Life is good at Station 24

Michael...You were just a baby when I received my assignment to Station 24. I mean you could not have been more than six months old. I never did talk with you about those early years with the fire department. Now I have a lot of time on my hands to regale you with stories of those days.

When I walk into Fire Station number twenty-four to begin my new assignment I
see her—sitting there like some great hulking red bird of prey waiting to come screaming out of its lair at the slightest provocation. Two huge black tires shiny with glycerin support the cab where the driver and the captain ride. At the very rear of the truck the two rear tires sit directly below the tiller seat. Directly in back of the cab are the seats where the sidemen sit and between them is the heart of our bird of prey, the engine. Amidships is the turntable for the one hundred foot aerial ladder. The aerial operates so smoothly that rotation with a firefighter on the aerial is a safe procedure, something not possible on the other aerial ladders on the job. Below the turntable are the four outrigger jacks that support the aerial ladder extended

Mounted underneath the aerial ladder are the bangor and straight ladders. The side compartments of our truck hold our generator, lights, extension cords, thick lifeline ropes, self-contained breathing apparatus, and forcible entry tools. Sharp red handled axes mounted close to the cab are ready to wreak havoc on any obstacle that gets in the path of a determined firefighter. Her red color fades in spots and there are spots where there is an application of new red paint, because fire got too close and blistered the paint. She is truly a thing of beauty to behold.

Our fire station is very old and if you did not know that by the condition of the building you might ask what those small holes are on both sides of the doorway. You see,
these were holes used to hold the pins that attach to the fire horse harnesses. The old fire chief used to come clip clopping around to this fire station in the dead of night in his horse drawn buggy. Then the old chief would fire the night watch on the spot if he discovered the poor soul nodding off. Thank goodness our crew doesn’t have to stand a wakeful watch during the night hours. We don’t spend a whole lot of time cleaning our fire station. We can concentrate on fighting fire, cooking and sleeping. Work management has not yet come to our fire department. Later on we will move to a new station and spend all of our time cleaning the place, but life is good for now.

Our ladder truck glides swiftly into the warm spring night. The call from dispatch comes in the early morning hours. There is a large two-story home fully involved in flames. Our engine company is responding with us along with one other engine company already on the scene preparing to lay two hose lines from the closest hydrant. There is little need for the siren because of the hour. The overhead beacon light turns slowly against the darkness, seemingly as sleepy as the crew. There is a chief officer coming from downtown and the rescue car races ahead. Our engine company makes a connection at the hydrant and begins to pump the two hose lines laid down by the other engine company. We pass by our engine company and take up a position at the front of building as the smoke is now blowing to the rear of the home. There will be no ventilation work tonight. The fire is through the roof and has ventilated itself. Our crew sets the aerial up and we will pour water on it until it dies. We return to the station at dawn. All occupants of the burning home escaped the fire and there are no injured firefighters.