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************************************************** From: 'Dr. Jeff Seltun' <finiterider@yahoo.com> Date: Friday Nov 24, 2006 9:41 pm Subject: Pressure Cooker.. Captain Stanley swallowed around his dry throat in his scba mask. "Ok, Mike. This is close enough. Stop right here. Chet, Marco! Get that fire pond gate open! Draw from there using the high pressure snorkel impeller and start sending water into the bund surrounding this first distillation tower. The chief's already ordered a second Erickson Aircrane to be a remote nurse tender refill tanker for us should we run dry. Call in the S-64 on Tach Three when you need them. Truck 127's gonna be our safety net with plenty of foam!" "Ok, Cap.." said Kelly and Lopez, climbing out of the Ward in their flowing air bottles and masks. Roy and Johnny met Hank in a meeting by the road where Stoker was quickly laying covering hose. "I take it we're gonna search this one first?" asked DeSoto, coiling two bundles of thick rope onto his shoulder. "Make it fast." Cap nodded. "The air's rapidly turning volatile. You have ten minutes! Keep in touch with me every minute." He pointed into the inky black and smothered sky. "Aircrane 47's gonna follow your progress the whole way up and down with a primed foam cannon. At the first hint of trouble, rappel the h*ll out of there!" "What's this guy's name?" Gage shouted over the roaring hiss of fire and the helicopter's whirling rotors. "Marve." "And his job?" Roy asked, wondering if their missing man could prove to be a plant worker whose location and refinery experience could aid them by sharing knowledge about potential hot spots. "He thinks he's a manager!" Hank growled in frustration. "Not any more, he doesn't... He just became our next victim." Johnny said. "Roy, let's go. Cap, once we're at the top, we'll holler for the stokes!" "Don't tie yourselves up any yet. Let's make sure we're not risking all our skins rescuing a corpse first. That second tanker's a little too close for comfort." Cap told them empathetically. "I'll have some spare air bottles sitting on the hood of the squad." he shouted as Stoker primed a hose and began aiming it at the base of the climbing ladder the two paramedics would be using to cool it down. |
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Chet was ducking unconsciously as thick clouds of inky, oil scorched smoke turned bright middle day into the blackest night as they swirled down on top of them from the fire's location. He was more than just a little uneasy. "Say, Marco.. how many gallons does this mother tank hold again?" "Three million. Tops. Won't be a problem if we don't let this side of it feel heat enough to buckle." grinned Lopez through his mask. "So says the Jiffy Pop popcorn kernel to the fireplace right before the big foil lid raising event." Chet joked tensely. "Think ice cubes, Kelly. Helps a heap." said Stoker through his air gear. "Right.." said Chet nervously as he helped Lopez cover Roy and Johnny's way up the tall concrete processing tower. He licked away a trickle of sweat that dripped down his nose in a rivulet. ::Gage. DeSoto. Make it fast.:: he thought. |
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*************************************************** From: 'Roxy Dee' <laterrapincabesa@hotmail.com> Subject: Prep Work~~ Date: Date: Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:01 pm Roy DeSoto tried not to think about the raging fire that was growing around them. "Johnny, I'll go first. I'm bigger." he said, peering up the distillation tower's climbing ladder as he searched for loose bolts and for any recent structural damage it might have suffered. "Why is bigger always better?" Gage griped in annoyance. "Small and lithe works just as well in any climbing situation 'cause that kind of firefighter, can worm himself around just about anything that gets in the way." he joked with some pride as he reflected on his own abilities. He grunted meaningfully as he readjusted his snub's rope as he got into a safety belt at the entrance to the climbing tubule. Roy rolled his eyes through his air mask in a look of long suffering. "Hmm... Gravity was still working last time I checked, junior. Think about it. If you fall, I've enough mass to catch you, even with you in your air bottle carrying those two extra spares." |
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Gage ignored his glib comment. "Yeah, but I grabbed the drug box first. If that guy's up there, and not breathing, he's gonna need this epi, fast." "Epi's impotent without some manual pipework initially, and you know it. And either one of us will do for his mouth to mouth if any's needed." Roy sighed, craftily shoving his partner aside with a broad shoulder to grip the first rung of the ladder that was before them, stretching above their heads. "I'm gonna be your anchor without a fight. So live with it." "Like I had any choice?! ..Huh... You know, there's nothing like dishing out a psychological noogie or two when offering a guy a little encouragement, pal." "I don't need it. Having the chance to save a life every day is all the carrot dangling I've EVER needed. And the same goes for you, too, junior." DeSoto shouted down to him through his face plate. Gage finally chuckled, quickly following after him. With a free glove, Johnny pulled out his HT. "HT 51 to Aircrane 47. We're on the tower. Are you seeing signs of a possible victim up there yet?" ##Aircrane 47 to HT 51. Stand by...## |
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************************************************** From : Roxy Dee <laterrapincabesa@hotmail.com> Sent : Monday, November 27, 2006 5:40 PM Subject : Making like Bat Man~~ The thrumming chop of the helitanker hovering above echoed eerily with an open mic'd frequency whine as long seconds ticked by. The two paramedics kept moving upward swiftly, each listening to the hiss of their own solitary hard breathing, as air whistled in and out of their scbas' regulators. ::Come on... Come on, Mr. Hot Shot Pilot...:: Gage mentally urged. ::Those tank reservoirs nearest us aren't gonna be behaving themselves for much longer. Not with this much fire around. :: he thought, eyeballing their surroundings in a quick assessment. He could feel their looming bulk pressing in acutely. Johnny started imagining that he could hear their steel shell drums beginning to groan under the insult of the fire's concrete bound conducted heat. He startled badly when they began doing it for real. *Ping--nnNNGGgg.. Phoofffff-ff....*creakkKKK..kkk* said the metal. Truck 127 stepped up the volume of their foam production hastily. That station's silver hazmat suited fire crew quickly re-aimed their primary working cannon to where the voice of violation spoke the loudest. Battalion sang out new orders. ##That was tanker nine. Shift your attack! All crews: Shift!! Don't let her get hot. Aircrane 30, smother the east side housing pipes leading to the pumping station of Reservoir #9, a.s.a.p. ! We don't want to develop a vapored gas leak from there. Foam 205, take over for Truck 127 on cooling tank twelve. Station 51's in its immediate vicinity.## ##10-4, Battalion Four.## said the second chopper crew. ##Foam drop on Junction Nine West in one.## The second called upon unit responded to their hail. 205's captain immediately replied to Chief Conrad. ##Copy. Be back-up for 51 on oil Tank #12.## There was a pause of radio over the sounds of the burning fire. Then... ##Engine 205, L.A. Position change.. We're now a quarter mile east of the San Diego Freeway near Alameda Street at Arco entrance Tango 1-1 Charlie, flanking Station 51. Crew of eight.## ##Foam 205, location and number of personnel, affirm.## replied L.A. Squad 51's pair looked up a short time later as the reassuring shape of a new Aircrane dipped in close to them and her sistercraft and released a satisfying cascading payload of white fire retardant from her underside tank hold. Roy couldn't wait any longer. He switched to Johnny's talk channel with 47's pilot. "Aircrane 47! Victim status! Do you have a visual?" he shouted through his face glass plate at his HT. There was a long delay as the entire fire effort that was water curtain framing a half mile of inferno, stepped up its aerial and ground foam attacks. Gage started coughing with exertion just as their pilot re-initiated contact. ##Aircrane 47 to HT 51. Affirmative. Your victim is on the first worker access platform ring on the west side, facing sunward. He's non-moving at this time on his back but he is without apparent limb fractures. Unable to confirm as still alive due to blocking smoke on our wind.## "That's all we needed to hear, 47. Copy: Found victim is physically intact on sighting." said Gage to the helitanker. Roy and Johnny quickly opened the meshed gate encasing the access ladder and stepped onto the narrow maintenance grill ringing the oil stack. The two air bottled paramedics ran to where they could see the very sooty refinery manager sprawled half on and half off the platform. Roy hauled his upper torso back to safety using the front of the unconscious man's shirt gripped in two hands. Then DeSoto peeled off a glove and dug a few fingers deep into the groove running along the man's neck. "I've got a carotid." He shifted an arm and laid it across Marve's chest. "And he's breathin.. So far, he's doing ok." he shared with his partner in a thumbs up. Gage lifted his radio, crouching down to open the manager's shirt with his free hand to expose his chest so he could monitor him while they waited for equipment. Johnny got on his hand held radio to the ground. "HT 51 to Engine 51. Heads up! We're going a rapid extrication. We are on the first tier facing into the sun at your two o'clock." Hank Stanley replied on Main. ##Engine 51 to HT 51. 10-4. Sending up Kelly to assist with stokes. Do you want an airlift pickup?## Roy swung his air masked helmeted head as he glanced at the air space surrounding the tower."Negative. He's a rappel down. Smoke's too thick up here for clear navigation." |
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Roy reached into his jacket for an oral airway when Marve didn't react to a sharp sternal rub. He inserted it over the man's tongue and settled it into place in between his teeth. Soon the blonde paramedic began to search for signs of severe blood loss on Marve. He found none at all. "Looks like he's dealing with just some smoke inhalation, Johnny. I'm not finding any kind of injuries on him." Roy reported. "Breathing's at ten and getting shallower." "I'll get his air bottle set up." Gage replied. He glanced down the ladder at a loud clang. He began chuckling. "And here comes Chet. Looks like he's thought up another cockamamie plan. He's actually dog sledding the stokes up along behind himself using a waist tether." "He uses what works." Roy snorted as he fitted the smoky manager face and head into one of the spare scba air masks on high flow. "Marve's bottle's on top flow. Started at ..14: 06." Johnny set his watch on timer. "Got it. T-minus ten from...mark. Our own bottles will be dry in seven and a half, give or take." "Relax, I am keeping track of our own breathing room with my full attention." Roy said, placing Marve into anatomical position for easier stokes loading. "I can't wait to get out of here. I don't enjoy being inside of a powder keg." "Amen to that." said Johnny, rising after feeling for a pulse quality on Marve. "He's 122 but steady down to the brachial. At least his BP's holding." he said, placing their drug box under Marve's raised feet to help with thwarting shock. "Is he nauseated?" Roy place a hand on Marve's exposed stomach, feeling for any indication of tightening involuntary muscles. "Not yet. He's not down very deep pressure wise past your eighty systolic pulse location estimate. His shorts are still dry." "Let's keep him on his back then." Gage agreed with a nod. First thing he did was reach for the plastic wrapped yellow shock sheet Kelly had strapped into the empty stokes. "How's he doing?" Chet said, passing off another extra air bottle to Roy from his free shoulder. DeSoto grabbed Chet's arm and helped him out of the ladder cage. "He's breathing. Got a little too much smoke we're guessing. He hasn't started coughing yet using his cleaner air." Roy told him, hooking a thumb over to the scba mask strapped over Marve's face. "No injuries." |
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"Guess we won't be needing this then." said Chet, tossing a disposable cervical collar over the side of the tower rail. He shouted into his radio. "Heads up! Debris coming down!" he warned the firefighters below. "That'll make 'em smile and tell how good our victim's save status is." "You're impossible." Roy grinned. "I always aim to please." gulped Chet. "Did you hear on Tach One? Nine's heating up now along with our buddy tank number twelve. Foam's not working." "We heard the tactics change from the chief. What's our escape route?" Johnny asked Kelly. Chet rapped a few knuckles on the side of the tower meaningfully. "What?! Chet, you're kidding me. There are no lights on inside of there. They've cut all the power. How are we gonna be able to see the ladder rungs well enough to climb both us and him down out of trouble?" "Chief said we can feel our way down using our feet as testers easily enough with him strung from a central pulley off an eyebeam somewhere." "That's insane. Nobody thought to bring up any flashlights." Johnny exasperated. "Gage, look. It'll be no sweat, man. We're not gonna be groping around very far. There's a small internal room about twenty feet beneath us that serves Arco's HVAC as a utility space next to the drawing mother pipe that's got a tunnel access that lets out onto the highway. The tower crew's saying our way down's only a little like a missile silo." he offered in sympathy. Johnny's expression remained stony. "Just great. The only escape option made available to us is a completely blind vertical." Gage complained. "Roy, remind me later about why I joined the fire department, would ya?" Chet shrugged as he helped Roy lift Marve into the empty stokes in order to strap him in. "We gotta have somewhere to go to get away from all this heat should we have to. It's better than inviting a victim barbeque lowering Marve here down on a rope along the outside. He'll bake. You know that. You saw all those flames. They're probably already coming our way and licking this tower as we speak." "Fine. Fine." said Gage. "Let's go. The sooner we all leave, the happier I'll be. I'd rather keep thinking about that Snicker's bar I left sitting on the squad's dashboard than dwell on how many ways we all might get blown up into a million pieces." "Nice carrot reward, Johnny." Roy quipped. "If I get down there first ahead of you, can I have it? I'm starving." "Would you just shut up and go grab Marve's foot end." Johnny growled hefting up the head of their victim's stokes. Already, he could feel the day's crushing bone aching fatigue, settling in. "Anything you say." Roy winked. Kelly got to work piling the three extra air bottles and the drug box in between Marve's shock tarp covered legs. |
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