..Since the media won't make this news, I choose to make it news by forwarding it .I am very proud of our military. If you are proud too, please pass this on. If not then rest assured that these fine men and women of our military will continue to serve and protect. God Bless our Troops

Almost ready for "PROM" (I still don't get all the fuss and mess to get ready for 4 hours of standing around looking at the same goobers you look at five days a week.) I've been yelled at,huffed and puffed to death,and I was just there to take pictures. As long as Ruby has fun I guess all of Ellen's stress and "BOSSY HEIFERING" was worth it.

This is Ruby. Our neighbors daughter and the closest thing Ellen and I have to a child. This is a practice pic for prom. Ruby is a very special person to a large group of people. She is a great friend and a sweet,sweet soul.She has all the problems of any teen and then some ,but she has learned to adapt and overcome them. Ruby does fairly well in school and as a junior at South Iredell Vol. Fire Dept.

I can't say how proud I am of her enough, she tries so very hard to balance her life and does a good job,though at times she struggles.

I hope she has a blast tonight and all the fun she can(I still don't understand why it's taken three days and an army of people to get to this point,but if she has fun,I guess it will all be worth it).

In the end Ruby means so much to Ellen and I and we will continue to help and support her all we can.

Ruby,

Have fun tonight.

I LOVE YOU!

Jimmy

What the hell are you doing? Why are you taking my picture? Is it just me or is everyone paranoid,or am I the one who's mentally unstable.

Actually I think he just took the same test I did last saturday. Felt pretty good about it,SUCKED in actuality.

To lead a dogs life,no worries about housework,bills or much of anything else,except when and where to go pee and/or poop.

DooOfffUUUssS says: I found the dirt!

Monday afternoon already losing the snow.

My Princess and THE QUEEN.

Driving home during the biggest(for us) snowstorm in several years. About 11:45 Sunday night.

This is part of the group that I'm so very proud to call My Brothers. They serve our community and protect it by placing themselves in harms way. Some do this as a paid position or by volunteering with other agencies,(rescue squad,etc.). This is the group that stood-by Sunday night during the snow. It's not always life or death,sometimes just for fun.

Thanks to ALL who are willing to put their lives between danger and it's potential victims.

"For there is no greater love,than to lay down your life for a friend."

Last night was tough, I've had my EMT since '07, since then I've been to a stabbing(he didn't make it), more car wrecks than I can count(without being naked),overdoses, attempted suicides,family members finding their loved ones dead and then last night I went to a call to a girl's house that I sortof grew up with. I rode the school bus with her,worked for her daddy and brothers( the oldest brother died several years ago), last night her nieces found her, after no body had heard from her all day.The age alone makes it close to home. Yet I'm still considering making this my career.

Like the old saying goes "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."

This is part of my job in life. I hover around putting out fires for the people in my life. Everything from keys locked in cars to medical situations. I really try to make a difference in the lives around me. I know I have made a difference in at least one. She tells me all the time how she couldn't get-by without me. This means the world to me because she means the world to me. It may not always be in her time, But I'm always on the pad, just waiting, rotors waiting to turn, not only for her, but for all my friends and my community.

The "beedy nastard".

If you've been to the RenFest you'll be able to figure this out.

If not it's called a "spoonerism", explained by Zilch- the torysteller. Lost you yet?

It's serfectly pimple,you citch your swonsonants,fack and borth.

If you still cant figure it out,YOU NEED TO GET OUT MORE.

MOM!!!!!!! YOUR FROWING SKILL SSSSSSSSSUUUUUUXXXXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!

WTF!!!!
This deer just heard about the idiots at some big bank who's in trouble for moving up the delivery of the BONUSES for his executives! With all the bailouts and bank collapses this dooofuuussss is still publicly annoucing bonuses for top execs.
And our new governor's staff is expecting people invited to the Governor's birthday(I think) party to pay $10,000 U.S. DOLLARS to attend.
What are these morons thinking?

Four people in this pic?

The two washing wenches and ME, 5'11" 368#'s.

This was last Sept.,since then down 55#'s,hopefully I can keep it up,Iknow it'll slow down. But I'd really like to be around what I was at graduation(almost 23 years ago)210#'s.

Wish me patience, my wife/social secretary/conscience/PIMA can really get on the most infinitesimal part of my nerves. So wish me patience she's gonna need it.

This is my dog. The Queen,my beautiful intelligent Lab, RAVEN.
She is in charge, don't believe it ask her,(or Taz) and you will find out.

GET OUT OF HER BUTT! LAY DOWN! STOP! LEAVE HER ALONE! GeT Out OF hER BuTt!!! TAAAAZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!

This set of phrases are a constant reminder that we have an IGMO living in our house. The dumbest,most hard headedest dog in Iredell county. Scared of almost everything, guns (not only the sound,but the sight of a gun), grill tongs, and thunder. But, he's the sweetest, most even tempered fido in the world.

So I present to you my wife's "special needs" dog,

TAZ

INTEGRITY: Doing whats right even when noone is watching.

What makes one person so much different than everybody else. This a pic from a training fire that our dept. and several others did.

Most people see abunch of smoke and head for the exits,add flames and they "grab another gear". Others see smokeand flames and they're frozen in place.

And then you have The Brotherhood that "Dances where the devil plays", of course I mean firefighters. Women and men who have dedicated their lives to risking their own to save others.

Whether entering a flaming structure to see if anyone was left behind or standing in the middle of a busy road to redirect traffic at a wreck, getting out of bed and leaving their loved ones to go help friends and strangers both,many times at the worst times of their lives.

What makes a person do this? DEDICATION. Because they have chosen to help their community and without exception all those in it.

These men and women live and unfortunately die by the words HONOR, PRIDE and INTEGRITY.

They are called HEROS by those inthe general population and given awards and honors for bravery and heroism even sometimes posthumously, but ask them and they would give it all up to have saved that one casualty or for the event to have never occured.

Firefighting isn't just a job, it is a PASSION, all consuming.

So to all my sisters and brothers,from a brother, only two words,

THANK YOU !

James R. Benfield

SIVFD 1246

Not quite one of those days but realatively close!

do you know what 2" of rain +45mph winds = ?

trees down,power lines down, all over our little county.

and in our district, called over the radio to E-comm, a true to life,yes-by-god, dyed in the wool,real live "WORKING TREE FIRE" ! I guess the high winds and lots of water, bring out all the goobers. Not just the ones driving their cars, who cain't follow simple directions( turn-by-turn for some), or think they're special and can drive by the BIG white truck(with it's lights flashing, like a dope dealers pager at a crack house picnic),and the 321lbs fireman(in his highly reflective,get down-disco model bunker coat and shiny black fire helment) standing in the middle of a major thoroughfare like he ain't got good sense, and go wherever they're going because its more important than everybody else's tiny insignificant little lives. But also apparently one in a firetruck.

My better half tells me that "I" have "Road Rage" and I ever-so gently inform her that it's not "Road Rage", "IT'S STUPID RAGE".

Actually I don't suffer from it I enjoy every ^*%$#@!*&^ minute of it.

If you don't believe GOD has a sense of humor just look around you or at a platypus.

COURAGE:
being the only one
who knows you are
scared

My wife,My LOVE.

The greatest event in my life was meeting her.

She gives my life balance

She's the one on the left.

Ain't got a clue as to what I'm doing here, but just like life and marriage "jump with both feet".

At forty I never thought I'd do this but my wife wants me to try.