There are so many stories I could tell. Some are funny; some are moments I never want to think about again. As I sit in the wide open bay with my mini-me next to me, I shine. It's like I just came off the showroom floor instead of home from a fire. My humans take fantastic care of me. One, in particular, I'll get to him in a minute. In return, I take as good a care of them as I can. Ever since I arrived here at my new home, I knew this station was special. Boy was I right! All three shifts are good to me, yet my favorite time is when the first shift A shift is on duty.
You see there's a man named Mike on that shift. He babies me as if I am his child. I don't mean that as a bad thing. He really protects me. From the first time, he climbed aboard I knew he was special. He knows more about me then I will ever know.
Mike is my protector. He also protects his guys on a call. He is quiet, yet forceful when needed. He always talks to me as if he knows I want to respond. There have been many nights when he's spoken to me after a bad call. He climbs in my cab and vents until his mind settles. The longest conversations are after one of his guys gets hurt. He also spends a lot of time with me when there's a substitute.
Mike is not a one man band though. In my front passenger seat sits Captain Hank Stanley. He is a force, and it's a pleasure to serve him. I can tell he's had the same training as Mike. Cap, as the guys call him, has spent more than a few quiet moments with me. While I may not be his engine, I am honored to give a quiet place to gather his thoughts and refocus his minds.
I do not like when either piece of my dynamic front duo is off. Their replacement is never as gentle. I swear if metal had emotions, I'd be tense when they are away. When they return I relax and feel like myself. I am ready to work again for my guys.
On my back rides the rest of my crew. A quiet firefighter Marco Lopez. He always covers me in delicious smells when he cooks. More than once he has used his jump seat to pray on the way to a call. I get the sense that he is a lot like Mike, quiet yet ready for anything.
The last member of my crew is another firefighter. Chet Kelly is the shift's prank artist. He's had to wash me many times as a result. When the tones go off, and he climbs aboard, I can tell he's ready to work.
These are my boys. No matter how smoky, smelly, or wet they make me I wouldn't trade a single one of them for anything. Every time I feel them jump aboard I am determined to bring them home safe. If I get sloppy, I know it's time to go out back for a bath. I don't care what time of day it is as long as my boys, and I come home safe.