Chapter 10
Code I - Times Two
Everyone flew back their covers as the lights come on with the tones announcing an incoming call.
Station fifty-one, Engine two-ten, Engine eighteen, structure fire twenty-four seventy-three North Beacon St, two-four-seven-three North Beacon St, cross street West Santa Cruz St. Time out four, forty-seven.
As Roy and Johnny rounded the corner on Harbor Highway they could see the smoke and some flames in the distance. "This looks like it's going to be a mean one," Johnny said softly. Roy nodded in agreement.
As they pulled up to the building they could see a small group of people standing out in the middle of the parking lot. Roy headed the squad over towards the group. As the squad came to a halt one of the men hurried over to speak to them, "There are still three young men in there."
"Can you tell me where we can find them inside?" Roy asked as both he and Johnny were pulling out their air tanks.
"I'm not sure, I had them working in a room on the north end of the building cleaning up a storage room. I haven't checked on them for over an hour. They just started working here a couple of weeks ago."
Roy nodded that he understood and turned to meet up with Captain Stanly when the man reached out a hand and stopped him.
"They're only nineteen all three of them were eager to prove themselves."
Roy could see the sad look the man had on his face and new that these men where more then dock workers to him. "We will do our best to get them out." He assured him as he patted his gloved hand on the hand that had grabbed him and turned and headed over to where Johnny was updating Cap on the situation.
Then he called Chet and Marco over, "We have three young men in there you and Marco take a two and a half inch in and assist them."
Both Chet and Marco nodded there consent as they finished pulling on their gear then the four of them moved over to the Engine where they picked up two hoses and headed into the building.
They hurried inside pulling their hoses along with them, as they reached a set of double doors that lead into a large store room Chet radioed to Mike to charge the lines and then they pushed their way in. On the east side there were boxes and barrels that were burning hot the two man hose team worked together to push the fire back and then Roy and Johnny turned off their hose and hurried over to the far north wall where there was another set of double doors. As they entered a hall way the were confronted with heavy smoke, Roy looked at Johnny and he nodded to indicate he would take the left side of the hall way and Roy took the right.
They would enter each room and do a thorough search and then step back out and place a large X on the door to show that the room had been searched. They were halfway down the hall when Johnny hollered to Roy that he had found them. After making sure Roy had heard him he ducked back into the room. The three boys where lying on the floor unconscious. He hurried over to the nearest young man and checked his neck for a pulse, relived to find one he lifted him over his shoulders and headed past Roy and out the door. He quickly hurried down the hall way and push thru the double doors. He noticed that there were two other firemen using their deserted hose. Hurrying over to Marco and Chet and yelled over the noise of the fire and the spraying water. "Roy needs some help!" Chet shut off the hose and then they both headed for the doors where Johnny had come from. At that time there was an explosion causing debris to shower down around them. Johnny hurried to get the young man out of there but in an effort to dodge some of the debris he caught his foot on one of the hoses and both he and the young man went down hard. Johnny felt a sharp pain in his foot just before his face smashed into a cement support beam and his vision faded. The next thing he was aware of was the weight of the young man being lifted off of him. He opened his eyes and realized that his mask was broken, allowing the smoke into his lungs. He could also feel a moist sticky substance which led him to believe he had cut his face too. "This is great, just great, just what I needed to go with the rest of my miserable day." He told himself as he felt someone pulling him up off the floor. He turned his head to see a fireman from station eighteen pulling his arm over his shoulder. "Let's get you out of here!"
Johnny was a little dazed and was coughing as he was assisted out of the building. His right ankle hurt to put weight on it, however he quickly put all that aside as he was lowered onto the ground next to the unconscious young man. He watched as Mike put an oxygen mask over the boys face and turn on the O2. While he struggled to pull off what was left of his face mask and discard the heavy air tank.
Captain Stanly watched as a member of eighteens assisted one of his men out of the building. He was glad that the battalion chief had arrived a little while ago and had taken charge of the details of the fire. This meant he could go help out. He hurried over to the squad arriving just as the fireman was set down next to a young man. He was shocked to see the damaged to his air-mask and the blood. When Johnny pulled the mask away from his face there was blood running down his face. His best guess was that the cut started just below his hair line, mid forehead and down to the bridge of his nose.
Seeing that Mike was helping the young man, he turned to the med box and grabbed a gauze pad. He knew that head wounds bleed a lot, and often would look more savior then they truly were. With Roy still in the building, he could help out a little here. He ripped off the cover and held the gauze pad over the cut with gentle pressure. Johnny tried to brush his captain's hands aside so that he could get to the victim. "Hold still! I know you're the paramedic but Mikes doing a fine job for now." He pushed Johnny back down. "Now hold still and let me get this bleeding under control."
All three men were startled by a second explosion that rang out from the building sending balls of flame into the air and glass shooting from the ventilation windows at the top of the building. Everyone turned around quickly, searching the area for their comrades. It didn't take them long to realize that Roy, Marco and Chet were still in the building some where. Cap pulled his HT out of his pocket and quickly reported to the Battalion chief that he had three men still in the building and that one of his paramedics was injured and recommending he call in another squad and a couple more ambulances. Then he asked for permission to go in the building and help with the search for his men. As soon as he received an okay he looked back down at his junior paramedic, "Johnny can you keep pressure on this?" Johnny responded by reaching up to hold pressure to his head wound. Then Cap turned to Mike, "Keep an eye on him, I'm going to see if I can help." Then he ran to Big Red to retrieve breathing equipment and headed into the building.
The young man Mike was helping started to come around now. "Take it easy, you're safe now. Just keep taking deep breaths," Mike told him. Then when he was sure the young man was calm he turned and retrieved a roll of gauze from one of the supply boxes and proceeded to wrap it around Johnny's head to secure the gauze pad over his wound. He should have covered his eyes to properly cover the part of the cut that dropped between his eyes. However, Johnny wouldn't let him. "I need to see so I can take care of this young man and his friends. At least until Roy gets out here or another squad gets here."
As soon as Mike had secured the gauze, Johnny pushed him aside and slid over to the drug box and pulled out a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff then he slid over to access the vitals of the young man next to him. But before he was in reach of the young man, his head began to spin and his vision blurred causing his stomach to turn. He stopped moving, closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths willing him self to stabilize.
"Johnny? Are you okay?" Mike asked.
"Yah," he said and returned to the task at hand.
Mike wasn't sure Johnny was alright, but he needed to get back to his gages, for a moment. But he didn't let that responsibility stop him from keeping a watchful eye on his injured friend.
After the debris for the explosion had begun to settled, Chet popped his head up from where he had fallen to floor. He saw a large support beam that had fallen, and was resting across Roy's mid section pinning him down with the young man he had been carrying some what underneath him. Chet looked over to where Marco and the young man he had been carrying lay. Marco was huddling over the top of the boy. As Marco straightened he arched his back and shook his head for a brief moment and Chet saw that his helmet had been knocked off. Chet saw Marco grab his helmet and placed it back on his head and moved to pick the young man up but Chet stopped him by calling. "I need some help over here!" Chet then turned his full attention to Roy and the other young man to evaluate the situation. Marco was quickly at Chet's side, and the two tried to lift the beam but it was too heavy. Chet then turned and suggested, "Get the boy out and come back with the jack, more man power and a couple of stokes."
Marco had only been gone for a minute or two when one of the firemen from 18's came up behind him, "What you got?"
"I'm waiting on some more equipment." Then he gestured over to the hose and suggested, "See what you can do to keep the fire at bay."
Captain Stanly was heading towards the building as he finished gearing up when he saw Marco came running out of the building with a young man over his shoulders. Cap ran to him and asked, "Where's Roy and Chet? Are they coming?"
Marco shook his head, "No, Roy's trapped."
Just then Cap's hand held radio squawked and Chet's muffled voice began explaining the situation and made his request for the needed supplies. Cap lifted the hand held radio to his mouth, "10-4 HT 51." Then he turned to Marco, "You drop him off and grab a stokes and the air jack. I'll grab the other stokes and the extra air tank and meet you inside."
Marco quickly carried the man over to where Johnny was working on his friend and laid him down. He was shocked to see the bandage on his head and the blood that was draining into his eye's giving him the beginning of raccoon eyes. "Hey you okay?"
"I'll be fine, it looks worse then it really is. What's Roy doing?" Johnny replied as he slowly moved over to the new victim and started him on oxygen.
"He's trapped under a fallen beam but we will have him out soon." Marco explained then he turned towards the squad and grabbed the equipment he needed and ran back into the building.
Slowly, Johnny began taking the vitals of the new arrival. He new he would have to wait for them to bring Roy to him.
Cap ran up to where the men were working to free Roy and the third victim. Chet was sharing his air mask with the young boy but quickly returned his mask as Cap bent and place the one he brought over the young man's face. Then he began sizing up the beam and considered the situation. When Roy began moving around, Chet moved in close so he could hear him over the sound of the fire. "Take it easy Roy we'll have you out of here soon." He could see the pain etched on his face as he gave a little nod.
As soon as Marco returned Cap took the jack and a few moments later both Roy and the young man where freed and loaded in the stokes. Cap stood and signaled to the men from 18's and gave the signal for a complete evacuation of the building and all the remaining firemen headed for the doors.
Johnny had the two men stable. His head was pounding and his eyes were beginning to swell with the subcutaneous bleeding from his head wound. Mike stepped over to check on him, "Johnny, you need any help?"
When Johnny turned to look at him Mike was astonished to see the discoloration and swelling around Johnny's eyes. "Johnny you need to lay down. I can help keep an eye on these two until the next squad arrives."
Johnny nodded slightly as he turned and laid down, "Can you check on the ETA on the ambulances and second squad."
Mike was really concerned when Johnny willingly laid down with out a fight. He pulled out his HT and radioed dispatch and listened as they requested ETA of Squad 8. "ETA seven minuets." He turned to tell Johnny but he signaled that he had heard and the first of the ambulances where just arriving. Johnny moved to sit up but Mike stopped him, "I've got it covered, we can get these two loaded and then we'll get you loaded with them.