Mutual Aid.
I was sitting in the back room in a meeting when I got a single text from Rob. "Get ready." Instinctively I turned up my pager and sure enough in a matter of seconds I heard Sue's voice over the wire.
"All Oberlin firefighters report to the station for mutual aid."
I got the squirrely eyed look and looked up at William. "Can I go??!!" Without even looking up from his computer he said, "go save the world, girl." I jumped up for my car keys and flew out the door. I took Pleasant street all the way to Hamilton and of course every slow driver in Oberlin decided to get in front of me. The drives to the station always seem to happen in slow motion. I pulled up to a red light at Hamilton and 58 just in time to see our back up engine pulling out of the station. Too late! I cursed the fates as I pulled into the station lot, hopeful that I might get to see a little action, that they'd be sending the rescue truck too.
Sue was waiting in the bay, and the other rookie, Kevin, was there too. "You guys wouldn't have been able to go anyway. Not til you're through the 36. It's good to come to the station though, we might get a call in Oberlin. You're welcome to stay if you like."
I went into the main room and sat at the conference table with a cup of coffee. I had an hour's leave from school and I was going to be at the station for every second of it! Kevin didn't follow me and and I assumed he left. After five minutes of reading the paper at the table, the 911 buzzer went off again. My heart palpitated. I jumped up and ran to the control room where the chief was on the phone with LC 911. Sue was there too. He hung up the phone and looked up at Sue.
"They want our tanker. Who do we got?"
Sue looked over at me and looked back at the chief. "Well, it's either me or you driving!" The chief laughed in his derisive way and looked up at me. "Wanna ride in the tanker?"
I could not believe what I was hearing. My eyes got as big as saucers. "YES SIR!" I ran into the bay and jumped into my gear in record time, and I was latching my last hook the chief appeared in the bay in his bunker coat. Kevin was standing there with no gear on and asked me why I got to go. The chief just looked at him and as I was running over to the tanker I yelled over my shoulder, "I'm geared up!"
We pulled out of the bay and I was still total disbelief that it was just me and the chief taking the tanker to a mutual aid structure fire. "We can do this because you won't actually be going in. You might have to pull hose but I think you'll be all right."
"My heart is in my throat, sir!"
He laughed at this and just said, "give it a few hundred times, it'll wear off."
He joked with me the whole way, answering my questions, me trying as hard as I could to not be totally geeking out the entire way. As we approached the scene the chief called out that we were close, and I heard Mike come back on the radio with, "glad you've got a rookie with you!" I have no idea how he even knew I was in the truck but it made me feel so welcome.
We arrived on scene and it was clear that the fire was under control. "We probably won't even have to get out," the chief told me, almost apologetically. "I can see the fire!" I shot back without even thinking about it. "This is so awesome!" He smiled, I think appreciating my rookie excitement.
We sat in the tanker for about ten minutes watching all of the nomex-clad firefighters scurry around and my heart swelled with pride to see so many coats emblazoned with Oberlin on the back going in and out of the structure. We are a family, I remember Joe telling me one afternoon in the truck bay. We are as good as any of the full time departments around here. All we need is pride and I think you guys will help bring some of that back.
The Incident Commander radioed that the scene was under control, and for all mutual aid tankers to return to their stations. "Oh well," I thought. I got to see my first fire, and I got to go on a mutual aid run with the chief even though it's against the SOP before I'm done with the academy.
As we backed down the narrow street I watched the house and I saw an Oberlin firefighter that I recognized to be Rob climbing way up on the roof with an axe in hand. The grin on my face came back ten-fold. This is a guy who, a couple of nights ago, told me that in no time I'd be telling him how to do stuff, and here he was up on a roof ladder with an axe ready to go to work!
I get paid to do this! What an amazing day.
"All Oberlin firefighters report to the station for mutual aid."
I got the squirrely eyed look and looked up at William. "Can I go??!!" Without even looking up from his computer he said, "go save the world, girl." I jumped up for my car keys and flew out the door. I took Pleasant street all the way to Hamilton and of course every slow driver in Oberlin decided to get in front of me. The drives to the station always seem to happen in slow motion. I pulled up to a red light at Hamilton and 58 just in time to see our back up engine pulling out of the station. Too late! I cursed the fates as I pulled into the station lot, hopeful that I might get to see a little action, that they'd be sending the rescue truck too.
Sue was waiting in the bay, and the other rookie, Kevin, was there too. "You guys wouldn't have been able to go anyway. Not til you're through the 36. It's good to come to the station though, we might get a call in Oberlin. You're welcome to stay if you like."
I went into the main room and sat at the conference table with a cup of coffee. I had an hour's leave from school and I was going to be at the station for every second of it! Kevin didn't follow me and and I assumed he left. After five minutes of reading the paper at the table, the 911 buzzer went off again. My heart palpitated. I jumped up and ran to the control room where the chief was on the phone with LC 911. Sue was there too. He hung up the phone and looked up at Sue.
"They want our tanker. Who do we got?"
Sue looked over at me and looked back at the chief. "Well, it's either me or you driving!" The chief laughed in his derisive way and looked up at me. "Wanna ride in the tanker?"
I could not believe what I was hearing. My eyes got as big as saucers. "YES SIR!" I ran into the bay and jumped into my gear in record time, and I was latching my last hook the chief appeared in the bay in his bunker coat. Kevin was standing there with no gear on and asked me why I got to go. The chief just looked at him and as I was running over to the tanker I yelled over my shoulder, "I'm geared up!"
We pulled out of the bay and I was still total disbelief that it was just me and the chief taking the tanker to a mutual aid structure fire. "We can do this because you won't actually be going in. You might have to pull hose but I think you'll be all right."
"My heart is in my throat, sir!"
He laughed at this and just said, "give it a few hundred times, it'll wear off."
He joked with me the whole way, answering my questions, me trying as hard as I could to not be totally geeking out the entire way. As we approached the scene the chief called out that we were close, and I heard Mike come back on the radio with, "glad you've got a rookie with you!" I have no idea how he even knew I was in the truck but it made me feel so welcome.
We arrived on scene and it was clear that the fire was under control. "We probably won't even have to get out," the chief told me, almost apologetically. "I can see the fire!" I shot back without even thinking about it. "This is so awesome!" He smiled, I think appreciating my rookie excitement.
We sat in the tanker for about ten minutes watching all of the nomex-clad firefighters scurry around and my heart swelled with pride to see so many coats emblazoned with Oberlin on the back going in and out of the structure. We are a family, I remember Joe telling me one afternoon in the truck bay. We are as good as any of the full time departments around here. All we need is pride and I think you guys will help bring some of that back.
The Incident Commander radioed that the scene was under control, and for all mutual aid tankers to return to their stations. "Oh well," I thought. I got to see my first fire, and I got to go on a mutual aid run with the chief even though it's against the SOP before I'm done with the academy.
As we backed down the narrow street I watched the house and I saw an Oberlin firefighter that I recognized to be Rob climbing way up on the roof with an axe in hand. The grin on my face came back ten-fold. This is a guy who, a couple of nights ago, told me that in no time I'd be telling him how to do stuff, and here he was up on a roof ladder with an axe ready to go to work!
I get paid to do this! What an amazing day.
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