Station 16

The van pulled out onto the street and took off like a bat out of hell. The driver was in a hurry, that last delivery made him late for the next stop and he hated being late. The music was blaring so loud that he looked like he was in a trance trying to hear the words instead of keeping his mind on the road and seeing the red sedan that pulled in front of him and hit.
The sound of metal screeching and an airbag deploying was something to remember. The car crumpled like a soda can and pinned the driver in a very uncomfortable position. The person driving the car started yelling not because of the pain in her arm and body but at the intelligence of the van driver. Everything got quiet then the smoke started.

Tones rang out and bodies flew into motion.
"Engine 16, Medic 401, respond to Van Buren and Packer Ave reference a motor vehicle accident with possible injuries. Time out 18:24."
The truck was started and waiting for the crew to get on board. Mike Cassidy, the driver/operator made sure everyone was in their seat before putting the truck in gear. Capt. Tom O'Conner was in the command seat and ensured no one was going to hit the truck on the right side. The siren split the air and the lights bounced off the buildings and cars as the truck merged into traffic. Cars moved over to the right to let the truck pass without trouble and stayed until it was clear to move back.
"Engine 16, Dispatch?"
"Engine 16"
"Possible vehicle fire at the MVA, police request you expedite."
"Acknowledged"
O'Conner gave out the assignments before the truck arrived at the wreck.
"Mike you set the truck up for foam and get the scene lights up, Christie, you and Bob hit the fire, Ian, you and Dave get the people out. You four put your air-packs on"
"Dispatch, Engine 16 on scene, Van Buren and Packer Ave."

The darkness was starting to hamper everyone's vision until Mike was able to get the generator started to power up the big scene lights. Dave went to the compartment and got the tool he thought he would need to get one of the doors open. Ian walked around the scene to see if there were any hazards or obstacles that would hamper getting the person out of the car. Dave went to the passenger's side and tried both doors but they wouldn't open. Ian tried the driver's door but it was wedged from the impact, so he tried the back door and it opened enough to have both of them strain to get it open further and pull the woman out.
Bob and Christie had to work like the devil to get the fire out. He took the nozzle and shoved it into a gap under the hood and sprayed foam till it looked like a shaving cream commercial, but the fire continued under the engine till Christie took the nozzle from Bob and kneeled down and sprayed the car until the fire was out.
After removing the woman from the car, they carried her behind the fire truck; put her down on the ground. Dave went to get two blankets and the medical kit as Ian removed his facemask and helmet then began to examine her. He found the only injury she had was a broken arm and a few minor cuts and bruises.
"Miss, I'm Ian McCullough an EMT with the fire department; you have been in an accident and have been injured."
She nodded her head in acknowledgement.
He informed her that they were going to splint her arm and put a collar around her neck to protect her from further neck injuries. Ian smiled at her and kept her spirits up. He told her about the hard plastic backboard that she had to be placed on and all the straps that would hold her in place. She told him it felt a little uncomfortable but it would be okay as the ambulance drove up. One of the medics got out and went to talk to Ian while his partner opened the back door and pulled out the gurney. After placing her on the gurney, she asked one of the medics if they had a piece of paper and a pen, then asked him to write something down and hand it to Ian. Ian took the paper and put in his shirt pocket under his coat. The medics loaded her into the ambulance and took off. Ian smiled knowing he did a good job and started helping load the hose back on the truck as the flatbed wreckers came to pick up the wreckage.

Arriving back at the station, Ian took his turn at finishing dinner while the others were cleaning the hose they used and making sure the truck was ready for the next run. The meal consisted of browned pork chops in white wine, green beans with almonds and fruit salad. He would have made a first-class chef but firefighting was his first love. He was born and raised in Kentucky until he was seven years old when his father moved to Forest Valley. Ian excelled in school and made the Honor Society and was the captain of the football and baseball teams. He enjoyed science, math and military history and thought about majoring in a couple of them at Forest Valley Community College but changed his mind when he saw what he really wanted. During a couple of summers, he volunteered his services at the fire department and found he enjoyed that the most. Finishing up at FVCC, he enrolled at the University of Washington and began work getting his degrees in Fire Science and Computer Science. Upon graduation, he applied for and was accepted on the first try to the fire academy. While he was at the academy, he met Dave LaSalle and became fast friends. During the live fire scenarios, they would switch off on the nozzle and back each other up. They found that even when they had the air masks on, it was like the two had one brain because they would do or say things that would astound the instructors. They were complete opposites, Ian was 5'11" and 175lbs while Dave was 6'1" and 210 and they clicked like a well-oiled machine. When graduation day came, both Ian's and Dave's families sat together and applauded when they came into the building. Dave and Ian had the honor to carry the flags in before the swearing in ceremony because they had the highest scores in academy history. After the ceremony, station assignments were given; Ian and Dave had orders to report to Station 16 at the request of the Battalion Chief, which pleased them.

The tones of the station rang throughout like a shot in the dark and the lights came on bright as everyone sprang into action by getting into their gear and running to the trucks.
"Station 16, Station 4, Rescue 2, Battalion 16 respond to Corman Chemical, 5820 Gold St. reference a fire alarm. Time out 01:16" The dispatcher said over the loudspeaker.
The crew signaled the Captain they were in place and ready to go.
"Station 16 responding" O'Conner replied into the microphone.
"Why can't today be normal?" Ian thought to himself.
"Hey buddy; just think a couple more hours and we are off for two days." Dave said over the intercom. Ian looked at him as Dave smiled his famous Cheshire cat smile and chuckled.
The trip to the address took only four minutes and when they arrived there was only light smoke showing in the back.
"Dispatch, Engine 16, on scene with a two story commercial building, light smoke showing in the rear of the building, Engine 16 is command."
"Dispatch is direct."
O'Conner radioed Engine 4 to set up water supply for Engine 16 and Ladder 16 using the hydrant at Gold and 4th St. then told Rescue to setup a rehab site across the street. The normal procedure was to check out the entire building but this time he had them stay put. The address was a two story gray brick building with two plate glass windows on the first floor and was specially built as a chemical storage for one of the larger chemical companies in the city. O'Conner radioed dispatch and requested the Hazardous Materials Unit and a third engine company. Battalion Chief Matt Howard arrived on scene and took command when an explosion took out the roof of the entire second story. The explosion lit up the night sky like a roman candle and sent bricks flying everywhere. No one was seriously injured. The noise was deafening at first but quieted down to a roar. All the firefighters were wearing their air-packs and proceeded to fight the fire from a safe distance. It took almost three hours and over 40 firefighters to put out the fire and each one of them commented on the neat shades of green and yellow of the flames they were fighting. The Hazardous Materials team went in to see if it was safe once the fire was out. The investigation began and took the longest. It was found that two different containers of highly flammable substances that were improperly stored had come in contact with each other that set off the explosion and fire. The sprinkler system had been shut off and the valve chained shut. The owner and manager were arrested and tried for arson, insurance fraud, and numerous environmental violations and sentenced to over 50 years in prison.

Chapter II

Station 16 is named because it sits at the corner of 16th and Main St. and covers close to a third of the city. The fire station is a traditional two story Victorian looking structure and was built in the historic section of the city. The brick color is maroon with white grout lines and white wood trim. The two bay doors are large and have three small rectangle windows in each door. The character of this station is very unique and very historic. It was built after the founding fathers came and settled in and the most visited building in town. The lawn is neatly groomed like a putting green and the trees are in full bloom. There are two white trucks with reflective green striping that are shining pretty and ready to go. Engine 16, the main pumper holds six people and has a 1000-gallon water tank and Ladder 16, the oldest truck in the department and the only truck that can reach the tallest building in the city. Both trucks have a unique story to tell and if they could talk, they wouldn't be quiet for some time.
The inside of the station bays are clean and have a smell of fire, smoke and oil which seems appropriate for this area. The walls are white and hold various antique tools that could still be used today but are there for decoration. The sliding pole from the sleeping quarters is gold colored and shiny. The upstairs portion of the station holds the sleeping quarters for ten and the kitchen, which always smells good.

Thursday was department inspection day. The outgoing crew did most of the work cleaning the station and now the incoming crew was attending to the trucks. Ian and Dave made sure that Engine 16 was ready and shined really pretty by going over a second time. The inspection team arrived and was looking around as Captain O'Conner was coming out of his quarters. The incoming crew was called to line up for inspection and they lined up according to height. The inspection team was very thorough and impressed, calling Captain O'Conner over for a conference. After the inspection team left, the crew went and changed into their station uniform and began the day's training. Tones sent the crew scrambling.
"Station 16 respond to 4835 Highland, reference a confirmed structure fire. Time out 08:40" The crew sat in their seats ready to go and waited for Mike to put the truck in gear and roll. As they rolled, Ladder 16 fell in behind and put on a different siren so motorists would know there were more trucks coming. Ian had a bad feeling about this and couldn't shake it. He made sure he told everyone to be careful and safe.
The building was a four-story building made of cinderblock and heavy timber and primarily used for low-income housing. The second and third floors had fire blazing out of the windows. The fire growing in intensity from all the items in each of the rooms the fire hit. It looked like chaos as Engine 16 arrived but it was organized because Battalion Chief Howard was on scene and in command. He ordered Engine 16 to the south side of the building and relieve Engine 2's crew. Mike parked near Engine 2 and set the parking brake. The crew put on their air masks and hoods before regrouping at the entrance of the building. O'Conner asked the operator of Engine 2 which floor the rest were and was told the third and fourth floors. He had Bob, Christie and Mike go to the third floor and he, Dave and Ian went to the fourth floor.
As firefighters were coming out of the building, the coolness of the morning caused steam to rise from the coats and made it look eerie. Going into the building got dark quick and both teams had to crawl to get where they were going. Bob, Christie, and Mike were able to find the crew on the third floor and relieved them. It was rough going at first because visibility was close to gone and crawling on the floor and feeling for walls and others was not an option. Tom, Dave and Ian had a little harder time because the smoke was thick and was hard to see and following the hose made it easy but the smoke was so thick that crawling on the floor had to be done. Dave was able to find the crew and tell them to get out then took the nozzle and attacked the fire, with Ian backing him up like normal. Ian was yelling at the fire but did no good cause the fire was growing and coming closer. They noticed that flames coming out one of the rooms was different colors than the rest of the building and thought that was odd. They stayed low but they knew that it wouldn't be long before they had to back out and fight it from the outside. Tom radioed Chief Howard and told him they had to back out for safety of the crew. Tom got their attention and told them to get out and leave the hose. There were two 30-second blasts on the air horn to inform all to clear the building.

As they were coming down the stairs, Dave slipped and lost his footing then fell on his right side and broke through the fire damaged second floor as Ian tried to grab him but missed then landed hard onto the first floor and didn't move.
"Battalion, Engine 16, firefighter down south side first floor."
"Engine 16, Battalion, help is on the way."
Dave looked in bad shape when Ian and Tom ran down to check him out. He had clear fluid coming out of his ears and nose, his right leg was broken in several places and he was breathing shallow like he couldn't keep his breath. They moved him quickly outside before the building collapsed. Bob, Christie and Mike were already outside when they brought him out. Dave chuckled and told Ian that it only hurt when he laughed then grimaced in pain and went unconscious. Ian got the air-pack off before the medics brought in the backboard and straps. The medics put him on the backboard, strapped him in, carried him to the ambulance then took off like a rocket with the siren wailing loudly.
The fire was put out in under four hours and then the investigation began along with light clean up. Ian and Tom told the investigation team about the strange flame colors and about where the room they came out of. Chief Howard ordered them to the hospital for evaluation and rest. Engine 16 dropped the two off at the hospital then headed back to the station and cleaned up.

The doctor chuckled after the examination and told them to get out of his sight so he can see sick people. Ian went to Intensive Care to find out how Dave was. Dave's sister Maureen met them before coming into the room and it looked like she had been crying for some time.
"Hi Ian" she said weakly while giving him a hug
"Hi Maureen, How is he?"
"He's still unconscious but not out of the woods yet."
The room looked like a small lab with machines, wires and tubes running everywhere. Dave was hooked up to monitors that showed his heartbeat, how much he was breathing and what electrical activity for his brain. His eyes were closed and had the appearance of sleeping but wasn't responding to anything. Ian took his hand and told him everything was OK and that the fire was out. There were tears in his eyes for he didn't want to lose his best friend and made sure that his voice sounded positive even though he knew the worst. He asked Maureen if Father McKenna had come by and she said no. Just as she said that, the Father came in and gave everyone a supportive hug. He went to the right side of the bed and started saying the Lord's Prayer when Ian noticed a couple of tears coming from Dave's eyes.
Ian leaned over and spoke in Dave's ear
"Go ahead buddy, everything will be ok and I'll be fine."
It was if he had heard him for the heart monitor suddenly quit beeping and started a flat tone. Doctor Walters stopped the others from coming in and declared Dave deceased. The doctor told them there was way too much damage and there was nothing he or anyone could have done to change the outcome. Tom gave Maureen another hug then headed out to the nurse's station to use the phone and called headquarters and informed them of Dave's passing, then set up a Crisis Incident Stress Debriefing for himself and the rest of the crew.

The day was bright and cool but not cold. It had been a week since Dave's death and now the city was mourning the loss of a firefighter, friend and co-worker. First Valley Church of the Lilies wasn't big enough to hold all the people that attended but they accommodated by bringing speakers outside so all could hear what was going on inside. The inside was decked out with flowers, plants and soft serene music. The aroma inside was mixed between the flowers and the scented candles, but wasn't offending. The silver casket was on a pedestal facing length ways to the pulpit and had a white Fire Department flag draped over it with Dave's helmet on top in the middle. There was a photo of Dave in uniform with flowers next to pulpit. It looked like a blue uniform convention for there were several rows of uniforms with black striped badges and there were more outside with trucks lined up neatly waiting.
There were soft murmurings and a few sobs and blowing of noses throughout the church, which anyone hardly minded. Ian, Tom and the crew sat in the front row with Maureen and the family. Christie had her arm around Maureen comforting her.
The pastor of the church went to the pulpit and made some announcements concerning the church and then returned to his seat as Father McKenna waited his turn to speak. He led the congregation in a prayer and a song then nodded for Ian to come to the pulpit. Ian laid his papers down and cleared his throat.
"I'm not a very good speaker and when it comes to this, I'm really at a loss for words. I've known Dave since we went to the academy some years ago and you can't find a better firefighter, better person, and better friend. He was the one who made me work harder and strive for excellence by challenging me every day. We've had this discussion and kidded each other about who was going to be the first and he had to be the one." Wiping his eyes with his handkerchief, his voice cracked as he continued. "He treated everyone the same no matter if you were down on your luck or living high on the hog. He didn't think that his sacrifice wasn't in vain for he believed that we should learn from this and ensure that the future was safe for everyone. He cared about all his friends and family and even though he didn't show it often, he loved us because he was that type of person. I, the crew and his family will miss him."
Ian looked up to the ceiling. "Dave, the times we had and memories we shared will be cherished. So long buddy."
He picked up his papers and walked back to his seat. Father McKenna stood up and went to the pulpit and led the benediction. As if on cue, the tones for Station 16 activated, "This is the final tone out for Firefighter David LaSalle. Have a peaceful journey to your final assignment."
Chief Howard, Tom and Ian lined up on one side while Bob, Christie and Mike lined up on the other and together lifted the casket up and carried it outside the building. Engine 16 was waiting to receive her passenger as the casket was lifted up onto the back. The lights on the truck were on but were covered in a black see-thru material as they moved slowly into traffic towards the cemetery. Behind the truck, the Department pipe and drum corps marched with the beat of the bass drum that boomed every fourth step. Along the streets were firefighters and police officers from all over the country to pay their final respects. As the truck rolled pass, they would stand at attention and salute till the truck was past and out of sight. The scene at the cemetery looked more like a concert with speakers and microphone. The honor guard removed the casket from the truck and carried it to its final spot. Everyone assembled quickly and quietly when the pastor said a prayer before a lone bagpiper played "Amazing Grace."
The honor guard removed the flag from the casket and slowly folded it into a triangle then handed it to Chief Howard and saluted. Chief Howard turned and walked over to where Maureen was sitting and handed her the flag then slowly saluted. The pastor said one last prayer and ended the service. Maureen hugged and thanked Ian and the crew for looking out for her and Dave.
"Maureen, he was good to us and we will miss him. You're welcome to come by the station to visit." Ian said as he held her hands in his. She gave him a shy smile then turned and left with the rest of the family.
Chief Howard came over to the crew, got their attention and said, "As of today, you all are on a weeks leave and that comes from the Boss. When you get back, we should have a person waiting for you. I know that sounds cold but we need to keep moving forward." Everyone shook their heads in agreement, shook the chief's hand and took off.