Firestorm - 2. FS Chapter 2

Once this was done, I washed out the van, and dried it using high pressure air, and a clean rag to wipe away any small patches of dampness, before closing and locking the van up and I headed to the office with the keys. “A job very well done young man, you have prevented us a lot of grief, and possibly serious injury as well, tomorrow, I am going to get some extra security cameras fitted into the van, two from just behind each of the two front seats, pointing diagonally across towards the back door, and two along the top corner about halfway down, facing towards the two opposite front doors.

I think we also need you to get your driver’s license, so we will also spend tomorrow attending the Department of Transport, in the meantime, how about you study this book for the rest of the afternoon” the boss said with a smile, handing me a Learn to Drive book. “I will do that, thank you sir” I replied with a big smile, and I went to the lunch room, and began to study the book.

When I arrived home, I informed Aunty Jean of everything that happened today, and she said she was very proud of me, and once again I was given a kiss on the cheek and a hug, which made me blush a little. While waiting for dinner, I started to read the book once again for the second time, to make sure that all the information was sinking in to my brain and not in one eye and out the other.

After dinner, I watched the news with my aunt, and I was a little surprised when a report came up on the television regarding what happened today. “In other local news, an industrial site was shut down this afternoon by Work Health and Safety officers, after the police were called to the site to investigate illegal and unsafe practices by two of its employees.

The incident was stopped from becoming hazardous, after an alert assistant training officer, informed his boss of the issue, and steps were taken to avoid any potential victims, from what is believed to have been a prank. It is not known who the training officers were or who they work for” the reporter said.

“That reminds me, I have to fill out and incident report when I get to work tomorrow, I should have brought the paperwork home with me” I said out loud, as I remembered it. “Well, there is no need to worry about it now, the hero of the day, can just sit and relax for the evening” Aunt Jean said to me and I just smiled at her remark.

The next morning, I made sure that I had arrived at work early, so I could fill out the incident report, before I officially start work for the day, and I had just finished the report, when the boss appeared, and I handed him the report. “Well this is very detailed and with facts included, you will make a great administration boss one of these days” my boss said to me with a smile.

Half an hour later we arrived at the car electronics workshop, for the van to be fitted with security cameras, and one leaving there, we caught a taxi to the nearest Department of Transport office, where after a long wait, I sat my theory test and passed with 99% correct. Once all the paperwork was completed, I was handed my new “Learners Driver’s License, and a log book, which I was required to record all supervised driving trips for the required number of hours.

When we returned to the car electronics workshop, we only had to wait twenty minutes for the work to be completed, and after making the payment for work completed, and given instructions on how everything works, the boss handed me the keys to the van, which caused me to stop in my tracks, and the boss just laughed.

“You have to start learning sometime, it might as well be now” my boss said to me as he walked around to the front passenger side door and climbed in. Twenty very nervous minutes later, we arrived back at work, and I gladly began to hand the keys back to the boss, who just ignored me. That is your set of keys, I have mine in my pocket” he said to me with a big smile, as he took the log book out of my hand and began to record my first driving session into the book.

Once he was done, he handed it back to me, and I looked at what he wrote down, before closing the book with a smile, “Now in the morning, we have a different training job to do, but first, I need you to sit down and do dome other paperwork for me” the boss said as he placed a theory test on Risk Assessment Training, what you did yesterday was all of and a bit more of the practical training for RAT, all you have to do now is complete the theory” my boss announced to me.

Once I had completed the theory test, I sat and watched the boss as he went through it, when he had finished and given it a mark, he closed the paper and smiled. “Right now, for tomorrow, I am doing an Industrial First Aid and Advanced CPR Training course, I would like you to be a participant, I will cover all of your costs” the boss announced to me.

I guess I looked a bit stunned as the boss gave a short laugh, it’s not that bad really, I will be giving you a basic first aid training course now, so that you will be up to speed on basic first aid. I have a friend who is a paramedic and first aid trainer, who will be leading the course that starts tomorrow, and goes for three days, we will have it here in our training room. So, let’s head there now and we will get you started on your basic first aid, oh and you passed your Risk Assessment Training theory, with a 99 %” the boss said to me.

By the end of the week, I was exhausted, having completed a basic first aid course, followed by a three day long, Industrial First Aid and advanced CPR Training course, which I passed quite easily, adding another three more certificates this week, to the other five certificates that I had earned, as well as another kiss on the cheek and a hug from Aunty Jean.

During my lunch break on the last day, I received a missed call and message on my phone, and on arrival at home I played back the message. “Mr Benning, this is the TAFE college, you are enrolled into the Diploma of Work Health and Safety, for two semesters, unfortunately there are no places available for the Certificate 4 in Emergency Health Care, but we have placed you on the list to start that course at the start of the second Semester.

The course is just a one semester course, so you will be fine starting at that time. I have emailed you your lecture timetable for the first course. welcome to the College Mr Benning, see you at the start of first semester in just over a week” was the message. I dashed to my room, and retrieved my laptop computer, the only other piece of modern technology apart from my I Phone 5s, that I personally owned.

I had opened and started up the computer, I logged into my Gmail account, and found a new message from the college. Grabbing a pad and pencil from near the phone, I jotted down the lecture days and times onto the pad, before closing down the computer.

I re-wrote the lecture days and times, and placed one of the notes onto the fridge, secured with a magnet, the other I placed on my laptop, before returning the pad and pencil to their place, and Aunty Jean was studying the note that I left on the fridge. “Monday - 2 to 5pm, Tuesday - 9 to 12 noon, Wednesday – 9am to 12 noon and 2pm to 5pm, Thursdays nothing and Friday – 9am to 12 noon. What are you going to do with the rest of your spare time? Aunty Jean said to me.

“I am about to telephone James, my boss and let him know the lecture days and times, he will probably still want me to work when I can” I replied, as I dialled the work number from memory. “That is great, can you come in Monday morning, Tuesday and Friday afternoon, and all-day Thursday for me please” the boss said after I informed him of my lecture days and times, “Yes that will be fine, but if there is no work, I will need that time for doing assignments” I responded.

With the last week before I start college, James had me kept busy every day of the week, as he had arranged training courses to fit in with my availability for the last week, and I didn’t really mind, as I needed the money to pay for all my tuition fees and text books.

On the morning of my first day at college, Aunty Jean made sure that I had a big breakfast, and she suggested that I take photocopies of all the certificates that I had earned over the past few weeks at work. James said that I was not needed at work Monday morning, so I was able to take it easy preparing for college.

By 9am, I was out the door, and soon on a bus on my way to college, glad that I had avoided the early morning school students rush to school, and 45 minutes later I arrived at the college. With a printout of my lecture timetable, and a map of the college, I spent some time getting orientated around the grounds, before making my way to the book shop, to buy the required text books.

Once I had all the books I needed, I headed to the administration building, and enquired about lockers for students, and I was allocated a locker, and told to get a padlock to keep all my books safe. I remember seeing padlocks for sale at the bookshop, so I went back there and bought one, before heading off in search of my locker.

Once I had my backpack including my computer locked away, I headed to the cafeteria to get some early lunch, and the dining area was nearly void of any students, as I sat down and began to eat. By the time I had finished, the dining hall was very crowded and very noisy, so I binned the rubbish and put the tray away, before retreating outside to hopefully get some peace and quiet, but there was almost as many students outside as there was inside.

I sighed loudly as I sat down under a tree and closed my eyes, and tried to tune out all of the noise around me. I heard someone say something, and it wasn’t until he repeated the greeting, that I realised that he was talking to me, “Oh, I am sorry, I wasn’t ignoring you, I was trying to tune out all of this noise” I said to the young handsome man that stood near me with a beautiful smile and clear white teeth, who chuckled at my comment before sitting down.

“I can understand that, and I don’t blame you, it is just like being back at high school all over again” the young man said to me, and there was a short period of silence between us, before he stuck his hand out to me, “Hello, I am Ryan Matheson, I am eighteen, and you are cute” he said to me with a big smile, and I laughed at his direct approach of introduction, as I took his hand and shook it, “Hi I am Mitchell Benning, I’m 17 this year, and you are cute too” I replied, with an equally big smile.

‘Shame about the big age difference, but I guess I will have to work around that, so what are you studying here at college” Ryan asked me, “Dip in WH& S, and next semester I start doing a Cert 4 in Emergency Health Care” I replied to my new friend, “Oh, what a shame, that is what I am doing this semester” Ryan said a little annoyed, and I gave a soft chuckle at his response.

“Never mind my friend, we have lunch breaks on most days, only Thursdays am I not at college, as I have to work” I replied to Ryan, “Oh, and what do you do for work?” Ryan said fully alert to everything that I said.

“I am a Workplace training assistant, I help my boss with preparations for training sessions, on fire safety courses mostly, and risk assessment training more recently” I replied, “Hey did you hear about that industry workshop that was shut down a couple of weeks ago, because two workers were playing a prank?” Ryan asked me, and I just chuckled when I heard him ask that. “What? What did I say?” Ryan responded looking a little confused.

“Sorry, yes I do know about it, as it was our training session when it happened, I was the one who spotted the idiots mucking about and told my boss, and we put some action into place so no one would be harmed by their prank” I replied, “Oh wow, a real live hero” Ryan responded, and I just laughed, “That’s what my aunty said when I told her about it” I replied, and Ryan blushed a little.

“Well we better get ready for our classes, I will see you later” Ryan said to me as he stood up and checked his watch for the time, and he dashed off with a short wave as he left. A sat there for a few minutes before I too stood up, and made my way to my locker, to retrieve my books for my first lecture. “Good afternoon, I am Neil Harman, not sir or Mr, we are all young adults, so there is no need for such formalities, now welcome to your first lecture in Work Health and Safety, who here has any WH & S qualifications or something similar?” the lecture said to all of us, I looked around, only one hand was raised.

“Yes, young lady, what training do you have” the lecturer asked the lady near the back of the classroom, “I have a Risk Assessment Training Certificate, that I did about 6 months ago” she replied, “Good, anyone else?” Neil said and no one else raised their hand, so I reluctantly raised mine. “Yes, young man, you look too young to have done any training of any kind” Neil said to me.

“I work part time as an assistant for a Work Training Company, sir. So, the company pays for any training that I do within the company” I replied quietly, “Ok, so what training have you completed?” Neil asked me, and instead of mentioning them all, I retrieved the photocopies of all 8 certificates, and handed them to him. “Well you have been a very busy young man, and all in such a short period of time” Neil said to me, as he handed the pages back to me.

“Due to family and financial issues, I was no longer able to continue my studies at the Grammar school, where I was near top of the class, so I elected to come to College, instead of doing my final year at a government high school, Sir” I explained, “I see, well it is their loss and our gain to have a talented young man like yourself. I would like to hear some more about your work, when you have the free time please” Neil said to me with a smile, before he continued on with the lecture.

When the lecture ended at 5pm, I left all my text books in the locker, and with just my laptop in my backpack, I headed to the bus stop to make my way back home. “Hello Mitchell, how was your first day at college?” Aunty Jean asked me as soon as I walked into the house. “It went very well thanks Aunty, I think I am going to like it at college” I replied with a smile.

We chatted for a while over afternoon tea, before I headed to my room to review todays lecture, with what I had typed in onto my laptop computer, until I was called to the dining room for dinner. “Aunty, I think I might look into seeing if there are any night classes at college, as I would like to keep up with the Spanish and French languages I learnt at grammar school” I announced.