A Day In The Life Of Fire House #2

Posted on June 3, 2011 – 6:05 AM | by Admin
  • Share

By James W. Cameron Photo by Scott Duncan

Times have changed in the firefighting world. As depicted in films, firefighters go to bed in their fire gear, struggle out of their slumber when claxon alarms sound to warn of a call to duty, then slide down a brass pole to the floor below, where they spring onto a fire truck and sail off to save the community.  Well, not so fast, guys. In this day and age, while they’re just as ready as ever to attend to the community’s needs and even better equipped to do so, Sacramento firefighters doff their equipment when sleeping and fire poles are a thing of the past. So much for Hollywood.

Fire House Number Two, situated between 12th and 13th on I Street, is but one of 23 fire stations in the River City under the jurisdiction of the Sacramento Fire Department.  Thirty three fire companies and fourteen medic units utilize over 100 pieces of specialized equipment. Organized in 1850 as the first volunteer department in the western United States, it was established as a paid department twenty two years later.  Firehouse Number Two was one of two original stations. Some fire stations house an engine, a truck and a medic vehicle as well.

Station Two is one of those. Others have only engines, or engines and trucks. Fire House Two and four other stations also house fireboats.  All of the stations have firefighters on duty 24 hours a day, working 48 straight hours followed by 96 off.  Fire captains at each station command crews that provide coverage seven days a week.

At Fire House Two, one of those captains is Scott Visser, a veteran of eighteen years on the force.  Visser started his career with the department as a firefighter/paramedic, worked at another station and then made the move to Midtown.

“The needs of the city are fluid, constantly changing, so the department must be flexible,” he says.  “We have people sick and injured, others in training mode, vehicles out of service for repair, a score of conditions that the department must be ready to accommodate.  So the firehouses are organized to meet those conditions.  When a call for help goes out, a central dispatch unit makes the decision on how we handle it, depending on a computerized system to give it the information it needs to send the right amount and type of equipment from the right locations.  We’re called out for everything from fires to confined space and rope rescues and simple slips and falls.  Medical calls are the most frequent.”

Visser commands a truck and has three people in his crew. The engine and truck are equipped differently in order to play different roles. The engine carries hoses, water and hand ladders while the truck is the station’s tool box, a rig with a big ladder and extra equipment for fighting big fires. In addition, there’s an ambulance at the station and Visser explains that “captains share in management of the medics and the boats which are used in special circumstances, usually in swift water emergencies where unprepared people are swimming or boating in dangerous situations. In spite of all the publicity that’s offered, people often make mistakes in or on the water and it’s sometimes tragic.”  Visser and all other captains at eight stations report to Battalion Chief Mark Bentovoj.

Visser’s right hand is Matt (Gonzo) Gonzales, a tall, quietly confident man who previously served with him at another station and who was sought after by Visser when he transferred to Station Two. On the force since 1996 after training as a paramedic, Gonzales drives the truck and is responsible for maintaining it and all of its equipment – from simple axes to the sophisticated and much publicized ‘jaws of life.’

Firehouses are homes away from home.  Fire crews spend a third of their lives in them and the crews themselves are like extended families. “Crews sleep in dormitories in shorts and tee shirts and captains have their own quarters but if anyone gets eight or nine hours of sleep in a 48 hour shift, that’s really good rest and it’s rare,” says Visser.

The rest of the station’s personal space includes a large bathroom with shower, a spacious television room and library with overstuffed lounge chairs and a small laundry room.  The station also has a fully equipped kitchen and a spacious eating area with a communal table.  “There’s a designated cook for each day” says Visser. “The guys generally do a good job preparing meals but some days are more adventurous than others.” The engine, truck, ambulance and boat are housed along with fire fighting gear and a workout area in a room the size of the rest of the station combined.

It’s a busy life. “Calls come in at all times of the day and increase with heightened activity in the city such as Second Saturday,” Visser explains, “but I wouldn’t say there’s any real pattern.  Sometimes we’re running in and out all day long and other times it’s comparatively quiet.  But I’d describe it as always busy.”

Busy is clearly the key word.  During one recent hour and a half visit, the Fire House Two crew was called out three times and in the midst of a visit with Fire Fighter Jake Neubauer an eerie horn sounded repeatedly over the station’s sound system.  When asked, Neubauer quietly and calmly explained that the sound was a signal that a fire fighter somewhere was in jeopardy or couldn’t be located.

Neubauer’s calm, confident demeanor is reflective of the men and women who serve. He worked with the US Fire Service and volunteer department in Mammoth before qualifying for the Sacramento force four years ago. Neubauer is fit- he follows a routine that encompasses “lifting, gymnastics, movements and short runs in combinations,” he explains.

Neubauer’s devotion to physical fitness is typical of members of the department. Training begins with eighteen weeks and 650 hours of instruction at the California Regional Fire Academy followed by four to six weeks at the Agency Specific Academy where  training uniquely relevant to Sacramento’s needs is taught. Candidates must be in good condition and free of physical disabilities to be able to complete the grueling tests of physical and mental ability.  Only 45 men and womenare admitted to each California Regional class, and training includes a host of procedures, from the basics of rope and hose techniques to ladder evolution, use of tools and equipment, and handling of wild land fires, swift water rescue, and hazmat materials.  Face to face interviews, written tests, medical and drug exams, and extensive background checks are requirements.

It’s clear that there’s a devotion to duty among Sacramento’s fire fighters.  They speak with conviction of their responsibility to the city’s citizens and with pride in the department’s accomplishments.  And their sense of professional camaraderie extends to other fire fighters around the country. Nowhere is this more evident than in their reverence for those New York fire fighters lost on 9/11. “We honor them every year,” says Gonzales, and this year, along with local citizens, they’ll climb 343 steps (equal to 110 stories) of the Renaissance Tower in remembrance of those who gave up their lives that day.

“It’s a tough, demanding job, particularly in the midst of the city,” he says, “but I like the challenge. It’s one close call after another.”

Post a Comment