Chapter One
Mike squinted in concentration. The smoke and steam were heavy, his visibility low. It didn't help that the road was sodden and not clearly marked. He knew Hank was pouring over the mapbooks, making sure they wouldn't get lost or, worst case scenario, stuck. He could hear Marco in the back praying silently in Spanish. He hoped that the god Marco believed in would help. Their situation was pretty dire.
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The engine had been called to a brush fire very early on in the shift. They didn't think anything of it at the time. It was brush fire season. By the end of the morning, they knew they were earning their paycheck. They had been working all day with short breaks, only when the water or gas tank needed refilling. Currently, they were assigned to a lower canyon. Protecting a secluded wildlife rescue from hotspots and building a fire break, trying to prevent it from burning down. Mike was manning the pump panel and listening to the radio, Marco and Chet were digging a ditch for the firebreak, and Hank was manning a hose on his own, wetting down the structure. Mike had a lot to worry about. Despite the fact his Captain was right there, he was currently in charge. Only he had access to a radio and could see the entire scene. Adjusting the pump pressure on Stanley's line, with their quickly emptying tank, he hoped they would be reassigned soon.
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The doctor's lounge at Rampart currently held two stressed medics listening to the radio. Their radio was switched from the normal dispatch channel to the operations channel their coworkers were on. They were worried, if the wind changed direction, they would be stranded. There was only one way in and out of that valley. Johnny had been there, he could picture it. 51's squad hadn't been dispatched to the brush fire, they weren't even at their own station anymore. They were transferred to another firehouse whose squad was at the fire. Dixie walked in with her empty mug. "How the boys doing?" she asked, noticing the tense silence. She was well aware of the fire, they had already received a few burns and injuries.
"Okay for now, it could get ugly." Johnny replied, knowing more about the location than Roy.
"I don't want to see any of you back here on a stretcher, capeesh?" she asked, ordered really.
Roy nodded his head. "We should get back John. I want to look at the map some more." Dixie raised her eyebrows questioningly. Having ridden with them before, she knew they were very familiar with their first due. "We were transferred to 36's." he added.
"Ah," she said. "They at the fire?" she asked unnecessarily. Johnny nodded, seemingly not upset at the 'lack of action'. Roy stood waiting at the door.
"My ride's leaving." he said, smirking, hiding his nerves. "See you later Dix." he said as they walked out the door.
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The evacuation tones sounded over the radio channel. Mike didn't move immediately as he would in a regular structure fire. There were multiple units working on this channel in multiple locations. When the name of the canyon they were currently in came up, he mentally shifted gears. He minutely changed the water pressure in the hose, just enough to get Stanley's attention. That's how he normally got the attention of Chet and Marco, he hoped Hank was familiar enough with their 'off the books' procedure. Next, he yelled for Marco and Chet. They jogged over, shovels over their shoulders. "Batt called evac tones. Winds changed." he said. They nodded and stowed their shovels, already starting to pack up their equipment. Stanley finally emerged from the distance, dragging hose behind him. He grinned at the collected guys, his teeth white in contrast with his muddy and sooty face.
"It's been a while since I've lugged a hose solo." He said, looking absolutely enthralled. Mike felt terrible to dampen his spirits.
"Batt called evac tones. Winds changed." He repeated.
Hank nodded, suddenly serious, "Let's rack this up." he said, pointing at the piled hose. "I don't care what it looks like, we've got one minute." The situation was not lost on Hank. They were in the bottom of a canyon he wasn't terribly familiar with. The one thing he did know, there was only one way in and out.
You could tell why the tones were called mere minutes later. Thick smoke was pouring into the canyon valley. They felt the wind shift and the fire move around them, hungrily eating anything in it's way. The men of A shift were finally in motion. The engine was carefully making her way up the road at the direction of Mike. They couldn't see or hear the fire, but they could feel it. In the corner of his eye, Mike saw Hank pull out the mapbook. Mike maneuvered the engine around a tight turn, frowning. He didn't remember it being this tight before. He rolled his window up, trying to keep his eyes clear. Hank copied him, trying to keep the cab free of smoke. Their radio keyed up and Hank answered. "Engine 51, go ahead."
"Engine 51, what's your status?"
Hank looked down at his map before replying, then he glanced over at Mike who answered the unasked question, "About a mile up the road Cap." he said calmly.
Stanley nodded, "Engine 51, we're approximately a mile up the canyon road."
"Expedite your egress, the wind's blowing it over the west side ridge." Was the Battalion Chief's order.
"Copy." was Hank's short reply. He quickly calculated how many miles they had left to climb in Big Red, then glanced in the side mirror. If the smoke was any indication, the fire was close.