Blog 4 - A Lonely Night!

    So tonight marks the first night I get to sit behind the Dispatcher Desk, by my lonesome, for the entire night! Yes, that is correct, the entire night! Every night one of the firefighters gets put on Dispatch duty for the evening. During this time we are responsible for all the phone and radio traffic that takes place here in McMurdo. Any call that originates on Base, or even from the Mainland, gets routed through the Dispatch Center and it is up to us to get the caller to their desired destination, or to give them the information they are looking for.

    Now the Dispatch job does not only involve phone calls or radio traffic, it also involves dealing with someone we call FRED. Now FRED is our friendly fire, trouble, emergency warning system that is connected to all buildings based here in McMurdo. If a fire alarm sounds in a building, FRED tells us, if the heat goes out in a building, FRED tells us. Now FRED is like any person and he can be very temperamental or moody at times. On his good days he's a normal person who tells us what we need and that's it. On other days though FRED can get very PISSY and send us erroneous calls or trouble alarms just because he feels like it. For the most part FRED is good, but when it's 0300 in the morning and FRED decides to go crazy, it's not a really good relationship you build with him that day.

    So it is my duty to man the desk tonight and to hope FRED stays in a good mood. I can handle the phone calls and all, but if FRED starts going off, I just might have to get my boss up from his wonderful sleep and ask for a little help???

    Right now I'm typing this blog out and listening to some music. I'll probably stay up until 12 or 1 and then maybe try and sleep. Oh, I forgot to tell you, the Dispatch Office is connected to another room that has a bed inside it. This is the place the nightly Dispatcher can cuddle up and try and catch some ZZZZZ's if they are able to hear the phone ring, or FRED get angry in the other room. I might try a nap or two, but I think I can also sleep in the chair just like I did when I was at school and sleeping during certain classes! :-)

    Well that pretty much ends my work day on Saturday and starts my work day on Sunday, or at least Sunday morning. Our day today on Base was a little different because our weather was brought to a Condition 2 from a Condition 3. There are a lot of reasons that help rank the weather from a Condition 3 to a Condition 1, but just to make it easy; a Condition 3 is when things are all fine and dandy and everyone can go about their business and do their duties, a Condition 2 on the other hand means the wind is blowing too hard, the temperature has fallen to far, or the visibility has reduced a bunch. With a Condition 2 there is a warning to everyone, restrictions on certain duties, and just all around more caution for all. Then comes the Condition 1, or the worst scenario here. A Condition 1 means everything pretty much stops. No traveling here, there, or anywhere. No driving, walking, or anything outside, unless it is a dire emergency and you have permission. A Condition 1 happens from high winds, very cold temperatures, and little to NO visibility. Condition 1s usually bring out the ropes between buildings to help people move between them if needed.

    So those are our Weather Condition descriptions here in McMurdo. This is our first Condition 2 here in town, and a lot of us NEWBIES are looking forward to seeing our first Condition 1 here in town. They don't happen often, but they usually do happen once or twice a winter, so we still have plenty of time!!!!

    OK, that about does it for my day here at McMurdo. Started out calmer, but then moved into a little bit windier, cold conditions. Our daylight is waning away more and more every day and it will soon be leaving us for good, but in the meantime it lessens more and more each day. Winter is coming!!!!

    I hope to get out there and get some more photos of town so all can get an idea what exists down here in Antarctica for us. Believe it or not, you'll be pretty damned surprised what we all have here, way more than most people would imagine for being so far from anywhere!!!

    Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer temperatures that I'm sure are arriving for all of you. I on the other hand enjoy the colder temperatures and look forward to more!!! Enjoy and I'll all Blog ya later!!!

    OH, I almost forgot the craziest thing that happened today, some of us got a chance to see a very rare and elusive animal that lives here in Antarctica. This animal is not very well studied, or understood, and most people didn't think is really exists, but the photo I have pretty much varifies it for everyone. I hope you all can see it well, the photo may be a little off, but I'm pretty sure you'll be able to make it out and be able to tell people you've seen it and believe it. OK, here it is, and I hope you all enjoy it!!!!