After 6

It was after dinner at the station and the men were just cleaning up the equipment from an apartment fire they had in the afternoon. A tired and emotionally drained Laura entered the bay and gave her loving husband a warm tender smile.

Mike finished his work and turned around to take his wife in his arms the two of them then made their way to the back of the fire engine and sat together on the tail board.

"They want me to work up a training program for disaster coordinators." Laura told Mike once they were both sat down.

"That's a good idea isn't it?" Mike wasn't sure what he was seeing in his wife's eyes.

"Yeah, a really good Idea, but where do I start?" Laura took in and let out a deep breath, "How do I compact what I've learned over eight years of training, schooling, soul searching and action into a weekend course. And if they don't use what they learn on a regular basis then they won't be able to respond to a major disaster." "I know it's time to think about pass the baton but how do I get it all rolled up so that they can hold on to it." Mike reached up and started rubbing his wife's back. "I'm not even sure how I do what I do how am I supposed to teach it?"

Chet wandered past the back of the truck on his way to the latrine and noticed Laura dozing on Mike's shoulder as Mike kept his arms around her shoulder's holding her tight. On his way back Chet carried a blanket from the linen closet and with out saying a word helped Mike tuck it in around Laura before moving on his way back to the common room.

Mike wasn't surprised when Hank stuck his head around the corner of the fire engine and mouthed the words, "Everything alright?"

Mike looked down at Laura resting peacefully in his arms and gave his captain a silent smile and a nod of his head. Hank chose to let them be, knowing Mike would still respond if the tones sounded. And they did ring out loud and clear.

Station 51, chemical leak at factory on 87th street and Acme Boulevard, 87th street and Acme Boulevard.

Laura jumped awake at the sound of the tones and Mike helped her to her feet as he pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulder. "Wait for me on the sofa," Mike directed, "It's too hot for you in the car. We can finish talking when I get back." "Stretch out on the Sofa and rest until I get back, do not get into the car."

"Alright everyone," Hank called out after confirming the call, "Let's all get in SCBA to begin with for this one," Hank then ran in front of both trucks hooking his arm into his SCBA gear before climbing into the cab.

Laura watched the emergency vehicles drive off and when she could no longer hear the sirens she followed her instructions and headed for the sofa in the common room. Henry proved to be appropriately accommodating allowing her to lay down as long as he could snuggle in next to her. Laura didn't mind having a living breathing teddy bear to throw her arm over either, although she would have preferred it to be someone else.

As she dozed Laura was vaguely aware of the intercom in the station sounding with Captain Stanley's voice declaring the leak contained, time out three hours for clean up. The next thing Laura was aware of was a persistent tapping on her shoulder as she slowly convinced her eyes to open up. When she was finally able to push herself up onto an elbow her eyes registered the image of Chief McConnike looking down at her with a look that demanded an explanation.

"Hi," Laura responded as she worked her way around one big basset hound and placed her feet on the floor rubbing her face as she did so.

"Hi to you," the chief returned the salutation. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Not likely unless you can finish my husband's half or our conversation that was interrupted," Laura answered as she stretched and finished waking up.

"I have to ask, is it because of what happened last sift that you're not tied down?"

Laura just started laughing and took a moment to recover before she could respond, "I'm not quite that tired today." She responded with a smile. "As long as I can be easily woken up I don't get too crazy with the sleep walking."

"So what was different about last shift?"

"I had just got back from three weeks at that plant explosion east of here. Things were really intense and I never got more than three hours sleep if that much a day." Laura filled the Chief in knowing he has no control over her so she talked to him as an equal with no intimidation what so ever. "I had hit bottom on the exhaustion scale and was as unpredictable as ever. The restraint just severed to slow me down until I woke up enough not to do something crazy. If you'll remember once I reached that state I was able to untie myself."

"I must admit that I don't totally understand, even when we have monster brush fires the men are required to take so much down time to hydrate and rest." Chief McConnike continued to speak.

"What about the ones who are directing the troops, and mapping out the course of the fire?" Laura questioned.

"They do tend to get a little stressed out but even they get a break from time to time."

"I most often serve as one of the directors and because we're not nearly as well staffed as you are even on a brush fire I'm also a medical care giver. Having worked both as a firefighter and as a aid station worker I can honestly say the Aid station is more intense."

"Our guys think its boring and can't wait to be rotated out to the fire line."

"Because you send you're seriously injured straight to the hospital. Your aid station is nothing more than a first aid booth."

"It doesn't sound like you've ever read any of my books." Laura commented as the Chief poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down to sip at it while he continued to talk.

"No I haven't read them but I have heard about them. It sounds like you've been in some pretty tough situations over the years. What I don't understand is if you're so wiped out and high strung every time you get back why do you keep going?"

"I ask myself that same question every time I get home again. And yet when the call goes out I'm one of the first ones to step up. I guess the answer is that I know I can make a difference and choose to do so."

"Rampart and some of the local universities have asked me to work up a course and try to teach Disaster management work shops." Laura continued to talk as she leaned forward and folded her arms across her knees. "I haven't been able to figure out how to do so with any real effect."

"It's just like firemen; they have to drill regularly to keep their skills honed."

"Yeah but they do use their stuff often enough to be motivated to drill. Just how often is their a real disaster." Laura was starting to think out loud talking idea's out as they came to her. "Why should we even consider a team that is shipped in to a disaster? Any help that is sent in should be told what to do as soon as they get there and someone on sight should be giving directions before help from out of the area could even be called in."

The silence in the room was profound as Chief McConnike watched Laura in deep thought.

"Is it possible to get a hold of fire fighting statistics?" Laura asked with a far away look.

"What kind of statistics?"

"Right now I'm thinking dates and number of casualties," Laura answered then turned to Chief McConnike.

"That should be easy enough you'll just have to go to headquarters and tell them what you want and why. But the information you're looking for shouldn't be that hard to get."

"When I first got here tonight they guys were cleaning up after an apartment fire. When they told me they had 20 victims I asked why they didn't call in a triage team and they said it was your call."

"That's right it is; are you challenging my decision?"

"Not so much challenging as wondering what the guidelines are for making that decision." Laura tried to find words to understand what she was thinking of herself.

"A triage team is still new to the program. We don't have any real guidelines of when to call them in. Most of the areas don't even have a triage team available to them."

"Really," Laura looked through him in surprise.

"Just what have you got cooking in that head of yours," The Chief asked suspiciously.

"I'm not sure just yet," Laura answered with a far away stair. "Maybe it's time to rethink a few things."

"This is Engine 51," they heard a panicked Hank Stanley call into the radio, "We have just had three explosions here the whole plant is fully involved and there are a high number of casualties. Dispatch two battalions and at least five ambulances."

"Excuse me their about to call my number," the chief climbed to his feet with urgency.

"I'm coming with you." Laura announced leaving no room for debate as she ran for the closet were she knew extra turn outs and helmets were kept. "If their calling for that many ambulances they need a triage team."

She must have made her point because the Chief allowed her to climb in the car and noticed the intensity that she listened for details over the radio. They were half way to the fire when the Chief began to worry if she was just panicked about her husband. But once she got out of the car she looked around and checked the wind direction before getting the Chief's attention by tugging on his sleeve and pointed to an area at the far end of the parking lot. "I'll set up triage over there. I'll need one of the paramedic's radios and extra stethoscope and cuffs to start with I'll have Rampart send us the rest."

While he performed his responsibilities at the fire the Chief made a point of watching the one woman triage team organize her patients and the paramedics assigned to work under her and he was amazed at how well things worked. He also noticed that she used the bio-phone to give orders as well and patient information and wondered how that was going to play out at the hospital.

When the fire was under control Laura road in with the last of her patients, she wasn't surprised to see Dr. Brackett working with the patients. Even though he worked an earlier shift he and every other Doctor would have been called in to help deal with the onslaught of patients.

As Laura and Dr. Brackett worked together to prepare the patient for transfer to the burn unit Laura called out orders for supplies and tests to be run and then as if it were the next order. "Dr. Brackett, I think I'm beginning to figure out this work shop thing you want me to do. But my idea is going to take more changes than I think you've ever thought about making."