Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.
Radar
1990
It was an unusually quiet autumn afternoon in Pontypandy and the surrounding district. In fact, the entire day had been quiet. Earlier in the day, twenty-three-year-old Leading Fireman Sam Jones, and Fireman Elvis Criddlington, had taken Pontypandy's pump-ladder fire appliance, code-named 'Jupiter', to Newtown for some minor repairs to her engine. While they'd waited for that to be done, Sam and Elvis had enjoyed some lunch in the Newtown Fire Station's mess room. Firefighter Penny Morris had joined them.
Sam really admired Penny. Not because she was a woman, but because she was one of the first female firefighters in Wales. She'd had to fight through a lot of prejudice to get to where she was now. Although Penny was stationed at Newtown, she'd started coming out to Pontypandy to help whenever she was needed.
"I hope you don't mind, Sam," Penny began as she sat down next to him with her lunch, "but I've invited Sarah, James and Norman to come to my place later this afternoon. We'll have dinner at my place, then go and see a movie."
"As long as you've cleared it with Charlie and Bronwyn, I don't mind," Sam had replied dismissively. "Hey, Elvis, could you pass the tomato sauce, please?"
Elvis, who had been sitting opposite Sam and Penny, didn't move. Sam had snapped his fingers in front of Elvis' face. Still no movement. At that moment, the fire station's alarms had gone off. Penny, and rest of the Newtown firefighters, leapt up from their seats and scurried out of the room. Elvis had continued staring at Penny until she was out of sight.
Sam sighed, and he'd rubbed his forehead with his hand. Tread carefully, Elvis. You know the penalty for having inter-staff relationships.
"Sorry, Sam, did you say something?" Elvis had asked innocently.
"We need to get you back to Pontypandy before Penny gets back," Sam had retorted. "Your eyes were on stalks! Now, please pass the tomato sauce. I can't have my chips without it."
Sam had just finished drizzling tomato sauce on his chips, when Penny and some of the firemen returned.
"Pump-ladder only," Penny had explained, and she'd resumed eating her lunch. "Oh, I also just got a call from Dilys Price. She said that Norman won't be able to come this afternoon after all."
"Pity. That means my chances of a quiet night have just been greatly reduce," Sam had joked.
"Have you got the night shift again?" Penny had asked.
Sam nodded. "I'm hoping to get a full night's sleep tonight. In Cardiff, that rarely happened. You'd just go to sleep, and then an emergency would come through."
"Leading Fireman Jones?" the Station Officer had called as he'd entered the mess room.
Sam stood up. "Yes, sir?"
"The work on your appliance is finished. I just need you to sign the paperwork, and then you can leave."
"The sooner the better," Sam had muttered under his breath. He'd quickly signed the documents. "Let's hope it's a while before Jupiter needs repairs again."
"Don't hold your breath," the Station Officer had replied. "From the rumours coming out of HQ in Cardiff, we could all be getting new appliances soon. What year is your model?"
"1974. She's not that old, really…"
"Mmm… Well, judging by the latest maintenance records, I think Pontypandy will be amongst the first fire stations in the area to get an appliance upgrade."
The Station Officer had left without saying another word. Sighing heavily, Sam had resumed his seat.
"Finish your lunch, Elvis, then we'll get going," Sam instructed.
Now, Sam and Elvis were on their return journey to Pontypandy. It was very quiet inside Jupiter's cab. Elvis was daydreaming about Penny, and Sam was pondering what had happened in Newtown while also concentrating on his driving. He was intending to go for his Advanced Driving Certificate in a few months' time, so he was taking every opportunity he could to drive Jupiter. As he drove around a tight bend, Sam noticed a layer of fog starting to descend in the distance.
"Oh, er, Sam," Elvis finally said. "I think there's smoke coming across there."
"No, that's not smoke, Elvis. That's hill fog," Sam explained. "And it's getting thicker by the minute. It'll be a real pea-souper later."
Unlike Sam, Elvis had spent his childhood at boarding school, so he wasn't used to the way the weather around Pontypandy could change within minutes. Sam slowed Jupiter down as they entered the fog, and he turned her headlights onto high-beam.
Before long, Sam and Elvis arrived safely back in Pontypandy. As Sam drove Jupiter up the High Street, he saw his niece and nephew, Sarah and James, about to board Trevor Evans' bus to go to Newtown.
"Hello, you two!" Sam called out with a wave.
"Hello, Uncle Sam!" James replied.
"Hello!" Sarah added at the same time.
Sam smiled to himself. I hope they have a good time tonight.
Minutes later, Sam drove Jupiter up the Pontypandy Fire Station driveway. Sam skilfully reversed Jupiter into the garage and parked her. Elvis got out, while Sam retrieved the log book. After he'd filled it out, Sam returned the log book to the glove box before getting down from the cab. Once he'd closed the garage doors, he entered the fire station's kitchen.
"I've got the tea on now, Sam," Elvis said from near the stove.
"Thanks, Elvis." Sam knocked on the door of Station Officer Steele's office.
"Come in."
Sam entered, closing the door behind him. "The work on Jupiter has been completed, Sir. She's running smoothly again. The paperwork will be faxed through shortly, if it hasn't come through already."
"I got it just a few minutes ago, actually," Station Officer Steele replied. "I'm going to head on home now. Are you sure you'll be fine here on your own tonight?"
"Of course, sir," Sam reassured him. "It's my turn for solo duty, and you've already gone over your twenty-four-hour shift."
"Yes… Just between you and me, I'm trying to see if HQ will assign another fireman here," Station Officer Steele said as he stood up. "They're bringing in new health and safety rules which will prevent us from having only one person on duty."
"I've also heard rumours about bringing fire stations and appliances up-to-date," Sam said.
"Yes, I've heard those too. But, at this stage, they're only rumours. Take care tonight, Sam. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Just remember, if there's a major emergency…"
"Call you and Elvis immediately," Sam finished.
Station Officer Steele patted Sam's shoulder. "Good man. Make sure you get plenty of rest tonight too."
"I'll try, sir. Cheerio."
Sam smiled as Station Officer Steele left his office. Station Officer Steele knew that Sam could look after himself, but he had a tendency sometimes to try and act as Sam's surrogate father. Sam didn't mind. It comforted him to know that his boss cared about his welfare.
A few hours later, Pontypandy had descended into darkness. It was only about four o'clock in the afternoon, but it had become so dark that nearly every house now had lights on. Sam had been quietly catching up on filing some paperwork, when the phone rang. He answered it on the second ring.
"Good afternoon. Pontypandy Fire Station," he said.
"Sam? It's Penny. Look, have you seen Sarah and James? They should be here by now, and with this fog, I'm a bit worried."
Sam immediately felt worried too. He quickly considered the situation. "Well, it's strange, that." Sarah and James are usually pretty good at looking after themselves. After all, they have been learning from Charlie and myself. Sam glanced out of the window. The fog was so thick, he could barely see the rooftops across the street. "Penny, can you meet me halfway? They've got to be somewhere between Pontypandy and Newtown."
"Will do!" And Penny hung up.
Sam grabbed his helmet off the shelf, and he hurried into the garage. Just as well we got Jupiter serviced when we did, he thought as he pulled the lever to open the garage door. After Sam had climbed into the cab, he started Jupiter up, put on his seatbelt and turned the headlights onto high-beam before driving away.
Even with his extensive knowledge of Pontypandy and Jupiter's powerful headlights, Sam still struggled to see where he was going in the dense fog. Once he'd cleared the town, Sam turned his radio frequency over to Newtown's. Then, he picked up the handset.
"Fireman Sam to Firefighter Penny Morris. Over."
"Go ahead, Sam," Penny replied over the radio. "Over."
"Whereabouts are you?"
"Good question, Sam. I can't see any landmarks. Oh! Just a minute. Here are some headlights."
At that moment, Sam saw headlights too. "Hang on, Penny. There's a car…" Whoops! That must be Venus! Sam dropped the handset and he applied the brakes as hard as he dared. Jupiter's aging brakes squealed in protest, but Sam managed to stop her in time. Penny stopped Venus easily.
Sighing with relief, Sam and Penny both climbed out of their respective vehicles.
"Oh, that was close!" Sam exclaimed. "I always said we needed radar…"
Seventeen Years Later - 2007
Fireman Sam was sitting quietly in Pontypandy's Fire Station kitchen, sipping on a cup of tea. Penny was sitting opposite him, filling out a report on an ocean rescue she'd conducted earlier that morning, while Elvis was banging around on the pots and pans in the kitchen sink.
"Elvis!" Sam finally snapped. "Please, stop! You're giving me a headache."
Elvis promptly obeyed. "Sorry, Sam. I was just working out a new beat."
Some things never change. Sam caught a quick 'thank you' smile from Penny.
"Sam!" Station Officer Steele called from the stairwell. Sam looked up as Station Officer Steele entered the kitchen.
"Yes, sir?"
"I was just talking to Chief Fire Officer Boyce. He wants you to go to Newtown this afternoon for a surprise."
Sam groaned inwardly. "If it's another medal, he can forget about it. He gives those out far too freely in my opinion."
"It's no less than what you deserve, Sam," Penny told him gently.
"I don't know what the surprise is, but Sam, you will do as you're told, or I'll put you on a charge," Station Officer Steele warned sternly.
"Fine," Sam reluctantly agreed. "Permission to take Venus, sir?"
"Yes, of course." Station Officer Steele replied with a dismissive wave. "Is lunch ready yet, Criddlington?"
"Almost, sir."
Just over an hour later, Sam left Pontypandy driving Venus. He wasn't looking forward to seeing what surprise his boss had for him, so he deliberately dawdled. When he was about halfway to Newtown, Sam changed the radio frequency over to the Newtown Fire Station's channel. Unlike Pontypandy's radio channel, Newtown's channel was particularly busy these days. Sam listened quietly to the conversations as he drove along. He perked up a little when he heard reports of a fire coming in.
"Appliance seven responding to the multi-story apartment fire on Llewellyn Street," a male voice said over the radio.
"Make pumps four," another male added.
Sam knew better than to get onto the radio unless someone addressed him personally, so he resisted the temptation to touch the handset. However, he couldn't stop the surge of adrenalin that surged throughout his body as he continued listening.
"Station Officer Baines to Chief Fire Officer Boyce. We need every available pump at this one, sir. We might even have to call in help from other stations in the district."
"I'm already on my way to assess the situation," Sam heard Chief Fire Officer Boyce reply. "All available pumps are en-route, along with five ambulances. Police are on stand-by."
Sam could now see Newtown in the distance. A thick cloud of black smoke reached high into the sky above the township, pinpointing exactly where the fire was. Sam picked up his handset.
"Leading Fireman Jones to Chief Fire Officer Boyce. Do you require my assistance? Over."
There was static for a moment before Chief Fire Officer Boyce replied. "Receiving you, Leading Fireman Jones. Yes, we do. This is a big one. What's your eta?"
"About five minutes, sir."
"Copy that. Report directly to me when you arrive."
"Yes, sir."
Sam put the handset down, and he activated Venus' lights and sirens. He then accelerated Venus to a safe emergency speed.
Five minutes later, Sam followed a Newtown pump-ladder appliance to the site of the fire. Police had closed off the road to all but emergency vehicles. Sam parked Venus behind the appliance, and he turned her engine off. Grabbing his helmet from the front passenger seat, Sam followed the firefighters from the pump-ladder further down the street to where the fire was.
Upon seeing the fire, Sam whistled softly to himself. The fire was engulfing a four-story apartment building. Four teams were tackling the fire from the outside, and judging from the BA monitors, Sam guessed that at least two more teams were inside the burning building. Seeing Chief Fire Officer Boyce standing on the footpath opposite the burning building, Sam jogged over to him.
"Leading Fireman Jones reporting for duty, sir," Sam said.
"Ah! Good! Sam, I need you to get your BA gear on," Chief Fire Officer Boyce instructed. "There are reports of people still trapped inside. Team Alpha and Beta are already inside, fighting the fire on the third floor. I want you to relieve team Gamma and lead team Delta inside. Team Gamma has already cleared the first two floors, so your task is to go from room to room on the third floor and check for anyone still trapped inside. Think you can handle that?"
"Yes, sir!"
"We won't be able to get to the fourth floor until we get this fire under control," Chief Fire Officer Boyce continued. "The fire is blocking the only stairwell to that level, so don't try any heroics. I want you to simply get in there, go through all the apartments you can safely get to, and then get back out. Is that understood?"
"Perfectly, sir," Sam replied with a small nod.
Sam hurried back to Venus, and he grabbed his BA gear out of the back. Minutes later, Sam had his BA equipment on, and he handed his BA tag to one of the monitors. The rest of his team were already ready to go in. There were two men and a woman. A moment later, team Gamma emerged.
"Team Delta going in," Sam said into his portable radio. His voice was slightly muffled by his face mask, but that was normal.
Sam led the three other firefighters with him inside the burning building. Thick smoke engulfed them almost immediately, so Sam turned on his torch. Those with him did the same. Together, they made their way up the stairs to the third floor. Sam couldn't see much, because of the thick smoke, but he could see flames burning at the far end of the hallway where the next flight of stairs started. They led up to the fourth floor. Thankfully, the flames seemed to be contained to the far end of the building.
"You two, search the apartments on the left," Sam instructed his team as he pointed to two of them. He placed a hand on the shoulder of the firefighter closest to him. "We'll search the apartments on the right. Watch out for the hoses and stay in radio contact."
"Yes, Fireman Sam," the other firefighters replied.
As they separated, Sam hoped he was doing the right thing. He'd had plenty of experience with apartment fires while he was a firefighter in Cardiff, but that was over twenty years ago now. And, he'd never led a BA team into an apartment fire before either.
However, despite Sam's inexperience for the task at hand, he and his team worked well together. Systematically, they went through each apartment on the third floor, until they came as close as they could to the burning apartments.
"I've found someone!" one of Sam's team members reported over the radio. He was in an apartment very close to the source of the fire.
Sam was standing in the hallway, just about to enter the apartment, when one of the firefighters battling the fire shouted, "Get down!"
Without hesitation, Sam dropped facedown onto the floor. Those near him did the same. Sam covered his visor with his hands as he felt a wave of heat rush over his back. It's a flashover, he realised.
"What's going on in there?" Chief Fire Officer Boyce demanded over the radio.
"We've had a flashover, sir," one of the other firefighters reported. "It's being contained now. Two men are down, but they don't appear to be injured."
Realising that he was one of the men reported as being 'down', Sam held up a hand to signal that he was fine.
"Confirming, no injured firefighters?" Chief Fire Officer Boyce asked.
"Confirmed," the firefighter said.
Sam waited until he could no longer feel the heat on his back before he sat up. One of the teams of firefighters had their hose trained on the ceiling above Sam. Water, ash and ceiling plaster rained down on him, but Sam didn't care. He was used to it.
Knowing that the flashover had been extinguished, Sam scrambled to his feet and he hurried into the apartment where Sam's teammate was standing next to an unconscious woman. She was blonde and appeared to be in her late forties. Sam bent down to check her pulse. Good. She's still alive.
The rest of Sam's team entered the apartment too.
"There's nobody else on this floor that we can find," one reported.
"Good. You two, take this woman downstairs," Sam ordered. He then spoke into his radio. "Leading Fireman Jones to Chief Fire Officer Boyce. We have found one victim and we're about to bring her out. Have paramedics on standby. Victim is alive but unconscious."
"Copy that," Chief Fire Officer Boyce replied. "I want team Delta to stand down. You're almost out of air."
"Copy that, sir," Sam said. "We're coming out now."
Minutes later, Sam and his team stepped outside on the ground level. Sam gladly removed his mask, and he took in a huge gulp of fresh air. Then, exhausted, he sat down on the footpath to get his breath back. The BA monitor slipped Sam's tag back into his equipment.
"Just stay there until you get your breath back," the BA monitor advised.
Sam nodded. He looked around, taking in the chaotic scene around him. This takes me back to my days fighting fires in Cardiff. I never realised just how much I miss it.
Seeing Chief Fire Officer Boyce approaching, Sam staggered to his feet and he started to remove his BA gear.
"Are you okay, Sam" Chief Fire Officer Boyce asked with genuine concern. "I'm told you were caught up in the flashover."
"It went straight over me," Sam replied honestly. "But I'm fine. I haven't seen a fire that big in a long time!"
"Well, once you've recovered your breath, I want you to go and get yourself checked over by the paramedics."
Sam sighed. "Do I have to?"
"Yes. It's compulsory after a flashover."
"Very well then, sir. But I know you didn't ask me to come out here just to help fight a fire."
"That's true. Report back at the fire station once you've seen the paramedics. I'm about to head back now. The fire is under control, and everyone who was missing has been accounted for."
Sam nodded. "I just hope that woman will be okay."
"From what I've heard, she's just suffering from smoke inhalation. She should make a full recovery. I'll see you back at the station."
"Yes, sir."
After Chief Fire Officer Boyce had gone, Sam made his way over to one of the ambulances. "I've been ordered to have a quick check over, since I was caught in a flashover."
"Right," one of the paramedics said. "Jump inside, and remove your helmet and jacket, please."
Half an hour later, Sam arrived at the Newtown Fire Station. After he'd parked Venus out of the way, Sam went inside to report to Chief Fire Officer Boyce. He found his boss in the foyer.
"Ah! There you are, Sam," Chief Fire Officer Boyce said. "What did the paramedics say?"
"I'm fine," Sam replied. "Just a bit of singeing to the back of my uniform."
"I was hoping that would be the case. Let me see…"
Chief Fire Officer Boyce walked around behind Sam. He shook his head disapprovingly. "I can't let you leave here with a ruined uniform, Sam. Station Officer Steele would never let me hear the end of it if I sent you home looking like that. Come upstairs and get a new uniform. You may as well take a shower too. You're covered in smoke."
"Thank you, sir. I do appreciate that."
Before long, Sam had showered and changed into his new uniform. He was still wondering what Chief Fire Officer Boyce's 'surprise' could be. It's either another medal or a promotion, He finally decided. And I don't want either of them. Although, if I was offered a job in Cardiff, I may have to consider it…
Sam was just about to leave the bathroom, when the two men who'd been with him as part of team Delta entered. They grinned when they saw Sam.
"Oh, hello, Fireman Sam!" one of them said. "I have to say, it was an honour to work with you today. You're a brilliant leader."
"Yeah, you should consider a promotion," the other one added.
"Well, thanks, but I'm happy where I am," Sam replied. "Have either of you seen Chief Fire Officer Boyce?"
"Yeah, he's just downstairs, talking to Station Officer Baines."
"Thank you."
Sure enough, Sam found Chief Fire Officer Boyce downstairs on the ground floor. He smiled when he saw Sam approaching.
"Ah, Sam! I'm glad to see your new uniform fits. We'll dispose of the old one for you."
"Thanks. Now, what did you want to see me about?"
Chief Fire Officer Boyce smirked. "Come with me, Sam. I've got something to give you…"
Sam started to follow him out the back door. "Look, if it's another medal, sir, I'm not inter…" Sam paused when he saw what was in front of him. "…ested," he finished weakly.
Playing in a fenced-off pen behind the fire station were four Dalmatian puppies. They appeared to be about six months old. Sam looked questioningly at Chief Fire Officer Boyce. He shrugged indifferently.
"I've decided that all of the fire brigades in this district will have a search and rescue dog assigned to them. These puppies have all had some basic training, but they'll need at least another six months of training before they'll become certified search and rescue dogs."
"But I don't know anything about training dogs," Sam protested.
Chief Fire Officer Boyce held up a hand. "Please, let me finish, Sam. The puppy you choose will have to trust you implicitly. Considering all the drama that happens in Pontypandy, I've decided to let you have the pick of the litter. You're going to spend the next six months learning how to train your puppy with the help of a professional trainer, and the puppy will spend the next six months learning to trust you. After all, you're going to be spending at least the next ten years of your lives together."
"You mean… The puppy I choose will be 'mine', but he'll still belong to the fire service, right?"
"Correct! Why don't you play with the puppies for a while, and when you think you've found a suitable companion, clip this leash to his collar and bring him inside. Don't worry about him making a mess. They're all toilet trained."
Chief Fire Officer Boyce left then. With a sigh, Sam climbed over the waist-high wire fence, and he knelt down in the middle of the pen. Well, I never dreamed I'd ever own a puppy! This is way better than a medal or a promotion!
At first, the puppies kept away from Sam, but then one brave little puppy ventured over to him. His left ear was black, with two white spots, while his right ear was white with one large black spot. He gave me a friendly 'yap' as if to say, 'Who are you?'. Smiling, Sam let him sniff the back of his hand. With his other hand, Sam picked up a squeaky ball. The puppy's ear perked up, and he placed his front paws excitedly in Sam's lap.
"Is this your favourite toy?" Sam asked.
The puppy answered with a keen 'yap', so Sam threw it. The puppy took off racing to the other side of the pen, where he retrieved the ball and came running back over to Sam. Sam tried to take the ball back, but he held on tightly.
"You're a determined little fellow, aren't you?" Sam said with a chuckle as the puppy growled around the ball in his mouth. I think I've found the right puppy for me! Still smiling, Sam managed to clip the leash to the puppy's red leather collar, and then he scooped the puppy up into his arms. The puppy continued to clench the ball with his teeth as Sam carried him inside the fire station.
"That was quick!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce exclaimed.
"I know, but he chose me," Sam explained.
"Ah! That's always the best way. And I see that you've picked Radar. Excellent choice! He's proven to be the best in the litter so far. I'll just get you to sign the paperwork for him, and then you can take him home. Oh, and I've got everything you need for him, including food, so don't worry about picking up anything on your way home."
"Thank you, sir." Sam flinched as Radar started licking his face. "Oi! Stop that!"
With a whine, Radar stopped licking Sam's face, and he started to lick his own instead. Sam set him down on the floor to keep him out of the way while he went through the paperwork.
About half an hour later, Sam drive Venus up the Pontypandy Fire Station's driveway, and he parked her off to the side. He'd put her back inside the appliance bay later. After he'd got out of Venus, Sam reached across to the passenger seat, and he scooped Radar into his arms. He then carried Radar inside the fire station.
Realising that everyone must be upstairs in the kitchen, Sam carried Radar upstairs. Sure enough, Station Officer Steele, Penny and Elvis were sitting at the kitchen table, sipping on cups of tea. Station Officer Steele spluttered when he saw the Dalmatian puppy snuggled contently in Sam's arms.
"Sam? What on earth is that?"
"Awww! It's a puppy!" Elvis exclaimed, stating the obvious.
Sam set Radar down on the floor. "His name's Radar, and he's our new search and rescue dog in training."
"Radar?" Penny said, amused. "That's a strange name for a dog."
"Oh, I don't know," Sam shrugged. "Penny, do you remember that day many years ago when we went searching for Sarah and James in the fog? And I said that what we really needed was radar?"
Penny nodded slowly. "Vaguely…"
"Well, I guess we did get it eventually." Sam glanced down at Radar, who was sniffing his new surroundings. "This just wasn't quite the form I was expecting it to come in!"
THE END
A/N: I know it seems weird that the children in Pontypandy never grow up, but that is a fault with the show, and not something I can really control in my canon universe.