Often times, you never get to hear the officer’s side of the story. Well my hopes are to help you understand what goes through our heads when we are working a case and sometimes have to solve them on our own. Yes we have detectives that come out to the scene to assist but sometimes things are time sensitive and we as officers have to take action and fast.
Ever been on the scene of a fire?
How do you think you would react even with the training and knowledge of what to do ?
Well I can tell you, I truly appreciate my brothers in RED because they are truly HEROS! Running into burring building with no regards for their own lives. They have to continuously pick up heavy materials and with stand dangerous temperatures on a daily.
This is just a snippet of what happened to me on the scene of a fire.
I arrive on the scene not knowing what to expect. Often times when we are called out for SFD related calls, it to assist in keeping the crowd back or family under control. Well little did. I know, I would be in the mix.
As I get out of my marked patrol unit, I see a home that is fully engulfed in flames. Smoke as thick as cake batter and people standing around with their phone out videotaping. My first priority is to make sure the citizens of my city are safe. I begin asking everyone to step back a few feet to allow for my counterparts to begin doing their jobs. Everyone was very understanding of my request.
As I start to examine the scene, I notice there was yet another fire only three homes down the street. I quickly call dispatch to inform her to send more units. Then I notice a fireman, all alone trying to do his very best to get a hose from the truck to the other end of the block, approximately 300 feet. He looks at me and I look at him. “How can I assist.” I grabbed hold of the heavy, and I do mean heavy metal part of the hoes and began running towards the hydrant. Little did I know 300 feet feels like 300 miles when you have never done something of the sort before in your life.
As approach the hydrant, a female fireman or is it appropriate to say firewoman got out of another truck that just pulled on the scene and grabbed the metal piece out of my hand. We began pulling the hose further and further to get it to the final destination. As we are also there, the hose gets stuck under neither the tire of the fire engine and we both stubble and she falls to the ground. Do you think that stopped her? Not one bit. She got back up and continued to pull until we have enough slack in the hoes to get it to the hydrant. By then another officer arrives and begins helping pull the hoes with us. WE GET IT DONE!!
As the firewoman begins to take apart the hydrant trees and limbs are all in her way. Myself and the other officer began stomping on the limbs, breaking the swigs, anything to assist her in getting the hydrant apart and function to help get the fire out as fast as we can. After approximately 2 to 3 minutes of twisting and turning, the hydrant came apart and the water began to flow.
Blood pumping, still going, I felt like I could lift a car. Did I try, ummmmm nah!
I can say that this was the highlight of the week for me. Getting down and dirty with the fireman. Helping one another out on a level that I've never seen before. I even have a few war wounds to prove it! Thank you to SFD for the quick reaction and hard work you do for our city. Lives were saved today!