835 Griffin Squadron was partaking in the their annual Fall Exercise, which was posted at Glacier Air, the Squamish Airport. It was our first exercise of the year and all were excited to get the fun times rolling and staff were eager to sit around the fire and participate in what we call "Fire Picket", such an honour be been assigned a shift and talk with good friends.
The first night we went without a fire, but for night two there was no way any of us were letting our fire pit go un used. A few Sgt's had succesfully construced a fire, which all were pleased about because the weather had taken a turn for the worst. People were getting cold and wet, and this fire would help keep everyone dry and worn and prevent a sense of defeat.
It was first shift and WO2 Martin watched the fire as staff slowly dispersed due to fatigue and the rain. But she endured it as it was her shift. WO2 Pedersen was working the female tent that has constantly been a problem. The lock on the pole kept slipping causing the female tent to shrink in size and become very unstable. It seemed like an impossible feat due tot he wind that was unrelenting, but 2 hours later the tent was standing tall, still a little shaky against the wind, but none the less it was somewhere to sleep.
Down at the fire pit WO2 Martin realized the rain was starting to take a tole on the fire. The fire was positioned along the run way due to lack of a better spot, but it being a runway the winds were immense and at most times frusterating. She went walked over to the firewood pile, back to the fire, she realized it was starting to feel immensly warm. "Maybe I don't need anymore wood" she said. Starting to wonder why it was feeling bigger, she turned and to her horror the wind had blown 2 out of 3 of the Captains chairs onto the fire, rendering one detroyed and one armless. Martin radioed the only person she knew would actually still be awake because he had been helping the females with there tent, and was none the less still working on it, or near finished. The radio conversation went as follows
"Warrant Officer Pedersen, this is Warrant Officer Martin - over"
"This is Warrant Officer Pedersen - goahead over"
"Remember those chairs? They're gone-over"
"Did they blow away?-over"
"It's a negative on that one. They caught on fire-over"
"&*!#@>-over"
"yup- over"
"I'll be right there-over"
And so came an end to these chairs that offered comfort to the cadets who held a shift during fire picket. Unfortunetely the terential rains did nothing to lessen to damage caused by the hungry flames. The chairs were loaded into the back of a truck and sent off- there whereabouts is now unknown.
Wolf-Demond_Ryijin Community Member 
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