Your "OH SH#T,...I just fell asleep" stories.

DISCLAIMER FOR NON-RESPONDER FOLK READING THIS:

1st off, dispite what some folks think,...we're not robots with "blue battery packs" shoved up our ass. Believe it or not, we are NOT immune to normal life. Yes,...we DO get sick, we DO have bad bad nights where we get so tired our eyes burn, and when well, when ya get the combo. Stuff like this happens sometimes.

Anyways,...

It was one of "those" nights. And even if I don't have them, 0330 hrs ALWAYS hits kinda hard especially if its slow out there. But not like this.

I took my break at my house, I live very close to my AO and am allowed to go home for breaks (eat real quick, let doggy out). Well, I pulled into my driveway and pulled right up to my garage door about 3 ft away from it. Before I opened it, I threw it in park and just leaned back and rubbed my eyes just to take a breather.

Welp,...BAM!! I somehow went out like a light, and Started dreaming. I was dreaming that I was actually on patrol. That's when when I realized,.."WAIT, IT WAS MY OLD CHILDHOOD NEIGHBORHOOD,...and that,...yes folks, I was patrolling on a skateboard.

I snapped to like a sleeping cat being awoke by a boat horn and woke up. The 1st thing my droggy ass saw was a big white wall! (My garage door). Even though the car was in park I thought I was going to put that brake peddle through the Crown Vic's floor board to prevent me from driving through it!!!

...The worse part was that I grabbed the mic and keyed it, and was about to call out a chase.

Luckily I realized that I was being a total moron and my issue was over before it really began.

What felt like a half hour (being alseep), was only 3-5 minutes.

Scared the beJesus out of me!!!

So,...LET'S HEAR THOSE STORIES. Ya know, so I feel better about screwing the pooch.

Cleaner

Former night stalker here. Always have a buddy pull firewatch for you on a slow night when the sand man is on the attack.

We work a 10P to 6A shift here.  I'm wide awake no matter what until about 10 minutes after 4am.  No matter what I'm doing or how much rest I've had it ALWAYS hits me hard. That's why you can usually find me in a 7-11 at that time. ANYTHING to stay alert to get over that 20-minute hump.  After that I'm fine.

I HATE that shift for just that reason although the activity is always good.

Worked part-time in a small town, often pulled doubles on the weekends. Chief would let you go home and catch a nap. However one time I had just fueled up, filled out the log, next thing I know is I wake up highbeams in my eyes and a state trooper bumping the air horn. Scared the crap out of me. He thought it was funny.

Didn't happen to me, but... There was a guy on one of my old shifts that claimed he NEVER fell asleep on mids.  He was always telling everyone how he forced himself to stay awake and wouldn't allow himself to fall asleep.  Needless to say he was found one night out cold, snooring along.  He woke up to about 15 poloriods stuck to his windows showing him sawing logs and the rest of us around his car....

Quoted: Didn't happen to me, but... There was a guy on one of my old shifts that claimed he NEVER fell asleep on mids.  He was always telling everyone how he forced himself to stay awake and wouldn't allow himself to fall asleep.  Needless to say he was found one night out cold, snooring along.  He woke up to about 15 poloriods stuck to his windows showing him sawing logs and the rest of us around his car....

in the academy i heard about a sergeant from a nearby dept. who used to like sneaking up on officers napping.  One day one of them found him asleep in his hidey hole, they pushed cars in neutral into position surrounding his vehicle and on a single radio cue hit the lights and wailers.  I'm told he got his gun halfway outta the holster before he realized it wasa prank.

One morning about 0400 it had slowed down and I was sitting in a school parking lot behind some school buses. I had a couple of reports to do and I was typing away on my MDT. I dozed off while typing and woke up looking at the back of the bus I was behind. I almost shit myself as I started trying to push the brake pedal through the floorboard. I'm glad nobody was around to see that, I think I might have screamed like a little girl.

Every now and then my midnight partner and I use to mess with each other when the one riding shotgun would nod off.  One night my partner was out, and out hard.  I thought I'd mess with him so I drove to the truck stop, saw a truck parked with its lights on.  So I drove toward it, hit the brakes hard and said "Look out!" real loud.  It was a priceless moment!    

One of my training officers told me about a prank he had pulled on one of his training officers back in the day.

The FTO was snoozing away in the passenger seat while my training officer was driving. They came upon an abandoned car out in the middle of nowhere. He got out and opened both doors on it. He got back in the car, hit the lights and screamed, "They're running! I'll go after the driver, you get the other guy!"

Good one.

Not my story, but told to me by an old-timer back when I started....

This guy (the old-timer story teller), at the time a rookie, started the shift at 11pm and immediately went home to his apt to get some chow.  He looked at the sofa and thought, "Hey...why not...only a couple minutes should be fine..." and laid down with his prep on his chest turned up loud.

He awoke and checked his watch.....0630 hrs.  Oops!!  He jumps in his squad and blasts back to the station only to get waved down while en route by the sarg for a car-to-car meet.  He pulls up sweating bullets figuring he's in it deep.

He pulls next to the sarg and the sarg says, "...hell of a night, eh?  Can you believe not one dispatched run?"  The rookie stammers out a, "Yeah...how 'bout that..."

He was afraid to tell anyone for years.....

Reminds me of the tale of a state trooper near my old department. He would park his car facing east and catch some zzzz's. The sun would come up and wake him up in time to head in. After a few times of him not showing up to back up some other guys, a few abandoned vehicle tags were put on his squad while he slept. He still didn't get the picture, so one night someone threw a blanket over the windshield and the sun didn't wake him up. Pretty soon everyone is searching for a missing trooper. Wasn't a problem after that!

One of the guys at my dept did that with a deputy who works for the county that my city is in. They both fell asleep parked next to each other and missed their 6 am quitting time. That was funny.

Quoted: One of my training officers told me about a prank he had pulled on one of his training officers back in the day. The FTO was snoozing away in the passenger seat while my training officer was driving. They came upon an abandoned car out in the middle of nowhere. He got out and opened both doors on it. He got back in the car, hit the lights and screamed, "They're running! I'll go after the driver, you get the other guy!"

damn thats good!

Happend a few times.. working 1700-0500 shifts...

Nothing real exciting just missed a status check once

I "heard" it really sucks waking up with all four tires with no air in them.

I hollerd at another guy like 4 times and finally the 4th time he replied with "hello" like he was answering the phone. everyone knew he was out. we all laughed later at him. it happens.

When I was a medic on the ambulance years ago I can't count the number of times myself or my partner would pull up to a run and the other slept the entire ride there. Lights, sirens and all.
Going through medic school was the worst, thats when it happened the most. I would work days 7 - 7 then nights off the books 7p - 7a on the same buggy for shool and ride time, then work days on the books. Those were long rides.

The trick that I wish I knew back then was:
Drink your coffee or take your no doze and immediatly doze off for about 30min that way you get a little eyelid rest and by the time the caffene kicks in you have had a little catnip..

Lots of places should look into the true safety and productivity of quick naps when they have people working extended shifts or nights..

The FAA has done a lot and I think they are close to allowing one pilot to catnap on long flights (this happens allready, just not officialy)

2 words.  Polyphasic Sleep.

We have a Lt. that isn't allowed to sit at the front desk or watch TV in the rollcall room anymore because he would be asleep & people would come in to make a report he was out cold.  Capt. found him snoozing away in front of the TV one night & he never woke up while he was stomping around in there.  He liked to sit in the Steak & Shake & watch how long guys were getting coffee at the VP across the street.  He even bragged about it to the waitresses.  Well one night he walks out & get in his car & falls asleep, right in front of the entrance.  Waitress waits 45 minutes & then goes out there.  He's still knocked out so she called & complained.  He's not allowed in Steak & Shake anymore either.

When I was in FTO they would have us work a different district & different shift until you were assigned a permanent district/shift.  Well my final shift was day shift from 0530-1400.  I would go to sleep at 8pm at night & get up at 0430.  They finally gave me my permant shift, which of course was late shift, 2130-0600.  That sucked big time.  The first week I fell asleep while sitting in a parking lot doing paperwork.  My buddy from the academy said they tried to hit me on the radio for 15 minutes.  I had half a dozen messages on the MDT & pager wanting to know if I was ok.  Thought I would get canned for sure.  Sergeant & Lt. told me not to worry 'cuz it happens to everyone.  I've never let that happen again.

3AM, nice quiet spot. I just settled into it to run some radar but there was absolutely no traffic either way. I closed my eyes for a bit and the next thing I know my Sgt., Lt. and 2 other Deputies had me boxed in with their cars and hit their spotlights on me and sirens going. I hit the roof with my head. Needless to say they laughed their asses off. I didnt get in trouble though so that was a plus. awe play pranks on each other from time to time. All in good fun.

Wasn't me but someone I know had court all day and told his partner to keep him out of the spotlight in case he dozed off.  Ended up in front of one of the busiest bars downtown in the passenger side out like a light.

I make a point to be in the squad room or dispatch if it gets to bad.  At least that way if I crash I am not in public.  Couldn't tell you how many paragraphs end up like...

he stated that she picked up the bottle and threeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee


Joe

tag  

My last year on the street (I did my last two years on desk duty), I had a rookie in the passenger street.  It was a Thursday night and I couldn’t create a call.  It was about 5, and I was feeling the night creep up on me.  My partner was about 10 min ahead of me in dram land.  I knew I needed something to pep us up.  I pulled into a strip mall and say an 18 wheeler parked behind one of the stores.  I pulled right up to the truck hit my high beams, put the car in park and screamed like a little bitty girl.  The poor rookie came about 3 feet out of his seat and let out a high pitched screech.  As I sat there laughing my ass off he promised me I’d get mine.    I’m still waiting

Quoted: One of my training officers told me about a prank he had pulled on one of his training officers back in the day. The FTO was snoozing away in the passenger seat while my training officer was driving. They came upon an abandoned car out in the middle of nowhere. He got out and opened both doors on it. He got back in the car, hit the lights and screamed, "They're running! I'll go after the driver, you get the other guy!"

Quoted: Reminds me of the tale of a state trooper near my old department. He would park his car facing east and catch some zzzz's. The sun would come up and wake him up in time to head in. After a few times of him not showing up to back up some other guys, a few abandoned vehicle tags were put on his squad while he slept. He still didn't get the picture, so one night someone threw a blanket over the windshield and the sun didn't wake him up. Pretty soon everyone is searching for a missing trooper. Wasn't a problem after that!

I LOL'ed at both of these...  but the blanket part was too much!  

I've never gone under without being able to hear my radio.  If I have to nap, and my partner is off for the night, then I take my lunch and fall asleep after setting the alarm on my cell phone.  Thank god for that cell phone alarm!

The only funny sleeping story I have is when we left one of our squad sleeping past the end of our shift.  We were all changing and started asking where he was.  We realized that he was in his sleeping hole and wasn't waking up on his own.  I drove 1/2 way home then called him on his cell phone.  "you going home tonight or what?"  The only thing I heard was a bit of silence, then, "oh shit"

I'm a fan of graves and while I have come close, I have never fallen asleep.

I did days for 4 months last year.  I was running radar during morning rush hour on a busy residential street.  Being used to graves, I could park anywhere and sit in relative silence and privacy.

Days were killing me.  Needless to say, I dozed off next to a school bus stop.  I woke up to a bunch of kids looking in my car.  I put it in drive and took off.  My face must have been six different shades of red.

I love working nights, but if I'm getting sleepy, I'm going back to the station.

Quoted: Your "OH SH#T,...I just fell asleep" stories. DISCLAIMER FOR NON-RESPONDER FOLK READING THIS: 1st off, dispite what some folks think,...we're not robots with "blue battery packs" shoved up our ass. Believe it or not, we are NOT immune to normal life. Yes,...we DO get sick, we DO have bad bad nights where we get so tired our eyes burn, and when well, when ya get the combo. Stuff like this happens sometimes. Anyways,... It was one of "those" nights. And even if I don't have them, 0330 hrs ALWAYS hits kinda hard especially if its slow out there. But not like this. I took my break at my house, I live very close to my AO and am allowed to go home for breaks (eat real quick, let doggy out). Well, I pulled into my driveway and pulled right up to my garage door about 3 ft away from it. Before I opened it, I threw it in park and just leaned back and rubbed my eyes just to take a breather. Welp,...BAM!! I somehow went out like a light, and Started dreaming. I was dreaming that I was actually on patrol. That's when when I realized,.."WAIT, IT WAS MY OLD CHILDHOOD NEIGHBORHOOD,...and that,...yes folks, I was patrolling on a skateboard. I snapped to like a sleeping cat being awoke by a boat horn and woke up. The 1st thing my droggy ass saw was a big white wall! (My garage door). Even though the car was in park I thought I was going to put that brake peddle through the Crown Vic's floor board to prevent me from driving through it!!! ...The worse part was that I grabbed the mic and keyed it, and was about to call out a chase. Luckily I realized that I was being a total moron and my issue was over before it really began. What felt like a half hour (being alseep), was only 3-5 minutes. Scared the beJesus out of me!!! So,...LET'S HEAR THOSE STORIES. Ya know, so I feel better about screwing the pooch. Cleaner

Other than location and dream, I did the EXACT same thing. I parked at the dark end of the runway at the airport.. awoke, couldnt see anything, FLIPPED OUT, thinking I was crashing into a ditch..

While working security at my Guard base, we had a post inside the restricted area where our planes were parked. We did 2 hr shift rotations and I swear, everytime I crossed over onto the parking apron, the sleep monster would start stalking me. One night, as I slowly drove in circles around the C-130s, I was letting the engine idle as the truck crept along. The next thing I knew, my eyes snapped open and looming in my headlights was the side of a C-130 Hercules. It might've been the slowest speed impact in history, but I jammed on the brakes so hard, I swear I left a size 13 shoeprint in the floor. I was just three feet from making a Ford sized hole in the side of a 30 million dollar aircraft. I think I soiled myself.

Quoted: While working security at my Guard base, we had a post inside the restricted area where our planes were parked. We did 2 hr shift rotations and I swear, everytime I crossed over onto the parking apron, the sleep monster would start stalking me. One night, as I slowly drove in circles around the C-130s, I was letting the engine idle as the truck crept along. The next thing I knew, my eyes snapped open and looming in my headlights was the side of a C-130 Hercules. It might've been the slowest speed impact in history, but I jammed on the brakes so hard, I swear I left a size 13 shoeprint in the floor. I was just three feet from making a Ford sized hole in the side of a 30 million dollar aircraft. I think I soiled myself.

OMG, I can just imagine the smokefest you'd have gotten, even if you are AF (I'm assuming) . That's awesome. I think it's funny how people get used to something and then they can just sleep away. I can't count how many machine gun, rocket, mortar, etc ranges I slept by while I was in the Army, out like a light. But then, someone could whisper my name and I'd be up. Alas, that time is gone though. Guess I'll have to settle for an alarm clock nowadays

Quoted: OMG, I can just imagine the smokefest you'd have gotten, even if you are AF (I'm assuming) . That's awesome. I think it's funny how people get used to something and then they can just sleep away. I can't count how many machine gun, rocket, mortar, etc ranges I slept by while I was in the Army, out like a light. But then, someone could whisper my name and I'd be up. Alas, that time is gone though. Guess I'll have to settle for an alarm clock nowadays

My time in the Army lets me sleep through a lot of noise unless it's footsteps or voices.

My time as a Correctional Officer coupled with my time in the Army makes it impossible to sleep if I hear a radio crackle.

Yup, AF, then Air Guard, damn proud of it. Smoke fest? Ha, ha, ha! My career going down in flames would be more of a conflagration than the little smoke cloud that wafted across Pompeii and Herculaneum. The only thing left of me would've been a soot imprint blasted into the tarmac if I'd hit that Herky Bird. Oh, not a night shift story, but a funny one. As a yound Staff Sergeant, I was watching a Peacekeepr warhead changeout one day. My partner was a wet behind the ears, Airman, one striper. We watched as a re-entry vehicle (warhead) was going across the high bay, under the control of another young airman. Well, the crane mechanism malfunctioned, and genius airman on the crane remote kept punching the button, making the cradle jerk and sway. My partner turned to run and I grabbed him, knowing unless he could approach 1% of the speed of light, there was no way he was going to get outside of the impending blast radius. I held him there as we watched the swaying become sickeningly more pronounced. A grizzled Master Sergeant heard the mechanism grinding and ran towards Airman Snuffy, who was still stabbing the damn button on the crane control. The warhead finally shifted, slipped, then tumbled out of the cradle, doing a complete 360 flip and hit the concrete floor 12 feet below with a loud, solid, "THUD"! I looked at my partner and he had his eyes shut so hard, I thought I saw blood leaking out. I asked why he had his eyes closed and he said, "I didn't want to see that fucker go off!" I almost pissed myself laughing.

Quoted: Yup, AF, then Air Guard, damn proud of it. Smoke fest? Ha, ha, ha! My career going down in flames would be more of a conflagration than the little smoke cloud that wafted across Pompeii and Herculaneum. The only thing left of me would've been a soot imprint blasted into the tarmac if I'd hit that Herky Bird. Oh, not a night shift story, but a funny one. As a yound Staff Sergeant, I was watching a Peacekeepr warhead changeout one day. My partner was a wet behind the ears, Airman, one striper. We watched as a re-entry vehicle (warhead) was going across the high bay, under the control of another young airman. Well, the crane mechanism malfunctioned, and genius airman on the crane remote kept punching the button, making the cradle jerk and sway. My partner turned to run and I grabbed him, knowing unless he could approach 1% of the speed of light, there was no way he was going to get outside of the impending blast radius. I held him there as we watched the swaying become sickeningly more pronounced. A grizzled Master Sergeant heard the mechanism grinding and ran towards Airman Snuffy, who was still stabbing the damn button on the crane control. The warhead finally shifted, slipped, then tumbled out of the cradle, doing a complete 360 flip and hit the concrete floor 12 feet below with a loud, solid, "THUD"! I looked at my partner and he had his eyes shut so hard, I thought I saw blood leaking out. I asked why he had his eyes closed and he said, "I didn't want to see that fucker go off!" I almost pissed myself laughing.

that shit is funny, then again i would have shat myself

I still don't have a good story to post in there but I did pour most of a coffee in my lap last night

Not a LEO but Army is close so here is the worse one:

During Desert Storm right before the war kicked off we had jumped our Division to the Saudia Arabian borde where Iraq and Kuwait meet.  I was working in the Division TOC and late one night about 0300 I walked out to the big perimeter to an M 163 Vulcan that was dug into the berm.  It sounded too quiet so I approached apprehensively with my M-16 locked and loaded.  

I got right up to it and hear a faint snorring.  I look out beyond the perimeter with my PVS -7's and nothing moving at all.  So I climb up on the Vulcan and take a look at the weapons firing zone.  I realize that if these guys had slept through a probe the chain gun would have been able to slew 180 degrees and engage the entire Division TOC.  

I woke up the Seargent and gave him a ration of crap for letting us down.  

We would not have had a chance if that 20mm opened up on us.



Even further back in my decades of service on a Coast Guard Cutter way out at sea I walked up the bridge about the same witching hour of 0300 and found the bridge very quiet.  I was a second class Quartermaster so I looked and there was the helmsman leaning over the huge ships wheel, the Deck watch bosons mate was leaning in the Starboard corner asleep and the Deck Officer was in the Port corner sleeping standing up.  I thought about it a second and then took a fix and found we were two miles off track.  I determined a new coarse to steer to bring the ship back to coarse and carefully woke the helmsman and gave him the coarse with orders to bring it over slowly.  I then took two more fixes to determine we were on track again and then walked over to the Bosan mate, I shook him a little and said I think the OD needs some Coffee.  He dutifully went below the the mess deck and brought up a cup of coffee.  He woke the OD up by touching his shoulder and said, " Sir would you like a cup of coffee?"  The Officer acted like he was not asleep and said sure thanks.  

The helmsman and I never let this out of the bag or they would have court marshalled him for falling asleep on watch..

I think that little episode has helped to make me a better officer since I got my commision after leaving the Coast Guard.

I've been working night shift for about two months now (1800-0600), and I really don't get sleepy until about 0330-0400. Then it hits hard. On weekdays there's a couple of gas stations that open around 4 a.m., so I normally spend the last couple of hours of my shift sipping coffee and bs'ing with the shipyard workers coming in.

Before that, I was on days for some 9 months. I always got sleepy around 12 noon (after lunch) and again about 4 p.m. One particular Sunday morning, I came in on about 3.5 hours of sleep (not wise), and I was the only one on duty. I clocked in and went straight to the report room and fell asleep. I awoke an hour and a half later, and as I was walking out the door, I got a call. It must have been divine intervention,and I'm thankful for it! I sleep hard, so I never would've heard my hand-held!

I try to make work for myself on nights so I don't get sleepy. Either out on the road making stops, or in the report room cleaning guns, ironing tomorrow's uniform, whatever.

One of my buddies who was stationed at Hahn AB, Germany, in the early 80s told me this funny one. He was on duty as a close-in sentry on warshot F-16s on alert in the HAB (Hardened Aircraft Bunker). A little known fact of Nuclear weapons is that they are warm to the touch, due to the decaying radioactive isotopes. Of course, this being late December, in Germany, it is a wet, bone chilling cold night. Around about 0430, yup, MFT (Maximum Fatigue Time). He gets the bright idea to curl up on top of one of the nukes hanging under the bird. Low and behold, the area supervisor comes walking over and sees Sleeping Beauty snuggled up to a good old B61 fusion warhead. How my buddy dsidn't get taken out and shot, God only knows! He did lose stripes and receive an Article 15, non-judicial punishment. When he left the base about a year later, he got a framed copy of "Sleeping Beauty" and a satin pillow with a nuke embroidered onto it.