Here's another blast from the past, when Happy Medic worked in a Public Safety system. On paper there were 20 firefighters on duty everyday. In actuality there were 5 of us and 15 cops with turnouts. Works great so long as all the cops are available to help, which they rarely were.
THE EMERGENCY
A large outside fire, sparked by down power lines, is racing through a large wooded area approx 40 feet wide with houses on both sides.
THE ACTION
I arrive in the first engine and the brush truck is close behind. We both (there are only 2 paid firemen there)suit up and make a quick attack from a paved road serving as our anchor point. The line is 200' and getting snagged up as the first officers arrive, remove their firearms, vests and gear to suit up in wildland gear. We make a great stop before a single home is damaged and are mopping up with hand tools when I almost got shot.
Let me go back a minute. This was a few years ago when the movie Babe was big. In that movie, about a talking pig, the owner uses the pig as a sheep dog and says to him, "That'll do Pig." It became almost a standard line instead of saying "yes" or "OK." Now imagine what I said when the officer, assisting to mop up the fire, looked up and said, "Think we're about done?"
The look on his face was priceless, his hand going for where his weapon usually is was even more hilarious.
We joked about that for years after. Mainly he joked about it and I avoided him.
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