No Place for Heels

I walked into Station 12 of Montgomery Fire/Rescue Friday inappropriately dressed for my ride-a-long in a dress and heels. I walked out later that afternoon suited up with a new appreciation of the difficult nature of the job of firefighters and fire medics.

Once Police Lt. Tonya Thompson got me properly suited up for the job in borrowed blue pants, a Department of Public Safety jacket and boots, I was ready to ride. I had barely walked into the station before we received our first emergency call. I rode with Lt. Anthony Welch and Medic Brian Dewberry. We responded to a car crash on the interstate. The driver had flipped his vehicle into a deep ditch and paramedics got busy treating him for his injuries until he was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

We returned to the station where District Fire Chief B.S. Hackett gave me a tour, explaining to me the schedule of the firefighters and the differences among the many types of fire trucks. I never realized there were so many kinds- one for pumping water, one with ladders for search and rescue, medic trucks, and lifesaving equipment trucks. It is all still kind of spinning in my head.

Chief Hackett directs 36 people on one of three shifts, including seven-year veteran Welch and Dewberry. We stopped for an excellent lunch cooked by the firefighters and medics. If you ever get a chance to eat a home-cooked meal in a fire station, take it. They grill a mean pork chop and dine together just like a family. After all, they are a family.

The afternoon brought several emergency calls, including a woman having chest pains and another possibly in a diabetic coma. I watched the two young medics carefully take the time to ask the right questions, get IV’s started to pump glucose, do EKG’s and take vital signs, all while under the careful watch of frantic family members unsure if their loved ones would live or die. Both medics were able to comfort these families and answer their questions while administering lifesaving procedures.

The firefighters and medics at Station 12 were the individuals responsible for responding to a big fire that recently broke out on Thomas Avenue. Montgomery resident Martha Jane Dawson described this week the fire department’s response more eloquently than I ever could:

“The sight we saw as we ran from our house was unbelievable. Flames roaring skyward as far as you could see — flames and smoke coming from every direction. The firemen surrounded the beautiful old home, working diligently to confine the fire, determined to save as much of the house as possible. They worked hard to keep the fire from the two homes next door. They worked tirelessly until every cinder was extinguished.”

I can’t imagine any group I would want more rescuing my family or saving my property. These men are heroes.