Fragile
Chapter 9
One thing for sure about working with Craig Brice, the squad inventory would be absolutely accurate. Johnny couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he and Brice did the morning supply checks. Customarily it was Johnny who counted supplies while Roy noted quantities and needs on their supply log. Today Brice had grabbed the drug box, and began counting supplies leaving the logging to Johnny.
After counting Brice began to reassemble the contents of the drug box in his own weird order. Glancing down at his work Johnny stopped him abruptly. "Brice, as senior medic on this team I need to ask you to leave the drug box as you found it. When I am subbing over in your station, I'd never dream of rearranging your drug box and equipment. It'd totally throw the regular teams off over there, and things would function with far less efficiency. Remember, a highly honed team has particular methods of working which are most effective for that team. In a crisis situation, suddenly attempting to change the team's standardized routines will most assuredly detract from the efficiency of motion, and decrease the quality of patient care."
Johnny figured he might get Brice's attention by addressing concerns in a language more familiar to the doggedly quantitative man.
Brice stopped mid-movement and considered what his partner for the day had suggested. "I suppose you are correct Gage, even though I think you would find my method for organization is superior to the one your station is currently employing."
"Geeze, this guy has a lot of nerve! Talk about arrogant!" Johnny mused closing his eyes so Brice would miss the eye roll he couldn't stop. Opening his eyes Johnny screwed a pleasant expression on his face and replied, "I'm sure anything unfamiliar would be upsetting to anyone's comfortable routine. But, since you will likely only be here for this shift, we probably don't need to change the arrangement of equipment for the other five medics of station 51. Your input is of course appreciated."
Seeing he would not be getting his own way, Brice grudgingly re-loaded the drug box as it had been, and moved on to the trauma box.
Johnny had of course heard Roy's complaints about working with Craig Brice. Remembering how Brice had a thing for locking the side compartment of the squad, Johnny who had been leaning against the passenger's side door surreptitiously reached in to the vehicle and snagged the compartment key from its place on the spotlight handle. Slipping the key into his pocket Johnny couldn't help but grin as he pondered the best method for winning an argument was to avoid it. Later when the medics had finished inventory and equipment checks, Johnny made a hasty withdrawal to the kitchen while Brice was closing up the squad bay doors. After enjoying a quick cup of coffee and light hearted conversation with the other guys in the kitchen, Johnny retreated with Marco to begin scrubbing and hanging hose.
Brice made his way into the kitchen shortly after Gage. Seeing the medic was seemingly actively engaged in conversation, Brice who never really did quite feel he fit in with any crew decided to begin kitchen inventory in preparation for his cooking chore for the shift.
Morning chores were nearly complete when the tones and klaxon sounded calling the crew out to a warehouse fire. From the sound of things, this would be a big one! Without giving Brice a chance to claim the driver's spot in the squad, Johnny jumped behind the wheel. The engine and lights were going by the time Craig Brice made it into the passenger's seat. As soon as Cap handed Johnny the call slip, and his partner had closed the truck door Johnny shifted the vehicle into gear and rolled out of the bay flipping on the siren as he cleared the open doorway.
Neither paramedic spoke as they made their way to the call. When they were within a couple of miles of the location, a thick column of black smoke could be seen rising from the area.
'Looks like we've got a big one." Gage remarked casually.
Inside Engine 51 following closely behind the squad, Captain Stanley too had seen the smoke. Snatching up his radio handset, Stanley radioed the squad. "Squad 51, make the hydrant at the corner. We'll be laying duels."
Brice picked up the squad's radio microphone acknowledging. "Squad 51, 10-4."
Johnny stopped at the corner near the fire and the engine drove around the squad halting just in front of the little red truck. Brice hopped out of the squad, Marco and Chet leapt off the engine. The two linemen each pulled a line from the rear of the engine and brought it over to drape around the hydrant. Johnny slammed the squad in park and bailed out to run around to the hydrant. Together Brice and Gage secured the lines around the hydrant with their feet while the linemen re-boarded the engine before it drove toward the burning building unfurling hose as it went. Quickly the Gage, Brice team connected hoses to the hydrant. After Mike gave a signal from the now parked engine, Brice operated the hydrant valve releasing the water which quickly began to fill the hoses.
Engine 51 was first on scene making Captain Stanley incident commander. Stepping down from the engine Cap was met by a running, soot covered portly middle aged man.
The man was breathing heavily and could barely speak. "There…..there….are…st..still…f…..gasp…four..m..men…gasp…gasp…men …inside!" he panted.
"Calm down sir. We'll get them out." Stanley soothed placing a hand on the distraught man's shoulder. "Take a couple of deep breaths for me." The Captain instructed.
After having a second to calm himself somewhat the man continued. "The fire started in the warehouse. There were four guys, Frank, Mike, Randy and Wally; they were still inside! They were in the break room. It's in the back on the left. They are trapped. The fire is between them and the door!"
"What's your name sir?" Captain Stanley asked in a calm voice.
"Bill Winters. I'm the foreman." The upset man cried.
"O.K. Bill. We'll get 'em out. You go over and have a seat on the back of that little red truck over there." Cap said, pointing to the squad.
Johnny and Craig were piling out of the squad, slipping on turnouts and SCBA. When the man approached Johnny met him near the front of the squad. "Sir? What's your name?"
"Bill Winters. I'm the foreman." He said, now feeling somewhat exasperated. "Couldn't these men see his friends were in trouble and needed help?" Bill's traumatized mind screamed.
Johnny had more or less heard the man's earlier report to Captain Stanley, and easily guessed the source of the fellows agitation now. "O.K. sir. We'll get em'" Johnny soothed. "Are you injured?"
"No! I'm fine. Just help my friends!" Bill practically screamed.
"Go have a seat on the back of the squad Bill. We'll see what we can do." Johnny called over his shoulder as he and Brice jogged over to Captain Stanley.
Captain Stanley had arranged the various engine companies to begin containing the blaze. The warehouse he learned was filled with solvents used to produce industrial degreasing agents. The building was well involved on the front right side, with smoke pouring out the few windows in the place.
When his paramedics approached Captain Stanley turned to his men and said, "We've got four missing men. The foreman says they are in the break room on the west side, in the rear of the building. You guys run take a look and make it quick! This place is full of solvents."
Securing facemasks and helmets, Gage and Brice jogged toward the building. The doorway on the left, or west side of the building seemed clear enough. After checking to see if the door or wall were hot, the two rescue men sprinted into the building.
As the paramedics entered the building, Marco and Chet followed with a hose to cover them.
Inside the building the smoke hung like an oily thick black blanket rolling and pitching as it boiled through the space. The suffocating cloud extended down from the ceiling some ten feet above to about three feet off the floor. Crouching in the layer of relatively clear air for improved visibility, the firemen began to search the building. Johnny looked at Brice and signaled he'd go left, and he wanted Brice to go to the right. Brice violently shook his head negatively. He ran over to Gage and yelled though his mask at his partner. "No Gage. That's not SOP. We stay together!"
Johnny was annoyed, but there was no time for discussion. Waving his hand in a beckoning signal to Brice then, Johnny headed off to the left. Brice crouched and followed his partner as they wove their way through huge piles of chemical filled drums. The warehouse was enormous!
Through the increasingly thickening smoke the two rescue men spotted two doorways in the rear of the building. Together, with Johnny leading the way the men first checked, then opened the doorway on the left. Inside they discovered what looked to be an office. No victims were found. Darting from the room, the two men checked the door for the next room. This door was warm, and after signaling to Brice to get away from the door, Johnny kicked it in and darted away himself so as not to get caught in a potential back draft explosion. When no explosion was forthcoming, the medics dashed into the room.
The smoke was getting heavier now forcing the two rescuers to crouch down very near the floor as they began to search what appeared to be a break room. Covering the entire perimeter of the small room the firemen found no victims in this room either. Johnny reached into his turnout coat pocket and pulled out his handi-talkie. Pressing the send button he radioed Captain Stanley.
"Cap, we've checked the office and break room. We haven't found any victims." Johnny said through his SCBA mask.
Marco and Chet followed the medics inside the warehouse. At first they saw no flames. Thick greasy smoke billowed around them, and they could feel the temperature beginning to rise. They directed their hose on the chemical containers that would be in the path of the paramedics should they need to make a hasty retreat. By cooling down the containers, hopefully they would be able to offer safe passage to their crew mates and their rescue victims.
The smoke was thickening rapidly. Suddenly Chet who was on lead with the hose saw figures rushing through the smoke. At first he thought it was Gage and Brice. But as the figures came closer he could hear coughing, and knew it couldn't be their firemen friends.
All at once the four missing victims came coughing and running out of the black fog. Their faces and clothes were smeared almost black with soot. The two linemen turned off the water, and each man grabbed the arms of two of the four victims. Quickly the firemen led the four victims out of the building.
"Cap, we've checked the office and break room. We haven't found any victims." Johnny's muffled voice said from Captain Stanley's handi-talkie.
The warehouse now had flames shooting though the roof, and small explosions were beginning to take out the east side of the building. What had been a plume of black smoke was now a wall of pungent boiling black punctuated by orange flame.
"This building is about to go Gage. Forget the victims. Get out now!" Stanley ordered into his hand set.
"10-4 Cap." Johnny replied.
The instant Gage acknowledged his order, Stanley saw Marco and Chet running from the building with the four victims in tow.
"Gage, the victims are all out now!" Cap quickly said into his radio. "You and Brice get out now, and make it quick!"
Hearing the order from Captain Stanley, Johnny grabbed Brice's sleeve. The two made eye contact through their masks and Gage yelled "The victims are clear. Cap's ordered us out now. He says the building is about to go. Let's move!"
But as he spoke Johnny felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickling. Quickly his eyes darted around the room, his radar on high alert. Johnny saw smoke and air beginning to mix and move as if the warehouse were beginning to breathe like some giant animal. Without a word of warning, Johnny grabbed Brice and pulled him toward the wall where the two men would be shielded behind a large industrial refrigerator and a couple of soda machines. Briefly Gage saw the puzzled look on Brice's face through his mask. Quickly Gage pulled Brice to the ground with him and then the whole world dissolved into black rolling smoke, orange flame and thunderous sound.
Just as Kelly and Lopez cleared the doorway of the warehouse, the building became boiling flame and rolling thunderous smoke as a mammoth explosion rumbled through it.
The two veteran linemen sensed the impending disaster and hit the ground bringing their four victims along. Heat and flame flashed over them as everyone landed harshly on the asphalt, safely beneath the boiling inferno as it poured from the dissolving structure.
Mike Stoker and Hank Stanley stood near the engine silently witnessing the carnage. Two of their own were inside the inferno. The moment, the thoughts and experience of it lasted an eternity and ended in a split second.
