“Seriously, Sid and Marty Krofft were complete acid heads! C’mon, H.R. Puffnstuff!? Fuckin’ Lidsville? Far Out Space Nuts? They recycled the same old blundering, stuffy puppet madness. It was for fucking dudes and chicks higher than a giraffe’s ass!” said a voice in the headset speakers, which belonged to Tom. Hector is dozing off in the seat of the cab of Engine Six. They are returning from the hospital after another early morning run. Engine Six has had four since midnight, and went on five before that. Hector has never been so tired in his firefighting career. It’s nearing four in the morning, and the only thing he can think of is sleep. He’s really nodding off, while Chad is fast asleep in the seat next to him, drooling a bit. The radio chatter is silent, and the only thing droning through his mind is the conversation between Tom and the captain. The gentle purr of the diesel engine and the blur of dark orange and yellowish lights passing by his window are luring him into a small nap. “Oh you’re jumping to conclusions as usual. Damn Tom, ya should have been a cop. Everyone is a no-good-nick and a scumbag to you! It was just a kooky time, it was innocent! It was catchy and for latch key kids. I watched that stuff and I turned out fine! I didn’t cook my shit on grass!” replies Captain Presley. Tom guides the massive machine into a gentle right turn and says, “Thanks a lot! You’re so wrong! My sister would get higher that the fuckin’ space shuttle and just stare at Sigmond and the Sea Monsters for hours. C’mon, it was written by druggies, for druggies. End of story old man!” Captain Presley just shakes his head and stretches. “You’re full of shit Ogre as usual. I think I would rather wake up naked next to Liza Minelli, after a shotgun wedding than continue on with this dopey conversation. Damn, this has been a hell of a day” he retorts. The beeps of an incoming call come over the headset of the men. Chad continues to snooze, and Hector tries still to catch a small snooze, but is interrupted by the different pitched beep coming from the computer terminal next to the captain, indicating the call is theirs. “Fuck, not another one!” Hector thought. The speakers come alive again:
“North Beach Engine Four, Engine Six showing available on radio, Engine Twenty One, North Beach Truck Six, North Beach Battalion Two … Structure fire, possible person trapped … 810 Nutwood Lane … District 1710 Whiskey, Cross of Rosewood Terrace … North Beach Engines Four, Six, Twenty One, North Beach Truck Six, North Beach Battalion Two … Two India”
Hector sits straight up and starts to put on his turnout gear. Tom hits the lights and flips on the siren. He accelerates the engine, knowing the urgency of the situation. “Cap, we can beat those engine four fuckers in! I know a shortcut two blocks from here!” Captain Presley nods as he puts on his turnout coat. He turns to see Chad still sleeping away. He chucks a box of exam gloves at Chad, smacking on his head. “Dude, what the fuck?” he says stirring awake. “Wake up junior! We got a structure!” yells Captain Presley as he throws on his helmet. “Hold your ass guys, it’s gonna get bumpy!” says Tom. He turns the truck into a sharp right and down a narrow, neglected road. “This isn’t a fuckin road ogre. What the fuck? You’re going shake the fillings out of my teeth!” says the captain. Chad and Hector are now all suited up, ready to go to work. Their blood is flowing, minds sharp, ready to go into battle. The battle inside of the mouth of the dragon is a dangerous one, this battle including the rescue of someone trapped within the jaws of the beast. The cab is silent, partially listening for updates on the radio, also partially to mentally prepare for what lies ahead. Tom steers the apparatus through the narrow street which is in turn an alleyway. The sweeping pattern of reds, whites and yellows from the warning lights exchange flirtatious caresses from dark shadows and lonely corners of buildings. The echoing sirens pierce and shatter the still quiet of the early morning soundscape. Tom turns the truck onto a main street with a smooth turn. “See, told ya there was a shortc-“ Tom says, being cut off by the dispatcher. “All units responding to 810 Nutwood Lane, P.D. confirms one resident unaccounted for. North Beach Battalion Two, did you copy?” Hector can now feel the hair on his neck stand on end.
The stillness of the dormitory inside Station Six is shattered like a rock meeting a glass window at full speed as the call is received. It is an assault on your senses, to go from a deep sleep to full speed in a matter of seconds. The crew of Truck Six move from their beds to their awaiting truck with a graceful speed. A fury of changing into turnout gear is followed by the crew falling into their assigned places. Jeremiah starts the engine, Captain Lawson confirms they are en route to the dispatchers. “Ok cap, I’m good to go! Time to go play!” says Michele. “Yea! We haven’t gotten a decent structure in a month!” quips Tony. “Let’s go play!” says Captain Lawson. Jeremiah guides the vehicle out of the station and on the way to the fire. The update from the dispatcher is heard regarding the confirmation of a person trapped. “Oh lord! We got ourselves a party now! Big Country’s comin’ baby!” says Jeremiah. Michele laughs, but is really pumped now. She can feel a little more acceleration. She can feel the urgency in the pit of her stomach, her skin tingling. The mechanical wail and the bright red, white and amber dance of lights on a lonely stretch of boulevard really gets her pumped. Tony is chomping away at some gum, his foot tapping on the floor of the truck. Like a dog, poised in the shadows to pounce an intruder, he is ready to spring into action and pull another victim from the burning clutches of the beast. “We’re about seven minutes out, we’re gonna probably be cutting the roof. As usual, Engine Four will get the save and wave it under our noses like they always do,” sighs Captain Lawson. “Just once, I really hope those dirt merchants get a taste of their own medicine!” retorts Michele in a sleepy, huffy voice.
Tom turns the massive truck into a neighborhood. “Two minutes out, commin’ in hot gentlemen!” he calls over the headset. Hector can now smell the aroma of a house fire. The mixture of burning wood, plastic and drywall pound his nose like hammers. The fast acceleration is felt in the pit of his stomach, the whining of the diesel engine a swan song to his ears. The early morning misty fog is rolling in, bringing the smoke lower to the ground. The crew of Engine Six is primed and ready to go. Hector is tapping away on the floor with his foot. The blurry red and blue lights of the police vehicles come into view, and Tom notices that Engine Six is first on scene, in Engine Four’s area. This is an epic conquest, one which the crew will definitely not let them live down. “Ha ha! Told you fuckers!” he says, slowing down the engine and bringing it to a halt in front of the one story house. The front door is open, with heavy, billowing black smoke rolling out. With the engine stopped, Tom engages the parking brake, and puts the transmission into pump gear. This allows the engine to power the water pump, thus supplying the ammo for the battle within the dragon’s mouth. All members jump off the truck. Captain Presley reaches for the shoulder mic for his radio to call in a report. A hysterical, screaming woman runs up to him, followed by a police officer. “HELP HER! She can’t get out! You got to help her! She’s gonna die!” the lady screams, tugging on his arm, almost knocking him over. “Ma’am, we’re going get her out. Please trust me, but you have to stay out of the way!” he says, then turns his attention back to the shoulder mic. He calls in his report:
“Metrocomm, North Beach Engine Six on scene … One story residential structure, heavy smoke showing … confirmed one person trapped, will be in offensive mode … Engine Six establishing Nutwood Command!”
Chad grabs an attack line (hose) from the side of the truck, while Hector grabs an axe and a halligan tool. Tom opens the water tank to let water cycle through the pump, at the ready to charge Chad’s hose line. Chad and Hector stop in the front yard to don their SCBA masks. They put their hand over the connection piece, both check for a good seal. They connect the air regulator. They charge their bottles, a loud chirp is heard. These come from the PASS (Personal Alert Safety System) device, they are built in and integrated into their SCBA. This device emits a very loud sound if a firefighter stops moving for a certain amount of time. This would help to locate an injured or lost firefighter. Chad and Hector both check each other’s SCBA to make sure everything is on and correct. They both switch on their lights and move toward the front door. The smoke is really rolling, and feels very warm. Chad signals for water. Tom throttles up the engine, opens the hose line valve and makes sure he is flowing exactly 100 pounds per square inch to the tip of the fog nozzle. Captain Presley stands behind them, and they plunge into the inky darkness. The swirling darkness engulfs them, the flashlights provide a limited guiding light. Chad feels the wall with his hand, moving forward. Hector is directly behind him, smacking his boot every once in a while, to let him know he is still there. He takes the handle of the axe, searching more of the floor to his side. The darkness is intimidating, the gear heavy, the mask and gloves restricting, the heat starting to become more noticeable. He feels so at home, in his own element. He is a man on a quest to find the missing person, guiding them out of this solitary confinement of fumes, smoke and intense heat. He can see a dull, orange glow to his immediate left. In a split second, he can see flicker of flames rolling and dancing on the ceiling. The heat is becoming more heavy and overbearing. It starts to get more intense. This spells out one thing for him, flashover. Chad points the nozzle at the ceiling, hitting it with short, direct blasts to cool down the super heated gases. The men have no idea if they have a dedicated water supply yet so they have to be very careful. Hector feels the handle of his axe hit something soft. “I think I got her!” screams Hector through his mask.
“Where the hell are those scum fucks at?” Tom wonders to himself. He’s noticing his water tank is getting low. He needs to find a dedicated water supply. The duty on the second engine to arrive on scene is to establish a water supply. With that thought, he hears Engine Four coming up the street, the loud thumping of the supply hose unloading off the truck as it heads to Engine Six. Another firefighter is at the hydrant to make sure the hose doesn’t drag down the street, flush the hydrant (make sure no debris gets into the pump), and open the hydrant valve when the hose is in place. Engine four comes to a stop next to them. He is greeted first by Captain Lewis, who looks rather upset. “How the fuck did you beat us into OUR first due? That’s bullshit and you know it!” he yells at Tom before storming off. Tom just shrugs his shoulders and chuckles. The engineer of Engine Four walks up with the supply hose from his pump. “What’s crackin’ son? When in the hell did you transfer to Four? You break my heart with this!” says Tom to Gary Comstock, the acting Engineer of Engine Four. “Relax and go fuck some fatties! I’m picking up a shift for sugar pants! Holy shit pickles! Captain Lewis pissed! He’s been stewing in his own juices on the way here! So good!” says Gary. “Yea yea, just go back over there. We’ll kick the bobo in a hot minute once we get this done!” he says back. Tom transfers to the supply line, shutting down his water tank. “We’re golden now, it’s tea sipping time!” he says, knowing in the back of his mind he would love an iced tea at that moment.
“Chad, gonna drag her out, cover me!” Hector screams, his voice choked from the mask. Chad nods his head, keeping the cooling jets of water trained on the dancing orange flames. “Interior to command, found the trapped person, bringing her out!” yells Hector into his shoulder mic. Hector grabs her under her arms, drags her to the doorstep, gives the lifeless body to the crew of engine four, and then joins back with Chad for the push to the seat of the fire. Chad and Hector push down a hallway. It’s like a tunnel of superheated gases, the smoke getting real thick. They see the source of the flames, coming from a bedroom door to the right. This is the last room they have searched, and now it is time to go to battle. Captain Presley screams into the mic of his radio, “Interior to command. Primary search complete. Victim has been extricated. We’ve found the fire, working on it now. PAR (Personnel Accountability Report) three” A voice Hector doesn’t recognize answers, “Interior this is command, received. Truck Six, you have roof. Start ventilating.” Hector feel a bit relieved. Once the truck company gets in top of the roof, the crew will cut a hole open to vent the smoke and gases out, making things a bit easier on the soldiers within the battle of the dragon’s mouth.
“Girls on film, doo doo da doo doo, Girls on film!” sings Michele to herself over the noise of the chainsaw. Tony and Captain Lawson are on the roof with her, watching her make precision cuts. Not to deep to cut through support beams, but deep enough to cut through the cover. Satisfied she has cut a hole to her liking, Tony grabs a trash hook, and pushes down to one side. It acts like a louver and pushes the smoke away at an angle. He pokes it down further to pop a hole in the ceiling below, creating a clear channel for the smoke and heated gases to clear from the structure. Captain Lawson Calls into the mic of his radio, “Roof to command, ventilation complete!” Michele turns off the chainsaw, and the crew makes their way to the ladder to depart the roof. “Not too shabby if I don’t say so myself, Nice!” says Michele taking one last look at her handy work. “It fockin’ sucks, your 8 inches off, and ya cut too deep into that beam. That shit is amateur at best!” calls Tony to her walking toward the ladder. “Go spike you hair and bathe yourself in Drakkar Noir dirty jersey, the shore is that way!” Michele screams back, pointing her finger east. “Go eat bean sprouts and hug a tree cali!” he says to Michele making his way down the ladder. The crew makes their way down the ladder, and hits the ground. Tony give Michele a knuckle tap and says, “Kick ass job bro!” Michele returns the favor and says, “Thanks fuck face! I have a sinking feeling we’re gonna be pulling walls, as usual!” They make their way to the battalion chief to await their next assignment.
In a split second, the smoke starts to clear, but the fire becomes more intense, roaring and hissing at the crew of Engine Six. Chad works the nozzle in a pattern, sweeping across the wall of flame. Hector can feel someone coming up behind him, and feels a cool rush of a second hose line opening up next to him. As fast as the fire erupts from the dragon’s throat, the burning thirst has been parched. Captain Presley is right behind them and calls in the report: “Interior to command. Fire is out, will be conducting a secondary search. PAR five.” Chad and Hector stand up to survey the scene of structural carnage. The men realize that the fire started in this room. Hector spots what looks like a wide, sooty, dark looking V on the wall, right above a sofa. “Hey cap, call me stupid, but I think there’s our answer” say Hector, looking down on the couch. He spots a glass jar, extremely darkened in the skeleton of the couch. Captain Presley bends over to look, and lets out a sigh. “People just don’t learn. I bet ten to one that’s a candle. Just makes no sense.” says Captain Presley. Captain Lewis walks into the blackened room, but stumbles over the hose line. Chad feels something hit his boot. He looks down, sees an object, and very slyly places the object in his jacket. “Its bullshit you beat us in! You cheated, there’s no way!” Captain Lewis says in a very paternal tone, while the other two firefighters on Engine Four chuckle and snicker. “Read it and weep Todd! Fair is fair! Now if you’ll excuse me, we have a secondary search to do.” He retorts back with an evil smirk. Captain Lewis turns and storms out of the room, and trips over the same hose line again. Chad pokes Captain Presley, opens his turnout coat slightly and points toward the departing Captain.
“Double gin and tonic, cheese fries and a bowl of lobster bisque”, says Tony as he looks into a Thermal imaging camera. The camera is used to look for hot spots in walls, ceilings and spaces inside structures. The camera saves time and causes less damage during the overhaul/salvage process. After the fire is out, there is a process to check for any unnoticed extension of fire and to make sure the fire is completely out. Tony has the camera pointed toward the ceiling, and says to Captain Lawson, “All clear cap. No extension.” He takes the camera out of Tony’s hands and takes a quick once over. “Ok good. Well lets go rip up some walls why don’t we. Oh, put me down for three bottles of Cabernet, a 16 ounce prime rib, and some garlic mashed potatoes!” he says. Truck Six has a quirky little past time of naming off what the crew would like to eat while performing any strenuous activity. It really rings true, it’s after five in the morning, and it’s been a long while since anyone at Station Six has eaten. Michele picks up a pike pole and while walking back to the room where the fire started says, “I want a handle of vodka, a gallon of fresh squeezed orange juice, two pounds of mozzarella, basil leaves and all the loaves of sourdough bread I can handle! “ she says walking down the charred corridor that once was a hallway. “Y’all, forget that mess. Right now, Big Country needs himself a crawdad boil, some cornbread, and a couple of kegs of that sweet, sweet lady on the moon. Mmm hmm! Lord you treat me so right but leave me hanging in pain in the morning. Miller high life, I love you dearly!” he says, with a trash hook over his massive shoulder. “Eh yo, that’s a good call bro! I say we do it up, like A shift style!” retorts Tony behind him. They pass the crew of Engine Six, on their way out to report to incident command. Hector bumps into Michele and hip checks her. “Oh my bad, I’m sorry dude, I mean ma’am!” he says, then makes a quick exit out of the door. “You’re a dork, you know that! Your dead senior!” she screams back. The crew of Truck Six makes their way into the room, greeted by the crew of Engine Twenty One in the process of the same job. “Alright ladies, let’s make short work of this and get our sweet cans home!” says Captain Lawson with a smile. He’s only been a captain for six months, he feels comfortable in his new position, and loves every minute of him.
“Chief, we’ve been to rehab and we are all good. Anything else you need from us?” say Captain Lawson to Battalion Chief Kircher. Chief Kircher is looking at the Command Board from the back of his vehicle. “No, you guys can take up and go. Good job on beating in Lewis. God is he hopping mad. I’ve already had to hear about it.” He says to them. Chad elbows Captain Presley and shows him the object in his coat. “Oh Chief, we have more fuel for the fire. Take a look at this!” says Captain Presley. Chad opens his turnout coat, and shows Chief Kircher. He goes wide eyed, and launches into a deep, menacing sounding chuckle. “Oh wow! Lewis is going to have kittens and a litter of puppies! I want a cup of coffee out of this!” he says still laughing. “I’m on it Chief. Oh, Chief this is Hector Gonzales, the transfer from One we got this morning. Gonzo, this is our esteemed leader, Chief Bob Kircher.” replies Captain Presley, presenting him to the chief. The Chief and Hector shake hands, and he says, “Great to meet you. Chief Semonell speaks highly of you, and you graduated at the top of your paramedic class it's is an added bonus. The only thing I harp on is your appearance, keep it by the book. We have an image to protect, and let’s maintain that. Welcome to the bastard child, I mean the Second Battalion!” Hector smiles, and replies to the Chief, “Thank you chief. So far it’s been a wild ride and glad to be here!” Captain Presley interrupts him and states, “Let’s go Gonzo, this is magic in the making right here!” Engine Six’s Crew run into Engine Four’s crew on their way out of the house. “Excuse me Captain Lewis, I think we might have something of yours.” says Captain Presley. “Ok, yes I know, you beat us in. Come off of it already, our tails our between our legs. Shit what more do you want from us? Blood?” says Captain Lewis in an angry tone. Tom walks over from the pump panel and stands next to Hector to listen in. “It seems you dropped something near and dear to you. My Probationary Firefighter here has picked up something you will need back!” responds Captain Presley. Chad opens his turnout coat, and pulls out a portable radio. The equipment tag on the radio proclaims it belongs on Engine Four. Captain Lewis’s face falls, and turns a shade of red. The rest of the crew of Engine Four makes its way back to their apparatus, starting the re-packing of hose. “Alright, you win. What’s it going to cost me?” he replies, in a dejected tone. “For starters, we get our bragging rights back, and it’s about time I might add. Second, Chief wants some coffee so you are gonna bring him a cup, you do remember how he likes it right? Third, you owe us two gallons of mint chocolate chip ice cream, like now. We’re gonna re-pack our hose, and I expect in on the driver’s seat in fifteen minutes. Be gone!” says Captain Presley, with a huge smile. Captain Lewis just walks off, and has a word with his crew. Tom grabs Captain Presley in a huge bear hug, and they both laugh like two teenage boys who lit their first firecracker.
Engine Six has just re-packed and put away their equipment to their apparatus under the early dim, progressively bright rising sunlight. Captain Presley satisfied with the replacement, deems it suitable to place the unit back in service. Tom opens the driver’s side door and sees the package that requested in the driver’s seat. “We got it Cap!” he calls to Captain Presley. He walks over to Captain Lewis, and gives him the captive radio. He takes off his turnout gear except for the pants, and jumps into the cab with the rest of the crew. Tom starts the engine, and states over the headset, “Ok gentlemen, that was one hell of a way to end a shift. Let’s ride out the next hour and a half quietly, shall we?” He guides the sleek, two toned apparatus down the street. The hum of the accelerating engine down the street against the backdrop of a new day is exciting to Hector. Even though he is dead tired, sweaty, and starving, seeing this new day before him after completing so much in a shift is most rewarding. This is a high that no drug could ever bring and no drink could ever give. This is what strikes pride into the hearts of firefighters, a job well done. It may seem small and minuscule to others, means the world to some. Hector belongs in a small group, a proud group. He realizes this now more than other moments. Engine Six get three minutes away from the battlegrounds of the dragon and they hear a tone from their onboard computer, then a series of beeps in the speakers of the headphones. Tom, of course, is the first to express the disgust of the crew by saying, “Fuck! Are you serious? We’ve ran three times the calls of everyone else! Fuck that fickle finger of fate!” Chad and Hector look and each other and laugh, it’s all they can do at this situation. Captain Presley flips a middle finger at the radio speaker in the cab. The dispatcher’s voice comes over the headset speakers, louder than ever Hector feels:
‘North Beach Engine Six available on radio … Injury from a fall, behind 616 Crossways Boulevard, Six One Six Crossways Boulevard, District 1123 Zulu Cross of Drift Circle, North Beach Engine Six Bravo response, two foxtrot …”
Tom pulls the apparatus in front of a small house in Crossways Boulevard. Like a repeat of their first call, several North Beach Police cars are in the front, except this time, no warning lights are on. The low droning of a police helicopter can be heard, a spotlight on to the rear of the house they pulled up in front of. An ambulance is waiting two houses down, something Tom notes in his head, for this is a rare occasion that a private ambulance has beat them in. A female police sergeant greets Captain Presley and says, “Hi Clyde! He’s in the back. He took a nasty tumble over the fence, and he’s complaining of right side pain!” Captain Presley shakes his head and is lead on by the police sergeant, with the rest of the crew of Engine Six in tow, carrying medical equipment. The crew enters the backyard, and Tom is the first one to say, “Captain, this is an obvious DOA. I see brain matter about.” Captain takes a look and says, ‘Sir, I concur!” In front of the crew lies a North Beach Police officer, clutching his right side, wincing in pain. Hector takes notice of his name plate, and it reads C. PRESLEY JR. The officer looks up and says, “Dad, shut the fuck up! Do something this horseshit hurts!” Captain Presley gives him a good look and says, “Son, what the hell happened?” The police officer laying on the ground states, “Well dad, while your chasing house fires like a wuss, I was booking it after a carjacking suspect, my foot caught the fence while going over, and my ribcage bounced off this propane grill. Fucking A, this hurts like hell!” he states, wincing in pain. Chad and Hector check him out, running his vital signs and give him a quick trauma assessment. ‘Cap, probably bruised or cracked ribs. No DECAP-BTLS … Want me to start one(IV)?” says Hector. “Naw. We’ll send him off to West Med. Son, I’ll call Samantha and tell her to meet you there, and I will stop by in a bit since we are so close to shift change. Have fun!” says Captain Presley. The EMT’s on the ambulance crew place him on the stretcher and cart him off. Captain Presley hands his son’s gun belt off to the police sergeant. Hector has now noticed that the early morning sun has become into full view, showing the beauty that an early southern California foggy morning can produce. The weary crew of Engine Six replaces the equipment to their apparatus, and drives back to their homestead.
It is now seven thirty in the morning as Engine Six rolls back into Station Six. The Captain from C shift awaits Captain Presley. Both men head into the front office. Chad looks at Hector and says, “Bro! I know a bar close to here in Mission City. Its firefighter friendly dude, let’s go have a couple and shoot the shit. We’ve got a couple of days off, let’s make the best of the worst shift ever know to man!” Hector replies with, “Cool, I’m down! I live in Glenbank anyway, so it’s on the way. We’re talking about Finnegan’s on Limerick street right?” Chad envelops Hector in a hug and says, “Hells yes dude! Even though he hates us orange curtain type dudes, he loves to shoot the breeze with us fire folk. Let’s do it up!” Soon as Chad and Hector release from their hug, Tom says, “You guys don’t know shit. Let’s walk in there with firefighter pride, no matter the city or territory, we got our job done, let’s live it up. We should not live our lives like mortal men, but as giants!” Captain Presley walks out of the office and says, “Ok, I heard your plans fuckers. I live Fullerton Hills, but I’ll take the Metro Line from there! Let’s do it now!” The crew looks at each other, and then runs for the transit bus in front of the station
16 May 2010
Part 4 - Pride Goeth Before Fall
“Seriously, Sid and Marty Krofft were complete acid heads! C’mon, H.R. Puffnstuff!? Fuckin’ Lidsville? Far Out Space Nuts? They recycled the same old blundering, stuffy puppet madness. It was for fucking dudes and chicks higher than a giraffe’s ass!” said a voice in the headset speakers, which belonged to Tom. Hector is dozing off in the seat of the cab of Engine Six. They are returning from the hospital after another early morning run. Engine Six has had four since midnight, and went on five before that. Hector has never been so tired in his firefighting career. It’s nearing four in the morning, and the only thing he can think of is sleep. He’s really nodding off, while Chad is fast asleep in the seat next to him, drooling a bit. The radio chatter is silent, and the only thing droning through his mind is the conversation between Tom and the captain. The gentle purr of the diesel engine and the blur of dark orange and yellowish lights passing by his window are luring him into a small nap. “Oh you’re jumping to conclusions as usual. Damn Tom, ya should have been a cop. Everyone is a no-good-nick and a scumbag to you! It was just a kooky time, it was innocent! It was catchy and for latch key kids. I watched that stuff and I turned out fine! I didn’t cook my shit on grass!” replies Captain Presley. Tom guides the massive machine into a gentle right turn and says, “Thanks a lot! You’re so wrong! My sister would get higher that the fuckin’ space shuttle and just stare at Sigmond and the Sea Monsters for hours. C’mon, it was written by druggies, for druggies. End of story old man!” Captain Presley just shakes his head and stretches. “You’re full of shit Ogre as usual. I think I would rather wake up naked next to Liza Minelli, after a shotgun wedding than continue on with this dopey conversation. Damn, this has been a hell of a day” he retorts. The beeps of an incoming call come over the headset of the men. Chad continues to snooze, and Hector tries still to catch a small snooze, but is interrupted by the different pitched beep coming from the computer terminal next to the captain, indicating the call is theirs. “Fuck, not another one!” Hector thought. The speakers come alive again:
“North Beach Engine Four, Engine Six showing available on radio, Engine Twenty One, North Beach Truck Six, North Beach Battalion Two … Structure fire, possible person trapped … 810 Nutwood Lane … District 1710 Whiskey, Cross of Rosewood Terrace … North Beach Engines Four, Six, Twenty One, North Beach Truck Six, North Beach Battalion Two … Two India”
Hector sits straight up and starts to put on his turnout gear. Tom hits the lights and flips on the siren. He accelerates the engine, knowing the urgency of the situation. “Cap, we can beat those engine four fuckers in! I know a shortcut two blocks from here!” Captain Presley nods as he puts on his turnout coat. He turns to see Chad still sleeping away. He chucks a box of exam gloves at Chad, smacking on his head. “Dude, what the fuck?” he says stirring awake. “Wake up junior! We got a structure!” yells Captain Presley as he throws on his helmet. “Hold your ass guys, it’s gonna get bumpy!” says Tom. He turns the truck into a sharp right and down a narrow, neglected road. “This isn’t a fuckin road ogre. What the fuck? You’re going shake the fillings out of my teeth!” says the captain. Chad and Hector are now all suited up, ready to go to work. Their blood is flowing, minds sharp, ready to go into battle. The battle inside of the mouth of the dragon is a dangerous one, this battle including the rescue of someone trapped within the jaws of the beast. The cab is silent, partially listening for updates on the radio, also partially to mentally prepare for what lies ahead. Tom steers the apparatus through the narrow street which is in turn an alleyway. The sweeping pattern of reds, whites and yellows from the warning lights exchange flirtatious caresses from dark shadows and lonely corners of buildings. The echoing sirens pierce and shatter the still quiet of the early morning soundscape. Tom turns the truck onto a main street with a smooth turn. “See, told ya there was a shortc-“ Tom says, being cut off by the dispatcher. “All units responding to 810 Nutwood Lane, P.D. confirms one resident unaccounted for. North Beach Battalion Two, did you copy?” Hector can now feel the hair on his neck stand on end.
The stillness of the dormitory inside Station Six is shattered like a rock meeting a glass window at full speed as the call is received. It is an assault on your senses, to go from a deep sleep to full speed in a matter of seconds. The crew of Truck Six move from their beds to their awaiting truck with a graceful speed. A fury of changing into turnout gear is followed by the crew falling into their assigned places. Jeremiah starts the engine, Captain Lawson confirms they are en route to the dispatchers. “Ok cap, I’m good to go! Time to go play!” says Michele. “Yea! We haven’t gotten a decent structure in a month!” quips Tony. “Let’s go play!” says Captain Lawson. Jeremiah guides the vehicle out of the station and on the way to the fire. The update from the dispatcher is heard regarding the confirmation of a person trapped. “Oh lord! We got ourselves a party now! Big Country’s comin’ baby!” says Jeremiah. Michele laughs, but is really pumped now. She can feel a little more acceleration. She can feel the urgency in the pit of her stomach, her skin tingling. The mechanical wail and the bright red, white and amber dance of lights on a lonely stretch of boulevard really gets her pumped. Tony is chomping away at some gum, his foot tapping on the floor of the truck. Like a dog, poised in the shadows to pounce an intruder, he is ready to spring into action and pull another victim from the burning clutches of the beast. “We’re about seven minutes out, we’re gonna probably be cutting the roof. As usual, Engine Four will get the save and wave it under our noses like they always do,” sighs Captain Lawson. “Just once, I really hope those dirt merchants get a taste of their own medicine!” retorts Michele in a sleepy, huffy voice.
Tom turns the massive truck into a neighborhood. “Two minutes out, commin’ in hot gentlemen!” he calls over the headset. Hector can now smell the aroma of a house fire. The mixture of burning wood, plastic and drywall pound his nose like hammers. The fast acceleration is felt in the pit of his stomach, the whining of the diesel engine a swan song to his ears. The early morning misty fog is rolling in, bringing the smoke lower to the ground. The crew of Engine Six is primed and ready to go. Hector is tapping away on the floor with his foot. The blurry red and blue lights of the police vehicles come into view, and Tom notices that Engine Six is first on scene, in Engine Four’s area. This is an epic conquest, one which the crew will definitely not let them live down. “Ha ha! Told you fuckers!” he says, slowing down the engine and bringing it to a halt in front of the one story house. The front door is open, with heavy, billowing black smoke rolling out. With the engine stopped, Tom engages the parking brake, and puts the transmission into pump gear. This allows the engine to power the water pump, thus supplying the ammo for the battle within the dragon’s mouth. All members jump off the truck. Captain Presley reaches for the shoulder mic for his radio to call in a report. A hysterical, screaming woman runs up to him, followed by a police officer. “HELP HER! She can’t get out! You got to help her! She’s gonna die!” the lady screams, tugging on his arm, almost knocking him over. “Ma’am, we’re going get her out. Please trust me, but you have to stay out of the way!” he says, then turns his attention back to the shoulder mic. He calls in his report:
“Metrocomm, North Beach Engine Six on scene … One story residential structure, heavy smoke showing … confirmed one person trapped, will be in offensive mode … Engine Six establishing Nutwood Command!”
Chad grabs an attack line (hose) from the side of the truck, while Hector grabs an axe and a halligan tool. Tom opens the water tank to let water cycle through the pump, at the ready to charge Chad’s hose line. Chad and Hector stop in the front yard to don their SCBA masks. They put their hand over the connection piece, both check for a good seal. They connect the air regulator. They charge their bottles, a loud chirp is heard. These come from the PASS (Personal Alert Safety System) device, they are built in and integrated into their SCBA. This device emits a very loud sound if a firefighter stops moving for a certain amount of time. This would help to locate an injured or lost firefighter. Chad and Hector both check each other’s SCBA to make sure everything is on and correct. They both switch on their lights and move toward the front door. The smoke is really rolling, and feels very warm. Chad signals for water. Tom throttles up the engine, opens the hose line valve and makes sure he is flowing exactly 100 pounds per square inch to the tip of the fog nozzle. Captain Presley stands behind them, and they plunge into the inky darkness. The swirling darkness engulfs them, the flashlights provide a limited guiding light. Chad feels the wall with his hand, moving forward. Hector is directly behind him, smacking his boot every once in a while, to let him know he is still there. He takes the handle of the axe, searching more of the floor to his side. The darkness is intimidating, the gear heavy, the mask and gloves restricting, the heat starting to become more noticeable. He feels so at home, in his own element. He is a man on a quest to find the missing person, guiding them out of this solitary confinement of fumes, smoke and intense heat. He can see a dull, orange glow to his immediate left. In a split second, he can see flicker of flames rolling and dancing on the ceiling. The heat is becoming more heavy and overbearing. It starts to get more intense. This spells out one thing for him, flashover. Chad points the nozzle at the ceiling, hitting it with short, direct blasts to cool down the super heated gases. The men have no idea if they have a dedicated water supply yet so they have to be very careful. Hector feels the handle of his axe hit something soft. “I think I got her!” screams Hector through his mask.
“Where the hell are those scum fucks at?” Tom wonders to himself. He’s noticing his water tank is getting low. He needs to find a dedicated water supply. The duty on the second engine to arrive on scene is to establish a water supply. With that thought, he hears Engine Four coming up the street, the loud thumping of the supply hose unloading off the truck as it heads to Engine Six. Another firefighter is at the hydrant to make sure the hose doesn’t drag down the street, flush the hydrant (make sure no debris gets into the pump), and open the hydrant valve when the hose is in place. Engine four comes to a stop next to them. He is greeted first by Captain Lewis, who looks rather upset. “How the fuck did you beat us into OUR first due? That’s bullshit and you know it!” he yells at Tom before storming off. Tom just shrugs his shoulders and chuckles. The engineer of Engine Four walks up with the supply hose from his pump. “What’s crackin’ son? When in the hell did you transfer to Four? You break my heart with this!” says Tom to Gary Comstock, the acting Engineer of Engine Four. “Relax and go fuck some fatties! I’m picking up a shift for sugar pants! Holy shit pickles! Captain Lewis pissed! He’s been stewing in his own juices on the way here! So good!” says Gary. “Yea yea, just go back over there. We’ll kick the bobo in a hot minute once we get this done!” he says back. Tom transfers to the supply line, shutting down his water tank. “We’re golden now, it’s tea sipping time!” he says, knowing in the back of his mind he would love an iced tea at that moment.
“Chad, gonna drag her out, cover me!” Hector screams, his voice choked from the mask. Chad nods his head, keeping the cooling jets of water trained on the dancing orange flames. “Interior to command, found the trapped person, bringing her out!” yells Hector into his shoulder mic. Hector grabs her under her arms, drags her to the doorstep, gives the lifeless body to the crew of engine four, and then joins back with Chad for the push to the seat of the fire. Chad and Hector push down a hallway. It’s like a tunnel of superheated gases, the smoke getting real thick. They see the source of the flames, coming from a bedroom door to the right. This is the last room they have searched, and now it is time to go to battle. Captain Presley screams into the mic of his radio, “Interior to command. Primary search complete. Victim has been extricated. We’ve found the fire, working on it now. PAR (Personnel Accountability Report) three” A voice Hector doesn’t recognize answers, “Interior this is command, received. Truck Six, you have roof. Start ventilating.” Hector feel a bit relieved. Once the truck company gets in top of the roof, the crew will cut a hole open to vent the smoke and gases out, making things a bit easier on the soldiers within the battle of the dragon’s mouth.
“Girls on film, doo doo da doo doo, Girls on film!” sings Michele to herself over the noise of the chainsaw. Tony and Captain Lawson are on the roof with her, watching her make precision cuts. Not to deep to cut through support beams, but deep enough to cut through the cover. Satisfied she has cut a hole to her liking, Tony grabs a trash hook, and pushes down to one side. It acts like a louver and pushes the smoke away at an angle. He pokes it down further to pop a hole in the ceiling below, creating a clear channel for the smoke and heated gases to clear from the structure. Captain Lawson Calls into the mic of his radio, “Roof to command, ventilation complete!” Michele turns off the chainsaw, and the crew makes their way to the ladder to depart the roof. “Not too shabby if I don’t say so myself, Nice!” says Michele taking one last look at her handy work. “It fockin’ sucks, your 8 inches off, and ya cut too deep into that beam. That shit is amateur at best!” calls Tony to her walking toward the ladder. “Go spike you hair and bathe yourself in Drakkar Noir dirty jersey, the shore is that way!” Michele screams back, pointing her finger east. “Go eat bean sprouts and hug a tree cali!” he says to Michele making his way down the ladder. The crew makes their way down the ladder, and hits the ground. Tony give Michele a knuckle tap and says, “Kick ass job bro!” Michele returns the favor and says, “Thanks fuck face! I have a sinking feeling we’re gonna be pulling walls, as usual!” They make their way to the battalion chief to await their next assignment.
In a split second, the smoke starts to clear, but the fire becomes more intense, roaring and hissing at the crew of Engine Six. Chad works the nozzle in a pattern, sweeping across the wall of flame. Hector can feel someone coming up behind him, and feels a cool rush of a second hose line opening up next to him. As fast as the fire erupts from the dragon’s throat, the burning thirst has been parched. Captain Presley is right behind them and calls in the report: “Interior to command. Fire is out, will be conducting a secondary search. PAR five.” Chad and Hector stand up to survey the scene of structural carnage. The men realize that the fire started in this room. Hector spots what looks like a wide, sooty, dark looking V on the wall, right above a sofa. “Hey cap, call me stupid, but I think there’s our answer” say Hector, looking down on the couch. He spots a glass jar, extremely darkened in the skeleton of the couch. Captain Presley bends over to look, and lets out a sigh. “People just don’t learn. I bet ten to one that’s a candle. Just makes no sense.” says Captain Presley. Captain Lewis walks into the blackened room, but stumbles over the hose line. Chad feels something hit his boot. He looks down, sees an object, and very slyly places the object in his jacket. “Its bullshit you beat us in! You cheated, there’s no way!” Captain Lewis says in a very paternal tone, while the other two firefighters on Engine Four chuckle and snicker. “Read it and weep Todd! Fair is fair! Now if you’ll excuse me, we have a secondary search to do.” He retorts back with an evil smirk. Captain Lewis turns and storms out of the room, and trips over the same hose line again. Chad pokes Captain Presley, opens his turnout coat slightly and points toward the departing Captain.
“Double gin and tonic, cheese fries and a bowl of lobster bisque”, says Tony as he looks into a Thermal imaging camera. The camera is used to look for hot spots in walls, ceilings and spaces inside structures. The camera saves time and causes less damage during the overhaul/salvage process. After the fire is out, there is a process to check for any unnoticed extension of fire and to make sure the fire is completely out. Tony has the camera pointed toward the ceiling, and says to Captain Lawson, “All clear cap. No extension.” He takes the camera out of Tony’s hands and takes a quick once over. “Ok good. Well lets go rip up some walls why don’t we. Oh, put me down for three bottles of Cabernet, a 16 ounce prime rib, and some garlic mashed potatoes!” he says. Truck Six has a quirky little past time of naming off what the crew would like to eat while performing any strenuous activity. It really rings true, it’s after five in the morning, and it’s been a long while since anyone at Station Six has eaten. Michele picks up a pike pole and while walking back to the room where the fire started says, “I want a handle of vodka, a gallon of fresh squeezed orange juice, two pounds of mozzarella, basil leaves and all the loaves of sourdough bread I can handle! “ she says walking down the charred corridor that once was a hallway. “Y’all, forget that mess. Right now, Big Country needs himself a crawdad boil, some cornbread, and a couple of kegs of that sweet, sweet lady on the moon. Mmm hmm! Lord you treat me so right but leave me hanging in pain in the morning. Miller high life, I love you dearly!” he says, with a trash hook over his massive shoulder. “Eh yo, that’s a good call bro! I say we do it up, like A shift style!” retorts Tony behind him. They pass the crew of Engine Six, on their way out to report to incident command. Hector bumps into Michele and hip checks her. “Oh my bad, I’m sorry dude, I mean ma’am!” he says, then makes a quick exit out of the door. “You’re a dork, you know that! Your dead senior!” she screams back. The crew of Truck Six makes their way into the room, greeted by the crew of Engine Twenty One in the process of the same job. “Alright ladies, let’s make short work of this and get our sweet cans home!” says Captain Lawson with a smile. He’s only been a captain for six months, he feels comfortable in his new position, and loves every minute of him.
“Chief, we’ve been to rehab and we are all good. Anything else you need from us?” say Captain Lawson to Battalion Chief Kircher. Chief Kircher is looking at the Command Board from the back of his vehicle. “No, you guys can take up and go. Good job on beating in Lewis. God is he hopping mad. I’ve already had to hear about it.” He says to them. Chad elbows Captain Presley and shows him the object in his coat. “Oh Chief, we have more fuel for the fire. Take a look at this!” says Captain Presley. Chad opens his turnout coat, and shows Chief Kircher. He goes wide eyed, and launches into a deep, menacing sounding chuckle. “Oh wow! Lewis is going to have kittens and a litter of puppies! I want a cup of coffee out of this!” he says still laughing. “I’m on it Chief. Oh, Chief this is Hector Gonzales, the transfer from One we got this morning. Gonzo, this is our esteemed leader, Chief Bob Kircher.” replies Captain Presley, presenting him to the chief. The Chief and Hector shake hands, and he says, “Great to meet you. Chief Semonell speaks highly of you, and you graduated at the top of your paramedic class it's is an added bonus. The only thing I harp on is your appearance, keep it by the book. We have an image to protect, and let’s maintain that. Welcome to the bastard child, I mean the Second Battalion!” Hector smiles, and replies to the Chief, “Thank you chief. So far it’s been a wild ride and glad to be here!” Captain Presley interrupts him and states, “Let’s go Gonzo, this is magic in the making right here!” Engine Six’s Crew run into Engine Four’s crew on their way out of the house. “Excuse me Captain Lewis, I think we might have something of yours.” says Captain Presley. “Ok, yes I know, you beat us in. Come off of it already, our tails our between our legs. Shit what more do you want from us? Blood?” says Captain Lewis in an angry tone. Tom walks over from the pump panel and stands next to Hector to listen in. “It seems you dropped something near and dear to you. My Probationary Firefighter here has picked up something you will need back!” responds Captain Presley. Chad opens his turnout coat, and pulls out a portable radio. The equipment tag on the radio proclaims it belongs on Engine Four. Captain Lewis’s face falls, and turns a shade of red. The rest of the crew of Engine Four makes its way back to their apparatus, starting the re-packing of hose. “Alright, you win. What’s it going to cost me?” he replies, in a dejected tone. “For starters, we get our bragging rights back, and it’s about time I might add. Second, Chief wants some coffee so you are gonna bring him a cup, you do remember how he likes it right? Third, you owe us two gallons of mint chocolate chip ice cream, like now. We’re gonna re-pack our hose, and I expect in on the driver’s seat in fifteen minutes. Be gone!” says Captain Presley, with a huge smile. Captain Lewis just walks off, and has a word with his crew. Tom grabs Captain Presley in a huge bear hug, and they both laugh like two teenage boys who lit their first firecracker.
Engine Six has just re-packed and put away their equipment to their apparatus under the early dim, progressively bright rising sunlight. Captain Presley satisfied with the replacement, deems it suitable to place the unit back in service. Tom opens the driver’s side door and sees the package that requested in the driver’s seat. “We got it Cap!” he calls to Captain Presley. He walks over to Captain Lewis, and gives him the captive radio. He takes off his turnout gear except for the pants, and jumps into the cab with the rest of the crew. Tom starts the engine, and states over the headset, “Ok gentlemen, that was one hell of a way to end a shift. Let’s ride out the next hour and a half quietly, shall we?” He guides the sleek, two toned apparatus down the street. The hum of the accelerating engine down the street against the backdrop of a new day is exciting to Hector. Even though he is dead tired, sweaty, and starving, seeing this new day before him after completing so much in a shift is most rewarding. This is a high that no drug could ever bring and no drink could ever give. This is what strikes pride into the hearts of firefighters, a job well done. It may seem small and minuscule to others, means the world to some. Hector belongs in a small group, a proud group. He realizes this now more than other moments. Engine Six get three minutes away from the battlegrounds of the dragon and they hear a tone from their onboard computer, then a series of beeps in the speakers of the headphones. Tom, of course, is the first to express the disgust of the crew by saying, “Fuck! Are you serious? We’ve ran three times the calls of everyone else! Fuck that fickle finger of fate!” Chad and Hector look and each other and laugh, it’s all they can do at this situation. Captain Presley flips a middle finger at the radio speaker in the cab. The dispatcher’s voice comes over the headset speakers, louder than ever Hector feels:
‘North Beach Engine Six available on radio … Injury from a fall, behind 616 Crossways Boulevard, Six One Six Crossways Boulevard, District 1123 Zulu Cross of Drift Circle, North Beach Engine Six Bravo response, two foxtrot …”
Tom pulls the apparatus in front of a small house in Crossways Boulevard. Like a repeat of their first call, several North Beach Police cars are in the front, except this time, no warning lights are on. The low droning of a police helicopter can be heard, a spotlight on to the rear of the house they pulled up in front of. An ambulance is waiting two houses down, something Tom notes in his head, for this is a rare occasion that a private ambulance has beat them in. A female police sergeant greats Captain Presley and says, “Hi Clyde! He’s in the back. He took a nasty tumble over the fence, and he’s complaining of right side pain!” Captain Presley shakes his head and is lead on by the police sergeant, with the rest of the crew of Engine Six in tow, carrying medical equipment. The crew enters the backyard, and Tom is the first one to say, “Captain, this is an obvious DOA. I see brain matter about.” Captain takes a look and says, ‘Sir, I concur!” In front of the crew lies a North Beach Police officer, clutching his right side, wincing in pain. Hector takes notice of his name plate, and it reads C. PRESLEY JR. The officer looks up and says, “Dad, shut the fuck up! Do something this horseshit hurts!” Captain Presley gives him a good look and says, “Son, what the hell happened?” The police officer laying on the ground states, “Well dad, while your chasing house fires like a wuss, I was booking it after a carjacking suspect, my foot caught the fence while going over, and my ribcage bounced off this propane grill. Fucking A, this hurts like hell!” he states, wincing in pain. Chad and Hector check him out, running his vital signs and give him a quick trauma assessment. ‘Cap, probably bruised or cracked ribs. No DECAP-BTLS … Want me to start one(IV)?” says Hector. “Naw. We’ll send him off to West Med. Son, I’ll call Samantha and tell her to meet you there, and I will stop by in a bit since we are so close to shift change. Have fun!” says Captain Presley. The EMT’s on the ambulance crew place him on the stretcher and cart him off. Captain Presley hands his son’s gun belt off to the police sergeant. Hector has now noticed that the early morning sun has become into full view, showing the beauty that an early southern California foggy morning can produce. The weary crew of Engine Six replaces the equipment to their apparatus, and drives back to their homestead.
It is now seven thirty in the morning as Engine Six rolls back into Station Six. The Captain from C shift awaits Captain Presley. Both men head into the front office. Chad looks at Hector and says, “Bro! I know a bar close to here in Mission City. Its firefighter friendly dude, let’s go have a couple and shoot the shit. We’ve got a couple of days off, let’s make the best of the worst shift ever know to man!” Hector replies with, “Cool, I’m down! I live in Glenbank anyway, so it’s on the way. We’re talking about Finnegan’s on Limerick street right?” Chad envelops Hector in a hug and says, “Hells yes dude! Even though he hates us orange curtain type dudes, he loves to shoot the breeze with us fire folk. Let’s do it up!” Soon as Chad and Hector release from their hug, Tom says, “You guys don’t know shit. Let’s walk in there with firefighter pride, no matter the city or territory, we got our job done, let’s live it up. We should not live our lives like mortal men, but as giants!” Captain Presley walks out of the office and says, “Ok, I heard your plans fuckers. I live Fullerton Hills, but I’ll take the Metro Line from there! Let’s do it now!” The crew looks at each other, and then runs for the transit bus in front of the station.
“North Beach Engine Four, Engine Six showing available on radio, Engine Twenty One, North Beach Truck Six, North Beach Battalion Two … Structure fire, possible person trapped … 810 Nutwood Lane … District 1710 Whiskey, Cross of Rosewood Terrace … North Beach Engines Four, Six, Twenty One, North Beach Truck Six, North Beach Battalion Two … Two India”
Hector sits straight up and starts to put on his turnout gear. Tom hits the lights and flips on the siren. He accelerates the engine, knowing the urgency of the situation. “Cap, we can beat those engine four fuckers in! I know a shortcut two blocks from here!” Captain Presley nods as he puts on his turnout coat. He turns to see Chad still sleeping away. He chucks a box of exam gloves at Chad, smacking on his head. “Dude, what the fuck?” he says stirring awake. “Wake up junior! We got a structure!” yells Captain Presley as he throws on his helmet. “Hold your ass guys, it’s gonna get bumpy!” says Tom. He turns the truck into a sharp right and down a narrow, neglected road. “This isn’t a fuckin road ogre. What the fuck? You’re going shake the fillings out of my teeth!” says the captain. Chad and Hector are now all suited up, ready to go to work. Their blood is flowing, minds sharp, ready to go into battle. The battle inside of the mouth of the dragon is a dangerous one, this battle including the rescue of someone trapped within the jaws of the beast. The cab is silent, partially listening for updates on the radio, also partially to mentally prepare for what lies ahead. Tom steers the apparatus through the narrow street which is in turn an alleyway. The sweeping pattern of reds, whites and yellows from the warning lights exchange flirtatious caresses from dark shadows and lonely corners of buildings. The echoing sirens pierce and shatter the still quiet of the early morning soundscape. Tom turns the truck onto a main street with a smooth turn. “See, told ya there was a shortc-“ Tom says, being cut off by the dispatcher. “All units responding to 810 Nutwood Lane, P.D. confirms one resident unaccounted for. North Beach Battalion Two, did you copy?” Hector can now feel the hair on his neck stand on end.
The stillness of the dormitory inside Station Six is shattered like a rock meeting a glass window at full speed as the call is received. It is an assault on your senses, to go from a deep sleep to full speed in a matter of seconds. The crew of Truck Six move from their beds to their awaiting truck with a graceful speed. A fury of changing into turnout gear is followed by the crew falling into their assigned places. Jeremiah starts the engine, Captain Lawson confirms they are en route to the dispatchers. “Ok cap, I’m good to go! Time to go play!” says Michele. “Yea! We haven’t gotten a decent structure in a month!” quips Tony. “Let’s go play!” says Captain Lawson. Jeremiah guides the vehicle out of the station and on the way to the fire. The update from the dispatcher is heard regarding the confirmation of a person trapped. “Oh lord! We got ourselves a party now! Big Country’s comin’ baby!” says Jeremiah. Michele laughs, but is really pumped now. She can feel a little more acceleration. She can feel the urgency in the pit of her stomach, her skin tingling. The mechanical wail and the bright red, white and amber dance of lights on a lonely stretch of boulevard really gets her pumped. Tony is chomping away at some gum, his foot tapping on the floor of the truck. Like a dog, poised in the shadows to pounce an intruder, he is ready to spring into action and pull another victim from the burning clutches of the beast. “We’re about seven minutes out, we’re gonna probably be cutting the roof. As usual, Engine Four will get the save and wave it under our noses like they always do,” sighs Captain Lawson. “Just once, I really hope those dirt merchants get a taste of their own medicine!” retorts Michele in a sleepy, huffy voice.
Tom turns the massive truck into a neighborhood. “Two minutes out, commin’ in hot gentlemen!” he calls over the headset. Hector can now smell the aroma of a house fire. The mixture of burning wood, plastic and drywall pound his nose like hammers. The fast acceleration is felt in the pit of his stomach, the whining of the diesel engine a swan song to his ears. The early morning misty fog is rolling in, bringing the smoke lower to the ground. The crew of Engine Six is primed and ready to go. Hector is tapping away on the floor with his foot. The blurry red and blue lights of the police vehicles come into view, and Tom notices that Engine Six is first on scene, in Engine Four’s area. This is an epic conquest, one which the crew will definitely not let them live down. “Ha ha! Told you fuckers!” he says, slowing down the engine and bringing it to a halt in front of the one story house. The front door is open, with heavy, billowing black smoke rolling out. With the engine stopped, Tom engages the parking brake, and puts the transmission into pump gear. This allows the engine to power the water pump, thus supplying the ammo for the battle within the dragon’s mouth. All members jump off the truck. Captain Presley reaches for the shoulder mic for his radio to call in a report. A hysterical, screaming woman runs up to him, followed by a police officer. “HELP HER! She can’t get out! You got to help her! She’s gonna die!” the lady screams, tugging on his arm, almost knocking him over. “Ma’am, we’re going get her out. Please trust me, but you have to stay out of the way!” he says, then turns his attention back to the shoulder mic. He calls in his report:
“Metrocomm, North Beach Engine Six on scene … One story residential structure, heavy smoke showing … confirmed one person trapped, will be in offensive mode … Engine Six establishing Nutwood Command!”
Chad grabs an attack line (hose) from the side of the truck, while Hector grabs an axe and a halligan tool. Tom opens the water tank to let water cycle through the pump, at the ready to charge Chad’s hose line. Chad and Hector stop in the front yard to don their SCBA masks. They put their hand over the connection piece, both check for a good seal. They connect the air regulator. They charge their bottles, a loud chirp is heard. These come from the PASS (Personal Alert Safety System) device, they are built in and integrated into their SCBA. This device emits a very loud sound if a firefighter stops moving for a certain amount of time. This would help to locate an injured or lost firefighter. Chad and Hector both check each other’s SCBA to make sure everything is on and correct. They both switch on their lights and move toward the front door. The smoke is really rolling, and feels very warm. Chad signals for water. Tom throttles up the engine, opens the hose line valve and makes sure he is flowing exactly 100 pounds per square inch to the tip of the fog nozzle. Captain Presley stands behind them, and they plunge into the inky darkness. The swirling darkness engulfs them, the flashlights provide a limited guiding light. Chad feels the wall with his hand, moving forward. Hector is directly behind him, smacking his boot every once in a while, to let him know he is still there. He takes the handle of the axe, searching more of the floor to his side. The darkness is intimidating, the gear heavy, the mask and gloves restricting, the heat starting to become more noticeable. He feels so at home, in his own element. He is a man on a quest to find the missing person, guiding them out of this solitary confinement of fumes, smoke and intense heat. He can see a dull, orange glow to his immediate left. In a split second, he can see flicker of flames rolling and dancing on the ceiling. The heat is becoming more heavy and overbearing. It starts to get more intense. This spells out one thing for him, flashover. Chad points the nozzle at the ceiling, hitting it with short, direct blasts to cool down the super heated gases. The men have no idea if they have a dedicated water supply yet so they have to be very careful. Hector feels the handle of his axe hit something soft. “I think I got her!” screams Hector through his mask.
“Where the hell are those scum fucks at?” Tom wonders to himself. He’s noticing his water tank is getting low. He needs to find a dedicated water supply. The duty on the second engine to arrive on scene is to establish a water supply. With that thought, he hears Engine Four coming up the street, the loud thumping of the supply hose unloading off the truck as it heads to Engine Six. Another firefighter is at the hydrant to make sure the hose doesn’t drag down the street, flush the hydrant (make sure no debris gets into the pump), and open the hydrant valve when the hose is in place. Engine four comes to a stop next to them. He is greeted first by Captain Lewis, who looks rather upset. “How the fuck did you beat us into OUR first due? That’s bullshit and you know it!” he yells at Tom before storming off. Tom just shrugs his shoulders and chuckles. The engineer of Engine Four walks up with the supply hose from his pump. “What’s crackin’ son? When in the hell did you transfer to Four? You break my heart with this!” says Tom to Gary Comstock, the acting Engineer of Engine Four. “Relax and go fuck some fatties! I’m picking up a shift for sugar pants! Holy shit pickles! Captain Lewis pissed! He’s been stewing in his own juices on the way here! So good!” says Gary. “Yea yea, just go back over there. We’ll kick the bobo in a hot minute once we get this done!” he says back. Tom transfers to the supply line, shutting down his water tank. “We’re golden now, it’s tea sipping time!” he says, knowing in the back of his mind he would love an iced tea at that moment.
“Chad, gonna drag her out, cover me!” Hector screams, his voice choked from the mask. Chad nods his head, keeping the cooling jets of water trained on the dancing orange flames. “Interior to command, found the trapped person, bringing her out!” yells Hector into his shoulder mic. Hector grabs her under her arms, drags her to the doorstep, gives the lifeless body to the crew of engine four, and then joins back with Chad for the push to the seat of the fire. Chad and Hector push down a hallway. It’s like a tunnel of superheated gases, the smoke getting real thick. They see the source of the flames, coming from a bedroom door to the right. This is the last room they have searched, and now it is time to go to battle. Captain Presley screams into the mic of his radio, “Interior to command. Primary search complete. Victim has been extricated. We’ve found the fire, working on it now. PAR (Personnel Accountability Report) three” A voice Hector doesn’t recognize answers, “Interior this is command, received. Truck Six, you have roof. Start ventilating.” Hector feel a bit relieved. Once the truck company gets in top of the roof, the crew will cut a hole open to vent the smoke and gases out, making things a bit easier on the soldiers within the battle of the dragon’s mouth.
“Girls on film, doo doo da doo doo, Girls on film!” sings Michele to herself over the noise of the chainsaw. Tony and Captain Lawson are on the roof with her, watching her make precision cuts. Not to deep to cut through support beams, but deep enough to cut through the cover. Satisfied she has cut a hole to her liking, Tony grabs a trash hook, and pushes down to one side. It acts like a louver and pushes the smoke away at an angle. He pokes it down further to pop a hole in the ceiling below, creating a clear channel for the smoke and heated gases to clear from the structure. Captain Lawson Calls into the mic of his radio, “Roof to command, ventilation complete!” Michele turns off the chainsaw, and the crew makes their way to the ladder to depart the roof. “Not too shabby if I don’t say so myself, Nice!” says Michele taking one last look at her handy work. “It fockin’ sucks, your 8 inches off, and ya cut too deep into that beam. That shit is amateur at best!” calls Tony to her walking toward the ladder. “Go spike you hair and bathe yourself in Drakkar Noir dirty jersey, the shore is that way!” Michele screams back, pointing her finger east. “Go eat bean sprouts and hug a tree cali!” he says to Michele making his way down the ladder. The crew makes their way down the ladder, and hits the ground. Tony give Michele a knuckle tap and says, “Kick ass job bro!” Michele returns the favor and says, “Thanks fuck face! I have a sinking feeling we’re gonna be pulling walls, as usual!” They make their way to the battalion chief to await their next assignment.
In a split second, the smoke starts to clear, but the fire becomes more intense, roaring and hissing at the crew of Engine Six. Chad works the nozzle in a pattern, sweeping across the wall of flame. Hector can feel someone coming up behind him, and feels a cool rush of a second hose line opening up next to him. As fast as the fire erupts from the dragon’s throat, the burning thirst has been parched. Captain Presley is right behind them and calls in the report: “Interior to command. Fire is out, will be conducting a secondary search. PAR five.” Chad and Hector stand up to survey the scene of structural carnage. The men realize that the fire started in this room. Hector spots what looks like a wide, sooty, dark looking V on the wall, right above a sofa. “Hey cap, call me stupid, but I think there’s our answer” say Hector, looking down on the couch. He spots a glass jar, extremely darkened in the skeleton of the couch. Captain Presley bends over to look, and lets out a sigh. “People just don’t learn. I bet ten to one that’s a candle. Just makes no sense.” says Captain Presley. Captain Lewis walks into the blackened room, but stumbles over the hose line. Chad feels something hit his boot. He looks down, sees an object, and very slyly places the object in his jacket. “Its bullshit you beat us in! You cheated, there’s no way!” Captain Lewis says in a very paternal tone, while the other two firefighters on Engine Four chuckle and snicker. “Read it and weep Todd! Fair is fair! Now if you’ll excuse me, we have a secondary search to do.” He retorts back with an evil smirk. Captain Lewis turns and storms out of the room, and trips over the same hose line again. Chad pokes Captain Presley, opens his turnout coat slightly and points toward the departing Captain.
“Double gin and tonic, cheese fries and a bowl of lobster bisque”, says Tony as he looks into a Thermal imaging camera. The camera is used to look for hot spots in walls, ceilings and spaces inside structures. The camera saves time and causes less damage during the overhaul/salvage process. After the fire is out, there is a process to check for any unnoticed extension of fire and to make sure the fire is completely out. Tony has the camera pointed toward the ceiling, and says to Captain Lawson, “All clear cap. No extension.” He takes the camera out of Tony’s hands and takes a quick once over. “Ok good. Well lets go rip up some walls why don’t we. Oh, put me down for three bottles of Cabernet, a 16 ounce prime rib, and some garlic mashed potatoes!” he says. Truck Six has a quirky little past time of naming off what the crew would like to eat while performing any strenuous activity. It really rings true, it’s after five in the morning, and it’s been a long while since anyone at Station Six has eaten. Michele picks up a pike pole and while walking back to the room where the fire started says, “I want a handle of vodka, a gallon of fresh squeezed orange juice, two pounds of mozzarella, basil leaves and all the loaves of sourdough bread I can handle! “ she says walking down the charred corridor that once was a hallway. “Y’all, forget that mess. Right now, Big Country needs himself a crawdad boil, some cornbread, and a couple of kegs of that sweet, sweet lady on the moon. Mmm hmm! Lord you treat me so right but leave me hanging in pain in the morning. Miller high life, I love you dearly!” he says, with a trash hook over his massive shoulder. “Eh yo, that’s a good call bro! I say we do it up, like A shift style!” retorts Tony behind him. They pass the crew of Engine Six, on their way out to report to incident command. Hector bumps into Michele and hip checks her. “Oh my bad, I’m sorry dude, I mean ma’am!” he says, then makes a quick exit out of the door. “You’re a dork, you know that! Your dead senior!” she screams back. The crew of Truck Six makes their way into the room, greeted by the crew of Engine Twenty One in the process of the same job. “Alright ladies, let’s make short work of this and get our sweet cans home!” says Captain Lawson with a smile. He’s only been a captain for six months, he feels comfortable in his new position, and loves every minute of him.
“Chief, we’ve been to rehab and we are all good. Anything else you need from us?” say Captain Lawson to Battalion Chief Kircher. Chief Kircher is looking at the Command Board from the back of his vehicle. “No, you guys can take up and go. Good job on beating in Lewis. God is he hopping mad. I’ve already had to hear about it.” He says to them. Chad elbows Captain Presley and shows him the object in his coat. “Oh Chief, we have more fuel for the fire. Take a look at this!” says Captain Presley. Chad opens his turnout coat, and shows Chief Kircher. He goes wide eyed, and launches into a deep, menacing sounding chuckle. “Oh wow! Lewis is going to have kittens and a litter of puppies! I want a cup of coffee out of this!” he says still laughing. “I’m on it Chief. Oh, Chief this is Hector Gonzales, the transfer from One we got this morning. Gonzo, this is our esteemed leader, Chief Bob Kircher.” replies Captain Presley, presenting him to the chief. The Chief and Hector shake hands, and he says, “Great to meet you. Chief Semonell speaks highly of you, and you graduated at the top of your paramedic class it's is an added bonus. The only thing I harp on is your appearance, keep it by the book. We have an image to protect, and let’s maintain that. Welcome to the bastard child, I mean the Second Battalion!” Hector smiles, and replies to the Chief, “Thank you chief. So far it’s been a wild ride and glad to be here!” Captain Presley interrupts him and states, “Let’s go Gonzo, this is magic in the making right here!” Engine Six’s Crew run into Engine Four’s crew on their way out of the house. “Excuse me Captain Lewis, I think we might have something of yours.” says Captain Presley. “Ok, yes I know, you beat us in. Come off of it already, our tails our between our legs. Shit what more do you want from us? Blood?” says Captain Lewis in an angry tone. Tom walks over from the pump panel and stands next to Hector to listen in. “It seems you dropped something near and dear to you. My Probationary Firefighter here has picked up something you will need back!” responds Captain Presley. Chad opens his turnout coat, and pulls out a portable radio. The equipment tag on the radio proclaims it belongs on Engine Four. Captain Lewis’s face falls, and turns a shade of red. The rest of the crew of Engine Four makes its way back to their apparatus, starting the re-packing of hose. “Alright, you win. What’s it going to cost me?” he replies, in a dejected tone. “For starters, we get our bragging rights back, and it’s about time I might add. Second, Chief wants some coffee so you are gonna bring him a cup, you do remember how he likes it right? Third, you owe us two gallons of mint chocolate chip ice cream, like now. We’re gonna re-pack our hose, and I expect in on the driver’s seat in fifteen minutes. Be gone!” says Captain Presley, with a huge smile. Captain Lewis just walks off, and has a word with his crew. Tom grabs Captain Presley in a huge bear hug, and they both laugh like two teenage boys who lit their first firecracker.
Engine Six has just re-packed and put away their equipment to their apparatus under the early dim, progressively bright rising sunlight. Captain Presley satisfied with the replacement, deems it suitable to place the unit back in service. Tom opens the driver’s side door and sees the package that requested in the driver’s seat. “We got it Cap!” he calls to Captain Presley. He walks over to Captain Lewis, and gives him the captive radio. He takes off his turnout gear except for the pants, and jumps into the cab with the rest of the crew. Tom starts the engine, and states over the headset, “Ok gentlemen, that was one hell of a way to end a shift. Let’s ride out the next hour and a half quietly, shall we?” He guides the sleek, two toned apparatus down the street. The hum of the accelerating engine down the street against the backdrop of a new day is exciting to Hector. Even though he is dead tired, sweaty, and starving, seeing this new day before him after completing so much in a shift is most rewarding. This is a high that no drug could ever bring and no drink could ever give. This is what strikes pride into the hearts of firefighters, a job well done. It may seem small and minuscule to others, means the world to some. Hector belongs in a small group, a proud group. He realizes this now more than other moments. Engine Six get three minutes away from the battlegrounds of the dragon and they hear a tone from their onboard computer, then a series of beeps in the speakers of the headphones. Tom, of course, is the first to express the disgust of the crew by saying, “Fuck! Are you serious? We’ve ran three times the calls of everyone else! Fuck that fickle finger of fate!” Chad and Hector look and each other and laugh, it’s all they can do at this situation. Captain Presley flips a middle finger at the radio speaker in the cab. The dispatcher’s voice comes over the headset speakers, louder than ever Hector feels:
‘North Beach Engine Six available on radio … Injury from a fall, behind 616 Crossways Boulevard, Six One Six Crossways Boulevard, District 1123 Zulu Cross of Drift Circle, North Beach Engine Six Bravo response, two foxtrot …”
Tom pulls the apparatus in front of a small house in Crossways Boulevard. Like a repeat of their first call, several North Beach Police cars are in the front, except this time, no warning lights are on. The low droning of a police helicopter can be heard, a spotlight on to the rear of the house they pulled up in front of. An ambulance is waiting two houses down, something Tom notes in his head, for this is a rare occasion that a private ambulance has beat them in. A female police sergeant greats Captain Presley and says, “Hi Clyde! He’s in the back. He took a nasty tumble over the fence, and he’s complaining of right side pain!” Captain Presley shakes his head and is lead on by the police sergeant, with the rest of the crew of Engine Six in tow, carrying medical equipment. The crew enters the backyard, and Tom is the first one to say, “Captain, this is an obvious DOA. I see brain matter about.” Captain takes a look and says, ‘Sir, I concur!” In front of the crew lies a North Beach Police officer, clutching his right side, wincing in pain. Hector takes notice of his name plate, and it reads C. PRESLEY JR. The officer looks up and says, “Dad, shut the fuck up! Do something this horseshit hurts!” Captain Presley gives him a good look and says, “Son, what the hell happened?” The police officer laying on the ground states, “Well dad, while your chasing house fires like a wuss, I was booking it after a carjacking suspect, my foot caught the fence while going over, and my ribcage bounced off this propane grill. Fucking A, this hurts like hell!” he states, wincing in pain. Chad and Hector check him out, running his vital signs and give him a quick trauma assessment. ‘Cap, probably bruised or cracked ribs. No DECAP-BTLS … Want me to start one(IV)?” says Hector. “Naw. We’ll send him off to West Med. Son, I’ll call Samantha and tell her to meet you there, and I will stop by in a bit since we are so close to shift change. Have fun!” says Captain Presley. The EMT’s on the ambulance crew place him on the stretcher and cart him off. Captain Presley hands his son’s gun belt off to the police sergeant. Hector has now noticed that the early morning sun has become into full view, showing the beauty that an early southern California foggy morning can produce. The weary crew of Engine Six replaces the equipment to their apparatus, and drives back to their homestead.
It is now seven thirty in the morning as Engine Six rolls back into Station Six. The Captain from C shift awaits Captain Presley. Both men head into the front office. Chad looks at Hector and says, “Bro! I know a bar close to here in Mission City. Its firefighter friendly dude, let’s go have a couple and shoot the shit. We’ve got a couple of days off, let’s make the best of the worst shift ever know to man!” Hector replies with, “Cool, I’m down! I live in Glenbank anyway, so it’s on the way. We’re talking about Finnegan’s on Limerick street right?” Chad envelops Hector in a hug and says, “Hells yes dude! Even though he hates us orange curtain type dudes, he loves to shoot the breeze with us fire folk. Let’s do it up!” Soon as Chad and Hector release from their hug, Tom says, “You guys don’t know shit. Let’s walk in there with firefighter pride, no matter the city or territory, we got our job done, let’s live it up. We should not live our lives like mortal men, but as giants!” Captain Presley walks out of the office and says, “Ok, I heard your plans fuckers. I live Fullerton Hills, but I’ll take the Metro Line from there! Let’s do it now!” The crew looks at each other, and then runs for the transit bus in front of the station.
08 May 2010
Part 3 - Noctournal Activity
The automatic sliding door leading to the emergency room to Western Medical Center slid open to let the crew of Engine Six pass. The bewildered and somewhat weary crew stroll into the early afternoon sun, and are cooled off by the fall breeze. The crew has endured two hours of scrutiny by both Homicide and Internal Affairs detectives over their last run. The gravity of their morning exploits show written on their face like graffiti along a freeway retainer wall. "Note to self, let’s not do that again!” blurts out Chad who is still a little red in the face from pepper spray contamination. "You fuckin said it! I’m almost scared to put us available! We've been out of service forever and a day", says Captain Presley. The men stroll over to the red and white apparatus, which shines from all vantage points. It always brings a sense of pride in the men, and this moment is no different. "Isn't she beautiful? I'd love to drop roofies in her fuel tank and have my way with her!” says Tom with a smile. "Dude, lay off the Scooby snacks! Bro, that ain't even right!" chuckles Chad. Hector and Captain Presley look at each other and burst into laughter, sending Captain Presley into tears. "I'm good for a laugh at least. I’m starving! Let’s get a quick bite at In-N-Out!" says Tom, adding "Is that ok with the resident vegetarian, I mean vagitarian!" Chad just shakes his head again, "Fuck you dude! Yea it’s fine." Hector decides to interject, "I’m fine with it too!" Chad and Hector high-five each other. "Fuckin' great. The great meat debate split down the middle!" says Tom, opening his door and climbing in the driver's seat. All the other members climb in, take their seats, pop on their headphones and ready themselves for return to service. Tom starts the engine, which grumbles to life. "Ok, here goes nothing!’ says Captain Presley, as he hits the button on the computer to notify the dispatcher they are available. He covers his head real quick, like ducking things falling on him from above, which makes the crew laugh. "Well, that’s quite alright with me, let’s get some food. Hey Gonzo, great job on your first run! That was a really hairy one, you did good kid!’ says Captain Presley. Tom guides the engine out of the parking lot and back into traffic. "Yea Gonzo, killer job!" adds Tom while steering into a smooth right turn. "Thanks guys! Not my idea of a first run, but hey, what can ya do?" says Hector. Even though his face still burns a bit, he has a real sense of accomplishment. Even though they were not successful in bringing back the man's life, he built a bit of confidence in himself. Tom rounds the corner to pull into the In-N-Out parking lot and the beep of doom is heard over the radio. Captain Presley can sense it and screams, "No, no, no, NO!" The dispatcher cuts him off:"North Beach Engine Six showing available on radio ... Vehicle Fire ... Northbound I-5 at the Beach Boulevard onramp ... District 1226 x-ray ... North Beach Engine Six, Two Foxtrot ...
"I dig that!" says Hector. Chad and Hector start the process of putting on their turnout gear while Tom whips the apparatus around in a u-turn, flipping the warning lights on. Captain Presley stomps his foot on the floor switch to wind up the mechanical siren. Tom accelerates then engine, giving everyone a huge adrenaline rush. Captain Presley hits a button on the console and says, "Metrocomm, North Beach Engine Six en route". The speakers in the headsets come to life again, "North Beach Engine Six, Copy en route ... CHP (California Highway Patrol) is on scene, advises vehicle is in the number one lane." Tom slaps his hand on the steering wheel in disgust. "It’s never the fucking shoulder! Fuck me with asparagus! This is going to suck!” he screams. Chad and Hector are finished putting on their turnout gear, and are tightening the straps to the SCBA bottles that are stored in the seats. The mechanical siren, the vibration of the engine, the hiss of the air brakes, and the engine noise are a hypnotic potion that puts the men in the right mind to perform their tasks. The traffic from the early morning has thinned out, leaving them a straight shot to the scene. The sound of the echoing, growling mechanical siren under the freeway overpass gives Hector goose bumps. As the onramp approaches, they can see a small column on smoke rising into the air. The smell of hot metal and molten plastic can be smelt by the crew inside the cab. Tom slows down the vehicle to make a left hand turn onto the onramp. "Oh fiddle sticks and fish fur!" screams Captain Presley, as the crew of Engine Six is now facing an onramp full of stopped traffic, obviously caused by the incident they are responding to. "Going to be one of those shifts," is all Tom can say.
The droning, cycling engine and the creaking of metal under stress are ringing in Michele’s ears. She has the spreaders (Jaws of Life) resting on her thigh, with the spreader tips jammed into the doorway of a small, compact car. She holds the valve open, cranking the jaws open. “Almost there,” she says biting her lip in anticipation. The car door gives way to a loud pop; she takes the spreaders away and sets then on the ground. “Nice! Good job! Ok, let’s clean up and get out of here!” says Captain Lawson. Truck Six found themselves in the Public works yard, cutting up unclaimed cars from the impound yard. Jeremiah turns off the pump for the Hurst Tools, Michele and Tony roll up the hydraulic hoses and put the tools away. “Ok, that’s that. Just remember, make a good starting point in the door before you start to pry the door. Trust me, when that tool kicks, it hurts! We’ll do some roof cutting when we train with Squad Five next week since they got some new toys as well. Any questions?” states Captain Lawson, removing his helmet and turnout gear. The rest of the crew follows his lead, everyone shakes their head. “Y’all mind if we hit the store to get dinner rollin’? Dinna’s gonna be on point!” says Jeremiah, closing the compartment door. “Naw, let’s do it up! I need to pick up some covers anyway, I got a date tomorrow. If she plays it up right, she’ll get a piece of the Adonis.” says Tony with a smirk, putting on his sunglasses. Jeremiah just shakes his head, “Boy, you buck wild! You need to settle yourself down son!” Michele and Captain Lawson just shake their heads. “Such the typical man you are dear Tony! Don’t look too hard, I don’t think they carry extra small at Alpha Beta! Your probably like Pluto, hard to see with the naked eye!” says Michele with a sigh, drinking some water. “Ha! More like Jupiter and the sun!” says Tony climbing into the cab of the truck. “Right! Just watch it or my meat rocket will come crashing into Uranus!” says Michele with a chuckle. “Children please! Let’s keep it R rated, not unrated! Geeze with you too, like brother and sister. Or married!” says Captain Lawson with a chuckle as well. Satisfied everyone is seated and ready to go, Jeremiah starts the engine, which purrs to life with a smooth start. “I so sorry dad! Please do put me on restriction, Power Rangers are almost on!” says Michele through the headset. She helps guide the back end of the tiller truck smoothly out of the yard and into the street. “God I hope it doesn’t get worse when Hector gets here, whenever the hell we get to meet him!” replies Captain Lawson, staring out of the window. “We gotta prank the jerk off! I’ve got an idea,” says Tony with a slight smirk.
“C’mon, let me the fuck over!” screams Tom. Engine Six has both sirens going, trying to cut over five lanes of freeway traffic. Captain Presley lays on the air horn, with limited results. They inch closer and closer to the number one lane. “This is like trying to jerk off a dildo, we’re getting nowhere!” Tom screams again. The sounds inside the cab are quite loud, even with the headsets on. Hector and Chad can now see the vehicle, which just looks like its smoldering at this point. Tom finally gets a clear shot, and tears down the number one lane. He passes the CHP units and parks behind the vehicle at an angle. Everyone piles out and walks toward the burnt front half of a vehicle. A CHP officer walks up to Captain Presley and says, “Fires out now. The owner of the car smacked the wall. He’s been tipping a few if you get my point!” Captain Presley takes a look to the back of the vehicle, and sees a man slumped over a bit. “Tom, go take a look at him. Gonzo and Chad, let’s take a peek at the motor real quick. Thanks officer!” says the Captain. Chad grabs a hose line and drags it over. Chad and Captain Presley stare into the guts of a burnt out motor. The men see they are too late; the compartment is completely charred, all plastic melted and puddled. “Oh, better late than never, Chad give this a good once over.” Gonzo has taken a good look inside the vehicle and says, “All good here cap. Don’t see any spread to the passenger compartment.” Tom walks over to Captain Presley and says “Ok, dudes fine. He’s drunk as hell. I’m gonna go kick the pump on. Hey Gonzo, come kick it with me at the pump.” Gonzo nods and follows Tom over to the pump panel. Tom opens the valve for the water tanks, throttles up the pump and opens the valve for the hose line. “So Gonzo, how do you like it here so far? It’s a bit much at first, but you get used to it.” Tom says to Hector. “So far so good. I didn’t expect to hit the ground running like that, but it’s a welcomed change. I thought One's was busy, that shit is clown shoes compared to this. I think I dig it so far!” retorts Hector, sharing a chuckle with Tom. “You’re gonna fit in fine here. It’s the best of the best here. You’ll probably be like us, never want to leave the festering crack shack we call home! Where did you go take your PM classes at? I bet at Rancho Cordova right? Is that crusty ass RN still there, oh fuck what is her name? Oh! Charlene Mckennah, A real battle ax. The funny part is, her daughter, Christine is the nicest, sweetest most beautiful RN you’ll ever meet!” he says. Tom and Hector start laughing hysterically again. “Oh shit. You know it, I kept fixating on that turkey neck she had, that was a major buzz kill! Yep, I was there. Good school, I did some street time with LAFR, out of Rescue 13. I learned a lot there, fun times!” Captain Presley waves at Tom, and he shuts down the valve to the hose line. “Nice! You’ll get along great with Captain Lawson on Truck Six. He’s a lateral transfer from LAFR. Shit, it’ll get him off. Go give them a hand, and oh, welcome aboard sir!’ says Tom as he smacks him on the back. “No problem, thanks dude!” replies Hector. The gesture really makes him feel welcome, he’s never had a reception quite like this. “I just really might like it here!” he thought to himself. Hector finds Chad in the middle of re-packing the hose line from a compartment in the bumper. Hector jumps in and gives him a hand, and they strike up a conversation about cooking vegetarian fare. Captain Presley walks over to Tom and says, “So what did you find out about him?” Tom gives him a smirk and says, “He’s one of us. Trust me on this.”
The crew of Truck Six can hear the apparatus bay door opening, and take their places. Tom backs in the gleaming red and white apparatus into its slot next to Truck Six. Chad has jumped out and is helping him guide it in, he comes to a stop, engages the parking brake, which lets out a pronounced squeal and turns off the motor. “Ok Gonzo, let’s get you that locker now. It’s only been what, like almost six hours since you’ve gotten here!” says Captain Presley. “Ok Cap’ going to grab my stuff” says Hector as he runs to the rear of the station and grabs his locker items out of his car. He grabs out a box, and follows the captain into the locker room, and is lead to a locker with a raw, Italian sausage taped to the door. “Oh no, I spy a meat rocket”, he says and opens the door. Inside his locker, he sees bologna hanging from string. “Holy shit! This could only be one person!” Hector screams. “Me mother fucker!” says Michele as she grabs him in a huge bear hug. They fall over on the floor. “Fockin’ jerk off!” says Tony as he kicks Hector in the leg. “Michele! Pizz! Oh my god! You’re on the truck! Dude!” Hector screams. All three exchange hugs, and Hector greets Jeremiah and Captain Lawson with a handshake. “Wow! I’m just excited! This is gonna be a great shift!” he says. “Yes sir it is son! Come on, I know you’re hungry! Dinner is on the table ya’ll!” says Jeremiah with a warm chuckle.
Hector has never seen a dinner spread quite like the one before him. Fajitas grilled on a barbeque, with meat on the side. Hector is thrilled, and smelling the tasty treats, he forgot how hungry he was. He hit the ground running since reached the station at ten in the morning without lunch, so now it has caught up with him. Hector is excited to break bread with a new crew; meal time is what brings the station together. “Ya’ll, I know at some stations this is falling out of favor, but as long as ya’ll is in this house, we break bread no matta what the taste. We bring it together. This is family, we in it together!” says Jeremiah. “Amen brother!” says Tom from the other side of the table. Everyone starts to eat. “So Gonzo, Tom tells me you rode with Rescue 13 for your street time?” says Captain Lawson. “Yep. Had a lot of good hand experience, but the BC there was a real iron ass!” said Hector. “You’re talking about Chief Hallick. Yea, a bit old school, but a real softie and a man’s man if you know what I’m saying!” replies Captain Lawson. “Oh screw that! What have you been up to? Haven’t heard from you in a while, did you forgot how to use a phone scum fuck?” said Michele looking toward Hector. The click over the stations intercom comes through, and a series of beeps can be heard. “Saved by the bell!” Hector states. The dispatcher’s voice is now heard:
‘North Beach Engine Six, Person down … 1016 Orchid Run, Ten One six orchid run … District 1115 Zulu cross of Daisy Patch Lane …North Beach Engine Six, Charlie response … two foxtrot”
Tom drops his Fajita in disgust, a bit of sour cream squirts out of both sides. He lets out a heavy sigh and mutters”Dogpatch.” Captain Presley shakes his head, while Chad leaves the room. Michele points and laughs at Hector, “Ha ha! You’re goin’ to Dogpatch!” Hector looks and her and Tony in bewilderment and asks, “Dogpatch?”
Tom brings the massive apparatus out of a left hand turn and into a trailer park. Hector takes a look at a sign and that states ever so proudly, “Daisy Patch Mobile Estates”. A wonderland of mobile homes, in various states or repair lay before him. The narrow streets are crowded with playing children and adults, some obviously intoxicated. They round a bend and see a pair of legs sticking out from a bush. “Ah, dogpatch! I get it!” states Hector. “You’re a sharp kid! Lovely patch of homestead, right?” says Tom. Chad starts to laugh and points toward the front windshield and says “Dude, he strikes again!” Hector can now see a pair of legs sticking out from a bush, a bike lying askew next to it. A bunch of broken glass is strewn about and twinkling in the fading sunlight. “I should have fuckin’ known,” says Captain Presley with a sigh. Tom brings the machine to a slow, squeaky stop. The men debark from their vehicle and walk to the bush that has grow human legs. They are approached by an older man with a thick beard, wearing tight jeans and no shirt. His stomach spills over his jeans like an exploded can of ready to bake biscuits. In a somewhat drunken slur he blurts out, “That sum bitch there came a flyin’ around that corner and hit my bush. Get this damn lettuce picker off my property!” Hector can already feel his blood boiling. He’s endured quite a lot of racial abuse growing up. This really strikes him to the core. He expected hearing this if he was a police officer, but this really has him taken aback. He gives the guy a good stern look. Captain Presley has the same look written all over his face, and states to the man, “That’s enough of that. We’ll take care of him, thank you for calling.” The man just stands there and stares at them making their way to the bush. The men circle the bush. The legs and feet stick straight out as if the large bush has swallowed a human. “Jesus!” yells Tom. A slight groan utters from the bush, coming within. “Jesus! Get up brother! Are you alright?” asks Captain Presley. “Capitan Elvis! You save me!” responds a voice from the bush. The same voice has now launched into a broken English version of Elvis Presley’s Hound Dog. Tom and Chad grab the pair of legs and pull. They reveal a small man with some facial lacerations, and a very strong odor of alcohol. The sit him on the ground and Jesus rocks a bit. “Wow buddy! How much have you drunk this time? You smell like a brewery!” says Captain Presley. Jesus stares off for a second, and falls over to his side. “Sheet Capitan, I had just un poco. Dos cervesas!” he slurs, and starts to laugh. “C’mon Jesus, let me walk you back to su casa bro!” Chad says, helping him up and walking him across the street. Tom turns to Hector and states, “That was Jesus, a.k.a The Human Brewery. Nice guy works at an upholstery shop down the street. That fucker really likes to tie one on. Get used to it, we’re here once or twice a week picking him up out of the bushes or patching him up when his old lady beats his ass.” Hector just shakes his head, “He sounds like a soup sandwich, a regular mess!” Before Hector can laugh, the older drunk man approaches them, obviously angry. “Hey! What the fuck are you guys gonna do about my bushes! That stupid migrant fuck destroyed them! I pay my taxes!” he screams at them. Tom immediately calls the dispatcher on his portable radio requesting police assistance. He’s been in brawls in this neck of the woods before, better safe than sorry.”If I get into another donnybrook in this neighborhood again, I’m transferring!” he thought to himself as he finished his request. Hector is really angry now, and decides to take a folded arm approach to him. “Sir, that’s a police matter. We’re just here to make sure he wasn’t hurt. If you would like, we could have an officer respond out here” says Captain Presley, getting in between the man and Hector. Tom stands a little to the side, just in case he has to interject. At 6’6” and a robust 300 pounds with little fat, he nominated himself for this noble position. “That’s bullshit! You don’t give a fuck, in fact I think Jaime there behind you is covering for him!” screams the man, pointing at Hector, who is now starting to turn a shade of red. The man now decides to charge full force at Hector, knocking down Captain Presley in the process. Hector steps to the side, he runs by and smacks right into a parked car next to the curb. “You mother fucker! You hit me! Ahhhhhh!” he screams, while blood runs all over his face. He starts to swing wildly, hitting imaginary objects before him. Hector can hear Tom laughing as he helps Captain Presley off the ground. “I think he’s a bit pickled, what a jerk!” says the captain. A North Beach Police vehicle comes to a quick stop, and a muscle bound, tall Mexican officer moves fast up to the captain. “I’m beginning to hate you senior! Duster?” asks the officer who is putting on latex gloves. “Hey there Troy! Nope, just on the wowwie sauce. Oh, he doesn’t like Mexicans either. Tell junior I said hello!” he responds back. The officer shakes his head. “Dios Mio!” he says, moving toward the drunken, swinging behemoth. . Two more officers arrive and help him make short work of subduing the obviously disturbed man. “Fuck this noise! Let’s get the hell out of here!” Tom says. “Dudes! What happened?” ask Chad as he is running from across the street. “Let’s just say Gonzo met the welcoming committee” says Tom, dusting off Captain Presley. Hector takes in the whole scene, and all he can say with a sigh is, “Dogpatch”.
Engine Six pulls into the driveway of the station, swinging around to back in. The apparatus bay door is open. Michele is sitting on the bumper of Truck Six, enjoying the weather only a southern California fall can bring. “A warm, gentle breezy evening best enjoyed outside” she thought, swinging her feet and drinking a diet soda. She watches as the sleek and massive two toned apparatus stop, letting out Chad to help guide the engine back. “What’s crack-a-lacking’ son!” he says to her, and she responds my flipping Chad off. “Love you too!” Chad screams over Tom setting the parking brake and shutting the engine down. “FOOD!” screams Tom, and the crew runs to the kitchen leaving Hector in the dust. He walks over to Michele and tells her”Shove over, I’m sitting down!” Michele scoots over a hair and not even faces him asks “Why the hell didn’t you call me fuck stick. You could have sent me a text jerk ass!” Hector lets out a heavy sigh and says “I’m sorry! I got busy with medic school, and my girl is really driving me crazy. Even been in love with a bitch you can’t stand?” Michele busts out laughing, spitting her soda out toward the driveway. “Holy shit isn’t that the truth. Mark’s been driving me bananas for awhile. He’s playing head games, really abusing my psych. It’s getting out of control.” She stares and the ground for a second and says, “I’m considering a divorce. I dunno yet though, keep it on the down low for now, it’s just a thought. Enough of that whiney shit, now you have no excuse, we can hang out a lot more!” Hector snags the diet soda out of her hand and takes a huge gulp. “You’re right on that. I’m glad to be here, it’s been interesting. Let’s see, I’ve seen a dude die, got interrogated by the cops, went to a car fire, and damn near got into a race riot with a drunken fat fuck. All in all, a good day so far”. He passes the soda back to her. “You haven’t seen anything yet, you still got a way aways from the witching hour. Nocturnal activity is the name of the game here Gonzo, you’ll see. Oh yea, we’re overdue for a working structure fire too, it’s been almost a month.” Hector is about to retort, but is interrupted by the beeps over the loudspeakers, which echo in the apparatus bay like a grand hall. The speakers click alive:
“North Beach Engine Six, TC (traffic collision) with injuries … Beach Boulevard and Arthur Lane, District 1129 Zulu … North Beach Engine Six two foxtrot …”
Hector groans and gets up. Michele punches him dead in the leg. “Ouch! What the fuck did you do that for?” he screamed. “Nobody drinks from my can lame ass, have fun with that backboard!” Michele states, watching Hector limp into the cab of Engine Six. The cab shakes with the slamming doors and the ignition of the massive diesel engine. The warning lights come on, creating a sweeping and flashing array of reds, whites and yellows. The lights slice through the darkness of the fall night, departing the station and responding post haste to another emergency. Michele watches them slice up the traffic of Beach Boulevard, in a rapid moving ballet. Michele just smiles, she hasn’t smiled this much in months.
25 February 2010
Part Two - Inner Sanctum
The early morning traffic on Beach Boulevard moves in the rank and file with the commuters. Hector finds himself in this strange ballet of steel, asphalt and glass. He is taking in the new sights and surroundings. He has never traveled in this part of North Beach in his life. The mix of strip malls, apartment complexes, and neighborhoods disorient him in a dizzying splendor. This is a whole new world for his senses and his soul. "Well, better get used to this!" he thought looking for any sign of an approaching fire station. He can finally make out the traffic signal in front of the fire station. The red colored sign reading "Fire station" sways in the wind, which causes a déjà vu effect in his brain. Now he is getting a mixed feeling of nervousness and excitement. "I wonder who's on the crew. Hmm, maybe I know some of them. God, I hope the captain isn't a jerkoff!" he thinks out loud as the station comes into view. Before him he sees a single story station that looks kind of small. The apparatus bay door is open, and before him he sees the front of a brand new red and white engine, just like Engine One. It is parked over to the left to allow another apparatus to park next to it. "Hmm, Truck Six must be out on a call" he thought. He takes notice that the station looks tiny, and probably is the parking lot out back. He slows his vehicle to make the turn for the back parking lot. "Next stop, hell!" he says out loud as he swings his vehicle into the back of the station.
"I’m telling you. Those C-Shift assholes always have an excuse. This time they left me at a half of a tank of fuel and one of the SCBA bottles in the jumpseat was almost empty. They were screaming like 'oh god we got our balls kicked through our assholes!' Fuck them! C-Shift so bites!" complained Tom. Tom Latour is the Engineer for Engine Six. He is in the captain's office complaining to Clyde Presley, the captain of Engine Six about what he found during his vehicle checkoff which is required at the start of every shift. He is also sipping a cup of coffee. At 6'6" and a deep commanding voice, he is hard to ignore. Captain Presley realizes this as he strokes his forehead, sipping on a cup of coffee. "Ogre, I dunno what to tell you. Trust me, I agree those animals aren't fit to even be allowed into the city limits. I’ll send an email and if the BC (Battalion Chief) swings by, I'll have a chat with Chief Kircher. Guess what? I've got even better news." he states. Tom takes from his position of hovering over the captain’s desk, and sits in the chair reserved for the captain of Truck Six. He places his feet on top of the desk, which pushes him back a bit. He is very tall, and when he does this, it makes him look taller than usual. "Fuckin' great! Can't wait to hear this. Lemme guess, there is a memo that states all insect carcasses will be removed from the front grill of all apparatus via a tooth brush and a solution of sodium bicarbonate and water not exceeding a 1:1 ratio?" states Tom as he takes another sip of his coffee. Captain Presley lets out a laugh and puts his coffee mug down. "Mmm. Now that was a good one! I got you with that, and we got those prima donna paragod's over at Station Four with that one too, buncha bums! I wish it was that, but alas kind sir, this is not the case. Didn't you even notice our illustrious firefighter, Bob Saganaw isn’t here?" he states as he mimics Toms actions and props his feet up as well. "Oh yea, I was too worried about what C-Shift did to my baby out there I paid no mind! Call out sick?" asked Tom. Captain Presley taps his fingers on the desk and says, "Nope. Worse. He got transferred. It seems our little friend didn't like it here at Six, with the late night activity and all. So the story goes, Division Chief Mazur somehow overheard it. So, they sent him packing to Station Nine since one of their guys transferred to Station One. They're sending over the dude from Station One. It got screwed up in the administration channels so the poor guy we are getting got hosed. Here's the kicker. He's fresh out of PM school, so now we will be back to three medics!" A beautiful smile comes across Tom's face and says, "Thank you Jesus! We can share the workload once more! Good, this is a great place to apply the tools of the trade. Fuck Saganaw anyway. All he did was bitch and moan for the three weeks he was here. Those guys at nine barely run two calls a day. Sounds like a typical North Beach Fire circle jerk! Who are we getting?" Captain Presley takes his computer mouse and scrolls down on the page on the screen. "Let’s see here, umm the cat's name is Hector Gonzales. Doesn’t ring any bells to me", he states. Tom scratches his head for a moment and says, "Yea, me either. Oh well, hope this guy is worth two shits and a fuck when the shit meets the fan blades!" Just then a figure appears in the doorway and says, "Dude, I’ll drink to that!" Hector is in the doorway and surprises both men. Tom spits his coffee back into his cup and Captain Presley removes his feet from the desk. "Nevermind this sasquatch looking bastard, he has a chapped ass this morning. You must be Hector?"says Captain Presley who is now standing to greet Hector. Hector locks hands with the captain and shakes. "Yes Sir. Hector Gonzales, call me Gonzo. I’m your new bitch, I mean firefighter/paramedic." he says. Captain Presley laughs and says "Wow! You fit in nicely around here. I like you already! Clyde Presley. Please for the love of shit don't call me sir. Clyde or Presley work. Nice to meet you!" Tom leans around the captain with his arm extended. "Tom Latour. Damn glad to meet you!" Hector and Tom lock hands and shake. "Call him ogre. This furry beast is the engineer. He's also a medic and so am I. Glad you are too! You'll learn a lot here. I take it you've heard all sorts of comments, my favorite is the Event Horizon one. Well, a lot of them are true. This is the busiest station here in North Beach. It’s definitely not a slow station. Oh yea, I forgot, we have one more person for you to meet." states Captain Presley as he picks up a microphone. A click can be heard over the Station's intercom speakers. "Probationary firefighter Kingshott. Please report to the captain’s office immediately with testicles in hand. That is all!" A loud groan is heard from around the corner. "Bro! C'mon seriously dude! Do you have to do that?" A tall, lanky man appears in the doorway. Captain Presley motions to the man. "Chad Kingshott, meet Hector Gonzales. He is taking Saganaws seat, and is also a paramedic." Chad and Hector shake hands and the captain continues to talk. "Well since the pleasantries are out of the way, Gonzo lets find you a loc-" The captain is cut off by a series of beeps coming from the intercom speakers. Captain Presley stretches and states "So much for that, typical station six. Trial by fire!" The intercom speakers click and come to life:
"North Beach Engine Six ... Respitory Arrest ... 724 Crossways Road ... Seven two four Crossways Road ... District 1123 zulu ... Cross Ridgeback Drive ... Delta response ... North Beach Engine Six, two foxtrot ..."
The men exchange worried, puzzled looks. Chad looks at the men with a confused look on his face and asks, "Dudes, I know I'm not like very paramedic savvy, but doesn't a cardiac arrest go with respitory arrest?" Clyde scratches his head and retorts, "Very good Kingshott! Of course! Sounds like a cluster fuck already!" The men walk over to the awaiting engine. All the men open the doors and get in. Hector grabs his turnouts and places them on the floor under his legs. A fury of clicking seatbelts and placing headphones that allow the crew to communicate with each other over the noise of the siren fill the cab of the engine. Tom flips a switch, and the gauges and lights come to life on the dashboard. Captain Presley turns his attention to the computer screen to his left. "Tom, need me to pull the district page or you got it?" he asks. Tom turns his attention back to the captain to answer him. "Naw I got it. I should know that street by heart at this point, shit!" Tom pushes a button on the dash and the massive engine roars to life. Hector can feel the vibration of the engine under his feet, and it brings back the adrenaline rush he missed while away at paramedic school. Tom pushes a button on the dash to put the engine in gear, pushes the parking brake knob in and brings the massive machine to the middle of the driveway and stops. Everyone blinks for a second while the morning sun blares in their eyes. In a synchronic motion everyone puts on sunglasses. Captain Presley pushes a button on the computer to inform the dispatcher they are enroute to the call. "Shit! They move it everytime! Damn C-Shift" screams Captain Presley as he fumbles for the remote to close the bay door. Satisfied that the door has closed he turns to Tom and says, 'Lets do it to it!" Tom flips the switch to turn on the warning lights and turns the knob to activate the electric siren. Even with the display of warning lights and siren screeching in the morning, the traffic barely notices. Tom noses the massive truck out a little more out of the driveway, stopping the northbound traffic. Captain Presley activates the mechanical siren and air horns at the same time. The southbound traffic slams to a halt. "Oh yea! That’s what daddy thought. A little ruthless preemption!" says Captain Presley as he looks right, the ads, "Clear on your right Tom". Tom Turns left out of the drive way and heads south on Beach Boulevard. The combination of the sound of the accelerating diesel engine, the siren blaring, the radio chatter heard through the headphones, and the shadow of the warning lights gives Hector an unbeatable high. Chad in the seat next to him can almost sense his excitement as well. "Gonzo, does the rush ever get old bro?" asked Chad through the microphone attached to the headphones. "Hell no dude! It never gets old!" , he says. Now Hector is running through scenarios and procedures through his head. He is interrupted by the radio traffic from the dispatcher:
"North Beach Engine Six ... Copy enroute to a respitory arrest 724 Crossways Road ... You have a male in his late thirties not breathing, P.D. on scene. Ambulance is enroute ... Nothing further."
Captain Presley pushes a button on the radio console. "Metrocomm, North Beach Engine Six copy comments", he says. "Holy shit! The cops are killing people already this morning! Then again, it is Crossways!" Tom says chuckling to himself. "Of course! To give you a heads up Gonzo, this street is a frequent flyer. Nasty little part of town. Most people say it’s a neighborhood with a drug problem. Well here at station six, we say that street is a cornucopia of pharmaceutical delights, with all the gun slinging to match!" says the captain. Hector gets a good chuckle. Chad adds to the captain "Oh bro! I almost got my teeth kicked in two weeks ago from a duster. Real fuckin gnarly bah!" The Dispatcher comes back on the radio, "North Beach Engine Six, Metrocomm." Captain Presley pushes a button again and acknowledges the dispatcher which responds back, "Further information on you case, patient is now in cardiac arrest. CPR is in progress, police advises the patient is in the courtyard." Hector's hair is now standing on end. He can tell with the urgency in the dispatcher's voice that this is the real thing, not a possibility. His mind switches and now he runs cardiac scenarios through his mind. Tom has a different thought on his mind. "What the fuck! Damn cops can't even have the consideration to wait to pull this shit after my coffee. What in the fucking hell are they doing? Fucking A!" he screams, which makes his voice boom through the speakers in the headphones. Captain Presley just shakes his head and laughs. Tom sees an intersection approaching, and he starts to slow the massive vehicle down. The engine brake kicks in, making the engine sound a lot louder. This gets Hectors blood flowing even more, he can’t sit still. Tom changes the tone of the electric siren, and Captain Presley unleashes the mechanical siren on the traffic. The loud growl of the mechanical siren brings traffic in the intersection to a halt. Seeing this, Tom still brings the engine to a complete stop. This is the most dangerous part of driving an emergency vehicle, crossing an intersection against the light. Satisfied all traffic has noticed the red and white behemoth and is stopped, he steers the apparatus into a smooth right hand turn. "Ok guys were almost there. Kingshott grab the 02 bag and Lifepack. Gonzo grab the drug box and suction. Tom snag a backboard and CID, I got a feeling this could be a most messy affair. Oh Gonzo, at night really watch your nuggets around here. Knives come out of nowhere." states the captain as he puts on a pair of latex gloves. "You got it cap!" says Hector. Tom slows down the truck and makes a left hand turn. Tom turns off the siren and warning lights. "No sense in becoming a target!" he states. The neighborhood is a bit run down, with a couple of empty lots, dingy looking apartment complexes, and menacing run down homes. The street feels just as neglected, giving the crew a bit of a bumpy ride in the cab. Up ahead there is a slew of North Beach Police vehicles in front of a decrepit looking apartment complex. "Well, no guess work where we are heading. This looks pretty shit ass!" remarks Captain Presley as he pushes a button on the computer terminal to let the dispatcher know they have arrived on scene. Tom pulls the massive engine to a quick stop behind a police vehicle in front of the apartments. "Can't wait to see this!", Tom states putting the truck in park and turning off the engine. The crew is out of the truck and gathering equipment in a urgent rush, to get to the patient as fast as they can. Time is of upmost concern and the precious seconds are already ticking away, never to regain again. A Sergeant runs up to them frantic, "Move it! This guy ain't gotta pulse!" he says to him. The crew follows him jogging. "This guy was putting up a terrible fight, and they sprayed him!" he said to them. "What?!" said Captain Presley. They finally make it to the courtyard, and are encountered with a disturbing, perverted tableau. Two police officers are engaged in CPR with a man lying on the ground, which is a heroic gesture. Something is amiss the men notice, for the person is still handcuffed. "The Fuck is this shit?" blurts out Tom in a rather puzzled tone. "Alright guys, what happened?" says the captain to the police officers. Hector, Tom and Chad rush to the man's side to check vitals. One of the police officers says to the captain in a wavery tone, "We tried to cuff him after a disturbance call. He started fighting with us, so we pepper sprayed him, and he dropped like a rock. We checked his pulse and nothing!" The police officer then kneels down, obviously shaken. "Cap! No pulse or respiration!" , Hector states. Kingshott is setting up a bag valve mask while Tom is grabbing the defibullator. "Can we get these cuffs of him so we can work?" Hector asks the officers. "He's under arrest!" states an officer. "Where in the fuck is he going to go? He's dying! We need to start an IV!" says Captain Presley, dumbfounded. Tom places the defibullator paddles on the man's lifeless body to get a quick EKG reading. "PEA (pulseless electrical activity) guys! Get those cuffs off now!" says Tom. The officers get the cuffs off him while Hector sets himself up to insert an ETT (endotracheal tube) to get him some oxygen. With the cuffs off, they roll the man onto a backboard while Tom places EKG leads on his chest. They hook him up to the EKG and Tom takes over chest compressions while Hector starts the intubation process. He cranks the man's jaw forward and inserts a laryngoscope blade in. "Thanks god, no puke", he thinks as he has a clear shot. He inserts it in, and pumps the cuff. Chad places the bag valve mask on the tube, and Hector checks breath sounds in the lung for placement. "Hit it Kingshott, ok one more time. We're in guys!" he says. Hector looks at the monitor, which still reads pulseless electrical activity. "Charge me Gonzo!" says Tom. Hector hits the charge button, "Everyone clear!" he screams. Hands go up, Tom places the paddles on the man's chest, and hits the button. The man makes a small movement, all the officers on scene watch in suspense to see if he regains a pulse. The dot on the monitor rises sharply, then descends sharply, and returns to PEA. "Shit! Gonzo get an IV. Let's get some epi and atropine going!" says Tom and adds, "Cap! Get on the horn to Western Med Center!" Captain Presley jumps onto his cellphone and starts to relay information to the hospital. Hector is starting to feel confident with the successful intubation, but now he concourse his weak spot, IV establishment. Ever since PM school, this has scared the shit out of him for some reason. Hector grabs a latex tourniquet from the drug box, ties it on and takes a look at the man's lifeless, limp arm. He sees some small puncture wounds, and a small scar, almost like an incision mark. Hector starts to slap his forearm, and finds nothing. "Shit!" he says with a dumbfound look. Tom looks up from putting together an IV bag, "Whats up?" he asks. "Nothing. I got nothing!", Hector states in a dumbfounded manner. Tom moves quickly to Hector's side and inspects the forearm. Tom gives it a good slap, and sees nothing. All Tom can say is, "Oh shit!"
The early morning sun beams off Truck Six as it moves its way through the morning traffic. Truck Six is returning from a water flow alarm right at shift change. A water flow alarm indicates water movement in a fire sprinkler system. This could be the result of a few things ranging from a simple alarm malfunction all the way to an actual fire and the sprinklers are activated. This however, is not the case with Truck Six's water flow alarm. A forklift sheered of a sprinkler head in a warehouse, which caused water to spray all over everything. Including the crew. "What a fockin' shitshow bro! Too fockin early, this shit never happens in Jersey!" states Tony Pizzachillo into the headset with a heavy New Jersey accent. Tony is a firefighter assigned to Truck Six. He stares out the window at the passing scenery that is moving at a snail’s pace due to the endless sea of cars heading to the freeway. "Oh would you grow a set already! Shit, your getting' paid and all you got was a little wet!" booms a female voice in the headphones. The voice belongs to Michelle Cox, the other firefighter assigned to Truck Six. Truck six is a tractor drawn ladder truck, meaning someone steers the back of the rig as well as the front. Michelle also performs the duty of tillerman, so she listens to this conversation via the headset. "Does New Jersey somehow lie in a abnormal paradox where all fire protection services are somehow exempted from broken sprinklers? Give me a break, your such a lame ass!" she adds. Tony sits up real quick to retort to Michelle's quip, only to be cut off by Scott Larson. Scott is the captain for Truck Six and he too is staring out the side window, resting his arm on the computer screen next to him. "Now, now kids! That's enough out of both of you! Keep it up and no dessert for the either of you!" he says with a chuckle. 'Y'all got burned!" says Jeremiah Southerland with a deep, warm chuckle. Jeremiah is the Engineer for Truck Six, he slowly glides the massive vehicle through the morning traffic. The station is approaching in the distance, and Tony sits up in anticipation and quips, "Hells yes! I can get some dry clothes!" Just then a single beep is heard over the headsets, and the dispatcher is heard:
"North Beach Engine Four, North Beach Truck Six ... Seizure ... 9540 Beach Boulevard ... District 1129 xray ... cross Hampton Acres Way ... Charlie Response ... North Beach Engine Four, North Beach Truck Six two foxtrot ..."
"Fockin Bullshit bro!" screams Tony as he throws a box of latex gloves into the empty seat next to him. "Ha ha! You just got smacked by karma, fuckface!" sings Michelle into the headset, and follows up with a mocking dance in her seat away from the rest of the crew. "Stifle it cupcake! This shit doesn’t happen to the brothers back home in black, no sir! Fuckin bullshit!" retorts Tony, who now takes a downtrodden look out of the window. The captain notifies the dispatcher that the unit is enroute while Jeremiah flips on the lights and sirens, parting the traffic like tall weeds in a neglected field. "I forgot, they don’t have medical emergencies in Jersey either, do they?" says Captain Lawson, turning around to face Tony with an evil smirk on his face, drawing laughter from everyone else. "Bullshit" is the only thing that Tony can say.
"Alright guys, almost there!" says Captain Presley as he is sliding a needle into a limp, lifeless arm. He feels a slight resistance, and sees the flash (Blood in the IV line) knowing he is there. The captain decided to jump in and take over IV establishment after seeing Tom and Hector struggling. "Its in, do it up!" say the captain, taping the IV catheter down to the forearm. Tom pops off the cap of a pre-loaded syringe of epinephrine, as Hector is popping the tops off a pre-loaded syringe of atropine. Tom gives a push on the syringe, to get all the air bubbles out, and pushes the fluid into the IV. Hector also follows suit. "Ok meds on board, lets zap him again!" Tom announces. He places the defibullator paddles on the limp body, and hands go up in unison. "Clear!" he announces, and a repeat of the officers holding their breaths, watching in anticipation for a change in the man's condition. The dot on the monitor raises again, then drops, and goes to a straight line. "Asystole! Shit! Lets try some Narcan!" says Tom as he wipes sweat from his brow. Hector can feel the early morning sun blazing bright on his back in this glum courtyard. It’s a mind scrambling scene of pacing police officers and dumbfounded spectators, he see the Captain approaching out to he corner of his eye as he prepares a syringe of Narcan (used in possible drug overdose cases). "Metrocomm, North Beach Engine Six, ambulance at scene," he states into his handheld radio. "Ambo's here, lets get rolling!" Clyde states as he helps to guide the stretcher to the lifeless man. Hector inserts the needle into the medicine port, and pushes the vital fluid into the man's system. "Narcan's on board!" He announces. He glances at the monitor in anticipation of a chance, and finds none. He has also taken notice that his forehead burns a bit, figures it’s the sun and the constant wiping of sweat. The stretcher wheels next to him, Tom straps the man to the backboard, and says "All clear, on three. One, two three." Hector and Chad lift the man onto the stretcher, the EMTs from the ambulance raise it up. Chad stands on the bottom rail doing CPR, while Hector works the bag mask. Tom and Captain Presley gather up the equipment and move double time to the waiting ambulance. Hector has been keeping a mental time of how long they have been working and thinks, "Four minutes. This ship is sinking fast!"
Truck Six has returned to the station after their medical run. Tony finally has his change of uniform on, and they are sitting around the table in the kitchen, having their first cup since they were called to service very early in their shift. "So, forgot to tell you guys, Saganaw is no longer with us. He got transferred." says Captain Lawson putting his cup on the kitchen table. Jeremiah is in the middle of planning the shifts meals, looks up from his list and chuckles. "I told ya'll stickman was scurred!", he said. Tony laughs and retorts, "What a fockin shitshow that guy was. All he did was bitch and moan! Cap', whose comin' in for him?" Michelle rests her head in her hands and gives a shy smile to the captain and says, "Out with it already! The anticipation is killing me!" Captain Lawson sits back down from pouring himself another cup and is stirring his cream into it. "Hector Gonzales, got bumped off from Engine One. Fresh out of PM school too! He got fucked second battalion style!" Michelle squeals and a huge grin comes across Tony's Face. "We're gettin Gonzo! Fuck me to tears! That so rocks!" Michelle screams in joy. "Wow! Gonzo, haven’t seen him since academy! Fuck ya bro!" adds Tony to her excitement. Jeremiah and Captain Lawson both exchange a puzzled look, Jeremiah just shakes his head. "I take it both of you guys know this kid?" he says, munching on a bagel. "The fuck I do! He's a real cool cat! That shit dick hasn't called me in months, that would explain why!", says Michelle. "Don't flood out the basement because your Latin lover is common' back! You’re a happily married woman!" says Tony while poking her in the side. Michelle slaps him across the face with a banana peel. "Enough children! Damn! Can we finish up our coffee so we can get on with the Hurst tool drill and have it done before noon?", blurts the Captain in his usual paternal tone. "Yes dad!" is all Michelle and Tony can say.
The ambulance doors swing open, and the crew of Engine Six slide in a man who clings to life like he is clinging to a thin root on a sandy hill. Captain Presley jumps in, sets up the drug box and defibullator on the bench seat while the EMTs lock the stretcher into place in a loud click. Hector is still working the bag valve mask, Chad is still doing CPR and keeps scratching his eyes with his shirt sleeve. Tom takes a seat in the chair at the head of the patient, while Captain Presley starts to duck out the side door. Tom Stops him with his foot and says, "Oh no you don’t! You haven’t work an arrest to the end in months! It’s your turn and I don’t give a shit about rank!" Captain Presley flashes him a smile and states, "My dear Ogre, 'tis not rank kind sir. Alas, I need to familiar myself with our latest toy the kind citizens procured for us!" He makes his way out the door, and Tom says, "I hate you!" The captain appears in the doorway and says, "At least I don’t fuck fat girls!" He slams the door shut, which makes both Hector and Chad giggle while they perform their functions. "Fuck! Hector get another round of epi and atropine ready, lets zap him once more before we roll." Hector turns over the control of the bag valve mask to the EMT. Tom readies the defibullator again, still showing a straight line. Hector gets the meds in and Tom zaps him again, both watch the single dot rise and fall back into the same, stagnant flat line. "Lets move it!" Tom states to the driver. The ambulance moves and the piercing scream of the electric siren drowns out the sound of the motor. It’s a bumpy ride in this part of town, Hector can almost feel the fillings in his teeth shake. Tom relays some more information to the emergency room doctors via cell phone, then gets a smirk on his face. "Request permission for one ampoule of Sodium Bicarbonate", he says into the phone. Hector takes over on CPR for Chad, who now looks a bit tired and haggard. "Thanks bro! Hey, is your face buring?" he says. Hector now all the sudden realizes it does, and his tongue feels a bit swollen. "Now that you mention it, yea. Fuckin burns!" he says puzzled. Tom looks very red in the face, and is sweating. "Thought I would throw them off with some bicarb, and of course they shot me down. Can't even do it up a la Emergency! anymore!" he says and adds, "Almost there, fuck my face burns!" The crew feels the ambulance pull to a stop, and then back up. Now all three men are feeling very uncomfortable, with faces feeling like the surface of the sun. The doors open, Captain Presley is there to greet them, along with a couple of nurses, and a very official man in a suit with a badge on his belt. Hector can see more police officers in the ER. "Treatment 4 guys!" says Tom, as they follow the gurney post haste to the room. Tom briefs the Doctor on what transpired while the man was in the care of Engine Six. Captain Presley, Chad and Hector stroll toward the report writing room, where there are more police officers about. Hector takes a seat, and catches a breather for a moment. He is trying to gather and make sense of the assault on his senses he just endured. Now his face is really burning, and he can see Chad is feeling the same thing. "Fuck! Why is my face buring?" Hector wanders out loud. "Probably because home slice was covered in pepper spray. Since you were sweating you rubbed it all over your face!" says Captain Presley as he starts to work on the PCR (prehospital care report). Hector looks at him, then pieces it together. Captain Presley pats him on the shoulder and says, "Welcome to the inner sanctum my son! Its happened to me a few times!" With that Hector and Chad find the nearest sink to rinse off. Tom walks into the room, gives the Captain a dirty look, and says in a bit of a loud tone, "Just for that shit, your writing the rest of the PCR's for the rest of the shift! Look at my face its swollen! It was a good laugh though, and for your information, I do love me some fat girls, mmmm!" Tom turns his attention to a nurse that has some extra weight. "Hey Monica! Wait up! Oh Cap, cross the T's and dot the I's. Those suits are Internal Affairs and Homicide. We're gonna get interviewed. Make it Nice!", he says, then hurries off. Captain Presley shakes his head. He'll make it good, alright.
[Authors note - The above incident actually took place while I was running a rescue shift in Virginia Beach July 4th, 1999. I still have the newspaper clippings. I would also like to thank Jen Goodman, RN as a technical advisor to this series!]
"I’m telling you. Those C-Shift assholes always have an excuse. This time they left me at a half of a tank of fuel and one of the SCBA bottles in the jumpseat was almost empty. They were screaming like 'oh god we got our balls kicked through our assholes!' Fuck them! C-Shift so bites!" complained Tom. Tom Latour is the Engineer for Engine Six. He is in the captain's office complaining to Clyde Presley, the captain of Engine Six about what he found during his vehicle checkoff which is required at the start of every shift. He is also sipping a cup of coffee. At 6'6" and a deep commanding voice, he is hard to ignore. Captain Presley realizes this as he strokes his forehead, sipping on a cup of coffee. "Ogre, I dunno what to tell you. Trust me, I agree those animals aren't fit to even be allowed into the city limits. I’ll send an email and if the BC (Battalion Chief) swings by, I'll have a chat with Chief Kircher. Guess what? I've got even better news." he states. Tom takes from his position of hovering over the captain’s desk, and sits in the chair reserved for the captain of Truck Six. He places his feet on top of the desk, which pushes him back a bit. He is very tall, and when he does this, it makes him look taller than usual. "Fuckin' great! Can't wait to hear this. Lemme guess, there is a memo that states all insect carcasses will be removed from the front grill of all apparatus via a tooth brush and a solution of sodium bicarbonate and water not exceeding a 1:1 ratio?" states Tom as he takes another sip of his coffee. Captain Presley lets out a laugh and puts his coffee mug down. "Mmm. Now that was a good one! I got you with that, and we got those prima donna paragod's over at Station Four with that one too, buncha bums! I wish it was that, but alas kind sir, this is not the case. Didn't you even notice our illustrious firefighter, Bob Saganaw isn’t here?" he states as he mimics Toms actions and props his feet up as well. "Oh yea, I was too worried about what C-Shift did to my baby out there I paid no mind! Call out sick?" asked Tom. Captain Presley taps his fingers on the desk and says, "Nope. Worse. He got transferred. It seems our little friend didn't like it here at Six, with the late night activity and all. So the story goes, Division Chief Mazur somehow overheard it. So, they sent him packing to Station Nine since one of their guys transferred to Station One. They're sending over the dude from Station One. It got screwed up in the administration channels so the poor guy we are getting got hosed. Here's the kicker. He's fresh out of PM school, so now we will be back to three medics!" A beautiful smile comes across Tom's face and says, "Thank you Jesus! We can share the workload once more! Good, this is a great place to apply the tools of the trade. Fuck Saganaw anyway. All he did was bitch and moan for the three weeks he was here. Those guys at nine barely run two calls a day. Sounds like a typical North Beach Fire circle jerk! Who are we getting?" Captain Presley takes his computer mouse and scrolls down on the page on the screen. "Let’s see here, umm the cat's name is Hector Gonzales. Doesn’t ring any bells to me", he states. Tom scratches his head for a moment and says, "Yea, me either. Oh well, hope this guy is worth two shits and a fuck when the shit meets the fan blades!" Just then a figure appears in the doorway and says, "Dude, I’ll drink to that!" Hector is in the doorway and surprises both men. Tom spits his coffee back into his cup and Captain Presley removes his feet from the desk. "Nevermind this sasquatch looking bastard, he has a chapped ass this morning. You must be Hector?"says Captain Presley who is now standing to greet Hector. Hector locks hands with the captain and shakes. "Yes Sir. Hector Gonzales, call me Gonzo. I’m your new bitch, I mean firefighter/paramedic." he says. Captain Presley laughs and says "Wow! You fit in nicely around here. I like you already! Clyde Presley. Please for the love of shit don't call me sir. Clyde or Presley work. Nice to meet you!" Tom leans around the captain with his arm extended. "Tom Latour. Damn glad to meet you!" Hector and Tom lock hands and shake. "Call him ogre. This furry beast is the engineer. He's also a medic and so am I. Glad you are too! You'll learn a lot here. I take it you've heard all sorts of comments, my favorite is the Event Horizon one. Well, a lot of them are true. This is the busiest station here in North Beach. It’s definitely not a slow station. Oh yea, I forgot, we have one more person for you to meet." states Captain Presley as he picks up a microphone. A click can be heard over the Station's intercom speakers. "Probationary firefighter Kingshott. Please report to the captain’s office immediately with testicles in hand. That is all!" A loud groan is heard from around the corner. "Bro! C'mon seriously dude! Do you have to do that?" A tall, lanky man appears in the doorway. Captain Presley motions to the man. "Chad Kingshott, meet Hector Gonzales. He is taking Saganaws seat, and is also a paramedic." Chad and Hector shake hands and the captain continues to talk. "Well since the pleasantries are out of the way, Gonzo lets find you a loc-" The captain is cut off by a series of beeps coming from the intercom speakers. Captain Presley stretches and states "So much for that, typical station six. Trial by fire!" The intercom speakers click and come to life:
"North Beach Engine Six ... Respitory Arrest ... 724 Crossways Road ... Seven two four Crossways Road ... District 1123 zulu ... Cross Ridgeback Drive ... Delta response ... North Beach Engine Six, two foxtrot ..."
The men exchange worried, puzzled looks. Chad looks at the men with a confused look on his face and asks, "Dudes, I know I'm not like very paramedic savvy, but doesn't a cardiac arrest go with respitory arrest?" Clyde scratches his head and retorts, "Very good Kingshott! Of course! Sounds like a cluster fuck already!" The men walk over to the awaiting engine. All the men open the doors and get in. Hector grabs his turnouts and places them on the floor under his legs. A fury of clicking seatbelts and placing headphones that allow the crew to communicate with each other over the noise of the siren fill the cab of the engine. Tom flips a switch, and the gauges and lights come to life on the dashboard. Captain Presley turns his attention to the computer screen to his left. "Tom, need me to pull the district page or you got it?" he asks. Tom turns his attention back to the captain to answer him. "Naw I got it. I should know that street by heart at this point, shit!" Tom pushes a button on the dash and the massive engine roars to life. Hector can feel the vibration of the engine under his feet, and it brings back the adrenaline rush he missed while away at paramedic school. Tom pushes a button on the dash to put the engine in gear, pushes the parking brake knob in and brings the massive machine to the middle of the driveway and stops. Everyone blinks for a second while the morning sun blares in their eyes. In a synchronic motion everyone puts on sunglasses. Captain Presley pushes a button on the computer to inform the dispatcher they are enroute to the call. "Shit! They move it everytime! Damn C-Shift" screams Captain Presley as he fumbles for the remote to close the bay door. Satisfied that the door has closed he turns to Tom and says, 'Lets do it to it!" Tom flips the switch to turn on the warning lights and turns the knob to activate the electric siren. Even with the display of warning lights and siren screeching in the morning, the traffic barely notices. Tom noses the massive truck out a little more out of the driveway, stopping the northbound traffic. Captain Presley activates the mechanical siren and air horns at the same time. The southbound traffic slams to a halt. "Oh yea! That’s what daddy thought. A little ruthless preemption!" says Captain Presley as he looks right, the ads, "Clear on your right Tom". Tom Turns left out of the drive way and heads south on Beach Boulevard. The combination of the sound of the accelerating diesel engine, the siren blaring, the radio chatter heard through the headphones, and the shadow of the warning lights gives Hector an unbeatable high. Chad in the seat next to him can almost sense his excitement as well. "Gonzo, does the rush ever get old bro?" asked Chad through the microphone attached to the headphones. "Hell no dude! It never gets old!" , he says. Now Hector is running through scenarios and procedures through his head. He is interrupted by the radio traffic from the dispatcher:
"North Beach Engine Six ... Copy enroute to a respitory arrest 724 Crossways Road ... You have a male in his late thirties not breathing, P.D. on scene. Ambulance is enroute ... Nothing further."
Captain Presley pushes a button on the radio console. "Metrocomm, North Beach Engine Six copy comments", he says. "Holy shit! The cops are killing people already this morning! Then again, it is Crossways!" Tom says chuckling to himself. "Of course! To give you a heads up Gonzo, this street is a frequent flyer. Nasty little part of town. Most people say it’s a neighborhood with a drug problem. Well here at station six, we say that street is a cornucopia of pharmaceutical delights, with all the gun slinging to match!" says the captain. Hector gets a good chuckle. Chad adds to the captain "Oh bro! I almost got my teeth kicked in two weeks ago from a duster. Real fuckin gnarly bah!" The Dispatcher comes back on the radio, "North Beach Engine Six, Metrocomm." Captain Presley pushes a button again and acknowledges the dispatcher which responds back, "Further information on you case, patient is now in cardiac arrest. CPR is in progress, police advises the patient is in the courtyard." Hector's hair is now standing on end. He can tell with the urgency in the dispatcher's voice that this is the real thing, not a possibility. His mind switches and now he runs cardiac scenarios through his mind. Tom has a different thought on his mind. "What the fuck! Damn cops can't even have the consideration to wait to pull this shit after my coffee. What in the fucking hell are they doing? Fucking A!" he screams, which makes his voice boom through the speakers in the headphones. Captain Presley just shakes his head and laughs. Tom sees an intersection approaching, and he starts to slow the massive vehicle down. The engine brake kicks in, making the engine sound a lot louder. This gets Hectors blood flowing even more, he can’t sit still. Tom changes the tone of the electric siren, and Captain Presley unleashes the mechanical siren on the traffic. The loud growl of the mechanical siren brings traffic in the intersection to a halt. Seeing this, Tom still brings the engine to a complete stop. This is the most dangerous part of driving an emergency vehicle, crossing an intersection against the light. Satisfied all traffic has noticed the red and white behemoth and is stopped, he steers the apparatus into a smooth right hand turn. "Ok guys were almost there. Kingshott grab the 02 bag and Lifepack. Gonzo grab the drug box and suction. Tom snag a backboard and CID, I got a feeling this could be a most messy affair. Oh Gonzo, at night really watch your nuggets around here. Knives come out of nowhere." states the captain as he puts on a pair of latex gloves. "You got it cap!" says Hector. Tom slows down the truck and makes a left hand turn. Tom turns off the siren and warning lights. "No sense in becoming a target!" he states. The neighborhood is a bit run down, with a couple of empty lots, dingy looking apartment complexes, and menacing run down homes. The street feels just as neglected, giving the crew a bit of a bumpy ride in the cab. Up ahead there is a slew of North Beach Police vehicles in front of a decrepit looking apartment complex. "Well, no guess work where we are heading. This looks pretty shit ass!" remarks Captain Presley as he pushes a button on the computer terminal to let the dispatcher know they have arrived on scene. Tom pulls the massive engine to a quick stop behind a police vehicle in front of the apartments. "Can't wait to see this!", Tom states putting the truck in park and turning off the engine. The crew is out of the truck and gathering equipment in a urgent rush, to get to the patient as fast as they can. Time is of upmost concern and the precious seconds are already ticking away, never to regain again. A Sergeant runs up to them frantic, "Move it! This guy ain't gotta pulse!" he says to him. The crew follows him jogging. "This guy was putting up a terrible fight, and they sprayed him!" he said to them. "What?!" said Captain Presley. They finally make it to the courtyard, and are encountered with a disturbing, perverted tableau. Two police officers are engaged in CPR with a man lying on the ground, which is a heroic gesture. Something is amiss the men notice, for the person is still handcuffed. "The Fuck is this shit?" blurts out Tom in a rather puzzled tone. "Alright guys, what happened?" says the captain to the police officers. Hector, Tom and Chad rush to the man's side to check vitals. One of the police officers says to the captain in a wavery tone, "We tried to cuff him after a disturbance call. He started fighting with us, so we pepper sprayed him, and he dropped like a rock. We checked his pulse and nothing!" The police officer then kneels down, obviously shaken. "Cap! No pulse or respiration!" , Hector states. Kingshott is setting up a bag valve mask while Tom is grabbing the defibullator. "Can we get these cuffs of him so we can work?" Hector asks the officers. "He's under arrest!" states an officer. "Where in the fuck is he going to go? He's dying! We need to start an IV!" says Captain Presley, dumbfounded. Tom places the defibullator paddles on the man's lifeless body to get a quick EKG reading. "PEA (pulseless electrical activity) guys! Get those cuffs off now!" says Tom. The officers get the cuffs off him while Hector sets himself up to insert an ETT (endotracheal tube) to get him some oxygen. With the cuffs off, they roll the man onto a backboard while Tom places EKG leads on his chest. They hook him up to the EKG and Tom takes over chest compressions while Hector starts the intubation process. He cranks the man's jaw forward and inserts a laryngoscope blade in. "Thanks god, no puke", he thinks as he has a clear shot. He inserts it in, and pumps the cuff. Chad places the bag valve mask on the tube, and Hector checks breath sounds in the lung for placement. "Hit it Kingshott, ok one more time. We're in guys!" he says. Hector looks at the monitor, which still reads pulseless electrical activity. "Charge me Gonzo!" says Tom. Hector hits the charge button, "Everyone clear!" he screams. Hands go up, Tom places the paddles on the man's chest, and hits the button. The man makes a small movement, all the officers on scene watch in suspense to see if he regains a pulse. The dot on the monitor rises sharply, then descends sharply, and returns to PEA. "Shit! Gonzo get an IV. Let's get some epi and atropine going!" says Tom and adds, "Cap! Get on the horn to Western Med Center!" Captain Presley jumps onto his cellphone and starts to relay information to the hospital. Hector is starting to feel confident with the successful intubation, but now he concourse his weak spot, IV establishment. Ever since PM school, this has scared the shit out of him for some reason. Hector grabs a latex tourniquet from the drug box, ties it on and takes a look at the man's lifeless, limp arm. He sees some small puncture wounds, and a small scar, almost like an incision mark. Hector starts to slap his forearm, and finds nothing. "Shit!" he says with a dumbfound look. Tom looks up from putting together an IV bag, "Whats up?" he asks. "Nothing. I got nothing!", Hector states in a dumbfounded manner. Tom moves quickly to Hector's side and inspects the forearm. Tom gives it a good slap, and sees nothing. All Tom can say is, "Oh shit!"
The early morning sun beams off Truck Six as it moves its way through the morning traffic. Truck Six is returning from a water flow alarm right at shift change. A water flow alarm indicates water movement in a fire sprinkler system. This could be the result of a few things ranging from a simple alarm malfunction all the way to an actual fire and the sprinklers are activated. This however, is not the case with Truck Six's water flow alarm. A forklift sheered of a sprinkler head in a warehouse, which caused water to spray all over everything. Including the crew. "What a fockin' shitshow bro! Too fockin early, this shit never happens in Jersey!" states Tony Pizzachillo into the headset with a heavy New Jersey accent. Tony is a firefighter assigned to Truck Six. He stares out the window at the passing scenery that is moving at a snail’s pace due to the endless sea of cars heading to the freeway. "Oh would you grow a set already! Shit, your getting' paid and all you got was a little wet!" booms a female voice in the headphones. The voice belongs to Michelle Cox, the other firefighter assigned to Truck Six. Truck six is a tractor drawn ladder truck, meaning someone steers the back of the rig as well as the front. Michelle also performs the duty of tillerman, so she listens to this conversation via the headset. "Does New Jersey somehow lie in a abnormal paradox where all fire protection services are somehow exempted from broken sprinklers? Give me a break, your such a lame ass!" she adds. Tony sits up real quick to retort to Michelle's quip, only to be cut off by Scott Larson. Scott is the captain for Truck Six and he too is staring out the side window, resting his arm on the computer screen next to him. "Now, now kids! That's enough out of both of you! Keep it up and no dessert for the either of you!" he says with a chuckle. 'Y'all got burned!" says Jeremiah Southerland with a deep, warm chuckle. Jeremiah is the Engineer for Truck Six, he slowly glides the massive vehicle through the morning traffic. The station is approaching in the distance, and Tony sits up in anticipation and quips, "Hells yes! I can get some dry clothes!" Just then a single beep is heard over the headsets, and the dispatcher is heard:
"North Beach Engine Four, North Beach Truck Six ... Seizure ... 9540 Beach Boulevard ... District 1129 xray ... cross Hampton Acres Way ... Charlie Response ... North Beach Engine Four, North Beach Truck Six two foxtrot ..."
"Fockin Bullshit bro!" screams Tony as he throws a box of latex gloves into the empty seat next to him. "Ha ha! You just got smacked by karma, fuckface!" sings Michelle into the headset, and follows up with a mocking dance in her seat away from the rest of the crew. "Stifle it cupcake! This shit doesn’t happen to the brothers back home in black, no sir! Fuckin bullshit!" retorts Tony, who now takes a downtrodden look out of the window. The captain notifies the dispatcher that the unit is enroute while Jeremiah flips on the lights and sirens, parting the traffic like tall weeds in a neglected field. "I forgot, they don’t have medical emergencies in Jersey either, do they?" says Captain Lawson, turning around to face Tony with an evil smirk on his face, drawing laughter from everyone else. "Bullshit" is the only thing that Tony can say.
"Alright guys, almost there!" says Captain Presley as he is sliding a needle into a limp, lifeless arm. He feels a slight resistance, and sees the flash (Blood in the IV line) knowing he is there. The captain decided to jump in and take over IV establishment after seeing Tom and Hector struggling. "Its in, do it up!" say the captain, taping the IV catheter down to the forearm. Tom pops off the cap of a pre-loaded syringe of epinephrine, as Hector is popping the tops off a pre-loaded syringe of atropine. Tom gives a push on the syringe, to get all the air bubbles out, and pushes the fluid into the IV. Hector also follows suit. "Ok meds on board, lets zap him again!" Tom announces. He places the defibullator paddles on the limp body, and hands go up in unison. "Clear!" he announces, and a repeat of the officers holding their breaths, watching in anticipation for a change in the man's condition. The dot on the monitor raises again, then drops, and goes to a straight line. "Asystole! Shit! Lets try some Narcan!" says Tom as he wipes sweat from his brow. Hector can feel the early morning sun blazing bright on his back in this glum courtyard. It’s a mind scrambling scene of pacing police officers and dumbfounded spectators, he see the Captain approaching out to he corner of his eye as he prepares a syringe of Narcan (used in possible drug overdose cases). "Metrocomm, North Beach Engine Six, ambulance at scene," he states into his handheld radio. "Ambo's here, lets get rolling!" Clyde states as he helps to guide the stretcher to the lifeless man. Hector inserts the needle into the medicine port, and pushes the vital fluid into the man's system. "Narcan's on board!" He announces. He glances at the monitor in anticipation of a chance, and finds none. He has also taken notice that his forehead burns a bit, figures it’s the sun and the constant wiping of sweat. The stretcher wheels next to him, Tom straps the man to the backboard, and says "All clear, on three. One, two three." Hector and Chad lift the man onto the stretcher, the EMTs from the ambulance raise it up. Chad stands on the bottom rail doing CPR, while Hector works the bag mask. Tom and Captain Presley gather up the equipment and move double time to the waiting ambulance. Hector has been keeping a mental time of how long they have been working and thinks, "Four minutes. This ship is sinking fast!"
Truck Six has returned to the station after their medical run. Tony finally has his change of uniform on, and they are sitting around the table in the kitchen, having their first cup since they were called to service very early in their shift. "So, forgot to tell you guys, Saganaw is no longer with us. He got transferred." says Captain Lawson putting his cup on the kitchen table. Jeremiah is in the middle of planning the shifts meals, looks up from his list and chuckles. "I told ya'll stickman was scurred!", he said. Tony laughs and retorts, "What a fockin shitshow that guy was. All he did was bitch and moan! Cap', whose comin' in for him?" Michelle rests her head in her hands and gives a shy smile to the captain and says, "Out with it already! The anticipation is killing me!" Captain Lawson sits back down from pouring himself another cup and is stirring his cream into it. "Hector Gonzales, got bumped off from Engine One. Fresh out of PM school too! He got fucked second battalion style!" Michelle squeals and a huge grin comes across Tony's Face. "We're gettin Gonzo! Fuck me to tears! That so rocks!" Michelle screams in joy. "Wow! Gonzo, haven’t seen him since academy! Fuck ya bro!" adds Tony to her excitement. Jeremiah and Captain Lawson both exchange a puzzled look, Jeremiah just shakes his head. "I take it both of you guys know this kid?" he says, munching on a bagel. "The fuck I do! He's a real cool cat! That shit dick hasn't called me in months, that would explain why!", says Michelle. "Don't flood out the basement because your Latin lover is common' back! You’re a happily married woman!" says Tony while poking her in the side. Michelle slaps him across the face with a banana peel. "Enough children! Damn! Can we finish up our coffee so we can get on with the Hurst tool drill and have it done before noon?", blurts the Captain in his usual paternal tone. "Yes dad!" is all Michelle and Tony can say.
The ambulance doors swing open, and the crew of Engine Six slide in a man who clings to life like he is clinging to a thin root on a sandy hill. Captain Presley jumps in, sets up the drug box and defibullator on the bench seat while the EMTs lock the stretcher into place in a loud click. Hector is still working the bag valve mask, Chad is still doing CPR and keeps scratching his eyes with his shirt sleeve. Tom takes a seat in the chair at the head of the patient, while Captain Presley starts to duck out the side door. Tom Stops him with his foot and says, "Oh no you don’t! You haven’t work an arrest to the end in months! It’s your turn and I don’t give a shit about rank!" Captain Presley flashes him a smile and states, "My dear Ogre, 'tis not rank kind sir. Alas, I need to familiar myself with our latest toy the kind citizens procured for us!" He makes his way out the door, and Tom says, "I hate you!" The captain appears in the doorway and says, "At least I don’t fuck fat girls!" He slams the door shut, which makes both Hector and Chad giggle while they perform their functions. "Fuck! Hector get another round of epi and atropine ready, lets zap him once more before we roll." Hector turns over the control of the bag valve mask to the EMT. Tom readies the defibullator again, still showing a straight line. Hector gets the meds in and Tom zaps him again, both watch the single dot rise and fall back into the same, stagnant flat line. "Lets move it!" Tom states to the driver. The ambulance moves and the piercing scream of the electric siren drowns out the sound of the motor. It’s a bumpy ride in this part of town, Hector can almost feel the fillings in his teeth shake. Tom relays some more information to the emergency room doctors via cell phone, then gets a smirk on his face. "Request permission for one ampoule of Sodium Bicarbonate", he says into the phone. Hector takes over on CPR for Chad, who now looks a bit tired and haggard. "Thanks bro! Hey, is your face buring?" he says. Hector now all the sudden realizes it does, and his tongue feels a bit swollen. "Now that you mention it, yea. Fuckin burns!" he says puzzled. Tom looks very red in the face, and is sweating. "Thought I would throw them off with some bicarb, and of course they shot me down. Can't even do it up a la Emergency! anymore!" he says and adds, "Almost there, fuck my face burns!" The crew feels the ambulance pull to a stop, and then back up. Now all three men are feeling very uncomfortable, with faces feeling like the surface of the sun. The doors open, Captain Presley is there to greet them, along with a couple of nurses, and a very official man in a suit with a badge on his belt. Hector can see more police officers in the ER. "Treatment 4 guys!" says Tom, as they follow the gurney post haste to the room. Tom briefs the Doctor on what transpired while the man was in the care of Engine Six. Captain Presley, Chad and Hector stroll toward the report writing room, where there are more police officers about. Hector takes a seat, and catches a breather for a moment. He is trying to gather and make sense of the assault on his senses he just endured. Now his face is really burning, and he can see Chad is feeling the same thing. "Fuck! Why is my face buring?" Hector wanders out loud. "Probably because home slice was covered in pepper spray. Since you were sweating you rubbed it all over your face!" says Captain Presley as he starts to work on the PCR (prehospital care report). Hector looks at him, then pieces it together. Captain Presley pats him on the shoulder and says, "Welcome to the inner sanctum my son! Its happened to me a few times!" With that Hector and Chad find the nearest sink to rinse off. Tom walks into the room, gives the Captain a dirty look, and says in a bit of a loud tone, "Just for that shit, your writing the rest of the PCR's for the rest of the shift! Look at my face its swollen! It was a good laugh though, and for your information, I do love me some fat girls, mmmm!" Tom turns his attention to a nurse that has some extra weight. "Hey Monica! Wait up! Oh Cap, cross the T's and dot the I's. Those suits are Internal Affairs and Homicide. We're gonna get interviewed. Make it Nice!", he says, then hurries off. Captain Presley shakes his head. He'll make it good, alright.
[Authors note - The above incident actually took place while I was running a rescue shift in Virginia Beach July 4th, 1999. I still have the newspaper clippings. I would also like to thank Jen Goodman, RN as a technical advisor to this series!]
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