The Library Vault

By Librarian Briana

At 8:00 a.m. when I pulled into the parking lot behind the Cross Street Fire Department in Middletown, I took a few deep breaths. It was a day I’d been waiting months for: my ride-along with members of the Middletown Fire Department! It also happened to be my birthday!

I had won this ride-along in a live auction hosted by the Middletown Rotary Club. The ride-along was one of many cool items to bid on. I went head to head with the president of Rotary Club in bidding. At the one hundred dollar mark, the president gave in, and the ride along was all mine. I chose to schedule the big day to coincide with MY big day – my birthday – as a present to myself. Al Lespier, the Deputy Fire Marshal for MFD, set everything up for the day. He was a great help!

As a librarian at Russell Library, I’m used to walking into the library and being greeted by shelves of books, so walking into the fire station felt a bit intimidating. There were gigantic red and yellow firetrucks/aid cars parked inside the massive garage. I could see long rows of lockers for each firefighter with their gear inside. Beside some of the trucks lay boots connected to overalls – gear just waiting to be pull on at the next emergency.

I got an immediate sense of the strong, family-like bonds shared by the crew when I was introduced to them. The crew had just begun their twenty-four hour shift when I arrived. They were swapping stories about their weekends while sipping coffee. By their warm tones, I could tell how much they all care about each other and look out for one another. One of the Lieutenants on the crew spoke with me about the process people interested in becoming a firefighter for MFD must go through. Some of the process includes written, physical, and oral tests. If a person passes these tests, they move forward to the fire academy, where they receive extensive training. If these recruits make it through the academy, they can join the fire department. At this point, they face a strict probationary period. If they pass this, it’s official: they are a firefighter at MFD permanently!

Yeah- becoming a firefighter for the Middletown Fire Department is a huge deal.

These men and women do so much more than just fight fires. They are all trained EMTs who respond to various medical emergencies across their district. They do vehicle maintenance and inspections, station maintenance, and so on. They are even trained to do dive rescues! Firefighters are constantly continuing their education. They train multiple times a week in various aspects of their jobs. I was allowed to attend a EMT training class with my crew where they received a refresher on helping individuals in forms of respiratory distress. (The crew also surprised me and another firefighter with the same birthday with an ice cream cake before the training! They’re literally the nicest people ever.)

One of my favorite parts of the day was going up on the ladder truck. The firefighter in charge of the ladder truck showed me which buttons to press and hold to get the truck stabilized before getting the ladder ready. Climbing up the truck to get into the bucket attached to the ladder was scarier for me than actually going up into the air. Once the firefighter and I were strapped in, we went about forty-five feet up into the air and were extended outward about one hundred feet! The view was breathtaking! The ladder could have gone up to one hundred feet vertical, but between us, I’m glad it didn’t. That would have really tested the limits of my bravery.

Another part of the day I enjoyed was my personalized tour of the fire station as well as a close look at each truck/aid car. One of the newer firefighters at Cross Street played tour guide for me throughout the morning, showing me the ins-and-outs of the station before moving on to each truck and the aid car. I had no idea just how many compartments each truck has, and the extensive amount of tools in each compartment. I got to see different power tools and even the jaws of life.

In case he ever reads this, the tour I received from this firefighter was an 11/10 overall. I was really interested in everything he told me and he helped make my day a really enjoyable experience! I was also given the opportunity to try on the gear that firefighters wear when responding to fires. I’ll insert a picture of myself below:

Pretty cool right? And, yes, this uniform is heavy – especially the oxygen tank. I also had no idea that firefighters have approximately two minutes to get their gear on. Yes, you read that right, two minutes. It must have taken me about ten to fifteen minutes to be fully situated. Every inch of skin must be covered as well. I first pulled on boots connected to overalls. Then I put on a head covering and a coat. This must be zipped and velcro’d shut. After that I put on the oxygen tank (which I could not lift) and mask (very claustrophobic) and, finally, a helmet. There is an alarm on the tank that will go off every thirty seconds if the firefighter doesn’t move, and it will get progressively louder the longer the person is not moving. This is so firefighters can find a comrade if they fall and/or become unconscious during a fire.

I was able to go on one call with my crew in Engine 2. It baffled and angered me how many drivers made little effort to move over for the truck as we drove towards our destination. Please move over however much you can and let them pass. Every second they can’t get by is a second wasted. If you look closely on the back of a firetruck the next time you’re near one, it will have a sign on the back warning drivers to keep 500 feet back. Do most people follow this? Nope. I personally had never noticed this until I got a closer look at the trucks on my ride along. The message I want anyone reading this to take is: Please do not tailgate fire engines. Just keep a respectable distance from the rear of the truck. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

The sirens are much louder outside of the truck versus on the inside for obvious reasons (but it’s something I never thought about until that day). The seats are also pretty comfy too. Below, I’ve shared a picture of my vantage point from inside Engine 2 while we were parked. While the crew was on their call, I had to stay inside the truck.

The final part of my day ended in the dispatch room. I was able to see the people who hear us at our worst and send us the help we need. There is a light system that staff use to gauge when and how loud they can talk and when they have to be silent. The room they sit inside is pretty dark (it took me a second to adjust to it). There is a person assigned to EMS, the fire department, and the police department. Dispatch works extremally hard to help our first responders help the citizens of Middletown.

Overall, I had a pretty amazing day. I got to see what firefighters actually do on a daily basis. I have even more admiration and respect for them. I want to thank the Middletown Fire Department for giving me this opportunity. I also want to thank/give a shout out to the firefighters at the Cross Street Station and especially the crew of Engine 2 who let me tag along with them all day. You all were great company and deserve the highest praise.

I also want to give a belated shoutout to Shane, who did me a solid and bought my lunch for me when I “pulled a firefighter” and forgot my wallet. Jersey Mikes on me next year?

Disclaimer: I wrote this entry based off of what I can remember from my rid- along. I didn’t take written extensive notes. If for whatever reason I got something wrong, I apologize! I am happy to incorporate any corrections from feedback I receive.