Challenge 7

Reliving the Rescue

He wondered how and when his fall would come to a stop.

Minutes before he had been kneeling inside the car, checking for a pulse when he felt the rocking begin. Outside the vehicle he could hear his crewmates yelling at him to get out.

Since he could find no pulse or other signs of life he tried to carefully back out of the swaying car, but with a screech and a final wrench, he felt gravity take hold and he was free falling inside the vehicle, trapped and alone.

He was suddnely calm and unafraid. He glanced out the shattered window and saw the ground flying past and hear the slap of bushes and trees on the body of the car. He was flung around, bumping body parts against the seats, doors and window frames.

He felt a searing pain along his arm and the sudden warm rush of blood as it ran from the gash.

Again he wondered, when would his fall would stop, and would he be able to feel anything?

Something jarred him again, and he heard his partner's voice calling him.

"Ungh! Umph! Hunh? What??" he cried as he flung an arm out to catch himself. With a sudden jolt he sat up and slid from his bunk onto the floor. Roy was kneeling beside him, concern and amusement clearly visible on his face.

"Umm, yeah, musta been reliving the last resue we did, only with a different ending."

Roy rose from his squatting position. "I thought it was something like that. Time to get up anyway. Cap wants us in the day room in ten minutes for duty."

Roy grinned and walked away, flapping his hand at his best friend. "Come on, sleepy head. You'll be late and get latrine duty."

With a groan Johnny rose from the floor, wiped the sleep from his eyes, pulled on his bunker gear, and headed for the dayroom/dining area where he could smell fresh coffee brewing.

He wondered how and when his fall would come to a stop. Seconds ago Johnny had been hurrying down the steep incline on his way to a wrecked car at the bottom. Then his foot slipped on some loose dirt and rocks and down he went, tumbling nearly head over heels.

Thank God I wasn’t carrying the biophone this time.

Finally, he rolled one last time and came to a stop up against a rock. Groaning, he laid there with his eyes closed and took stock. Nothing broken. Just bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Still Cap’s probably gonna kill me. Again.

“I’m here!” he croaked. “I’m okay! Well, mostly okay.”

If the ‘when’ was before the slack was taken up in his lifeline, the ‘how’ was going to be badly…very, very badly.

The ‘twang’ of the nylon rope being pulled taut was closely followed by a ‘grunt’ of agony, as the falling rescuer received a sort a’ lifebelt version of the Heimlich Maneuver.

In that same instant, the sheer rock wall that had been rushing past his face suddenly lunged out to meet him…or, was he lunging toward it? Whichever it was, the breathless fireman instinctively lifted his legs and used his booted feet to prevent his body from being splattered up against it—like a bug on a windshield.

"Johnny?!" his friend frantically called out, as he came rappelling down the ridiculously steep cliff. "Johnny, are you okay?!" Roy anxiously repeated, when his partner failed to acknowledge him.

"Yeah!" Gage gasped back, once his burning lungs got going again. "Just got my ‘wind’...knocked out a’ me…is all. What happened…with our jumper?"

Gage placed a gloved hand up against the rock wall, to keep himself from spinning around, and returned the look. "Plunging to your death can be a little ‘distracting’."

His friend managed a fleeting smile. "We-ell, right after he kicked you off the cliff…he jumped."

Gage winced. "Guess when someone’s that determined to die, there’s just no stoppin’ ‘em…"

"Engine 51 to HT 51…Would one of you care to share what’s going on up there?" their Captain anxiously requested—er, ordered. A large rock outcropping was concealing his paramedic team from his view.

Roy unclipped their handheld radio from his belt and raised it to his lips. "HT 51 to Engine 51…You're not gonna believe this. But Johnny’s okay, Cap. Claims he just had his ‘wind’ knocked out of him…"

"You’re kidding!" their Captain quickly came back, his voice an equal mixture of relief and disbelief. "We thought he was a goner—for sure!"

Roy stared thoughtfully down at their radio for a few moments and then thumbed its send button once again. "Guess when someone’s that determined to live, there’s just no stoppin’ ‘em…" The paramedic locked gazes with his determined partner, and the two of them traded grins.

A subtle jerk, a gentle twist, nothing you could really put your finger on, yet enough of a change to cause displacement. The paramedic’s foot shifted, and he glanced quickly at his safety gear. It was still hooked onto the handrail of the metal catwalk.

Words of reassurance meant for the patient could just as easily have been spoken for his partner. High-risk rescues were their specialty, but prudence and caution were indispensable. That and a partner you trusted.

The metal basket skidded across the last piece of grating, successfully placing the victim on the floor of the main structure. It also meant his partner was safe too, safety line now unhooked from the catwalk as he stepped up onto the platform and knelt next to their patient.

The wind had picked up, the shrill sound whistling past his ears, giving an eerie feel to an already precarious rescue.

One hand on the rail, the other reaching for the drug box, there wasn’t time to think when the catwalk suddenly pitched drastically to one side then the other before breaking from the building and plunging downward. There was nothing but the scream of air rushing past him as he plummeted towards the ground, and he wondered how and when his fall would come to a stop.

The drug box was ripped from his grasp as Johnny was flipped back and forth like a rag doll against the metal, and it was only in a flash of clarity and blessed luck that he was able to unhook his belt from the handrail. At least he wouldn’t be attached to the catwalk when he landed, though either way, it was a sure bet he’d be either underneath or stretched out on top. Johnny didn’t know if the cry of terror passed his lips or simply slammed around inside his head.

He had one last thought for Roy, a quick picture of his best friend’s face frozen in abject terror, before everything went black.

“Brackett says that he turned the corner last night. He’s gonna be okay, Cap.”

“Good. That’s good.” Stanley dropped his head for a moment, and the two shared a few minutes of silence before Cap spoke again. “It’s been a long couple of days. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep. I’ll stick around here and keep an eye on things.”

Roy nodded reluctantly, knowing from previous arguments that he wasn’t going to win this one. The crew had all rallied around Johnny over the past 48 hours, lending support and comfort, keeping watch with Roy. He knew he and his partner had a lot of people to thank, but there would be time enough for that later.

With a tired sigh, Roy pushed out of his chair and went to stand beside his sleeping partner. It was as he turned to leave that Cap stopped him with a few quiet words.

“There’s no explanation for it. The fact that he was able to get his belt off the handrail; that he fell clear of the catwalk and landed in a layer of mud instead of the hard concrete.” Cap paused to steady his voice. “I saw the catwalk after you left in the ambulance. It was nothing more than a hunk of twisted metal. We were real lucky this time.”

Roy nodded mutely, physically drained and emotionally raw. He looked once more at his partner then back to his captain.

The klaxons rang loudly as the men arrived at Station 51. This call was for Engine 51. A rubbish fire was mentioned. C-Shift firefighters and paramedics were exchanging pleasantries with the men that worked B-Shift as the situation was relayed. These men enjoyed their jobs. They were to a person very good at firefighting, and for the most part the guys were satisfied with their choices of profession. Paramedics John Gage and Roy DeSoto exchanged glances as they rushed past the squad. Today was not a typical day for these men. Today was another day of training for the “new guy.”

The paramedic duo had trained several men while working at Station 51. None of these trainees was as unique as the current one…Edward. Edward Webb was a proud Englishman, equipped with not only a heavy accent, but also great mannerisms. Edward was a “by the book” kind of man. His first day on the job was memorable. He worked only one day before the shift had a break. Now, the training would continue. The paramedics knew this day would be anything but boring. The hair on the back of Johnny’s and Roy’s necks rose when thinking about the possibilities this day held. Their memories of the last rescue were still fresh.

About an hour before their shift was to end that day, the station received a call.

“Station 51, man trapped in seventh story window…1045 Maple, cross-street Wayne.”

Both John and Roy dreaded this run, but each felt certain this would be the last of the evening. When they arrived they noticed a man hanging from a seventh story window of an office building. As they looked up, Edward instantly became excited. He told Captain Stanley that he did very well in rope training classes. Every rescue since Edward arrived had been some sort of “specialty” for the trainee. Before the men could warn the captain, Edward was securing his harness on his way to single-handedly rescue the victim.

Looking at the trainee, Roy tapped John on the shoulder, “Oh no, here he goes again!”

“No! Hey, maybe we should just let him do it.” Johnny was kidding, but the thought was mildly pleasant. “He knows the rules…remember, Roy? He knows all the rules! Tell ya what, let’s go get Brice and they can review the rules together, follow em, and then we can go on with our jobs, and our lives…problem solved.”

“Problem not solved, Johnny.” Roy was beginning to get frustrated not only at the situation, but also at his partner because Johnny seemed to add to their problem with his attitude. “You and I both know that we can’t just leave Edward’s side. He’s our responsibility, for now at least, and if he fails, well, it’s gonna reflect on our records. I don’t like this any more than you do, but our job is to train Edward. He certainly wants to be a paramedic, so maybe this will all work out…somehow.”

John and Roy agreed and at the same moment flashed back to the last day of their last shift…the day they met Edward. Despite the man’s “expertise”, he had almost botched the last run of that day. Roy looked up as Edward had managed to assure Captain Stanley that he could participate in this rescue. He was now on his way up toward the seventh floor. Edward had no idea how Station 51 worked these rescues from above ground. The trainee had managed to get into his gear and had begun making his way up toward the victim. The scary part for Roy was that no one else was close to being totally geared up.

Johnny was ready and began the climb to the victim while Roy looked up and held his breath. Next, before John reached him, Edward began to fall. Roy could only watch, hope for the best, and say a silent prayer that the victim, Johnny, and Edward would all be fine. While seconds seemingly turned into hours, Roy watched Edward falling and he wondered how and when his fall would come to a stop. With random thoughts running through his head, most of all, Roy hoped that Edward had properly anchored and positioned his gear. After several years of rescues, Roy and John checked each other before they began any climb. The other firemen followed the buddy system also. Roy remembered reviewing the importance of the buddy system with Edward, but again, Roy’s instructions likely slightly differed from the rule book. Through years of rescues the paramedics had found that the rule book was not always the best solution. Sometimes the book was even wrong, seldom, but it had happened. Edward would never understand or believe the book could be less than perfect.

John watched the man dart by him in a downward spiral. When Edward was down to the third floor, the firemen were preparing to attempt to save him. The men were standing in a circle with their trampoline-like device to catch the falling Edward Webb. They all looked on helplessly as they heard the rope snap. The snapping noise was the literal end of the rope. The fall was stopped and as they signed collectively, Edward Webb began to shake off the effects of his ordeal.

Roy had an idea what would happen next, but his attention turned to his partner as he noticed Captain Stanley headed toward Edward. As Roy shrugged, Johnny continued his climb toward the victim.

“Man, what were you thinkin? I know the guys went over the buddy system with ya before you ever went out on this rescue. Never and I mean never go up, out, in, over, anywhere alone on this job…you’ll get yourself killed! Do you understand me, Webb?”

“I do, sir, and I must say we’re all lucky that I’m skilled with ropes, eh?”

With that, Captain Stanley and the rest of the crew concentrated on John and the victim as they descended the building. This was a day with Edward Webb that none of the men would ever forget.