|
|
|
| Page Four |
|
"Charlie, think about it. Your overall condition, if anything, has improved. Greatly. That angioplasty you underwent this morning was a complete success. You have gone a step forward, not backwards." Joe said with a gentle smile. "You should know. Life always changes. And that can be a blessing in disguise sometimes even if we don't realize it right away. And your whole changing situation here is no exception. Your time as an active on duty mechanic may be over, but that doesn't mean that you have to stop hanging around your old haunts like you usually do." "Say, doc.. That's a lightbulb of an idea. I really like that. A lot. You're giving me some dandies already.." Charlie chuckled. "I'm gonna go see EVERYone, first thing, when I get released in an hour. That's ah, only if you allow it with this groin stick and all." Charlie fussed, gesturing to his waist level. "It's ok.." Joe laughed. "You'll be fully recovered from lunch by then. Sorry for that casserole. It usually has some coffee with it that makes it palatable, but we're currently fresh out. Your catheter puncture will be fully clotted in about half an hour." "Good. Cause Charlie the mechanic's got people to see. Places to go. Know what I mean?" "Yeah.. I know what you mean.." Joe said. ---------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Brackett had long abandoned his grid locked car along the margin of the freeway for a phone. "Dix? Yeah, it's Kel." he held the receiver away from his ear when he heard his head nurse start to moan about her coffeeless state and question about his now long overdue ETA. "Sorry, Dix. Traffic jam. Probably another fog pile up by Long Beach. You know how far these traffic snarls can back up around here. I'm gonna haveta take the rest of the night off. Would you inform Doctor Bender that I won't be coming in?" he asked. "Thanks. You're a doll. I promise I'll get some coffee to ya sooner rather than later. Tonight." Kel hung up the payphone at the Shell station and wandered back to his car for the long wait for the jam to clear out. -------------------------------------------------------- |
 | ||
|
|
Charlie the mechanic knew the best ways to sneak up on firehouses when firemen least expected it. It was a habit he had developed so he could really see the wear and tear the guys inflicted on his beloved vehicles. He let himself in with his master key through the rear door and he stealthily saundered across the garage. First thing, his eye fell on Squad 51's tires, checking for curb scuffs from all the sudden stops she had to make during each run. "There, you go, sweetie." he said, patting Squad 51's hood while another finger swept over her front grill chrome looking for grime. "Looks like my tyrannical temper tantrums are finely having an effect, aren't they? Your wheels are perfect darlin ! Your chrome, too. But there's no way in Hades that I'm ever gonna stop blowing off steam on your behalf at those crazy firemen. You deserve the best and don't you ever forget it. I'll make sure the new guy learns that lesson quick." Charlie said. A voice from the far side of the bay echoed through the high rafters overhead. "Charlie? Is that you? I thought I heard your voice.." said Captain Stanley as he exited his office door. He immediately noticed Charlie, not wearing his department uniform. "It's your day off? I thought you had a double inspection load on Wednesdays." Cap frowned. "Yeah, well. I've got some news there." Charlie said circumspect and suddenly serious. "Looks like I'll have a whole lotta days off from now on.." Cap wasn't surprised, for he had been on the rescue call that went out for Charlie a week ago for heightened chest pain. "So, it's come to that, eh? Your ticker ok?" he said casually inquiring. "Oh, yeah. The docs at Rampart fixed the plumbin real fine. I'm good to go. But I gotta get out of the fast lane they've been telling me." "Retirement?" Cap asked. "Yeah.. Hate that word. Makes me sound like I'm being put out ta pasture.." Charlie said, reaching for a back pocket that no longer held an oily rag. He stopped himself before he was too obvious in his reaction about being out of uniform. "So, I uh, hope ya don't mind me comin over to say goodbye ta the guys like this. Heh. Seeing my beauties I'd done anyway." he said throwing a careless hand at the Ward and Squad behind them. "Had to check up one more time on my babies. I had ta come back.. Know what I mean?" "Yeah, I know what you what mean.." Cap grinned. "How about coming in for a cup of coffee? Stoker brews a mean pot." "Nope. No more coffee. Doc's orders. But I could sure use some of that clam chowder I smell on the stove. Must be yours cause the cream's not overpowering the clams there." Cap ducked his head at the compliment. "Glad someone appreciates my chowder. I thought that Joe Early was my only chowder fan." "Yeah? Well add one more. Me.." Charlie said jerking a thumb at his chest. "Take me to your chowder." he joked. "You know the way.." Hank beamed. ------------------------------------------------------ |
 |
 |
|
Men from three firehouses turned up for Charlie's retirement party that his bosses threw at his old workplace only five hours after Charlie was discharged from Rampart. Only Cap, Johnny and Roy and Chet could find replacements for themselves to be able to attend, but Cap felt that his three from Station 51 was a good showing considering the high density of runs that usually came during that part of summer. As for himself, he wouldn't have missed Charlie's final send off for the world. He still remembered the days when HE was cringing during one of Charlie's tune up inspections as a regular fireman. He knew he was going to miss Charlie more than he realized. "And this, is the main repair bay. Where we fix all the damage you boys do to the engines.." Charlie said, his voice rising higher and higher in a familar tirade. He stopped himself before his blood pressure shot too high. "Oops.. gotta watch myself. Well, you know the speech. Ain't gonna preach to the choir here. I'm a free man!" Cheers erupted from the three groups of station firefighters mingling in with station 51's four. Charlie shot them all a suspicious look when he couldn't tell whether the guys were cheering for his newly liberated state, or the fact that they wouldn't be cringing over any of his hundred proof lectures anymore. "Hey! Pipe it down.. There are working joes over there. They can't hear themselves think over that kind of racket." The firefighters quieted down and continued eating their cake and vanilla ice cream. Chet's mouth was still hanging open. His eyes were still bugging out at the long row of cracked open fire engine chassis that were angled up on hoists away from their motor assemblies from the rigs lined up next to them, in the huge space surrounding the party tables. |
 |
 |
|
Charlie noticed. "What? Did you think I worked in a three pump mom and pop gas station on the corner? This joint's the size of a small airport!" Charlie said proudly. He proceeded to lecture to his hungrily eating captive audience on how, his long and varied career as an FD mechanic, began. He finished with an historic account of how his plans had been turned into blueprints and then later eventuality with the construction of the half mile long pit stop facility that Los Angeles County now used for all of its vehicle maintenance. Johnny Gage swiped some cake crumbs off of his dress uniform tie and mumbled from the corner of his mouth to Cap. "Say, does this mean we can slack off a little on vehicle detail? " Cap grimaced. "Eeooww. This is awful.." looking down at his paper cup and then just as quick at something over the heads of all the retirement party guests. "The coffee?" Johnny asked. "No, you twit, the squad! I can see the soot on her windshield from here.." Cap said. Roy and Johnny then realized that maybe they wouldn't be getting off scot free so easily with Charlie's departure from active duty. Roy leaned over and said. "Wanna bet Cap'll have us polishing by sundown after we get back to the station?" "No bet.." Johnny sighed. -------------------------------------------- |
 |
 |
|
Dr. Brackett was just turning onto Curson Avenue near sundown, when his emergency services CB radio, went off. ##Eeeee OOooo EEeeeeeee.. Station 51. Unknown type rescue. 5801 Wilshire Blvd. Cross street Curson. 5801 Wilshire Blvd. Cross street Curson. Time out, 18: 12.## ::That's only a block from here.:: Kel thought. He turned his wheel towards a new construction site he could see to his left. ::Maybe I can help out some..:: -------------------------------------------------------- |
|
*************************************** From : "patti keiper" <pattik1@hotmail.com> Subject : [EmergencyTheaterLive] Samaritan Snare.. Date : Tue, 13 May 2003 13:39:17 +0000 Acknowledgements to Lt. Stuart C. Burrows Hazardous Materials Team Coordinator Paramus Fire Dept., NJ for the information about natural kerosene risks.. -- -- -- Dr. Brackett made good time down the weaving road. He saw a man, full of black ooze leaning heavily against a parking lot post. He was obviously the one sent out to intercept the responding fire unit to show them where the emergency was. Kel made sure his car was out of the way of any hydrants, against a fence line off the road and he leaped out of his car, rolling up his sleeves. He grabbed a folded blanket he had in the back seat from a basket of clean laundry he had there. "I'm Dr. Brackett. I heard there was trouble out here needing the fire department. Are you hurt?" The gasping, soaked man coughed. "No.. I'm fine." he said, as Kel grasped him around the shoulders. "Sit down here. I'll watch for them." Dr. Brackett said. "Here. This will help warm you up." he said, wrapping his blue blanket around the man. "What happened?" he said trying to find where the trouble was near them by turning in a circle and looking. "It's the pit. Pit number 91. I'm on an excavation crew. *cough* I don't understand it. The construction team told us the supports were strong enough. E..I-I.. the whole wall caved in on Aragorn, the lead archaeologist. She was working on an incredible Bicus Gravus.." "A what?" Dr. Brackett said, watching the exhausted man gather his strength back. He tried not to think what was covering the man. Already, his own clothes were black and sticky. "Just take it easy. Help's on the way. Who's with Aragorn right now? Anyone else involved?" "No.. I.. Half of us left because of the danger but half stayed with her. I don't know for sure.." Dr. Brackett was ready when the man suddenly blacked out. He caught him and carefully lowered his head to the grass. He set his hand on the man's shivering stomach to monitor his ragged breathing. In the distance he could hear the sound of approaching sirens and it wasn't long before Station 51 screeched up to the curb by his side. Chet Kelly bailed out of his seat, opening the side door of the Ward and into a miasma of stench. "What is that smell?!" he said, covering his nose. Marco was equally effected and both Kelly and Lopez's eyes located what appeared to be a small lake at the foot of a white highrise bank on the other side of the partially constructed parking lot. They could just see rising steam coming from it and could hear a loud copious mass bubbling. Before they could wonder further, they spotted their first concern. Two people smeared in black gel like stuff a short distance away. Stoker commented. "Smells like asphalt." Mike theorized, not even slowing down as he hit the anchor feet switches on the engine to ready her for hose work. He kicked a board under each piston as it lowered to the concrete. Captain Stanley shot out of the cab after announcing his company's arrival to the scene to L.A. "Good call Stoker. This might be a chemical spill. String some hose, long enough to reach that partially built building over there. But don't prime it yet. Not until we know exactly what we're dealing with here." He took an experimental sniff, relying on instinct to make a judgement call. "Skip the SCBA for now. This stuff doesn't seem caustic." Then he paused in his tracks. "Dr. Brackett?" he exclaimed when he realized just who was with the only victim in eyeshot. He tersely waved Marco to go get the spare O2 apparatus from the engine's side compartment. "Whatcha got, doc? Johnny! Roy! Man down. Over here. Skip the resuscitator. I had Lopez grab ours." |
 |
 |
 |
|
He watched his two paramedics nod and scramble to get their equipment. He noticed them making faces at the stench in the air but they remained all business. The Rampart physician looked up from his unconscious patient and he rubbed his nose with his forearm to avoid getting some dark gunk that was covering his hands, onto his face. "He's fine. Just fainted. His pulse's strong and regular. He said there was a cave-in somewhere nearby.." Kel said. "In a location called Pit 91. Sounded like it was an archaeological dig or something." "Need anything more than this?" Hank asked as Marco plunked down the O2 cylinder and rack and got out a clear flowing O2 mask for the limp man. "Nah.." Kel said, seeing Roy and Johnny rushing over from the squad, heavily laden. "Johnny and Roy have everything I'm gonna need." "Ok." Cap sighed in relief. He cast his head about, looking for a likely spot for a cave in. He then noticed a sign saying,'Page Museum, opening June, 1977. Come see a Woolly Mammoth.' A vague memory tickled the back of his mind and a word came up into recall, unbidden. "La Brea.." he mumbled. "What?" Dr. Brackett said, making sure the O2 was securely over the man's nose and mouth. He gave a few orders for Roy and Johnny to get primary info and to look for some ID for any possible medical history clues. He nodded when Johnny and Roy verbalized the man's vitals to him. Hank swiped off some of the dark smears on Kel's sleeves and lifted it to his nose.. "Tar Pits..." he added to his earlier comment. "Doc, I think I know what the trouble is now. It's all falling into place.." Cap got on his HT, and thumbed it so all his men could hear him. "Just identified the chemical smell, all. It's methane, and kerosene on top of asphalt. This place must be a newly rising museum over the site called the La Brea Tar Pits. Heard about it last year. Under no circumstances are you to run any water on any open flames burning on the stuff. It'll be useless since kerosene floats. When we find the scene, go in dry. But watch for any signs of fire. That lake can burn regardless." ##10-4. ## Cap heard from Marco and Chet and Johnny as they scrambled to get the work done. Cap noticed Dr. Brackett just itching to do more from where he was crouched over the fainted man. "I can watch him, doc, until the ambulance arrives. Go with Johnny and Roy and my other men to see what's up if you'd like. They'll watch your back." "Think I'll do that. He should be waking up any time." the doctor said to Cap as they exchanged places crouching by the man's head."He's starting to move a little." Johnny and Roy took Cap's cue to move on with the main rescue scene assessment as he threw a hand towards the quiet, scaffoulding covered building next to the bubbling lake of tar. Chet was still gagging on the oily stench filling the air. He mumbled under his breath. "Sure you don't want us to have masks on, Cap?" Hank jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Just go.." with a half annoyed, half amused smile. Kelly went."I'm gone.." He was only two steps behind Johnny, Roy and Kel as they hastened with belts and ropes towards the building Cap had indicated. They were running across a sidewalk over looking the tar pit "lake" when they heard a shout. "Down here! Please! Hurry.." Gage said, "Hold it. Hold it.." when he heard the cry. They all leaned over the concrete railing of the bridge above the writhing moat and peered over the edge. Kel Brackett coughed as a wind gust drove more stench into his lungs. "There!" he shouted pointing downwards. They could just see another oil slicked scientist type on the lower level of the museum, through the windows gesturing wildly for their attention. Roy shouted. "All right! We see ya. Just hang on.. We're coming down!" he shouted to the man urgently pounding on the glass to get their attention. The oily figure disappeared back the way he had come into the dark interior of the museum's lower level. Gage looked about for any sign of stairs. There were none. Just a steeply dropping off shoreline at the edges of the tar pit. "We don't have time to look for stairs. Roy, why don't we try rappelling down to the windows and breaking through.." |
 |
 |
|
"Sounds like a good plan to me.." Roy said, belting up. He lifted his hand held radio. "HT 51 to Engine 51." ##Go ahead, Ht 51.## "There's someone flagging us down on the lower level of the museum, right next to the tar lake. We need the squad to anchor rappelling gear from a concrete bridge." ##10-4, 51. Lopez is on his way with it. I'm sending Stoker with him.## Dr. Brackett fidgetted as he paced back and forth. "Not much I can do from here." "Oh, yes you can.." Johnny said. "You can help Marco keep the lines from fraying on the concrete here once Roy and I go over.." he said slapping the concrete railing. He peeled off his coat. "Here, doc. Use my coat for that." "Right.." Kel said, understanding the plan immediately. Gage kept talking. "Chet, rig a line for yourself. You're coming along.. It's gonna take three of us to get anyone who's stuck in this goop out of that cave in." Kelly's face widened in surprise when he realized that he would be dangling over the surface of the methane boiling tar pit. "Sounds like fun." he said unenthusiastically. Lopez arrived with the squad, backing her up until her rear bumper was next to the turnout coat draped railing. He quickly helped Johnny, Roy and Chet secure their lifelines to it with pulleys and figure eight knots. "Need the stokes?" Marco asked Roy. "Yeah, and send down just the O2 for now. We still haven't seen where to go yet.." DeSoto replied. "I'll get it set.." Johnny was the first over the edge of the concrete bridge. "Gimme some more slack!" he shouted up as the firemen and Kel on the bridge slowly hand over handed him down over the lake. Gage twisted around until he was able to kick off a bridge piling far enough to grab an exposed plastic pipe over the "beach". He untied his line, hurrying to the window. Roy quickly followed, doing the same thing. And then it was Chet's turn. Kelly wasn't so agile with his rappelling and his gloves slipped on the way down. |
 |
 |
 |
|
"Chet! Look out!" Gage shouted in warning. Kelly landed with a splash into the tar pit up to his chest. "Aghhh!! Get me out of here before I sink!" Chet flailed. He rapidly began to sink under the lake's surface, to his chin, to his flaring nostrils. Roy yelled. "Marco. Toss me down his belt line!" Lopez hastily flung the second rope to Johnny and Roy so they could pull Chet out. Gage shouted. "Chet, quit moving or you'll go under.." Chet choked on fumes and ignored him. His curly helmeted head disappeared under the surface. "Chet!" Kel Brackett shouted from above. Marco got on his HT. "Cap! Kelly fell in. He's in trouble!" ## I'll be right there! Calling in another station!## Johnny and Roy gasped as they struggled heavily to pull on the rope to drag Chet to shore. They got a hand on his belt and hauled him up onto the black edged loam and firm ground and log rolled him over. Chet coughed and sputtered. "Gah!! *cough*" Roy and Johnny both ran hasty fingers over Chet's nose and mouth to clear away the thick tar covering his face until he could breathe again. Gage grabbed his head, lifting his upper body up to help him. "Can you breathe ok now?" he said, pulling off Chet's dripping helmet. Chet didn't say anything as he gagged over and over again. Then he sucked in a huge lungful of air and nodded. Roy and Johnny helped him to his feet. "Ok, let's figure out how to best crack this window pane to get inside." The best method turned out to be crude but very effective. Kelly flung a fossil filled shore rock at the twenty foot by fifty foot museum window. A loud musical explosion of glass flooded their sandy beach as the window came apart. Roy, Chet and John wasted no time getting inside. They untied their lifelines and accepted new coiled ones ringed tossed down to them by Marco and they rushed inside the lower level after knocking away any more lingering shards with their helmets. The rope lowered O2 and stokes, quickly followed. They immediately found Pit 91. It was surrounded by orange helmeted scientists fretting over another unconscious woman who was buried neck deep in newly oozing tar. Gage shouted. "How deep is it?" Another gasping exhausted archeologist understood immediately when his other co workers didn't reply right away. "The lowest digging section drops only three feet." |
 |
 |
 |
|
Johnny jumped in and helped the panicking scientists encircling her to hold her face out of the ooze. It was slimy, hard work and it took all of them. "Hand me the O2, guys. All this stuff's pressing in on her chest. She's suffocating." Chet Kelly handed down the positive pressure mask and an oral airway pack. Gage immediately began using them while Marco and Roy rigged another rope set up and belt for the woman to a concrete pillar near them for an anchor point. Johnny gasped. "The rest of you get out of here. It's too dangerous for you to stay. That wall may give in more and you're not tied onto a rope." he ordered. "She's gonna be ok. I got her." The tar covered archeologists accepted Chet and Roy's hands to climb out of the fossil excavation pit. Kel Brackett and Cap made a sudden appearance. "Kelly, you ok?" Hank asked when he finally decided who was the right slimy body to ask. "Yeah, Cap. I'm fine. But the woman's not. She's getting crushed by all that tar pouring in. She's gotta be dragged out. Now. Johnny down there can hardly ventilate her." Chet replied. He looked almost comical, being all shiny black except for his eyes and teeth. Bracket had planned ahead. He had helped lug all the medical gear down the front ramp they had found with the guidance of an archeologist witness and he already had laid out advanced suctioning equipment. "Johnny, how's she doing?" Gage spat as a splash of tar hit him in the face. He angled his helmet to deflect the new stream away from himself and the woman. "She's still got a carotid. Although it's stressed. I'm getting air in but I can't tell if it's doing any good. Her color's hidden." "Trust what you feel. I got suction set. We'll do an airway sweep once she's up here. Any C spine injuries?" All nine tarry hard hatted archeologists milling about the rescue team shook their heads. "She didn't fall." one of them said. "That glop only gushed in and pinned her.." "Ok.." Cap said. "Get that belt on, ASAP. We'll haul her out the fastest way possible." he said, leaning over the edge of the excavation site. He blinked when he realized his coat arm was leaning on a sabre tooth tiger skull. He startled and took it off immediately. He tried not to look at what fossilized bones his shoes were standing on. It took ten of them to break the suction of the tar holding the unconscious scientist's legs pinned. She finally pulled free with a hollow slurp and her limp body was carefully guided up the wall, with many hands supporting her O2, head and airway. Kel immediately got out a laryngoscope for a peek after he jerked her oral airway free. Roy helped hold her into the right position for the exam with one hand while the other stayed on her neck to monitor her carotid. It was difficult work, the tile museum floor made the surface under them slippery and they were all forced to stay on their splayed knees for balance. Dr. Brackett said, "She's got some tar in her right bronchial tree. But she's not obstructed that badly." He quickly suctioned out what he could and withdrew the scope. "Roy.." he said unnecessarily as the blond headed paramedic began to ventilate her once again on the O2 to compensate for the lost time they weren't breathing for her. Brackett began snapping out orders for a more secure type of airway and a precautionary IV. "She's gonna need a pulmonary flushing when we get into Rampart." "Is Maureen going to make it?" one concerned tar blackened archeologist asked. Kel's mouthed twitched into a smile. "Yeah, I think so. The only hurdle will be that secondarly pneumonia. Doesn't look like she was poisoned too much from any methane. I didn't see any tracheal burns." Then he noticed another skull firmly gripped in the scientist's grasp. "You can relax now, sir. Maureen's perfectly safe." The shell shocked archeologist suddenly blinked and realized what the doctor was looking at. "Oh.. uh, this is a closed mouthed sabre tooth head. Very rare. It was what Maureen was tugging at when the wall gave way. She'll kill me if she wakes up and I don't have it." he remarked. "Let's get her bundled up and out of here." Cap grinned. Soon, it was done. |
 |
 |
|
------------------------------------------------------- Dixie McCall's eyes bugged out in sheer horror when she saw three tar black figures arrive onto her newly waxed ER department floor. "Oh, no.. she sighed. "Treatment Q.." she amended, thinking fast. That was the nearest room to the entryway portal. ::It's also a quarantine room. No doubt we're gonna need that negative air pressure in there to control the stench. Yuck!:: she thought, holding one hand over her nose. "Nice choice of cologne.." she teased Kel out loud as he helped Roy push the gurney inside as Gage bag valved breathed for the woman. She literally jumped when she spotted a slimy skull on the woman's stomach when she attempted to lay eyes on the area to get a respirations count for Kel while they moved her. "Ahhh!" McCall screeched. She rocked back on her heels, controlling her reactions. Kel grinned toothily through his stinky slime. "It's a souvenir, Dix.. Don't you like it?" and he picked up the long fanged skull and clapped its gaping jaws open and shut in her face once or twice. She glared at him. "I'd rather it have been a can of fresh Columbian coffee grounds." she said icily. Then she held an admonishing finger up to the two medics getting a set of vitals using equipment she couldn't distinguish from them because of all the tar. "You boys'd better plan on abandoning all that stuff. Including your clothes. Environmental will flay me alive if I allowed you to carry that ...that that...." "Million year old fossilized tar?" Kel offered helpfully. "Thank you.." Dix sputtered. "..that tar any further into the hospital. I'll requisition a complete new vitals kit for the squad and scrubs for you all right now." She gingerly moved around a puddle of ooze so she wouldn't get any onto her polished white nurse shoes as she took a step towards the ER phone. Right then, Kel's nose finally had had enough of all the fumes and he sneezed powerfully, raining a mist of fine tarry black all across Dixie's back. His face fell open in instant mortification when she hunched up her shoulders and froze the second she realized the stench in the room was somehow, now attached......to her. |
|
|
|
|
