A Nostalgic Call

It was a slow and lazy Sunday around the station. Our ambulance had several runs throughout the day while we did some cleaning and watched the football game. It wasn't a very exciting shift but our next call was sure to be something I will remember for the rest of my life. We were dispatched to a medical call in one of my least favorite neighborhoods. One ridden with crime and desperation that will make any man feel sorry for the way these people live. As we pull up to the duplex it begins to look familiar. I know I've been here before but for what? We make so many runs that I can't remember what the hell I did last tour, let alone years ago. We went inside and hung out in the hallway while the ambulance crew attended to the bed ridden patient. She was in a hospital bed complaining of breathing problems and needed to go to the hospital so one of my crew members went out for the stretcher. Just then, a relative of the patient walks in the front door who I immediately recognize. He was a hefty man, wearing a light blue security guard uniform resembling a police officer. This uniform was very distinctive as it quickly brought back memories from a few short years ago.

I was a relativity new officer riding on a different shift at the time. It was a crazy period toward the end of the year when we had a huge spell of structure fires. I want to say we had 30 working fires within a couple months, for the most part every shift that I was on the engine. Early one evening while the sun was beginning to set, we were dispatched to a duplex on fire. We arrived first on location with light smoke coming from the front door so I have the crew pull a handline, and I go do my walk-around. There were a few people standing in the front yard who told me that no one was home so I donned my mask and we forced open the front door. Black smoke filled the entry, banked down almost to the floor so we had to crawl in on our hands and knees. I remember turning right at the door and following a couch as our only guide through the living room until we saw the orange glow coming from a back bedroom. We stopped at the bedroom door for a brief second and watched the fire roll up the wall towards the ceiling, admiring how absolutely beautiful something so deadly can be. I find it amazing that a person is able to sit and watch something like that, without being overcome with heat and smoke.

We put the fire out using an indirect attack which means we sprayed the nozzle towards the ceiling for about 3 seconds, creating a steam blanket.. This method works well with fires contained to a room because it greatly reduces the amount of water damage in a home that is salvageable. 1 cubic foot of water can convert to 1700 cubic feet of steam. The trick worked and we entered the room to open a window and let some cool air in, then proceeded to put out the remaining embers while calling for a ventilation fan to be set up in the door. I remember going through the room and into the closet where through the smoke, I could see blue uniform shirts hanging up. My first thought was that this was the home of a police officer and it was not until later that I saw the security guard patches. I remember meeting the man that day and describing what we did inside of his house. I try to make a point in talking to the homeowner and explaining why we did things the way we did, so they can have a clear understanding of the service we provided. I don't know why I remember the details of this fire so clearly but for some reason it stands out.

Back to present day, the lady with breathing problems is actually laying in the same room that the fire was in. It was strange to stand in the living room by the couch where I could remember crawling with almost zero visibility a few years ago. It is not something we get to do very often. When the security guard walked in, we began talking about the fire and what the impact was afterwards. He told me how grateful he was for what we did that day. As a person with little money, his home was saved. He also told me about the new furniture he got and that he was able to get a new air conditioner which he could not afford to buy before the fire. Hearing this and reflecting on what we did that day gave me an appreciation for the job that I've never felt before. Despite the bullshit we deal with every day, it was nice to know that we did some good in the world and were able to see an end result which frankly doesn't happen very often. Truly a great moment.