C shift

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2011-08-01T10:33:00.001-07:00

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The most wonderful time of the year

2011-05-11T16:01:00.002-07:00

On May 5th, the members of C shift gathered after work at the Warren Country Inn to schedule our 2011/2012 vacations.

Training our volunteers

2011-04-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Volunteer firefighters receiving Mayday and rescue training today from FFPM Loveall.

CPR refresher

2011-03-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

The stellar C-shifters in Rainier recertified our CPR cards today.

PALS and FIRES

2011-03-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

FFPM Tim Hennigan came in on his day off to teach the Rainier Station C-shift crew Pediatrics Advanced Life Support. This 8-hour refresher course reinforces EMS knowledge in the treatment and care of our small patients.

Later in the day, we were dispatched to assist Clatskanie Fire with a large motorhome on fire.

Every police officer's dream!

2011-03-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

Deputy Bonds shows off his true passion!

Rainier Reporter is back!!!

2011-03-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

It's good to be back with my crew. As a way to "re-bond" with each other, we scrubbed our apparatus bay floors today :)

Awesome "Stop" in Rainier!

2011-01-19T13:02:00.001-08:00

E491 crew responded to a structure fire this morning a few miles outside the city. Initial information from the first arriving unit reported smoke showing. E491 made an interior attack with an 1-3/4" handline, supported with PPV. The fire was contained to a small area in the kitchen.

Great job, everyone!

STUCK!!!

2010-12-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

Engine 471 went 4-byin' today. Didn't work out so well.

MDA fundrasing.

2010-11-26T14:48:00.000-08:00

The annual Muscular Dystrophy Association fundraiser "Fill the Boot" took place today on C-shift. The on-duty crew was joined by several volunteers as well as some off-duty members at the intersection of 1st and B Street in Rainier from 0730 to 1300 today.

The people in our community once again showed their enormous generosity- outdoing last years total. With just paper bills counted, we raised $1930 in Rainier alone! The remaining coins will be counted early next week.

My deepest thanks and appreciation to the dedication and effort put forth by the volunteers, on and off-duty crews.

Shooting in St. Helens

2010-10-18T13:09:00.001-07:00

The St. Helens station medic and engine responded to a gunshot wound victim outside of St. Helens this morning. Captain Gorsuch is pictured here next to the suspect.

More information at http://www.kptv.com/

Beautiful October day- Let's drill!

2010-10-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

It was too nice a day not to drill. Out came supply lines, hand lines and SCBA's. Great training equals great service.

Our daily routine

2010-10-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

C-shift practicing the basics of rope rescue.

FFPM Loveall doing what we do on a daily basis- ensuring our rigs and equipment are ready to go.

Fall cleaning

2010-09-24T13:47:00.001-07:00

FFPM Denley washes the outside bay doors of the Rainier fire station today.

Womack hits the road after 29 years

2010-09-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Larry Womack. He retired today after 29 years. Happy Trails, Larry!

Touring a cruise ship

2010-09-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

The Rainier crew spent the afternoon touring and learning about the cruise ship Spirit of 98, a 192 foot long vessel which plows the Columbia and Snake Rivers during the summer months.

Captain Peter Kay provided us with an in-depth, hour long tour of the ship, as well as it's emergency systems and response guidelines.

Rainier pool training

2010-08-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

Today, the Rainier crews trained in the water. The staff at the Briarcliff pool was gracious enough to allow CRFR personnel the tme to train under realistic conditions.

At any time, we may be called to battle a fire on or near the water. Wearing our turnout gear, along with SCBA and carrying equipment on narrow docks, could be a recipe for disaster. Instead, practice in self rescue, rope rescue and water survival, coupled with confidence in our equipment led us to successfully train for this nightmarish scenario.

Get out- and LEARN!!

2010-08-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today, the Rainier crews did walk-throughs and planning on potential emergencies at both the Rainier City docks, as well as Foss Marine. Foss Maritime's manager was very gracious to give us tours of the facility, as well as provide us with emergency location and contact information.

Things are heating up!

2010-07-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today Rainier crews responded to a tractor fire, which ignited the hay field it was working in. Valiant efforts put forth by the crews successfully knocked down and extinuished both the tractor and field.

Successful test of RHS dry hydrant

2010-06-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Crews from Rainier and Goble stations, as well as an engine from Clatskanie, performed a system test of the dry hydrant drafting site at Rainier High School this evening. The test proved that the system could deliver a decent amount of water and pressure from the draft site to the pumping engine.

The system was in poor shape just six months ago. CRFR crews worked with the maintenance personnel at RHS to bring the system back up to working order. Teamwork at its finest.

Seizing the day

2010-06-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

Could we be starting a streak of nicer weather? We hope so, because we spent the afternoon waxing Squirt 491.

In between rain showers...

2010-06-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

Lt. Brody and FFPM Loveall did some serious scrubbing to the "hard-to-reach" places on M-491 this morning.

FFPM Neal- can't fix everything

2010-05-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ken neal tries, and fails to fix our copy machine!

Our magical mechanics!

2010-05-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

Rick and Duane:

The district heroes who tirelessly and diligently work behind the scenes to make sure our equipment is in perfect working order. When a problem arises, these two stellar guys work with pride and professionalism to get us back into service.

My heartfelt thanks goes out to both of these guys for keeping us going.

Jimmy P scores a nice fish

2010-05-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

Exactly 90 seconds into trolling this morning, Jimmy hooks up this nice spring Chinook.

"Meet and Greet" at Cowlitz 2 fire

2010-04-15T13:58:00.001-07:00

The Rainier crew spent the morning at Cowlitz County Fire District #2 main station. During our 2-1/2 hour visit, we learned their operations, including staffing, response areas, equipment and philosophy. Columbia River Fire and Rescue has a Mutual Aid agreement with both Cowlitz and Longview.

Refresher training

2010-04-12T16:17:00.001-07:00

The Rainier crew spent the afternoon refresher training on our heart monitor/defibrillator.

Pediatric Airway Training

2010-03-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Rainier C-Shift crews spent the morning refreshing our pediatric airway emergency training.

C-shifter nabs a Spring Chinook

2010-03-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

FFPM Pulito scored the only fish seen caught Monday out of 90 boats. Jim put this gorgeous spring chinnook in the boat around 0830. Nice going, Jim.

Small Haz-Mat in Rainier

2010-03-10T15:13:00.000-08:00

E491 crews assisted with spill containment for a small gasoline spill today at a business in Rainier.

Givin' it a go...

2010-03-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

Off duty C-shifters Womack and Pulito accompanied me today in an attempt to find the elusive Spring Chinook. None were caught (in fact- we never saw one caught by anyone else). Still, it was good times.

The CRFR rural address sign program

2010-03-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

Firefighter Womack inspects an address sign he just placed along a rural road in the fire district. These address signs are truly time and LIFE savers for emergency responders. For 15 dollars, CRFR crews will produce and install the sign at any location within our district border.

Stop by one of our stations or administrative office if you are interested in obtaining one.

Detail time!

2010-02-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

Rainier C-shift personnel spent the afternoon detailing two ambulances, and engine and squirt 491. They are very shiny now!

County Animal Control clinic

2010-02-20T12:31:00.000-08:00

The Columbia County Animal Control hosted a vaccination clinic at the Rainier Fire station today. Over 100 people and their pets showed up.

Firefighter Ben Davis at National Fire Academy

2010-02-17T17:15:00.000-08:00

C shift Firefighter/Paramedic Ben Davis recently arrived at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland for training. After an arduous flight, coupled with the incredible recent snowstorms on the east coast, just getting there was an adventure.

The National Fire Aacademy hosts year-round classes for both career and volunteer firefighters. All costs, including transportation, lodging, meals and tuition are covered by the United States Fire Administration.

Ben is there attending a weeklong leadership class, specifically targeted for administrators for volunteer fire departments. Ben is a Chief Officer with the Vernonia Rural Fire District.

We are proud of the individual achievements of our C-shift members.

...And in the afternoon.....

2010-02-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

Training continued with Jim Pulito presenting an excellent class on the use of our ventilator for respiratory emergencies..

Firefighter Accountability

2010-02-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

This morning, FFPM Loveall taught a class on the Passport(R) firefighter accountability system to the shift personnel at Rainer.

Rainier welcomes our newest volunteer

2010-01-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

Ryan Murphy has joined CRFR as a new volunteer in the Rainier area. Most of you may know Ryan from his interaction with our crews in the course of his full-time job. Ryan spent last night honing his SCBA skills.

Continuing Education with St Helens Crews

2010-01-13T10:13:00.000-08:00

Firefighter Paramedic's Eric Wonderly (left) and Ben Davis (right) are working on refreshing their skills doing CPR. The St Helens Station crew temporarily switched stations on Tuesday with the Rainier crew, so they could do their Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) refresher class under fellow "C-shift" Instructor FF/PM Loveall's guidance. This class is retaken every two years and is required for Paramedics to stay up on the most current treatment methods in Emergency Cardiac Care and involves both lecture & practical training as well as needing to complete written & Skill based examinations to complete the course. This is the same course taken by Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics across the United States and other Countries. Not only are skills refreshed in CPR, but in utilizing special Cardiac related medications and defibrillators as well.

Another class is scheduled next week for the remainder of our "C-shift" Brothers from the Fairgrounds and Rainier Stations.
All student performed very well during the class.

Always response-ready

2010-01-06T15:01:00.001-08:00

The Rainier C-shift crew spent the afternoon inspecting, cleaning and maintaining our ladders.

Christmas Brunch

2009-12-25T21:42:00.001-08:00

The St Helens & Fairgrounds Stations got together this morning for a Christmas Brunch at St Helens Station......ham, bacon, eggs, casserole, potatoes and french toast were on the table along with a yummy strawberry, grapefruit and 7-up freeze desert. We were joined by one of the crews wife and by one of our Volunteer FF's and his family. All had lots of fun.

During these holidays throughout the year, many people have these days off, and spend them with their family. Since we don't have that option, we spend the time with our "other" family. We even had a late guest of one of St Helens finest from SHPD to join us for a quick bite before they had to leave on a call.

"B Shift Close call

2009-12-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

On December 3rd, 2009 Rainier Stn's "B" shift crew experienced a near-miss event. This occurred as the Drivers' Left front tire had a catastraphic blow-out. Word is that if not for the skilled driving and effort to maintain control of the Squirt by FF/EMT-I Ken Raya (>27yr Veteran), this could have surely been a significant motor vehicle accident. Not only did they suddenly veer into the oncoming southbound lanes, but just missed striking 2 other vehicles travelling in that direction before bringing it under control back into their northbound lane.

The above picture is one that Ken Raya came up with, surmising a brief momentary glimpse of what each crew member may have looked like during their ordeal. Some have said this is done for therapeutic reasons, but in the end, we are just thankful that ALL made it through with no injuries.

Some close-ups for you.

2009-12-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

The Oregon State Police needed help today- and turned to the Rainier Station for help. The trooper had discovered a group of people loading up a junked and abandoned car on private forest land outside of Rainier. The person's could not confirm ownership of the car, so the trooper attempted to find the vehicle's identification number.

Unable to find it in all the usual places, he had the group tow the car to Rainier, and requested fire district support in removing parts of the car to find the hidden VIN's.

E491 crews spent over an hour searching for the number.

Another great example of inter-agency cooperation.

Toy and joy- Kish is a kid

2009-12-07T10:18:00.001-08:00

The toys and have started to flow into the Rainier Station. Patrick Kish lost 20 years of his life when he saw a cute little tricycle.

The holidays are upon us

2009-11-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

Well, we survied turkey day 2009, and Black Friday as well. Here is to wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday season!

Here is a Rainier Station update:

We have completed the task of building new shelving in the room which was once the Rainier shift office. Since then, the old blue cabinets in the bay have been demolished and the supplies inside transferred to the new shelving. This will put 90% of our supplies in one place, which is better for all. It will make finding and ordering necessary supplies much easier.

Toy and Joy is up and running, and we ae seeing more and more toys appear at our doorstep, thanks to our generous community.

Rick and Duane were here last week and installed a new alternator on our engine, thus eliminating the low voltage "beep beep beep" which drove us crazy. Thanks, guys!

MDA "Fill the boot" was a great success yesterday in Rainier, having collected more and $1,800.00! Great job!

Anyway, that's it for now. I wish each and every one of you a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic upcoming 2010!

Taking advantage of the final days of nice weather

2009-11-04T11:39:00.000-08:00

Firefighters Neal and Kish exercised "Carpe Diem" and tore into Engine 491 today. Compartments were completely gone through, equipment inspected and items were cleaned. Expect new paint in these compartments next shift.

Kudos to the good work put forth.

Crazy crash on L & C Bridge

2009-10-26T15:01:00.001-07:00

E491 and M491 responded to a crazy crash on the bridge today. One pickup truck and trailer ran up onto another trailer being hauled by a pickup. Pretty impressive!

H1N1 vaccines!

2009-10-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

Greg and Greg were both punctured by a very determined nurse today while receiving the H1N1 vaccine. Nurse G did a fantastic job.

Lt. Klem Retires (over 30 years of Service)

2009-08-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

"C" shift celebrates with Lt. Klem on his last day as an Active Member of CRFR. John has served this community for CRFR (formerly St Helens Fire) for 30 years. We celebrated his final shift last Monday the 24th at the Rainier Stn, and IAFF L-3215 gave him a Retirement party on the 22nd.

Lieutenant Klem’s career started in May of 1979, and he soon became one of the Department’s Cardiac Technicians (EMT-3) when they started providing ambulance transportation as the St. Helens Fire District prior to the merger with the Rainier Fire District forming CRFR. During his tenure, John served as the Post Advisor for the Boy Scouts of America Fire Explorer Post #503, and has been a well-respected member of the District’s Fire Investigation Team (FIT) where a number of our current FIT members were mentored under his guidance. Over the last couple of years, John has spent his career assigned to the Rainier Station as the “C” Shift Lieutenant.

Thank you Lt. Klem, and enjoy your Retirement!!

Public Education

2009-08-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

A group of kids from a local Day-care came over to the Rainier Station for a tour. Probationary Firefighter/Paramedic Patrick Kish is demonstrating how a firefighter puts their gear on including an airpack.

"C" Shifter on his way to the 2009 World Fire Police Games in Vancouver, BC

2009-07-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

One of our own, Jim Pulito (Pictured to the right with his wife Beth and Son A.J.), is on his way to compete in the World Police-Fire Games in Vancouver, BC over this next week. Jim is the Goalie on the local Hockey Club team, The Portland Firefighters Hockey Club, which is comprised of firefighters from around the greater Portland Metro area. Here is a link to their site http://www.portlandfirefightershockey.com/ . Check out the Games @ http://www.2009wpfg.ca/ then To the ice hockey portion http://www.pointstreak.com/players/players-leagues.html?leagueid=838Click on Novice, enter team name "Portland Firefighters", then click on the link. Or just head up to BC to support our local team (only 5-6 hrs away)!!!

Good Luck Guys!!!

C-Shift Rainier helps with Kids Fishing Day

2009-06-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

Crews from our Rainier Station helped out with the 1st annual Foster Children and Family Free Fishing Day at Trojan Park being held by DHS. A number of public and private organizations, along with many Volunteers, came together to give Foster Children from the greater area an opportunity to experience the fun fishing can be. Not only did many of the kids leave with fresh trout to go home and cook, they also were given their very own fishing pole as well. A nice day was had by all, and the weather cooperated also.

"C Shift Probie receives (new) Yellow helmet

2009-05-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

After our probie (Probationary Firefighter to be politically correct), Patrick Kish passes his 6 month practical exam, and received a 94% on his written exam (which tied for the top Score amongst the 4 probies), finally receives his yellow helmet.

Wondering why he was the only one to not have received his yet (note: receiving a "yellow" helmet is a right of passage for the probies) he finally inquired as to obtaining it.

That is all the Lieutenant was waiting for, and he got it.

Now if we can get him to at least take it off when he's not on a call............

Congratulations Patrick!!

"C-Shift" makes collapse Rescue

2008-12-30T20:13:00.000-08:00

"C-shift" and some of the Dept's Volunteer Firefighters performing extrication from the Collapse site, utilizing Air-Bags to lift a sprinkler main pipe and building materials off of the trapped Patient, with Assistance from the Oregon National Guard Crew who helped dig through the snow covered roof. 3 workers (one a Structural Engineer) were surveying prior damage to another part of the warehouse that had suffered a partial collapse the night prior were thrown through the air as a rush of air resulting from a new portion of the roof collapsing hit them. 2 were injured, and transported.

crews perform a 35' stadium raise

2008-08-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

A few months back, we were called to a local child care center to assist with the installation of a new smoke detector. The problem.....access had to be made to the top of the bell tower, where theh old detector was.....solution? A stadium raise, using the 35 foot ladder. Some of the crew have never done this, so it was a little tricky explaining it to them, considering there wasn't much room to manuever.....end result, job done, happy business owners, and best of all....no damage was sustained to any member or property.

C-shift saves 2 Sharpeis from roof

2008-08-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

This evening SHPD called for ladder assistance. 2 dogs decided to tear out a window screen and climb out onto the roof of a house. Capt Mike climbed the ladder and shut the window, after the dogs climbed back inside, to keep them inside(since there was no other access as the house was locked up). Upon returning to the Station, this Dog was found on our kitchen table..........with this note....Way to go Cap....SHPD is the prime suspect

2007-11-25T21:43:00.001-08:00

We have a new rig at the Fairgrounds Station...I think we'll call it Kubota-472. Thanks Joe!

Cutting up a car

2007-11-13T22:52:00.001-08:00

C-Shifters had the opportunity to demolish a car last shift...good times! We cut, tore, and pried just about everything that could destroyed. Ben got some good training and we all had a good review of equipment, technique, etc. Pictured is Me, Ben, Mike, Joe, and Eric after we 'customized' our ride.

Quick C-Shift Update

2007-10-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Greetings from C-Shift! It's been awhile since our last blog so I thought I'd better throw something down. I'm happy to report that I've finally finished probation...whew, what a relief. Currently I'm the 'floater' which means that I move from station to station as needed - it's not a bad gig...I get to see a little bit of everything. On the personnel front it would seem that all the new probies are doing well. Our C-Shift probationary FF's have flip-flopped stations and both Jim and Ben appear to be adjusting well to their new posts. As is the custom lately, several of the guys on our shift have had new additions to their families: congrats to Eric and his wife and Greg and his wife. We also have a new paramedic intern on our shift. I haven't met him yet, but I'm sure he'll do fine. The pic shows me and Ryan at our badging ceremony. That was a good day.

Probies' New Helmet???

2007-09-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

Probie Uhl tries on a new helmet, in case he doesn't manage to keep his current one. From the looks of this one, let's hope he doesn't have to change. Although, this one IS black like his current one.

Structure Fire on C-Shift

2007-09-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

A few minutes after shift change on Sept 7, a reported structure fire with, "black smoke billowing out of the vents and windows" was dispatched in response group 74. E471 was the first to arrive and word has it that Probie Pulito was the first one in to knock it down.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Smoke damage was evident throughout the house, but the structural damage was limited to the stove and kitchen area. Overhaul and clean-up was rather speedy, thanks to John "Can I Ask You A Question" Davies and Capt' Gorsuch's specialized overhaul tools....

Gotta love that "Swiffer-clean feeling™"

Laurel's Last Shift

2007-08-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

Our intern Laurel is finally done!! Her last shift was today and she was very excited to be finished with internship. She was waiting for her last trauma call, and she finally got it. So today we celebrated with a cake (decorated by Greg Loveall) and candles. C-shift wishes her the best in her career as a paramedic. Good Luck Laurel!!

C-Shift Probies Hard At Work!

2007-08-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

Well, after a quick "ping-pong" from B-Shift and back, here I am once again on C-Shift and ready to blog away. It's good to be back!

Today marked the month two test for James Pulito... and he was all smiles as he headed into the testing realm under the watchful eyes of Captain Gorsuch, Lt. "John Deere" Bradley, and "Hambone" "Megan" Fagan.

Pulito faired rather well in the world of 2 1/2" preconnected Keenan Loops, extinguisher operations, connecting to a hydrant, and "Bread & Butter" preconnect operations. Way to go, Jim!

And then we have none other than month-11 probie, Tom Moung who excitedly reminded us that he has only, "ten shifts left before he teams up with Ben Davis to meet Lucky Lockhart by the bike racks after shift."

Tom is looking forward to finishing his 11 month test on the "bubble machine" so he can devote his time and studies to the ever-dreaded and rapidly approaching ***12 MONTH TEST***!

Tom has proven himself to be a fantastic asset to C Shift and we look forward to seeing him graduate off of probation into the ranks of permanent firefighter/paramedic status!

Way to go Tom, keep it up!

Today C-Shift kept up with our weekly duties and, true to "Prevention Tuesday" fashion, conducted a walk through and pre-plan inspection of Richardson's Furniture. It was nice to get out and take a closer look at some of those potentially dangerous buildings in our district.

More to come soon....

Rainier readies car for Extrication training

2007-08-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

FF/PM Neal prepares a car for Proby training. "Why do we always train cutting a car apart with it in decent condition.....when we have to de-munch when on-scene".

Who needs Rescue Jacks to lift a car when Kenny's On-Duty?

The completed Project. NOW it's ready to train on!!

Finally, a new posting!

2007-07-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a little while since our last C-shift post.... I'm glad to report that all the new recruits have made it through the academy and are primed to start shift work soon. FF. Uhl and FF. Pulito have been assigned to C-shift - Ben will start in Rainier and Jim will start at St. Helen's. I'm sure both will do well at their respective stations. Additionally there has been another shake-up on the personnel front as one of our veteran employees has accepted a Chiefs appointment at a neighboring fire department - best of luck to our departing brother and welcome to a new Lt.! As for me...I've been transferred to Fairgrounds station to finish my last bit of probation. I'm excited and looking forward to being done but there are still several hurdles to clear before I'm finished. That's all for now. Be careful and stay safe. Cheers.

Busy on C-Shift

2007-06-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

C-shift has been pretty busy lately.... Between training and testing for yours truly we've also had a couple of fires. The first was a car fire out on OPR. Captain Mike and I handled that one along with Lt. Bradley and Schrotzy. The second fire was a basic room-and-contents house fire...nothing too big, but it was fun to go in and squirt some water. The big news lately is the impending promotion of a new Lt. as well as the hiring of several (possibly 6) new firefighters. I think everyone is pretty excited to have a new officer and a fresh group of probies coming into the department. Now that our training tower is nearly complete, this summer recruit academy promises to be a tough one. I've posted a couple of pics here - Captain Mike looking rather chipper after a particularly brutal night running calls, Eric Wonderly on the same morning also looking wide-awake as he takes down a phone message. The last thing I'll mention is what appears to be the 'end of the line' for our beloved Squirt 471. It appears it has been taken out of service for the last time due to numerous problems with the pump and other issues. It was an oldy but it served us well.

Our First Posting

2007-05-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

C-shift has officially joined the fray as the third and final shift to throw down a blog. Being that this is our first posting we'll keep things brief - we're glad to be here and we're proud represent our department and our union brothers and sisters across the country! Keep checking back for further postings...I'll get some pics up soon. Cheers.

Start of the C Shift blog

2007-01-18T16:50:00.000-08:00

Start of the C shift blog