Mom, it’s my job

I was at work one day when the phone rang. The caller stated that my son Scott, who happens to be both a career and volunteer firefighter, was injured at a fire on his career job. I was informed that Scott had some burns on his shoulders and hand, where there would be some scarring, and that he would miss a shift or two, but he would be O.K.

I left work early to coincide with Scott's arrival at home. He had large bandages around his shoulders and his hand, and he was beginning to feel some pain. We talked about the fire, and he told me it was a typical garden apartment-type fire and that his company had been assigned on automatic mutual aid. He and his lieutenant were in search mode because residents reported an 11 -year-old boy was trapped. Their backup line was right behind them, but it was not quite ready and they were; seconds became hours!

During their search, crawling on hands and knees to stay below the heat and smoke as they had learned, Scott felt something very hot on the back of his right hand, a sharp pain. He turned to his lieutenant and both of them shouted at the same time, "Let's get out of here now, it is too hot!» They exited quickly.

They were "greeted" at the door, and their coats were smoking and discolored around the shoulders. The firefighter at the door began patting the smoking gear, stating it was on fire. They both ended up with second-degree burns on both shoulders, and the hand burn resulted from the inside Nylon label on the gloves melting, even though they were compliant gloves!

The good news is that the properly designed and worn personal protective clothing prevented serious injuries, maybe even third-degree, debilitating burns. The coats, pants, and gloves could be replaced, but the scar tissue is still there.

As Scott's parents, it was a difficult day for both of us, and emotions were running high. I think sometimes we forget how our choice to be a member of the fire service can have such an impact on our family members. His mother was very concerned about the inevitable scarring and strongly suggested that he really needed to quit doing that! Scott looked her in the eye and with deep conviction in his voice stated, «Mom, it's my job».

Street Story by F. C. (Fred) Windisch, Fire Chief, Ponderosa VFD, Houston, Texas

scarring – рубцы

automatic mutual aid – автоматическое взаимодействие

search mode – режим поиска

backup line – резервная (дублирующая) рукавная линия

scar tissue – рубцовая ткань

quit doing smth. – бросить что-либо делать

state – заявлять, констатировать