First Responder “You won’t tell anyone,” the man upstairs announced. “Nobody besides the cops,” my father snapped back. “Okay,” he continued, “have it your way.” I heard a gunshot then something collapsed on the ground. “Noooooo!” my mother screamed. Another gunshot. Another collapse. Still no sleep, the clock read 3:04 a.m. Alarm beeping so loudly my ears were ringing. I opened my eyes and sweat stung them, my pillow drenched. Every firefighter at the station had an alarm clock to wake us up if a fire is detected near our area. It flashed colors. Blue was the farthest away from my current location. Green was closer, then yellow, then orange, then engine red. This one was as orange as clementine. I got up, my gear on, and headed downstairs …show more content…
“Look we said we’re fine, but we do have something for you,” he admitted. Suspiciously I answered, “What is it?” All six of them smirked like a guilty toddler. “A mission,” replied. He handed me a piece of paper. As he started to walk away he turned back to me and spoke “And don’t try to trace the number, it’s a burner phone.” He laughed. I hurried to the car, the note in my pocket. There was no way I was going to open it before I got home. Eager was overcoming my soul. I needed to open the letter. I didn’t know what these kids were up to but if they have a burner phone it has to be something of scale. “Honey, I’m home!” I shouted. Without waiting for a response I dug the letter out of my pocket and took a deep breath. YOU HAVE THREE DAYS TO FINISH THIS. WE NEED YOU TO START A FIRE AT 679 MORRIS RD. IF YOU HAVE ANYMORE QUESTIONS CALL THIS NUMBER 319-804-5894 In my head I knew the entire idea was totally absurd. I am a firefighter I stop fires not set them. I told myself confidently. As I re-folded the paper in disbelief something caught my …show more content…
Suddenly, the idea didn’t seem ludicrous to me anymore. Memories of her flashed in my head as I pulled the letter from my pocket almost ripping it. I needed to dial that number. “Pick up, pick up,” I said on the seconds humm of the phone. “Took you long enough Sherlock,” he greeted me. “Where is she? Is she okay?” I spat aloud. “Speak!” I heard shouted through the phone. The screech making my ears ring. “Hey honey, I am okay,” Her voice gave me a wave of relief. “We are going now, text your wife, I’m sure you can trace that,” he taunted. The buzz coming through my cellphone signaled the call was over. I needed to take a step back and think about it. My mind told me I should shower, my nose agreed. Water wetted my hair as visions of my wife danced through my head. Research! That was what I was going to do; if I set the fire big enough so they could see it but not hot enough that it killed anyone we would all be happy. Wait! I alerted myself, Was I actually considering this? I questioned. Decision told me I should ask more questions. I picked up my phone and started typing. How much longer do i have to seal the deal 42 hours That doesn’t seem right wanna fight i can make it
'Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?’ ‘No. Houses. have always been fireproof, take my word for it.’ ‘Strange. I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames.’ He laughed.
The forest fire started on the 18th of August 1937 but remained unnoticed until the 20th when it was located in a drainage bottom, having already spread 2 acres1. A spotter plane finally detected the fire and it was reported to the local ranger station. The ranger station deployed 58 men1, to construct a fireline and to set up water pumps. This delay in finding the fire, however, proved to be crucial as the fire had already had time to spread through the forest and led to small spots of fire already having split of from the main body. These would prove to be critical later on. In the investigation following the Blackwater fire, David P. Godwin noted that if the men had arrived earlier “they would have had sufficient time to complete the line job ahead of the 3:30pm gale which caused the blow up”3. He therefore suggested the “Smokejumper Project”3, in which firefighters would parachute to the area of the fire in the hopes that it would cut down reaction time. Smokejumpers are trained wildland firefighters who parachute to the location when the fire is still small and extinguish it before it becomes a threat; they are still used t...
The Worcester cold storage fire that occurred in Worcester Massachusetts on December, 3 1999 provided us with another tragic example to the lurking dangers to the United States fire service. The Worcester fire claimed the lives of 6 firefighters who came to work that morning not realizing that this would be their last shift . The strategic and tactical lessons that were learned from this fire need to be heeded by fire department nationwide. However another important lesson is not as well know. The lesson learned by the Worcester Fire department is that the law is very instrumental to emergency services operations.
Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. United States: Shmoop University, 2014. Shmoop. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. .
Fire safety education is a crucial aspect of fire prevention. The general public needs to know how big of a threat fire is to them and how they can do things in their everyday lives to improve their safety, as well as preventing the threat of fire to begin with. The commission also realized that it was critically important that people know how to properly act once a fire has started. It is important that people have the knowledge to act quickly, safely, and effectively. When people don’t understand fire they can react in many negative ways such as panicking, not evacuating effectively, or by trying to fight a fire that they are not going to be able to extinguish. All these human reactions can decrease safety and end with tragic results. In the commission’s report they approximate that nearly 70 percent of all building fires were due to people acting carelessly because they did not understand the fire dangers that were present. The commission cited studies like one conducted in southeast Missouri. In the southeast Missouri community, a huge emphasis was put into public fire safety education because the fire death rate of the community was much higher than the national average. After increasing fire safety education in the community it was no surprise that the rate of deaths and injuries decreased
Thirty minutes later, however, Jackie’s Ford Taurus swung into our driveway, and Jackie was leaning on the horn before the car came to a stop. Grabbing my coat from the couch, I walked out my front door with enthusiasm of a man going to stand before a firing squad. When I got to Jackie‘s car I opened the door and said, “What’s wrong Jackie”.
A secret label, hushed and never talked about, has followed my name since I was born; “Pyro,” pyromaniac that is. Fascination with fire, the uncontrollable impulse to start fires, has been circulating in my blood from the first day I was born. Smelting heat and flames would spark my attention no matter what my surroundings. Candle lit dinner tables, switch flick colorful lighters, lit cigarette butts and burning matches. Oh matches! How I love them. The smell of gasoline has always been a heavenly scent, burning paper and bonfire parties are two of my other favorites. Smokey haze has always soothed me. One crisp October afternoon, however, that soothing smoky haze turned against me.
“Who you gonna call? Ghost Busters” (Brillstein & Reitman, 1984). In 1984, a very popular comedy movie “Ghostbusters” hit the big screen and this one quote from the movie seemed to stick in everyone’s head. The question that seems to be posed when there is a crisis or emergency situation today would be “Who you gonna call? The fire department”. In today’s society fire departments have become the “catch-all” for every kind of emergency. Don’t you agree? Fire is still a big part of the fire service, “in 2015, every twenty-three seconds a fire department was responding to a fire” (NFPA (Ed.). , 2015). However, the fire service has evolved from just “putting the wet stuff on the red stuff” mentality to a profession
The fuel, heat, and air needed for my fire are my personal achievements, the people in my life, and my freedom. Without any of these three things my fire will die out. I ask of all of you that you take time to think about your own lives, and what keeps your fires going. With a little more attention and effort, your flames will reach new heights. If Edith Sodergran was right about the importance of mankind’s inner fire, than I hope someday everyone can see how bright and colorful each other’s flames can be. THANK YOU.
Thousands of fires occur on a yearly basis throughout the United States. Whether it is forest fires, house fires, or any other event that involves uncontrollable flames, the outcome will always be the same; high amounts of destruction and physical damage. When fire emergencies occur, responding to the incident may not be much of a complication as apposed to determining the source from where the fire started or what triggered its behavior, which is truly the challenge. In order to do so, a fire investigator has to be present at the scene of the fire after it has been eliminated. The investigator, after reviewing any possible marks or behavior trails, will conclude if the incident was indeed an accident or intentional, thus making it an act of arson. According to the U.S. Fire Administration Topical Fire Research Series, “Arson is the leading cause of fires (267,000 annually) in the United States” (usfa.fema.gov). Arson cases are very complex due to the fact that it can be committed virtually anywhere and by anyone, including fire responders as well. The motives behind arson incidents can also be a very complex issue because it may have been used as a cry for help or simply as a mode of cognitive escape. Gathered reports indicate that the main reasons for arsons committed by firefighter personnel are to be viewed as a heroic figure, an escape from personal stress, financial gain purposes, excitement, or even revenge against the fire company and others.
"Fine. As long as you're out of here soon," you said off-handedly, your attention unwavering from your laptop. Lapis huffed, but didn't say anything to your blatant response.
HM Government (2008) Fire and Rescue Manual, Volume 2, Fire Service Operations, Incident Command, 3rd Ed.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! My alarm clock noisily beeped until I slammed it off. It was Friday, and I just had to make it through one more day of school. It was 5:00 A.M. My alarm usually goes off at six. I was a little bit confused. Then, it hit me like a line drive to the gut. I was going to the Bahamas. I ran down the stairs faster than a fighter jet in combat and put my cinnamon toast Eggo waffle in the toaster. I realized that I needed to wake everyone else up so we could go. I heard what sounded like a pig in distress, and knew my dad was fast asleep. I tried to be gentle when I woke him up. First it was a tap. He snored. Then, it was a whisper followed by a light shove. He snored three times. I wondered if he was communicating
...r it is arson, an uncontrolled camp fire, or a cigarette butt it doesn’t take much for humans to spark a disaster. Yet there is as well a few set by good old Mother Nature. On top of the effects on the earth as well as humans, there is only one thing we all can do and that is listen to our old pal Smokey the Bear when he says, “only you can prevent wildfire.”
Mrs. Johnson walked into their basement, where they had a wood burning stove, which they purchased with the intention of saving money on heat in the winter, but this time they might be doing more than that. She opened up the black metal door and scooped out some black charred remnants of the last fire burned within the unit and put it in a mason jar. She grabbed the nearest pen and paper, scribbled the words, ‘Please give me a child. I would do anything,’ and put that folded note in the jar as well.