THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603300102
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CURTIS S.D. MASSEY
LENGTH: Long : 195 lines
Two brothers died today. They were not killed by a drunken driver or a crazed gunman, but by another villain. An unseen one. One that lurks behind every doorway of every building that firefighters enter.
They know their foe all too well. He is cunning, yet cowardly. He is afraid to confront you face-to-face, because he knows you will beat him more often than not. Just as he begins to go to work trying to kill people and destroy property, you come along and put a stop to it. He has a special deep-seated hatred for firefighters. you are the only ones that stand between success and failure for someone who knows no mercy, who offers no quarter. He simply lives to kill and is unforgiving for any mistake made.
His greatest enemy are the very people who make a living out of preventing him from carrying out his work. He extracts great pleasure from taking the lives of innocent people, but he bathes in self-gratification when he can succeed in taking the life of a firefighter. Today he won the battle.
As a whole, the public doesn't have the foggiest idea what firefighters really do for a living. They truly don't have a clue. They drive by the station late in the afternoon and see the guys leaning back in chairs against a wall outside the front bay. Their first thought is, ``There's our tax dollars hard at work - another tough day of playing cards or checkers.'' The thought running through the firefighters' minds at the same moment is, ``What could we have done different to save the lives of those little kids we lost in that house fire this morning?''
The driver's short-term anger will disappear by the time he gets home. The burning image of the crying mother pleading for them to rescue her children and the sight of the bodies burned beyond recognition will stay with them forever.
The public stands next to them in the grocery store check-out line, asking the crew if the city buys their groceries and who's watching the fire house while they shop for food. Maybe they just finished fighting their third fire of the day and didn't want to chance sending someone alone to the store and being a man down if another fire came in.
Oddly enough, one Chesapeake crew was grocery shopping Monday when the alarm came in and responded immediately to the fire (full crew intact), leaving the staples lying on the counter as they began their response. As it turns out, everyone would be needed in fighting that fire.
``What a cush job they've got!'' you're thinking. ``I hope we all come back from this alarm and no civilians get killed,'' they're thinking as they run to the fire apparatus. In firefighting, you see the very best and the very worst life has to offer. Today, unfortunately, the latter held true.
Overall, people have a tremendous misconception about the life of a firefighter and what they really do for a living. Now would be a good time to set the record straight. Here are a few brief facts to assist you:
Firefighters pull 24-hour shifts in most cities, not eight-hour shifts. They work a 58-hour work week, not a 40-hour one. With that in mind, their pay only averages between $20,000 and $30,000.
Firefighting is the the most dangerous peace-time occupation in the world. It is also the most stressful occupation in the world.
The ranks are no longer composed of just men. Women are being accepted into fire departments throughout the country and are risking their lives side-by-side with the men.
Fire engines now respond with ambulances on all life-threatening calls, to assist the medic crews and provide rapid emergency medical intervention prior to the medic unit's arrival. All too often the first thing they hear when they pull up in an engine for a heart attack call is, ``I didn't call for a damn fire truck! I need an ambulance!''
The crew bites their tongues as they enter the house to begin CPR or break out the defibrillator to shock the person back to life, often before the ambulance even arrives. Without their response, far more people would die from acute trauma waiting for medical units to arrive from miles away. You've got firefighters and medical technicians on those fire trucks assigned to protect you. Now there's your tax dollars hard at work!
A typical shift consists of business inspections, school fire drills, pre-fire planning, buildings, a mandatory two hours of fire training and one hour of physical training, preventative maintenance on the fire trucks and all its equipment. All this in addition to running emergency calls. The days of sitting around playing checkers are 30 years ago.
If you're not running up and down the highway all night, maybe you can sneak in a few hours of sleep before changing crews in the morning and heading off to work all day at your part-time job. Then you get off work, go by the house to eat and shower, then it's off to school for the rest of the evening, as you continue your pursuit of a fire science degree. You will need it to even be considered for promotion to fire officer.
Firefighters have to be jacks of all trades. You have to be well-versed on a wide variety of subjects. You must know a lot about fire behavior and firefighting tactics and strategy, building construction, hazardous materials, hydraulics, electricity, fire and arson investigation, fire alarm and suppression systems, chemistry and defensive driving, to name just a few subjects.
With this particular job, what you don't know can and will kill you. Worse yet, sometimes all the knowledge, experience and skill in the world won't save you, as certainly was the case in this fire.
Oddly enough, in the 15 years that I've been associated with the fire service, I actually feel that for the first time, the public has, at least, a slight idea of what the job is all about. The tremendous outpouring of sympathy towards not only Chesapeake's finest, but firefighters everywhere, has truly moved the men I am associated with.
The departments tend to deal with their losses from within the ranks, as the fire service is such a close-knit community and tends to keep their experiences, their emotions and their losses to themselves. Only a firefighter really knows what a firefighter does. However, your support during these most trying of times is greatly appreciated, especially by those directly involved with the fire. They sense that you are sharing their loss with them, and that means everything to those people, believe me.
It should also be noted here that the rapid response and assistance of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach Fire Departments was of tremendous benefit to the Chesapeake crews operating on the scene. Virginia Beach crews volunteered to go into the charred and still-smoldering ruins and handle the unenviable, morbid task of ``search and body recovery,'' the most dreaded part of a firefighter's job.
It cannot be overstated how vitally important it was that this assignment not be carried out by Chesapeake crews. The on-scene Virginia Beach fire chiefs' leadership and recognition of the seriousness of the events that had unfolded and the unselfish willingness of their men to go in there and perform a job that no one really wanted to do will never be forgotten. If the situation is ever reversed one day (and we all pray that day will not come), I believe strongly that Chesapeake's finest would be the first to volunteer for the job.
The Virginia Beach Fire Department, after locating the bodies, posted an honor guard by the two fallen men in tribute until they could properly be prepared for removal from the scene. Their unnerving professionalism throughout this incident and the true class in which they carried out the grimmest of tasks was truly impressive. I am honored to know those men and women.
As is tradition in the fire service, ``You carry your own out.'' Believe me, none of the Chesapeake firefighters wanted to enter the burned-out shell of that building and remove the bodies of their dead comrades, yet there is not an army on the face of the earth who could have held them back.
Standing there, watching those brave firefighters carry out their own on two stretchers to waiting ambulances was a sight I'll never forget. How they were able to ``hold it together'' was nothing shy of amazing. The intestinal fortitude and sheer concentration it must have taken to complete this task and ``strike the fire out'' (job completed) was of monumental proportions. I was so proud of them.
In closing, it must also be noted that in most firefighter fatalities, a mistake is made that costs them their lives. The citizens of Hampton Roads have to know that there were no serious mistakes made on this fire. These men did not die from being overly aggressive, inexperienced or ignorant of fire behavior. They died from an unintentional error on someone else's part, lightweight building construction and just simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
They most likely went into the building to rescue people they believed to be trapped or in need of assistance in evacuating and it cost them their lives. I knew both men, and they would not have been inside the structure if they knew how much fire was above their heads in the concealed ceiling space, unless they thought they had victims trapped.
That's it in a nutshell. These men died doing what firefighters do every day across this country. They race into burning buildings that they don't own and risk their lives to rescue people who they don't know. This time they made the ultimate sacrifice. However, at least they died doing what they did best and loved the most - firefighting.
They left behind grieving families, including children who are now missing their fathers. Chesapeake has lost two of its finest firefighters, and the city will never be as well protected again, due to the loss of these two incredibly brave, unselfish men. They will be dearly missed by their fellow comrades, their families, friends and the community.
Three weeks from now, this fire and its aftermath will most surely be old news, as new events unfold that demand your attention. However, I beg you people to remember what has happened here this week and the significant losses that have occurred.
Tonight, as I am leaving Chesapeake Fire Station No. 2 in Portlock, the tones go off for a fire alarm. I stop long enough to glance over the shoulder of one of my old crew members (and close friend) and read the dispatch printout as it's being spit out of the machine. They are being sent to a possible structural fire in an industrial complex.
The printout reads ``Use extreme caution! Various hazardous materials are stored in the building, including poisons, compressed gasses and other highly toxic, dangerous compounds. Severe explosion hazard exists! Firefighting gear ineffective protection!'' Then I stand there and watch those guys, without hesitation, suit up, hop on the rig and begin their response.
I caught a glance from one of the men as they were pulling out of the station. It was a look of concern, yet unwavering confidence. Everything would turn out OK, and they would be back soon. You always come back, right? Well .
So, folks, the next time you see a fire truck come up behind you racing to another alarm, do them a favor and get out of the way. (A lot of people refuse to yield to fire apparatus. After all, the're in a hurry to get somewhere, too!) Just remember, folks, it could be your house on fire or that of a loved one, and it goes without saying, every second counts.
Also, as that fire truck passes by you (after you pull over), give them a warm smile, a tip of the hat or a wave hello, just to let them know you really do care. After all, they may not be coming back.
God bless Chesapeake firefighters Frank Young and John Hudgins, their families and their fellow firefighters, they left behind to carry on the most dangerous job there is. In addition, bless the dispatcher who handled this fire and the Virginia Power employee who accidentally caused the fire to occur. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, as we all share in our grieving together. It was simply fate and nothing more. It was meant to be.
Frank? John? Hang though, my brothers. We'll be up there with you shortly. We're gonna miss you guys. MEMO: Mr. Massey, a resident of Vaughn Road in Virginia Beach, is a former
officer of Ladder 2, Chesapeake Fire Department. by CNB