St. Andrew's School Fire

Units Requested: Squad 7, Truck 7

Location: 1301 Martin Drive, St. Andrews School

Weather: 94 degrees, sunny

Nature: Fire in adjoining structures, people trapped. Orlando Fire request SIAU as first responders due to fire in the Everglades

Time out: 1142

*I hear the dispatch for the call and sigh as I hear it’s a fire call, which are usually bogus. I then hear that it is a confirmed fire in a school with people trapped. My adrenaline hits as I begin to sprint over to the pole. I see the rest of the guys running to the pole. I catch it and slide down, landing next to the squad. I see Hale jumping over the side of the hose bed and running to the rear of the truck. I use my boots to pull off each other before I climb into my fire boots. I pull my bunker pants up, pull the suspenders over my shoulders, snap the fly, and grab my bunker coat from the door of the truck. I fling it around my head and make sure that I put it over my arms. I climb into the rig and put on my sunglasses as we open up the bay doors before I check the MDC and check the information on the call as Robert flicks the lights on as we get ready to roll out. I change the light in front of the station to green for us and red for everyone else as we ease onto the apron and head out. I press responding on the MDC and key the mic.*

"Squad 7 responding, dispatch."

*As I ride over to the fire, I see the columns of smoke rising up*
"We're in for a big one"
*I say as we head over there while fires may be tragic and dangerous, I can't help but feel exited about it. It has been a week since Volk died, and it would be nice to get back work with something fresh.*
*When the truck stops, I jump out to go rig up the hose. I fasten it and turn the big nozzle making the hose inflate and water gushes to the truck.*

*I hear the call for us as I vault over the side of the Squad. I run over to the engine and grab my bunker gear. I inhale the smell of smoke and soot on the gear as I pull it on. I pull the handholds around my fingers before I climb into the ladder. I know that we just finished with the hose lines, so we should be good for getting a feed from the engine. As we roll out, I make sure that we hang behind the squad. I key the mic and press responding as Nick marks his unit responding.*

"Dispatch, Truck 7 will be responding to the St. Andrew's fire."

*I turn to the guys as we head out.*

'All right guys, for those of you who are not used to working on a truck company, let alone a fire, stick with me. We're gonna have do do whatever we need to do. Squad is going to head in and do SAR. We are going to ventilate the roof, see if we need to do any window rescue, stay outside and bring in equipment, do RIT, and ladder the entire building. Nicholas will tell us what he wants us to do. I'm sure Orlando has a rescue coming and they should be able to get equipment for the squad and do RIT. Payne, you and I are going to ventilate the roof. Owen, stay in the basket and operate it. It sounds like there will be two buildings, so I'll take one and Payne can take the other. Clayton, you're getting a feed from the squad so we can do defensive operations if we need to. After that, I need you to head around the building and break and ladder all of the windows. Any questions guys?'

*As I look from the guys in the back to Payne as he rounds a corner, I see two large black columns of smoke. I wait for about three seconds for Nicholas to call it in since he's in front of me, but I figure that he must be giving his brief, so I key the mic up.*

"Truck 7 to Dispatch, be advised. We have a large black smoke column visible. Request you send us a full second and third alarm assignment for this incident."

*As we lead over to the call, I fish my gloves out of my left coat pocket and my hood out of my right coat pocket. I throw my gloves onto the dashboard and get my hood on right around my neck. I finish with that and then do the snaps on my coat. When I get it up to the top of my chest, I rip my headset off and make sure that I can pull my hood out quickly. I then make sure that the blue field (since it's an American flag patterned one) is in the back so that when I pull it up, my face will be in the front. I keep an eye on the MDC as I pull my SCBA straps onto my shoulders and tighten them around my shoulders. I look up at the smoke and then turn to look at the ladder our of the right side of my door as we make a turn. I key the PTT on my headset to brief the guys for what we're doing when we get on the scene.*

'All right guys. We got a fire, and if you guys aren't blind and you can see the plume over there, you know what's going on. Robert, I'm gonna need my feed as soon as we enter, so I need you to get the feed pronto. Stick, you're with me. I'll take the nozzle. Lyle, Cedric, you guys are together. We're gonna both take 1 3/4 lines into the building. We're gonna head to the second floor and you guys are gonna take the first. I don't know about multiple buildings are involved, so if there are two buildings, we'll decide which building to go into. We'll be line 1 and you guys are line 2, Cedric and Lyle. Any questions guys?'

*I put on my gloves and then wait to hear from any of the guys. Once we arrive at the call, I get ready to head out and mark it on the MDC. I key the mic and open my door.*

"Dispatch, Squad 7 in on scene. One large three building and a large two story are both showing smoke and flames. Squad 7 will be making entry."

*As I pull my headset off and put my hood and helmet on, I turn to the guys.*

'We'll take the three story. Lyle, Cedric, take the 2 story!'

*I grab the nozzle of the 1 3/4 reconnect and walk over to the large building. I see Stick with the irons as we try to get into the building. I put my mask on and head inside once he opens the door.*

"Squad 7 LeBlanc to Squad 7 Steve, charge line 1 please."

*Weee, finally, something to break the monotony of waiting. We get the call for the fire and I virtually jump up and down with joy.*

"Hey, we finally get to do something. So, who's burning. And when can I cut holes in the roof?"

*As we run over to this fire in our trucks, I get jumpy and nervous.*

*As we arrive on the scene, I key the mic and call us on the scene on the MDC.  I help Payne get a good spot with the rig.  I tighten up the straps on my SCBA and then punch the release so I can get out of the truck with my air pack on.  I put my helmet on and look at the building.  I look to find Nick since I know he took command, but I see him breaching the building already.

'Shit.  Owen, in the basket.  Payne, on the roof with me.  Dan, get the truck a feed from the squad with Robert't help and make sure to get any equipment to the squad if they need it.  Any questions?'

*i head to the back of the rig and pull out the plates for the out riggers. Once I get the plates down on the side farthest to the building, I jog around to the back of the rig where I see Payne ready to drop the outriggers.*

'Drop'em.'

*I set the other plates down, mindful of the multiple ton truck rising next to me.  Once we're good, I turn to Payne and head to the top of the turn table.*

'Other side too.'

*I head to the far compartment and pull out a Pike pole, a K-12 saw since its a tar roof, as well as a flathead ax.  I look to Payne as I cinch my ladder belt.  I feel the tuck raise as Owen follows me up.  I look at Payne as he follows me up.  I push to the side to let Owen up first since he will be staying on the basket so we can work on both of the buildings.  I hook the carabiner on the ladder belt to the side of the basket as Owen brings us up.  I see the smoke rising, but decide that I can just suck up the smoke, so I leave my face piece off.  I look to Payne as I point to the small, three story building.*

'Payne!  That's you.  I'll be on the big two story.  Make sure to get radio contact with the guys in the building before you drop anything.  Good?'

*As we reach my building first, I unhook the ladder built and open the door to the basket.  As Owen pulls us closer to the building, I take the pike pole and make sure to put the end to the roof to make sure that I have a floor and don't fall through.  Once I get a good area for my feet, I set onto the roof, making sure to keep my breath.  I continue to walk to a certain area and then sling the K-12 off of my shoulder.  I kneel down and start it up, making sure to keep an eye on my surroundings.  I key my mic right before I get the saw revved up to make sure that I will not be dropping any ceiling on anyone.*

"Truck 7 LeBlanc to Command and Units inside structure 2, I am on the roof preparing to drop a 10 by 10 portion of ceiling on to the second floor.  Are we clear?"

*When I get a positive answer, I run the saw and push my tools out of the way and start to make my cut.  I make two parallel cuts 10 feet apart and then switch the saw to have my right hand be my drive hand rather than my steering hand.  I make the cut and then walk around to the other side.  I make two three feet cuts to leave just a four foot space and then leave a two foot cut between the two, basically pulling the ceiling down.  I give two hard jabs with the pike pole and watch the ceiling fall.  I see the ceiling fall.  I look down and see a large orange plume shoot up, showing that the building is much more volatile than it should be.  I fall to my behind and curse loudly as I try to scoot away from the fire.  I fumble with the mic as I regain my footing and try to get away from the building.*

'HOLY FUCKING SHIT!'

"TRUCK 7 LEBLANC TRANSMITTING A MAYDAY.  MAYDAY.  MAYDAY.  I AM TRAPPED ON THE ROOF WITH A VOLITILE BUILDING..."

*As I abandon checking the roof, no matter how dangerous it is to start running to the edge where it would be quicker to get in the basket.  All of a sudden, I feel the roof sag, which can only mean the building is coming down.  Without a second to react, I feel my right foot make contact with the roof as I impact the top of a wall.  I notice that I'm rolling to the right which has much heavier smoke.  I immediately start rolling to my left to avoid that as well as to try not to land on my air pack and break my spine.  I impact had, causing a giant twinge of pain in my leg.  I gulp hard, figuring that the wall only has so long.  I also know that there are kids in this building, and I need to get them out.  One of the most important things that I have to get is my mask.  I put my hood on and then my mask before I key my mic.*

"Dispatch and command from truck 7 LeBlanc *breathe* I am inside the structure on the *breathe* alpha side.  *breathe*.  I need a way out *breathe* and I need a way to get *breathe* to the kids here."

*I wait for a response before I fish my halogen tool from my belt and try to get to the next rooms.*

*I feel the line inflate with the water and key the mic.*

"Squad 7 LeBlanc to Squad 7 Steve, I have pressure."

*I head into the building and start calling out for people to answer me. As I breach a couple of doors, I hear a loud roar and turn to Stick.*

'Let's head out and see what that was.'

*All of a sudden, I hear Hal's message and become stiff with fear. I don't wait for her to stop as I sprint out of the building. When she finishes and I'm almost out of the building, I key my mic.*

"Command to units on the scene: *breathe* shut down all exterior operations but rescue. We're *breathe* gonna get in there and get her..."

*At this point when I'm still talking over the mic, I rip my mask off, almost tearing my hood and knocking my helmet off. I know that Stick is reaching down to get it, so I continue running and talking.*

"... BREAK Squad 7 LeBlanc to Squad 7 Steve, I need two fresh bottles at the rig now! BREAK Squad 7 LeBlanc to Squad 7 Johnson and Pierce, I need you guys to see if you can get her. BREAK Squad 7 to Truck 7, I need you off the roof and on the second floor trying to get on the second floor. BREAK Command to all units: activate RIT."

*As I reach the engine, I see some of the Orlando Fire guys hauling ass with RIT. I sling my SCBA off and leave it on the bumper for Robert to do it as my second alarm guys start showing up.*

'I GOT A MAN DOWN ON THE SECOND FLOOR! I NEED YOU GUYS IN THE REAR. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T SINK THE TRUCK, BUT I WANT HER OUT!'

*I see the officer nod and then head to the rear. I get my airpack on now since it's done. I know that Steve and Liam are still working as I turn to the guys.*

'Meet me at the door, I'm heading inside.'

*I key the mic with one hand and then wrap my arm around the line. I start calling for my wife as I reach the door and start to mask up again.*

"Squad 7 LeBlanc to Truck 7 LeBlanc, switch to Push 8."

*I pull out my reserve radio and switch it, leaving two shoulder mics. I look to the one with her and key it.*

"Squad 7 LeBlanc to Truck 7 LeBlanc, I need you to get to a window and get out. I have ladders coming to you. We are also coming for assistance. We'll get the kids. You just head to medical."

*As I look up at the top of the building, I see the large 35 foot red plume coming up from the top of the building and shake my head. I get a seal and turn around and see Liam coming to me. I don't wait for him, but I continue to enter the building. I feel the heat, but I continue to push to the steps and try to head up to get my wife out of the building.*

*I manage to stand up and immediately have issues with my left leg. I immediately realize that it's broken and debate breaking the window open to let the guys know where I am so they can come and get me, but I figure that the kids won't be able to get out. I grit my teeth and press on. I manage to pop open a door even though I have a bad leg. I limp through the room but don't find me. When I get to the end of the hall, I see another, much larger hall. I hear Nick giving out orders of how to get me out, causing me to shake my head since it would stop me from getting the kids. I hear dispatch call me and tell me they think the kids are through the hall. I drag my leg behind me as I get to the rooms. I key the mic as I start to get through the room.*

"Truck 7 LeBlanc to Squad 7 LeBlanc, *breathe* I'll see you in a bit. *breathe* I love you."

*I know it isn't protocol, but considering I'm hurt pretty bad and trapped in a really bad building. I get into the room and see a large group of about 100 kids in a small auditorium. I address them and decide to try and bash out a wall. I hear my vibral alert go off, signifying that I only have about 250 psi of air left. I gulp hard and key the mic as the building begins shaking.*

"Truck 7 LeBlanc to Command, *breathe* I'm on the Alpha-Delta side. *breathe*. I need a ladder here for escape. *breathe*. I have multiple kids and little air. BREAK *breathe*. Truck 7 LeBlanc to Truck 7, *breathe* open the master streams in my vent hole."

*I hear protests as the building begins to shake more, signifying a flashover as I key the mic and cut the crew off.*

"I NEED THAT FUCKING DECK GUN GOIN' NOW!"

*I break out a hole in the wall and start expanding it as we wait for a ladder.*

*I hear the transmission from Hal as I enter the building with Stick as I yell to him.*

'SCREW THIS.'

*I pull the hose line closer to me and make sure that I wrap it up with my arms as we head over the steps. I make sure that the hose line is handing over the side of the stairs to save line as I head up to the steps. I see a pillar of fire coming toward me from the deck gun and I know that my little 1 3/4 line will not be able to defeat that because they are pushing a whole lot more water than I can. I bend down and open my line as we push across the hallway to get Hailey. I know that there is no possible way that I can her out since the building is roaring and I can start to feel my ear lobes tingling, letting me know that it is getting to hot. I turn the nozzle to the ceiling and open it up, trying to stop a flashover even though it will produce 300 degree steam pouring down on us. I know that there is a door behind me and I can bail out of the steps. I try to get a vantage point on the wall as Hail is trying to break the walls out, but I cannot see her. I key the mic and see if I can get something working.*

"Command to Exterior units, *breathe* see if you can bring *breathe* a deck gun to the *breathe* courtyard area and push *breathe* water in here. It's about *breathe* to flashover in here."

*I turn to Stick before I key the mic again.*

"Squad 7 LeBlanc to Squad 7 Steve, *breathe* I need you to max this line out *breathe* until you can get the master stream."

*I look to Stick and wait for him to take the nozzle so I can try to get to Hal and help her.*

*As I continue to attempt to breach through the wall. I keep hitting the wall as the kids keep screaming. I turn to the teacher, trying to let her know that she needs to watch the kids for me. I keep widening the hole, knowing that the longer it takes, the longer the fire has to head to the open vent hole. As I keep hoping for another set of hands, I look outside and see a bunch of Orlando guys opening the hole. I hobble back to the rear of the room to get the kids set up as I look out the door to see my husband's reflective shield coming to me. I hear the door get sucked shut by the building's breathing from the flashover as I see Nick reach the door. I press my glove on top of his through the glass and blow a kiss as he and Liam are forced to leave. As the kids finally get out, I hobble over to the hole in the wall and try to get out. When I hear the room get much higher and the wall behind me break, I forget about the ladder and jump from the building. I impact in a roll and use my air pack as a kickstand. I fumble with my mask, hood, and helmet as I deal with the excruciating pain and try to find the kids.*

*As I reach the door, I see it sucked shut as I put my hand on top of Hailey's and blow her a kiss even though I don't think she can see me. As the building starts to flashover, I let Liam go first, but I see that he is taking his time. As he gets to the ground, I finish tying my bailout line to a column, I take a nosedive onto the ladder. I then do a 180 and let my legs fall off to my right. When my feet hit a ring, I separate them out in a V and then loosen my grip and slide down to the ground. I quickly unhook my harness and see Hailey lying on the ground. I rip my mask off and run over to my wife.*

'HAILEY!'

*I reach her and immediately notice that she's in a lot of pain. I manage to pick her up tenderly. I start carrying her over as I see her grimace. I know that I'm hurting her but I need to get her over to an ambulance. I realize that I'm crying as I look down to her and mumble to her. I speedwalk past Robert and nod to the kids.*

'ROBERT! CHECK 'EM!'

*I get over to the medic unit and back at my wife. I key the mic knowing that I need to let everyone know we're out of the building.*

"Command to units on the scene at St. Andrews, is everyone out of the building?"

*As I half listen for a response, I help get Hailey's gear off while holding her bare hand.*

*As I see Nick do his bailout, I notice that he blocks my view of the kids. I wince in pain at my leg pain. I see Nick come and pick me up. I scream out in pain as he picks me up from my knees. As he carries me over to the medic unit, I see him crying. I crack on the inside since it's kind of sweet, but I have to make it into a joke since it's who I am and I want to possibly raise my own spirits.*

'Jesus Nick, Grow a pair, huh? My leg is screwed up, I can't be the one wearing the pants.'

*As we get over to the medic unit and they put me on the stretcher, I make another joke to Nick as he starts taking my air pack off.*

'Strip me baby, strip me.'

*I notice Nick not laugh, so I make a face at him as everyone looks at me.*

'Oh come on, that was funny.'

*As the EMS people get me situated, I feel them lift me into the medic unit.*

'Weeeee!'

*As I hear Nick frantically trying to get everything organized for the end of this fire, I run up to him to ask how Hale is doing.*

"Hey, Nick. What is going on? How is she doing? When do we start going back in, eh?"

*Now that I have a closer look at him, I realize he is shaken to his core. Whatever happened to Hale was bad enough that Nick got choked up. He looks ragged almost.*

"You need to sit. Now. Don't worry, Hale is in capable hands. Tell us what needs to be done, you aren't going back in there."

*I hear confirmation from everyone that people are out of the building as Payne comes up to me. I grit my teeth as the EMS crew gets Hale locked in the medic unit. When he asks me what I need him to do, I sigh. I turn around and stop from getting into the back of the ambulance and start instructing him.*

'Hale, well I dunno. She took a couple of bad falls and she's probably got vertebrae problems. That's just the short term. For the fire, uhhh, get up on the ladders and make sure to hit the hotspots. Clear everyone out of the collapse zones and lock the block down. Coordinate with Orlando Fire and the EMS people. You need to get a turnover from them too. I think there are still kids in there, but no one is going back in. That building is condemned and it's defensive operations only. No heroes because look what happens when you try to be one. After the fire is out, like tomorrow, we'll bring the USAR rigs out and start searching for the kids. Make sure that no reporters come near the scene because it's dangerous for them and it's bad publicity for us if someone says the wrong thing. Just tell them that you have your job to do and your jobs wins today, If you have any questions, call me on my cell phone and we'll see what we can do. Now, I want to stay here, but I have to get Abigail over to the hospital and I'm staying with Hailey. You good?'

*I make sure to ask Payne

*I make sure the water is on MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE!  Then dash to the kids.  They look shaken up badly and a few look like they will faint.  I try to get the attention of the nearly unconscious ones.  They stare back with wild fear in their eyes*
'Hey talk to me, are you ok, how bout you come to the ambulance over here and get some good oxygen.  Good girl, almost there here boy.'
*Good grief I sound like I'm talking to dogs and feel like I'm hearding cats.  I never said I'm good with kids.  I get them on Oxygen and see all around me the team running like crazy*

*As they lift me into the ambulance, I glance to Payne and Nick talking outside as I feel the guys take my arm and start my IV.*

'Oooo. Give me the drugs, please.'

*I try to make the chuckle as he just stares at me with this condemning look.*

'C'mon now. That was funny... No?'

*When the guys shakes his head and starts to take my vitals, I look down at my bunker coat.*

'Can I take this coat off?'

*When he tells me yes, I lean up in the stretcher and pull my coat, gloves, and hood off. I see Nick getting ready to get in, so I throw my stuff to him.*

'Thanks, hon.'

*I let my hair out of its pony tail and sit back as the guy continues to give me different treatments and hooks me up on the leads so he doesn't have to take my vitals anymore. I see Nick come back and get in as we pull off. I look up to the guy driving and try to lighten his mood too.*

'Hey, Mr. Chauffeur, can you put the siren on for me pleeeease?'

*He chuckles as I look up to the guy working on me.*

'See? Your partner has a sense of humor.'

*I look over to Nick who looks absolutely beat from the fire but also despairing about presumably me. I reach out and take his hand, trying to be sweet rather than comical as I smile at him.*

'I love you, babe.'

*I continue to run my thumb along his hand as we head to this hospital through the now cloudy day.*

*As Nick gives the instructions i motion the other guys to get moving to their assigned tasks.*

'Nick, we will do everything in our power. At this point, however, I think many parents will be very distraught over the loss of a child.'

*After saying this I begin moving over to my spot. I get there and get the rest of the guys to start working the fire over. As we do so, it is clearly apparent that the building is getting ready to go down. However, I wait and make sure that we do exactly as we were instructed.*

"Be careful, if the building comes down, you need to be a good distance away."

*I quickly move in the direction of the cops and reporters and tell the reporters to bug off. I then ask the cops to set up a cordon of the area and hold the reporters at bay while I do my job.*

*I hug Hailey as we come out to the car and drive out to our house to leave Abigail at home. I get back to the SIAU station and then climb into USAR 7 as I see some of the Air Force guys bringing our USAR 4. We head through the traffic at the scene and try to make our way through. We back USAR 3 up to the side and then put 7 in front of the engine and leave 4 off to the side. I make sure to get my vest on and get ready to fill my Source water bladder that is going to go in the back of the vest. I also make sure to have my USAR helmet as I get out of the truck and throw the outriggers for the crane. I help Hailey out of the side of my truck and then walk over to USAR 3 where we are setting up some rehab stuff and the water. I fill up the bladder with water and then tuck it in the vest and make sure that I have everything in my vest as I walk to the edge of the rubble.*

'SEARCH PERSONNEL! GATHER 'ROUND!'

*I wait for a few minutes with my paper work and then take a deep breath and start talking.*

'Ladies and gentlemen, I am Captain Nicholas LeBlanc with SIAU. Ahh, I'm not gonna lie to you: This day is gonna suck. We have several hundred kids likely who are trapped in this rubble and I'd really like to get them all out if we can. We're gonna use two types of flags, red and yellow. Yellow is going to be for any body or body part. Red is going to be for anything that seems like it could have started the fire because this scumbag, if there is one, is gonna fry either by the courts or by myself. If you find any body parts, then you are going to stop digging from 10 yards around the area. We will not be removing any bodies but only letting the county corner do that. Make sure to watch out where you are stepping because people getting hurt will not be good. Guys, this is going to be a pretty gruesome search, so if there is any questions or anything catches you, grief counseling is going to be over there by our MCU truck. I want to start to remove this rubble and I want 30 short tons out of here today. We will continue getting rid of this stuff at the Bravo-Charlie side. Any questions?'

*When I hear none, I make sure that I have my red flags and my yellow flags in two different areas and then get ready to start searching. I climb up to the top level of the building rubble and then start using a shovel to clear some of the rubble off. I continue searching for anything and thinking about how I would feel if Abigail was involved.*

*I head out to the scene with the guys and take a post after the briefing. I sit down at a computer with my crutches nearby so that I can get up and out quickly when we start finding people. I sit down at a computer and start organizing where we have searched before I hear the call go out for the a group of people. I turn to see Nick since he is the one who found them.*

'Nick, what do you need?'

*I sigh as we start searching. I make sure to keep a gloved hand on the rebar as we work through the heavy amounts of debris. I mark down the body parts that I find and say a silent prayer for them as we continue to work through the rubble. I see a pretty deep pit in my path, so I maintain a grip on the rebar and be safer. As my boots hit the rubble, I take a moment to regain my footing and crouch down. As I do a duck waddle to check the crawl space, I suddenly see several burned bodies of small children and their teacher. The smell of the charred flesh hits my nose, causing me to gag. I turn my head away and projectile vomit behind me. I'm not proud of it since it corrupted the scene, but the image just hit me. I have seen a lot of burns and burned bodies, but the image of the teacher trying to protect the children by laying on top of them and the sight of him reaching out for another student. I slowly reach for my mic before I let it. I let it stay for a few seconds before I start speaking.*

"... 810 to Command... We have several bodies here..."

*I mark a yellow flag down and rest my arms on the rubble away from the search crew. I take several deep breaths before I feel the sadness shift into anger. I kick some of the stable rubble before I see people arriving around me. I see Payne and the guys arrive first.*

'Guys, get the stokes litters.'

*As my wife hobbles over, I almost crack a smile before she stops and asks how she can help. I look across the street and see all of the reporters watching us.*

'Get the American flags from the rigs and the salvage covers. People don't need to see this.'

*I sigh as I wait for my stuff to come back.*

*I nod when I hear Nick give me orders, so I hobble back to the truck and grab some of our salvage covers.  I head to Medic 3 and reach into the deceased area and get some of our American flags.  I sign as I walk back to Nick and reach him.  I see the news media now heavily watching us, and I shake my head since the news vultures must always be able to see everything.*

'Cruel and unusual.'

*I reach Nick with the flags and the salvage covers.  We set up the salvage covers so there will be no possible way that the media can see what is going on and demean these kids whose parents are trying to hide from the public spectacle.  When we are able to free a couple of the kids with the help of OFD, I help drape the flag across the Stokes basket as we carry the bodies over to Medic 3.  When the teacher comes last, I deeply swallow the phlegm that has formed in my throat and stare down one of the reports who is trying to take pictures.*

*I help get the bodies out of their crevice, grateful for the salvage covers to stop the media from seeing what we are doing and the fact that we don't have to deal with them yet. As I help the guys with the last body, we drape it with the American flag and then walk over to Medic 3 which is serving as a mobile morgue. As we reach the door where the people on the inside with take the patient, I decide to at least give the teacher and the students some honor. I take a deep breath and losses my grip a bit on the litter.*

'SIAU Personal- In-board... face.'

*Everyone hesitates for a second before we all do the crisp movement, including Hale who is waiting for the stokes litter.*

'Uncover... Two.'

*We all take our helmets off and then crisply bow our heads over the teacher's body, all thinking about his sacrifice and what he did for his kids. After about a minute or so, I slowly jerk my bead back up.*

'Detail- Present Arms.'

*We all raise our heads and then the stokes basket over our heads, to about Hale's waist level where she takes the litter and brings them into the morgue. We take a step back and then leave to head back to the trucks since it is time for our shift to be relieved. I head over to the bumper of 7, facing the morgue unit and think about what just happened. I look over to the morgue unit to see if I can spot Hale coming to meet me.*

*I try to hold back the sadness that I feel as we move the bodies over to the mobile morgue since all of these kids and these teachers died because we didn't do enough or we weren't able to do enough. When we get to the morgue, I climb in with one of the bodies and help to place the bodies in a somewhat organized fashion. When I head Nick call drill movements, I hesitate for a moment because I am not used to it, but I follow and do the movements. Once we finish with the body, I say a quick and silent prayer for all of those who we put in the morgue today and then head outside. I see one of the camera people trying to interview me as I walk back to the rig. The guy shoves a camera in my face as I use the crutch and starts asking about why we failed to get people out. In a sudden fit of rage and a lack of care for my public image, I drop the crutch and get in the guy's face about how we DID pull kids out of the building and how I almost died multiple times. He starts asking about why we killed multiple students and then I snap. Without saying anything, I rev up and knock the guy in the face and then start getting into it with his camera man.*

'THOSE KIDS DIDN'T DIE BECAUSE OF US! WE SAVED 19 PEOPLE TODAY AND I PERSONALLY ALMOST DIED TWICE IN FIFTEEN MINUTES! IF YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING BUT COMPLAIN ABOUT US THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE!'

*I sit on the bumper of the rig, reflecting on my own actions when I see hale drop her crutches and start to punch out the news cameraman. I immediately jump off of the bumper and sprint over to her and hold her back as she tries to go in for the kill on the news reporter. As she continues yelling over my shoulder at the cameraman, I make sure that I have a good hold of her even though she's like three feet off of the ground since she's trying to jump over me. I see the guy with the camera and turn to him.*

Me: 'Dude, put the camera away.'

Camera guy: 'Hell no. I'm getting this.'

Me: 'Sir, you are impairing the efforts of those still looking for remains.'

Camera guy: 'Yeah, well you got your job and I got mine.'

Me: 'Well you know what? My job wins today.'

*i flag a cop over who arrests the two men as we head back to Rescue 7. I help Hale get there with her crutch as we pack it up and head back. I let dispatch know as we head back to the base, eager just to see our families again.*