Chapter 38
Jace
On the way to work, I can’t help but think about dinner at my mom's and the drive. It was like being hit with two bombs at once. The first bomb, my mom thinking she failed me, that is the craziest thing I have ever heard. Never. Never has my mom failed me; she saved me. Then, bomb number two was Lilla, and her gracious heart, thinking she was the reason I got sent away. No one knew the extent of my problem, shit, neither did I. It was shower beers, and empty bottles under my bed. It was sock drugs and an empty wallet. Now, it doesn’t cross my mind, I don’t crave a drink, or anything that alters my state of mind.
I like to feel everything now, soak it all in.
I spent too much time numbing the feelings and getting lost in time.
Arriving at the school, the high schoolers are already outside, standing in a large circle around a wrecked car.
We select two random teenagers from the group and place them in the car, while giving the students a good, detailed story about the party they were just at, living up their lives, enjoying the flow of stout drinks and loud music.
We discuss the choice to get behind the wheel while under the influence.
“Every time you get behind the wheel, getting in drunk is a choice. The best choice you can make for you, your friends, and your family is one phone call. We are going to show you how one decision not only changes your life, but everyone else around you.” Captain Miller reviews the statistics and speaks of the crash our teenagers are about to endure.
The students were all attuned to the demonstration.
“In the blink of an eye, you could no longer be here. One decision has a domino effect; you are about to see that now. When Sam and Kyle decided to drive in an altered state, the scenarios could go on forever. What if they hit someone else and kill them? Prison time. What if they kill themselves? What if one lives and the other dies? One choice affects the rest of your life.” Captain Miller goes over the crash in detail.
He nods to me when he says a call has come in, stepping back to let me take over.
I rush over to the scene, where the two teenagers pretend to be unresponsive.
Talking out loud, I go over every step, as the firefighters show the audience the jaws of life and how it works.
We place Sam on the stretcher, where I pull him to the ambulance, and get him lifted in while pretending to perform CPR and shouting everything that is happening.
Trying my best to make it look and feel as real as possible.
“HE’S CRASHING!” Loading him into the ambulance, Miller goes over what happens now, identifying the bodies, calling the families, and the harsh reality of their choices.
Finally, Sam and I step out of the ambulance as Nick slides out from the wrecked car.
I give both the kids a pat on the back for being troopers in the demo.
“You always have the intention of making it home, but it doesn’t always happen.
Don’t test it. It’s one call and the rest of your life.
Your choice, is your life worth one phone call?
” The teens all nod as they watch Nick climb out of the destroyed car.
“The accident doesn’t end here.” Captain Miller walks around the circle.
“Once we call the family, they have to identify your body, they have to call your relatives, your friends, your school, they have to bury you, but it doesn’t end there.
Grief is never-ending; they will miss you with a broken heart for the rest of their lives.
They will have questions that never get answered, they will wonder why you didn’t call, why you made the choices you made, and they will be angry, they will be sad, and they will be broken, all because of one choice, one moment in time that changed everything.
Don’t be a statistic, don’t let one moment end your life, and change everyone else's.”
As we answer questions regarding the demo, our pagers go off, “Load up!” We all run to our rigs while Cap calls the class duty and reminds them to call as they run to his truck.
Cody and I follow the fire truck to the site and watch the smoke begin to choke out the blue sky. The pine trees canvasing the sides of the mountain are kissing the thick haze. “Damn.” A whisper gasp falls from Cody as he moves down the rocky road.
Pulling behind the rigs, we spot the Chief pulling the team in for a debrief now that we are all together.
“Hustle!” His voice is coarse and scared as we watch the yellow and orange haze begin to blow off the smoke.
“There are 100 acres engulfed, the speed is rapidly spreading, a water drop is on the way—”
The radio attached to the Chief's coat interrupts him, "Battalion Chief 43, come in.”
“Copy, Chief 43.”
“Distress call came in from a house at 302 Nature Trail.” The radio and the fire crackling were all we heard.
Now, not only is this a forest fire, but it’s a rescue.
“Copy, heading that way now.” The air grows heavier as we watch the Chief and the Captain map the house's location from our vantage point.
With panic rising in each of us, we are given direction on who will go where and what needs to be done.
The fear mixes with the smoke, and the falling embers add to our stress as each ash could light another fire.
Jumping into the rig, I follow Carlos and Hayden as they clear a path with the fire truck, making our way down Nature's Trail.
The drive feels excruciatingly long as we move at what feels like turtle speed, even though we are driving quickly, given the conditions.
As we drive the winding road, we follow the fire as it runs along its edge.
The thick smoke obscures visibility, and the fire is overtaking the land, making being outside almost unbearable.
As we approach the driveway to the house, the radio fills the truck with requests for more air drops, the urgency in their voices, the panic, makes my heart race with all the unknowns.
Are we going to save this person? Will we get this fire put out before it reaches town?
Will we all make it out alive? Quickly, I shift my mindset, halting the thoughts before they pull me into the darkest parts of my mind.
Arriving at the house, we all jump out of our vehicles and gather the tools and equipment we will need for our rescue. Our instincts take over, and we waste no time.
The house is engulfed in every direction.
Usually, the smoke from a fire rises straight up, and the cooler air above burns out of the embers.
This time is different, the rapid wind is blowing the smoke sideways, the heat is radiating off this small countryside house, and it has every intention to burn it, and everything in it to the ground.
Hayden starts up the stairs, slowly, making his way onto the once white porch, now scorched with black soot from the shooting flames. Carlos looks around the house, “The front door will be the safest point of entry.” his voice is muffled as he gives us a rundown.
Hayden pushes on the old wooden door, slowly opening it, showcasing the level of danger we are stepping into.
The crackling sound of the fire, mixed with the scorching heat, puts us all in the right mindset to save.
Hayden begins extinguishing the fire, creating a path through the house as we call out for anyone who might be trapped or hurt.
We yell, wait, and yell again; the wait seems never-ending.
Within the haze of the smoke, we can only see a few steps in front of us.
Carlos goes left, Hayden and I go right, listening as we each clear room after room, finding no one.
Regrouping back in the main part of the house, the fire roasts our suits. Finally, we head upstairs. The stairs are torturous, with each step a reminder that at any moment they could give way. Rounding the corner, we enter the first room and see the caller. “Over here! Found the caller!”
I want to run to them to start life-saving measures, but we have to do this methodically, slowly, and steadily.
Hayden walks in front of me, using a pike poke, checking for danger, ensuring wherever I step, the floor doesn’t cave.
Carlos keeps extinguishing the flames that fight against our efforts to put them out.
The moment Hayden gives the all-clear, I drop to the patient and begin lifting, rushing out to start life-saving measures as quickly and efficiently as I can. We quickly move into position for extraction. Hayden leads the way, and Carlos follows behind me.
Carefully making it down the stairs, following the same direction we came, we stay low as we shuffle to the front door. Flames surround us, and the heat ramifies.
Getting outside, Hayden and I run to the ambulance.
Hayden drives as I assess and prep the patient for handoff at the hospital.
All paramedics are on the ground, tending to wounded firefighters as they take on the forest fire.
Everyone is taking on every role, stepping up and helping where needed, because right now we are all one, all trying to save and protect.
Carlos jumps into the rig, following orders to head back to pick up a crew to help put out the house fire.
With the forest fire, they can’t afford to lose another fire truck.
Hayden drives to the hospital, lights on, sirens singing as we coast out of the mountainside and into town, where the cars part like the Red Sea.
Hayden zips into the ambulance unloading bay, nurses run out ready to hand off, “Third degree burns, heart rate is 120bpm, oxygen is below 80%, high flow oxygen has been administered.”
Once I give the full report, I jump back into the rig, and Hayden and I head back to the fire that is fighting tooth and nail to stay ablaze.