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| Page Three |
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Stoker coasted the Ward down the airfield to the upwind side to gain full benefit of the clearing winds rushing in to feed the fire on the mountain slopes above them. Roy parked the squad next to him and the whole gang filed out. It looked like a warzone. Yellow coated national forest firefighters lay whereever they had dropped to nap the sleep of the totally exhausted in any available space they could find. On the backs of filling pumpers, along roadside guardrails and on the bare ground in between fueling trucks. Dixie was already at camp with her army of nurses, still in her white hospital uniform and cap. She was going from man to man, as all the Rampart nurses were, to be sure that each fighter was well watered and not hiding injuries from their commanders just to suit a "being macho" image that so many of them carried like badges. Dixie waved at Station 51 that she could see across the field and they waved back as they reported in to the incident command tables set near a row of airplane hangers. Roy announced his squad's status as being free and available paramedics by flinging all the gear doors on the squad wide open with a pair of empty stokes set up vertical against the front bumper. They'd be running on visible cues only from the others in camp until they knew what radio frequencies units were assigned to for medical call monitoring. A minute passed but not one firefighter or support crew flagged them down. DeSoto thought perhaps it would take a while for word to spread that a paramedic unit was on the field. |
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After getting the word, the gang got one each from their rings of twin ID jacket tags turned into the clipboard crew at the head table. They cast their eyes about for familiar faces. Johnny soon located one in an old man, a civilian, sitting with his white german sheperd in a large green wooden lawn chair on top of an old battered pickup truck. "Graben! What the heck are you doing here? Guys, this is Graben Joergg. He's a retired horse trainer who helps me get chores done around the place whenever I'm away at work in the city..." "Hiya Johnny boy. Hi fellas. Nice to meet you finally so I got faces to put with all the names. This here's Snowflake." he said, stroking the head of a beautiful white dog who lay panting in his lap. The dog's weight didn't seem to bother the old man at all. "He's Johnny's right hand dog whenever he's riding back into the scrubland to check on the wild horses ranging up there." he said, pointing a gnarled sun freckled finger up at the burning mountains ringing them. "And before ya ask. Yes, the ranch is still there. And yes, Command's using your pond to get their water buckets filled. Your waterhole's pretty much drained already." and Graben began to chuckle with a throaty rasp. "The water level's so low that the copters pass out of sight as they go into the basin for a water pickup. Quite a sight. So far, just the sky cranes are actually using it. " "I'll fix that with a quick radio report once we get our incident HTs from the forest crews. They're being calibrated to our new call sign and the rest of the four stations with our assigned unit." Gage smiled. "Where's Kehayke?" |
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"Your aunt's around here somewhere, feeding the boys. She says your wild horse ranch band's taken off for the high country. I was gonna go find them to make sure they skiddaddled but these fireboys around me said no one not a homeowner's allowed up there, because of the fire." "And they're right." said Cap in a no nonsense tone of voice. "You'd be best staying put." he said, petting the relaxed white dog gently. "Doesn't the caretaker house we stay in count, Johnny? We don't own it but we live there.." asked Graben. Gage started making denial noises but then the need for truth got the best of him. "It's possible to return. But only with a fire crew going with you. As your boss, I can order you to stay in camp.." "Not your aunt, Johnny. You can't order her without the police to back you up. She's family. And I know about family. Cause they're visiting me right now. My boy and my grandson." The gang drifted away from Gage to give him a little privacy. "You mean they're still at the ranch?" Johnny said with dismay. "Yeah, where else are they supposed to go? Besides them four fire stations are surrounding them real nice like. I don't know how ya did it getting em to come but that was smart thinking, boy. They're doing a real fine job clearing space around the buildings. I'm going because she's going and that's that." he protested. Johnny threw up his hands. "Ok, you're right. I guess I can't convince you two not to go back up there. But promise me you'll listen to the fire crews and stick with them, ok? Tell Kehayke to forget about the mountain horses. H*ll they're mostly wild already after being loose all spring and summer. They've more sense than firefighters do when fire's a factor. They'll get to safety on their own. Promise me that you two will just evacuate the horses in the barn." "I will, but it'll be harder convincing your aunt to promise that. She worries about those wilder horses of yours more than her own children sometimes. And you know that for a fact. " A shout from Cap got his attention. "Look Graben, I gotta go. Looks like we're finally getting our situation report. I'll try to swing an excuse to get up there and help ya, ok? Don't do anything stupid." "Like I would.." laughed Graben. "I'm old enough to be your grandfather." Johnny had to grin and he put on the helmet he'd been holding as he jogged away to the forested clearing Cap and the others had gathered in. |
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Snowflake whined as the paramedic moved away. "Hush, Snow. He'll be all right, that one. It's his aunt we need to worry about. " he said rising to his feet. "Come on, let's go find her and deliver Johnny's message, ok?" The old man and the white dog left for the food trailers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Captain Stanley was already meeting with a fire jumper fresh out of the surrounding forest. Gage wandered up in time to hear the core of the news. "....This monster's already straining the firecamp's resources to the breaking point and beyond..." said the sooty firefighter. "Usual and customary procedures are going out the window, captain, not by design, but because way too much is happening in way too many places and way too fast, sir." he said. Then he leaned forward to all the gang and whispered. " I really don't think Incident Command is able to grow personnel fast enough to meet requirements on the fire line. I've heard of way too many guys who're being ordered to pull out and retreat, even before they've had a chance to backburn anything." Johnny grew immediately uneasy and cast worried eyes in the direction of the mountain slope where his ranch lay. "How about Bear Claw Canyon? What's happening there?" "Don't know, medic. I haven't heard. Communications have been as patchy as getting immediate supply and water support. Sorry." the man shrugged. "All I need to know is that the guys from my unit are getting their *ss*s kicked. We've three on the injured list already. Do me a favor medic, keep an ear out for Task Force 1117 Beta. That's me. If you get a Code I, come running. I want no one dying today.." said the man , getting more and more agitated. His rising stress and anxiety began to prey on 51's gang. Hank put an immediate halt on that effect. "Hey mister, take it easy. We'll do everything we can paramedic wise. That'll be one resource that won't fizzle out on you and your crew. Ok? I'm personally overseeing that no one within ten miles of me goes without treatment. Just remember that this whole thing's workable. Eventually you'll get to the backside of the thermal curve, the fires'll die down, the winds'll abate. The trick is to just get through it, event by event. |
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Just protect yourselves and your equipment, and, when you get the chance, make things better one small piece at a time. This blaze can't burn forever. There's not enough fuel in the world to keep it going once it reaches the lowlands for I know this whole part of the county's been lumbered to death wherever it was flat enough for trucks and crews to reach." The exhausted dirty firefighter shook Captain Stanley's hands in gratitude. "Thanks, again, sir. We'll be watching for you and your partner, medic." he said, returning to his crew heading for the rest and recovery station near the roving nurses. Hank sighed as the newly issued walkie talkies they carried expressed a department wide update. ##....Strong Santa Ana conditions will drive predicted daytime temperatures above 90F leading up to the fire. In addition, humidity is reported down to single-digits, and 40 mi/h westerlies are blowing from the desert toward the coast. Results are mass ignition, rapidly-moving fire, and extreme fire behavior, including large fire whirls. All elements of the fire triangle are present and at high levels, still classified : Firestorm. This is Incident Command weather bulletin for 1900 hours and--## Cap tuned out the rest of the broadcast. Mike Stoker folded his arms and started rubbing his chin. "Uh, oh. Stoker's pondering again, guys. I don't think I like seeing that." said Chet. Mike proved him flawless in feel. "Hmm, releve' seventeen... That mountain..." he said pointing in the direction of Johnny's canyon and ranch. "..has got a 90% impenetrable, 12-foot-high chaparral cover. Steep canyon walls and approaching Santa Ana wind conditions. Fuel's dense on the ground, with dried out chaparral available in large quantities in the inland valleys and foothills." "What the heck is chaparral, Stoker? Sounds like an aftershave." said Lopez. Stoker smiled, then his face fell into a quiet seriousness. "Chaparral is a fire-adapted bush, part of what fire ecologists call "fire climax" ecosystems. Its ground fuel does not naturally rot or otherwise disappear like other vegetation. It doesn't deplete until a wildfire takes place and the shrub's growing cycle can start again from seed." Roy asked the unspoken question. "What does Bear Claw Canyon consist of?" "96 % Chaparral on firecrew inaccessible slopes." he said softly. The gang fell silent, growing scared for Gage. Johnny mumbled. "So that's why my ranch's red on the map, huh?" "Yeah, sorry. Chaparral's an indicator species I can't ignore in all my numbers." "So I bought my new home on the range right smack in the middle of a giant tinderbox. That's just terrific...No wonder it was so cheap." Gage said. "Look on the bright side, Johnny,.." said Chet. "After the fires move through. The grass'll grow back real lush enough for all your rehabilitated mustangs." "That's if I have a ranch left with which to manage them." growled Johnny. Kelly moused down and swallowed hard under Johnny's irritated gaze. |
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The whole station was galvanized when there came a call from Beta 1117 direct. "Hey, isn't that the fire jumper's unit?" asked Marco as they all ran back to the fire trucks. "Yep. Looks like the fire's playing more than a little hard for those boys. DeSoto, Gage. This one's a medical. Get on it." Cap said as he listened to his command HT's channel. "Right, Cap." And soon, there was no more time for worry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Squad 51 pulled up at a group of outbuildings on the shore of a river. The far side was engulfed in flames and completely hostile to human life. Roy and Johnny pulled up and got out their gear when they spotted a couple of Type II firefighters huddled on the ground, giving oxygen to another one who was just starting to move. "What happened here?" asked Roy. "We had to abandon our spike camp.." said the firefighter at the gasping man's head. "Jerry here was a little slow getting into the water during our escape. We swam across. I think he got a lungful of vacuum when the trees exploded. His tank ran out." "Crown fires are air hogs. Was he unconscious long?" Gage asked. "Nah, started breathing right away when we got him out of the river. Our main concern is a check for super heating or not. His chopper's on the way." Gage nodded and started talking. "Jerry? Can you hear me? Can you breathe ok or do you think you need a little help?" he said, setting a hand on the firefighter's chest to feel for any bubbling vibrations through his clothes. Jerry just moaned incoherently and flung a hand over his face. The fireman at his head pressed the oxygen mask a little tighter over his nose and mouth. "He vocalizing, Roy. Seems any heat didn't get that deep." Johnny said. "But a little epinephrine will get him pink again faster. I'll call for it." |
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Gage lifted up the biophone to the fire camp's doctor and got his medication order okayed. Johnny gave Jerry the shot into the fat of his hip and rubbed it in. Then he fell to monitoring the man's improvement when it came. DeSoto crouched to pull off the rest of the man's clothes to look for burns when he noticed a silent but very closely hugging fire captain watching their every move. "Captain? He's fine. He's now moving air enough to know he's uncomfortable. That's a good sign. Looks like we don't even need that ambu." Roy smiled. Then he stuck out his hand, taking the young fire captain's dirty one into a handshake. "Station 51. I'm DeSoto. That's Gage." "Mitch Reed with San Bernadino County Station 286. Thanks for coming out so fast. Our engine doesn't have much past resuscitation gear in the way of medical equipment. We're strictly a brush unit." "He won't be needing much care, Cap." Johnny affirmed as he listened to Jerry's chest and slowly got some words out of the groggy man. "I'm just seeing some light burns and blisters on his neck and shoulders. Nothing around the mouth and nose. Looking better and better, Roy." Beneath his hands, Jerry coughed and his co-firefighter raised his head onto his lap and held his head still. "Hey, bronco man! Rise and shine. Guess who's bailing our butts this time. 51's all the way from Los Angeles County. That's from half way across the state, man. Do you believe it?" he crowed. Jerry actually started smiling. "Cap, do for them, o-kay. We owe em. *choke* I'm feeling pretty alive here." and he shivered. "And c-cold. Anyone got a blanket?" Five of Jerry's crewmates peeled off their jackets to cocoon him thickly. |
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When Jerry was safely evac'd out of the fire zone to a receiving hospital, Captain Mitch Reed sought out Roy and Johnny as they put all their squad equipment away. "Say, fellas, I'm here to make good on a promise I made for Jerry so he'd ship outta here without starting a riot act. Uh,,.. is there anything that I can do for you two? Arrange meals for your crew at a local restaurant? Get you to some showers from a grateful homeowner?" "Nothing, Cap. Thanks. We just got here this evening and we just ate." "Come on, fellas. Anything. I know how scarce you paramedics are covering for the 14,000 firefighters working this fire." said Captain Reed. Gage's mouth flopped open. "Fourteen ..t-thousand?" "Yep. From as far away as Montana and Washington state. How do you like them apples?" and the yellow helmeted man began to laugh uproariously. "Seems you boys haven't been filled in on all the details yet." "No, we haven't. Just a forest jumper's general weather report." Roy frowned. "Sorry for that. I thought you boys knew. Sixteen are dead already. Several of them firemen. So what do you say? Name it and I'll get it for you." Johnny's eyes thought hard for a moment and then a slow crooked smile lit his face. "What's your pull with the chopper crews in the area?" Roy smacked his shoulder for asking. Reed glanced at the both of them in puzzlement. "I'm their message courier now that we've been pulled off the fire lines for being down a man." "Good. Here's the favor I think you can give and it'll mean a whole lot to us.." Roy smacked him again. "I mean me.." Johnny corrected. "I got this ranch, you see, in Bear Claw Canyon.." |
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Reed grimaced. "Ooo, you mean the one where there's only four fire stations assigned?" Gage looked askance at him. "Uh,..there's soon gonna be five in less than an hour if I have any say in the matter." "Oh, I see. You want me to divert a chopper to save your place when the heat's on because my voice is the one in authority? Consider it done, 51. As one grateful fireman to another. We can't get gifts from those we serve and in your case, treat, so I guess it's up to us to give to each other in my line of thinking. And apparently in yours, too." he laughed. "Just give the word. I'm on Tach 5, 101.8. I know that ranch. Choppers have been going there for water the last two hours." "Sure appreciate it, captain." said Gage, getting into the squad. "My pleasure.." said Reed, and he waved as he walked away. Roy had finally come to terms with Johnny's machinations and he only shook his head ruefully. "You're a lot gutsier than I ever thought you could be, junior." "How's that?" said Johnny, buckling himself in. "First, you con the chief himself to use your ranch as a base of operations...." "I had water, remember? That's rare in these parts, Roy. I had to offer an option when I knew about it. " DeSoto didn't seem to hear him. "Then you stretch those overtaxed resources even further by trying to pull a chopper off his route along the fire line by taking advantage of another guy who is still an acting superior. All captains are." "Soo." said Gage, grinning. "He offered. I took it. No big deal." "It is a big deal when other lives might be on the line and needing that chopper." |
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"No fireman's that stupid to wait that long to get into that kind of trouble, Roy. Doesn't our training as firefighters amount to anything? Even if we totally lose Command frequencies, we should be able to read this fire and deal with it as it comes and besides, Stoker's not the only one good with numbers. I've been doing a little calculating on a few facts myself. Even if all those choppers and tankers flying around out there hit their mark one hundred percent of the time, they would still only hypothetically be able to contain only thirty percent of this fire." he said smugly. "It's just grown too big, Roy, for air support alone to contain. Ground crews are gonna be the key in this blazing inferno as they are for any other forest fire. So no, I don't feel a bit guilty for grabbing a bird crane off an effort I know will be an act of futility in itself in the end." Roy stared at Johnny, unblinking for long seconds, in utter amazement, until driving needed his full attention when the road back to the Main Fire Camp curved on him. "You never cease to surprise me, Johnny. You do think things through." "Have I ever not done that?" asked Johnny stretching with pure satisfaction in his seat. "I'm claiming the fifth amendment.." Roy answered honestly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dixie smiled and came to meet their squad when it got back with two very very welcome bottles of water. "Are you sure you boys don't want some coffee? I got some chilling in a thermos by the ice baths." "Water's good." said Roy, gratefully draining his. "So how did it go? I heard your voice over the doctor's radio calling for IM epi." McCall asked. "Piece of cake. He was practically awake and all the way breathing by the time we got there. Nothing that a good hot meal and a solid night's sleep won't cure." Gage said. "That and a few bandaids." DeSoto added. "Huh?" Gage sputtered. "You're forgetting Jerry's spark branding." "Oh, yeah. He had a few face, neck and shoulder blisters, Dix. It'll be good for dragging sympathy out of his wife or girlfriend." Roy glared at him. "Or for dragging out a good long fight for her being reminded of his being in such a high risk job." Johnny frowned. "You and Joanne fight about your job?" "All the time. But my love for it wins out. Needing money really helps my end of the argument. And her love for me let's me stay doing it for the price of a disagreement or two whenever I get laid up." "Is it worth it?" Gage asked warily. "Every second." Johnny continued to fix a studying cautious stare at Roy. "I hate picking fights. I never win at em. Unless they're against a one, fireman Chet Kelly." he grinned. Dixie chuckled. "Say, Johnny. Do you need help at the ranch? I ran into a Graben Jeorgg about an hour ago. Said he was heading up there with your aunt to fetch his son and grandson." |
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"Is there a problem we don't know about?" Roy asked reading the guarded expression on Dixie's face. "Yeah, high command's practically ordered the evacuation of all fire personnel from the mountain except for the four stationed on your property. They're gonna try to hold onto that water supply for as long as they can." Johnny took off for Engine 51 at a dead run, looking for Cap. He cajoled, pleaded, argued and begged, until Captain Stanley hunkered over to the Command tables to get orders to report in earlier with their assigned task force currently stationed at the ranch. Dixie took advantage of Roy's equally rattled state and joined them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Station 51 headed down the highway. Ten minutes later, Roy screeched to a halt when the looming ghost of a burned falling tree suddenly fell onto the road ahead of them. The gang got out and put on their scba masks in the heavy smoke and stood there helplessly as they considered their options. |
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But right then, none other than Captain Mitch Reed melted from out of the trees with a team of axemen. "Hang tight. Save your air. We'll get you through." And he winked at Johnny. Not spilling the beans at all about their chopper deal. "If you see fresh fire from the top of that ridge to the west, don't worry. We're firing up there to start a backburn on the edge of that slope, hoping to keep the fire from descending into your canyon." "Good luck." said Hank. "Appreciate the breakout captain." "No problem." he said and soon he had his men clearing the road. Station 51 arrived at Johnny's ranch without any further delays. They met up with the other four fire stations already camped out with laid fire hoses. They were concentrating on clearing the brush and back burning pure scorch around the buildings and horse corral. Johnny frowned. "Graben's not here yet? The work horses are not out of the barn it seems. The corral's still empty." "Maybe he thought better of coming." Roy said. "No, I'm sure he's coming. He promised Snowflake a dish of canned Rival when he got here." Dixie countered. "Don't know what to tell ya, partner. Let's just see what we can do." Roy said finally as he turned off the squad's motor at the edge of the pond for protection. "Ok," said Johnny nervously. The two paramedics and nurse got out. Cap went to the other four captains for his situation report. Johnny told Hank that he and Dixie were going to scope out the barn and release the horses to the range. Hank nodded. "Stay on radio.." he said, lifting his. Then he fell to listening to Station 124 with the latest. |
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The lieutenant was filling in for his captain who was overseeing yet another water drop a half mile away from the lake through binoculars. The pond had long since been drained away too shallow to utilize with the Erickson air cranes. "..The hill falls away in front of us to the south, where the fire is coming from, rather steeply. We had a ridge road in front of both of our fire lines for a while. But then we discovered that the wind's blowing very lightly out of the west. We've decided that we can wait until that spot fire's closer, when it's clearly going to burn through us before firing the ridge around the houses. Then, in stages, starting to the east, we plan to fire the grassy slope in front of us. That way the two fires will burn towards each other using up all the bush fuel to black before the big line gets here." "This is your call. I'm just a city slicker.." Stanley grinned. The other stations were tied up om the ridge above 51 when the fire exploded and advanced high speed towards Johnny's ranch. Hank couldn't believe it but when he went out and looked, the fire was on the ridge across the canyon from him and had already spotted about half way down the hill. He radioed that their last hope was that the road below would hold it until the backburning preventative work was done. Gage had a much better view than the crews east and west of him, so he called and alerted them to the fire's advance. "Roy! I'm going in! Dixie stay close to me. Go to each stall, open it and step out of the way. If they don't want to run, slap them over the rump with a stick or something. Make sure it hurts." "Got it.." said McCall. |
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The fire increased and then some of the large dead pines next to the barn started going off like explosives. A whole tree collapsed and tumbled into a barn window and ignited the hay loft. Marco shouted into his radio. "Johnny! Fire in the barn! Get out of there!" Lopez wasn't sure that he had been heard or whether or not Gage knew the worst had happened. Lopez quickly informed Cap and soon two engines were relocated next to Engine 51 and hoses were directed onto the new fire inside. Hank shouted. "Hear from them yet?" "No! I don't think they can hear me.." answered Marco. |
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As if in reply, several spooked horses darted out of the barn, narrowly missing the firefighters. "That'd better be all of them.." grumbled Cap. Then he jogged over to the engine and got on the loud speaker. "Gage! Dixie! Abandon now! Hay loft's ablaze!" In support, Marco and another firefighter positioned their hose streams into the same open barn door from which the horses had fled. A crash of noise and a bright burst of flame from all the windows made every firefighter dash a little closer to the barn. The loft had fallen. "Gage! McCall!" Cap continue to shout through the loud speaker. "Get out of there now!" His anger was fierce and almost as hot as the fire. Finally, he hooked fingers at Chet and Roy. "Put your masks on and get em out. Over your shoulders screaming and kicking if you have to. I'll deal with Gage later. Just see that I won't." |
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