The Stuck Cat

This isn’t the cat.

Every once in a while we get that dreaded call – Cat struck in the tree.  Our usual response is, “How many cat skeletons have you seen in a tree?”  We usually don’t get a great response from that question, but we still have to ask it. 

Today’s cat wasn’t stuck in a tree but in a outside chimney.  The chimney was part of a fireplace that stood about eight feet tall.  A older man with a half Russian accent along with a lisp met us by waiving with a frantic look on his face.  He told us how the cat had been stuck all night and we would have to break a wall down to rescue the cat.  I told him to show me the chimney and we will see. 

The chimney was up against the Russian’s make-shift house.  Once again he franticly told us to please break the wall to rescue the cat.  First, I told the firefighters to look inside because I could not here any noise coming from the chimney.  He looked and sure enough no cat.  We dropped a long stick down the chimney and no cat noise came out.  The Russian continued to beg us to break the wall and get the cat out.  I finally said with a stern voice, “we are not going to break the wall and if we need to get into the chimney we will do it on the side facing your  house.” Which meant we would have to damage part of his house.  The Russian didn’t like that.  We looked with our thermal Imaging Camera and still no cat.  The Russian finally conceded that there was not a cat in the chimney.  But it was not easy to convince him.

Death usually comes early

 

First run out of the shoot at 0636.  I had just walked in to the front office to start my morning routine of paperwork and timekeeping.

The alarm came in -  a con home.  The nurses probably were making their morning rounds when they discovered our patient.  The run- a 86 year old male, “not breathing at all,” were the comments.  “That is not usually a good thing,” I stated to the guys.  His breathing was through a stoma and it was labored.  He looked pale and unresponsive.  The paramedics went to work, trying to start an I.V., get vitals, and assess his heart.  Soon dark blood started oozing from his mouth, I had to walk out and get some fresh air.  I was wishing they would just load him in the Rescue and get him to a hospital.  My wish came true and they loaded him and off they went.  Latter, I found out that his heart stopped during the transport to the hospital.  I think he his better off now.

No Hits, No Runs, No Errors

Wow, east L.A. sleeps today.  It has not happened in a long time since I have worked a full shift and not gone on one run.  We did go out and drilled in the morning.  We talked about roof operations and brush fire fighting.  Its a young crew here at Fire Station 12 and they have a lot to learn.

The reason it is a young crew I found out is because of the Captain II that normally works here.  He has run all the experienced firefighters out.  It was said that on his first day here he called all the firefighters in the front office and told them he had an open door policy.  If they had any problems or needed to talk to him he would listen and then tell them how he wanted it done.  It was his way and his way only.  Not a real good way to win the trust of your crew.  This is a good lessen in leadership.  Don’t make you crew hate you before you get started.

The Sinking Boat

Just when you think you have seen it all you go on a call for something you have never seen before.  I was pooled out to Fire Station 38 the other day which is located in San Pedro near the harbor.  About 5:45 in the morning the alarm comes in “Task Force 38 respond to the sinking boat.”  My first thought is what do you do for a sinking boat.  What will I say in my size-up when I get on scene. 

We arrived on scene and all I could think of to tell OCD is “OCD from Truck 38 can you check the call back, we find nothing.”  That was not exactly true.  While I was saying that I noticed the firefighters walking with someone who was going to show them the sinking boat.  So, I hurried and caught up with them.  Sure enough there was a boat in one of the slips that had its bow starting to submerge.  I asked the A/O, so what do you guys do for a sinking boat?  While I was talking the boat suddenly sank the rest of the way.  I just stood on the dock watching the windshield of the boat hoping I would not see a hand or face float by.

I checked with the neighbors who lived on the boat on either side to see if they had seen the owner – this was like a trailer part on water.  They had not.  I watched some more.  Finally I felt that we did all we could do, which wasn’t much, so we left.  In the back of my mind I prayed that no one was in the boat.  I never heard from anyone, so it must of been O.K.

One time an engine company responded to a traffic accident.  They extricated the driver and transported him to the hospital.  Two days later when the driver woke up he asked how his mother was doing, because she was in the seat next to him.  The call went out to find the mother.  Finally they call the tow yard where the car had been towed and asked the workers to go out and look at the car.  Sure enough they found his mother.  This was not a good day for the fire department.

What not to do

As we were driving in the rig today, we were discussing various fire and emergencies we have been on.  Then the conversation turned to “What not to do at an incident.”  We started to make a list of all the stupid things we have seen firemen do.  Here is a list of some of them. 

• Don’t put your head in the ventilation hole while the other firefighter is swinging his axe.
• Don’t open a door without a glove that has been exposed to fire for the last 20 minutes.
• Don’t open a dry chemical extinguisher on the rescue workers and paramedics when they are trying to extricate a patient.
• Don’t squirt the rescuers with the protection line while trying to extricate a victim.
• Don’t throw a bucket of water on a grease fire.
• Don’t close all the windows when you are trying to evacuate all the smoke.
• Don’t trip over your axe.
• Don’t trip over your hose.
• Don’t forget to straighten the wheels of the gurney before removing it from then RA.
• Make sure the apparatus is all the way out of quarters before closing the doors.
• Don’t go short when cooking dinner.

 

 

WHO TALKS MORE

 

I am pooled out to Fire Station 38 in the Harbor today and I have a female Captain I working with me.  I have know her from years before when she was a firefighter/paramedic.  Now she is studying for Captain II and she wouldn’t stop talking about it.  I asked her if she new roof operations and ventilation procedures and she when on for a half hour about putting together a study guide and that her dad worked in construction.  My mind wondered a little and when she stopped talking for a second I had a brain fart and asked another question, “do you have your opening statement down.”  She went on for another half hour. 

Latter that day the Light Force gets a grass fire response.  We find about a 1/4 acre smoldering, not much really.  But E49 in responding in the area on reported grass, it turns out it is the same incident as the one I am on.  I realize that I am going to need them for water so I try to contact the captain on the radio and he doesn’t answer me.  I then contact OCD and ask if they knew the status of E49, he finally answers me, but he was not real clear on what he is doing.  The next thing I notice, E49 is pulling up to our grass fire.  That was good, but it would have been nice to know ahead of time what was going on.

So, I have a female Captain I who can’t stop talking and a male captain from E49 that won’t respond to my questions.  What do you think is the reason for that?

A Night at The Grove

 

It is always a good time to go to The Grove and get some Mochas with the guys.  It is usually a warm summer night and The Grove is crowded with shoppers.  This is a good time to do some public relations or just relax and have some coffee.

This night we met some travelers from England.  They wanted their picture taken with us.  Sometimes I think that we are one of the most photographed fire companies in the world.  People traveling from all over the world come to The Grove and there we are, having mochas.  I want to make it clear that we don’t get mochas everyday, this is something we do once in a while, for a special occasion.  Today, was Robles’ last shift, so he wanted to buy mochas for the guys.