“WHAT NEXT?”

By Wanda C.

Station 51’s A-Shift was returning to work after a long weekend that they had looked forward to. It had been quite a while since they had the entire weekend off. As usual, John Gage and Chet Kelly were attempting to one-up each other with their dates.

“Well, Johnny boy, you have never had a date that would compare to the girl I was out with just last night!”

“Chester B, you’re dreamin’ again,” Johnny had that Gage smile in full gear.

“Marco saw us, just ask him. But I warn ya, Gage, you’ll get the surprise of your life!”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

No more time for words, the men stood quietly as Captain Stanley was beginning roll call. Johnny seemed zoned out during roll call, and the instructions for the day. Roy DeSoto, his partner, noticed and elbowed him a couple of times. Roy wasn’t the only one who noticed. Captain Stanley wondered if the paramedic had heard a word that was said.

“Did ya get that, Gage?”

“Huh? Sorry, Cap, could you repeat that?”

“You have latrine duty today, Gage.”

All of the guys laughed at the expression that Johnny had on his face after he realized that he had been assigned the least wanted job for the day. Oh well, he could live with that, but he had to find out about this woman that Chet supposedly had out the night before. He’s just pulling my strings; there probably wasn’t any woman. Johnny at least had his hopes up that was the case; after all, he could not be out-done by Chet Kelly.

Suddenly, the klaxons sounded loudly, interrupting everyone’s thoughts.

“Squad 51, man down, 843 Georgina, cross street Baker, 8 4 3 Georgina, time out, 08:30.”

“Squad 51, 10-4, KMG365”

As the captain handed the information to Roy and he handed it to Johnny they both knew that “man down” could mean nothing, or something very serious.

“Where were you, back there, at roll call, Johnny?”

“Aw, Roy, I just have a real hard time believin’ that Chet had such a beautiful woman with him last night. I mean, we are talking about ole Chester B here.”

“Well, ya never know,” Roy loved it when he had to opportunity to tease Johnny about girls.

As the paramedics pulled up to the house, a frantic lady around 50 years of age, came out waving her arms and screaming.

“I think he’s dead! He hasn’t moved for a long time, and that’s just not my Fred!”

“Now take it easy.” Johnny was really good at calming people, “We’ll check him out, and I’m sure that he’s gonna be okay. Can you tell us what happened?”

“Well, I was in the kitchen baking some cookies. I always win the cookie baking contests around here, ya know. Anyway, I heard this big klump, and when I went to see what had happened, there was my Fred, in the floor, on a big ole heap.”

By this time the paramedics had gathered their equipment and were inside the door of the house. The lady took them right to Fred, and he was on the floor, just as she had described. Roy began taking vitals, while Johnny contacted Rampart.

“Rampart, this is Squad 51. How do you read?”

“Go ahead, 51,” Kelly Brackett replied.

“Uh, Rampart, we have a male approximately 52 years old, collapsed, and currently unconscious. Vitals to follow.”

“10-4, 51.”

While Roy was getting the blood pressure, Johnny checked the pupils, and did a quick check to make sure that there were no apparent broken bones. They both noticed a ladder that had fallen over.

“Ma’am, do you have any idea what your husband was doing?” Johnny asked with concern. He reasoned that if Fred had been on the top rung on the ladder, he would have taken quite a fall.

“He was changing that old light bulb, up there.”

Roy and Johnny both looked up when she pointed. The light was very high in the cathedral ceiling. It was no wonder that Fred was unconscious.

“Uh, Rampart, this is 51. On the male, vitals are, BP100/70, pulse 90, respirations 25. Pupils are equal and reactive and there are no apparent broken bones, or head injuries. Patient remains unconscious, and unresponsive to painful stimuli. Also Rampart, patient apparently fell approximately 20 feet while installing a light bulb.”

“51, start an IV with Ringers Lactate, and monitor vitals closely. Transport as soon as possible.”

“10-4 Rampart, IV with Ringers, transport as soon as possible. 51 out.”

Since the ambulance was already there, they could transport. Both paramedics were glad. With an injury like this, they didn’t want to take any chances so they put Fred on a backboard in case of spinal injury. Johnny was concerned that the patient was so unresponsive. He told Roy that he would ride in with him. They both knew that his wife was in no shape to be driving, so she rode in front of the ambulance.

When they got him to the hospital, Fred was stable, but still unconscious. Dr. Bracket and his team immediately did a battery of tests, and the paramedics’ work was over, for this call. After picking up some supplies, Johnny and Roy headed back to the station.

As the two paramedics climbed out of the squad, Gage was in full gear with his latest obsession.

“Now maybe we’ll see what Chet has going on,” Johnny was a bit reluctant to talk about it, but he knew that Roy knew him well enough to know exactly what he was thinking.

“Well, there’s Chet, and Marco.”

“Marco,” Johnny was obviously not buying a word of Chet’s story. “Tell me about Chet, and this beautiful woman that you saw him with last night.”

“John, you aren’t gonna believe this, but he had the most beautiful woman in the restaurant with him last night.”

“You’re right. I don’t believe it.”

“Well, I’m just telling you what I saw,” Marco winked at Roy and Roy giggled to himself.

“How did you get a beautiful woman to go out with the likes of you, Chet?”

“Well, Gage, you see, some of us have it and some don’t. My date even made Marco’s look like a dog.”

On hearing this, Mike Stoker had to know what was going on, as did Cap, so they came closer to hear the conversation.

“Oh yea?” Marco was obviously upset, “Well mine wasn’t my sister!”

The guys all began to laugh hysterically. Johnny especially loved the way this was turning! Every eye was on Chet, and everyone was waiting for some sort of explanation from him. Instead, he just left the room.

“Oops,” Marco knew that he shouldn’t have let it out that quickly, but Chet should never have called his date a dog.

“Thank ya very much for the info there, Marco,” Johnny was absolutely beaming. He knew all along that Chet couldn’t land a beautiful woman. To take out his sister and try to pass her off as a date was a new low, even for Chet Kelly. Just as Johnny was headed to find his embarrassed colleague, the klaxons sounded again, and this time they seemed endless. The men knew this had to be something big. But just how huge it would be, none of them could have imagined.

“Station 51, Station 110, Engine 8, structure fire, 29902 Storemont Road, cross street Parmalee, 2 9 9 0 2 Storemont Road, cross street Parmalee, time out 11:25”

“Station 51, 10-4, KMG365”

“Isn’t that the district with all the old abandoned buildings, Johnny?”

“Yea, and it sounds like a big one, too.”

Unfortunately Johnny was right. It was indeed a big fire, and Station 51 was the first unit to arrive at the site. When they got there, they saw no less than 3 buildings fully engulfed in flames. The guys knew what to do, and were enabling the hoses, as Mike was ready to put the engine to work. Captain Stanley was radioing in that more units would be needed, and seeing that his men were in place.

“John, Roy, see if you can make sure that no one is trapped in any of those buildings.”

“Kelly, Marco, get an inch and a half in the front of the first building. Since we’re alone out here, I’ll get a hose going on the second building. Stoker, hold down the fort.”

Hank Stanley helping out his crew wasn’t unusual, especially when they were the first unit on site of something this big. He did have to divide his attention between his men, the hose, and the incoming units. He would position them, until the chief arrived to take over the responsibility. He also knew that a fire like this could take out an entire block in no time, and his crew, as good as they were, was just no match for a fire of this magnitude.

“Cap, there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the buildings.” Johnny explained. “We spoke with the only man around, and Roy’s checking him out now.”

“Gage, can you give me a hand with this hose, or does Roy need you?”

“I got it, Cap,” replied Johnny. He and Captain Stanley entered the building just as Hank realized the Chief had arrived, and the positioning of other units was no longer his responsibility.

“This is a tough one, huh, Cap?”

“Worse than I would have thought.”

Roy was just finishing up with the only victim to be seen, and the man’s injuries were very minor. Rampart had advised to send him in for observation, but Roy did not have to ride in the ambulance, so, the senior paramedic began to help with the hose duty for Engine 8. It was almost a given that the paramedics would have at least some smoke inhalation to deal with, since this was such a big fire. But until they were needed as paramedics, they worked as firefighters, which suited them well.

Just as the last of the responding units were arriving, a loud bang was heard in building two. John came rushing out, signaling that he needed some help from the other firefighters. Roy knew that Johnny and Cap had gone into the building, and was one of the first to get to the site.

“There was a cave in, and Cap is trapped,” Johnny was breathless, “I need some help to get him out.”

“Is he hurt?”

“I think he’s unconscious, Roy. I couldn’t get any answer from him when I called out his name.”

When they entered the room, they could hardly believe their eyes. There was the Captain under a pile of ceiling tiles and even a bookcase had been overturned. They only knew it was him by his helmet. He was totally covered in debris.

“We’re gonna need some help over here,” Roy yelled to the other crew members.

In no time, all the guys from Station 51 were there, plus some of the guys from the other units. Someone needed to stay with Cap when they uncovered enough of the debris and could take the vitals. Johnny was determined to do this; he had some guilty feelings about Hank Stanley getting trapped, and himself not having a scratch. The guys worked like a well-oiled machine. They had to be careful, so they wouldn’t make more debris fall on Cap than he already had on the captain.

As soon as his arm was freed, Johnny was getting a pulse and requesting a blood pressure cuff. Just after Roy handed the cuff to Johnny, the guys heard an all too familiar sound.

“Take cover,” yelled Mike Stoker. They all knew that the building was ready to cave again, and instinctively, they all ran for cover. Soon after the sickening noise, the rest of the roof caved in. The guys knew what they had to do next. The time had come for a head count, to make sure everyone had gotten out. Everyone seemed to be accounted for, when suddenly Roy had a sick feeling.

“Johnny! Johnny, are you out here?”

“Gage, you’d better not be hiding,” Chet was attempting to be lighthearted, but everyone knew where Johnny was. He had refused to leave Cap, and had to be buried with him in the pile.

When the crew from Station 51 entered the building, their worse nightmares became apparent before their eyes. The rubble was so dense that they couldn’t begin to pick out the spot where they had last seen Cap and Johnny. It seemed all their slow, steady work was for nothing. They all knew what they had to do next; it was time to begin again. They had to find Hank and Johnny, before it was too late. That is, if it wasn’t already too late.

Upon hearing of the accident, the paramedics from 110 showed up quickly to the scene of the collapse; knowing well that Roy could not possibly handle both victims alone. Tom Wheeler, and his partner, Kirk, were veterans, and Roy was happy to see them. The daunting task ahead was one that every fireman was aware could happen, but prayed would never happen. Since the fires were becoming more controlled, the crew from 51 had more manpower. They could use every hand available now. Even though no one dared say it, they were all thinking that air would soon be scarce if they didn’t reach Cap and Johnny.

Everyone was digging as hard as they could, but with care, too. They couldn’t allow the load on top of the firemen to shift and possibly hurt them further.

“I have something,” Marco said without looking up. He knew that he had to get whomever it was out, as quickly as possible. He kept with his work until an arm became visible to everyone. They all went to that spot, and began moving parts of the building.

“It’s Cap,” Mike Stoker was happy to have either injured man that close to receiving help.

The men all worked for about 15 minutes more before Hank was freed. He was breathing, and had a faint pulse. Roy began accessing his condition, as another paramedic got Rampart on the biophone.

“Rampart, this is squad 110, how do you read?”

“110, this is Rampart, go ahead,” Joe Early had been awaiting this call.

“Rampart, we have a male, approximately 35 years of age. He was trapped by an unstable ceiling, and is having some problems breathing. We have administered O2. Vitals are, BP 100/60, respiration 20, pulse 56, and weak. Patient has numerous abrasions on his body, and there seems to be a broken femur. There are no apparent head injuries, and pupils are equal and reactive.”

“Is patient conscious, 110?”

“Negative, Rampart.”

“Start an IV with ringers lactate, and transport as soon as possible, also make sure the femur is stable before moving patient.”

“10-4, Rampart, Be advised patient is Captain Stanley. Ambulance is on scene. 110 out.”

The ambulance pulled away, as the crew from 51, and others from 110, and other units continued to look for Johnny. Kirk had rode in with Cap, and the rest stayed behind to help in the remaining search. Captain Stanley was in remarkable condition, considering what his body had just experienced; but, all the firemen had to wonder if they could expect two miracles in one day.

The digging was not an easy task. It had to be done by hand, and the crews had formed lines in order to move debris more quickly. Finally, when they were just about to give up finding Johnny alive, someone yelled that they had something.

“I’ve got a hand, guys,” Roy was elated. He knew that this was his partner, and best friend, and he couldn’t be happier. The hand was still warm, which was another good sign. All the firefighters came to Roy’s aid in moving the debris from on top of, and around Johnny. Roy began to worry when he realized just how heavy some of the items were.

After what seemed like hours, Johnny was finally free, but not in as good of condition as Captain Stanley. He was totally unresponsive to pain, and in cardiac and respiratory arrest. Immediately, Tom Wheeler began CPR, while Chet worked with Johnny’s airway.

“Rampart, this is squad 51, how do you read?” Roy had to take the biophone this time, because he wanted to get the instructions himself from the doctors at Rampart, and save his partner’s life.

“51, this is Rampart, go ahead.” Good it was Brackett.

“Rampart, we have a male, 27 years of age, unconscious, and was unresponsive to painful stimuli. He is in full respiratory and cardiac arrest. We are now performing CPR, and mouth to mouth. We are setting up to countershock him.”

“Hit him with the paddles now, Roy.”

“1 2 3 4 Clear.” Nothing

“Hit him again, Tom,” Roy prayed that Johnny would convert.

“1 2 3 4 Clear.” Thank God, sinus rhythm.

Johnny had been patched into the EKG machine, and Rampart was receiving the readings. Everyone breathed a heavy sigh of relief when Johnny converted to sinus rhythm.

“51, establish an esophageal airway.”

“10-4 Rampart, esophageal airway has been established, and now we’re assessing patient’s injuries. Vitals to follow.”

“Rampart, this is Squad 51. The patient appears to have a fractured humorus, and has an open fracture of the tibia and fibula. There has been a fair amount of blood loss. Pupils are reactive and equal at this time. The skin is cold, and patient is having some problems breathing, even with the esophageal airway established. The patient also appears to have some broken ribs. Vitals are, BP 90/50, Pulse 120 and thready, respirations 20 and shallow. There are numerous abrasions and hematomas. “

“51, Start an IV D5W, increase oxygen, apply splints and tourniquets where necessary, inject Sodium bicarbonate, keep a five minute check on the vitals and transport immediately.”

“10-4 Rampart.”

“51, is the patient coherent?”

“Negative, Rampart, patient is still unconscious.”

“10-4, 51, Keep me posted and bring him in as soon as possible.”

“10-4 Rampart, 51 out.”

“Dix, set up in 3. We’re gonna need x-rays, an EKG set up, respirator, chest tubes. Let’s be ready for anything in this case. John is one very sick paramedic right now.”

“It’ll be okay, Kel, Johnny’s been in bad situations before, and has always surprised us.”

“I just don’t want any surprises that we aren’t prepared for, when he arrives. Are Joe and Mike busy now?”

“I’ll check and see, Kel,” Dixie gave him her best smile, but Dr. Brackett would not be at ease until Johnny was in the hospital and stabilized. He knew that with these injuries, anything could happen.

Roy and Tom began to prepare Johnny for transport to Rampart. They had splinted his arm, applied a tourniquet to his leg, and the bleeding was beginning to subside. They placed him on a backboard for precaution. During all this, they handled the broken paramedic like porcelain, but Roy was disturbed that Johnny had shown no signs of regaining consciousness. The big question now was, how long had he been without oxygen and a heart rhythm? This worried all the guys, but now was not the time for speculation; now was the time for action.

Roy rode into Rampart with his partner, still unconscious. Roy carefully examined Johnny’s head for any signs of head injury and could find none. This worried him even more. A slight frown had appeared on his face, and was not leaving. He was thankful that the doctors at Rampart were so good. Johnny was the best friend that Roy ever had, and he wasn’t about to lose him now.

As soon as they arrived at Rampart, the staff was ready to give Johnny the best care possible. The guys knew that the assessment would take a bit of time, and they all gathered in the waiting room. They also knew that they would need to return to the station. The waiting would be tough, no matter where it took place.

Roy went into the treatment area with Johnny, but soon realized that he was more in the way than helping, so he joined his fellow firefighters in the lobby.

“How’s Cap doing?” Roy had almost forgotten that Johnny wasn’t the only causality of this fire.

“Brackett says that he should be fine. He’s in surgery now, but they think he’ll have a full recovery.” At least Marco sounded positive about all of this. Now, if they could all just believe it.

Back in room 3, the doctors and nurses tried to get some responses from Johnny. At least he was showing signs of a slight response to painful stimuli! That was a plus, but Joe Early wanted to run an EEG on Johnny, to make sure that he had normal brain functions, since he was deprived of oxygen for an undetermined amount of time. They all breathed a sigh of relief when the results came back normal. Johnny was about to go up to the OR, to have some of the bones set and repaired, when he finally became semiconscious. He was barely moaning, but all the staff was greatly relieved. At least he was stable enough for surgery, and the EEG and EKG looked normal, so things were once again looking good for the paramedic.

Dr. Brackett came out to a group of very worried firemen. He knew the question that was on everyone’s mind.

“He’s on his way up to surgery now, but things look good. Johnny was beginning to wake up when we took him up, so he should be fine, once he’s all patched up.”

“Are we talking about a complete recovery for Cap, and Johnny,” Chet was almost afraid to hope for such good news, after the day they had just endured.

“I’d say there’s a very good chance of it,” Brackett had the hint of a smile on his face. “Great job guys, the field work made the difference, for both of them.”

“After all that has happened today, I was beginning to wonder, what next,” Mike was thinking out loud more than anything else.

“Don’t feel alone Mike,” Roy pitched in, “I was beginning to think the same thing myself.”

By this time, a new Cap had been assigned to Station 51, and was at Rampart, along with Craig Brice, who was to be Johnny’s substitute.

“Station 51, MVA, with injuries. 109 Elgin Avenue, cross street Baker, 1 0 9 Elgin Avenue, cross street Baker, time out 18:50”

“Station 51, 10-4, KMG365. Let’s go boys,” Cap Hammer was ready to get back to business, and so were the other crewmembers; all knowing that Cap and Johnny had survived their ordeal, and things would be back to normal before too terribly long.

Roy dreaded the stint with Brice again, but was so relieved that Johnny would be okay. As they left, Dix noticed Chet place his hand on Roy’s back. She loved her job. Especially on days like this, when the outcome was wonderful for everyone.