Fire

It is a rush to be the people who run into a burning house instead of out. Lack of appropriate compensation aside, no money paid, I'd still do it. Professional firefighting, it never occurred to me that I would be paid to take chances, chances taken with reasonable safety, to extinguish fires.

There are some fires that burn hotter, in retrospect, than others. Some really make you go - hmmmm?

The Wela Street fire was one of those that did both.

For some reason, building fires like to come in the middle of the night. All tucked in, snug in the dorm, and 4AM is meant for sleeping. When the multiple tones for a structure fire come in, the first thing we all do is ... Pee. 'Cause peeing on your turnouts wouldn't be fun. After, 'tho is when all the adrenaline is pumping, you are getting suited up, and looking out as we go to the alarm, Looking out of the truck to see if the night is glowing, if a column of smoke is rising in the night sky.

Wela Street did both. The sky was glowing, the smoke rising. Amped, we get to the scene, lay hose, get oriented with our Captain. "Captain Peacock" - He is retired, but he was a good Captain for me. Cap does a 360, I get moving, a neighbor says that the house has 3 kids, and they arent around. "Shit" - Cap says. "Mark, grab the 1 1/2 hose and come with me to the backside". Faster than shit I dig to the line, grab it, and plow thru hedges, garbage, and anything else in my way. Cap & I get to the back door, bust thru, and start trying to head to where the bedrooms would be. Kids tend to hide from fire. So searching for them with all the gear we wear, is a battle. A battle that is so intense, so mind consuming, so NOW, that you truly, dont think. You just, Go. Into the inferno,walls on fire, roof on fire, degrees? I havent a clue, but Carbon monoxide burns itself at 1110 F, and this fire was rolling. Cant hear, see, but 2" in front of my face. Everything is red, orange, or black. And hot. You can hear people screaming, the sirens from the other companies that are responding, along with the sound of burning, cracking, wood. Trying to make headway, inches at a time, the clock running in fast motion, your body, in slow.

It isnt your house, so where to look? Concentrate. Think smart. "What Cap?, What!?" Words unintelligable. Stick my face in his, to see what he is saying. Through the mask, I can make out that he is motioning towards the right. To the right. Blasting streams of water to the right, to the roof, to the far wall. Cooler. More progress, moving more easily now, getting headway against this fire.

Right then, the roof fell in.

It stopped half a foot from Cap and my heads. We gotta get out, now. No. We gotta find the kids. No we gotta get out. No, the kids. Ah, shit, shit, shit. Turn to the right. A room. Roof intact in the room. Into the room, on all fours, grab, feel, yell. Nothing. Progress being made from the outside crews, Cap still on my side. Can make out a bed. Look under the bed, always. Closet. Look in the closet. Nothing. Windows breaking. Crew from the outside venting the room. Smoke quickly clears. Fire going down. Various shouts, noises, creaking, burning. Cap saying something into the radio. "We're outta here, the kids were at the grandparents"

Relief.

Now just get the fuck out. Easier than going in. Work our way out, rubble, debris, water. Its really fucking hot now. 'cause fire turns to steam, and steam, well, steam sucks. Feel way out, but damn touched a live wire, shocked the shit outta me. Fucking roof in the way. Lots less fire now, almost completely out. Under control, as they say.

And its been 5 minutes since we got there.

Things go good, things go bad. You recover from errors made, and try not to repeat them. People lost a home, valuables, mementos. No one lost their life.

Clean up, put the hose back, secure the home, leave the Police to guard.

The sun starts to rise, we go back to the station, drink some Joe, shower, go home, go to our other jobs.

We may not get paid, enough.

Satisfaction.

It is priceless.

Aloha.