Riding with Fire Station #4

Last week I had the chance to tour Sacramento’s oldest fire station, Station #4 (www.sacfirehousefour.org), which will celebrate its 75th anniversary in October.
 
I’d bet a lot of Sacramento citizens don’t know that our city’s fire department is the oldest in the state, organized in 1850. In 1872, SFD became the first fire department where firefighters were paid. Station Four, located in Midtown behind the Safeway, looks much the way it did when it was built in 1933. And the firefighters there are proud to continue on the station’s tradition. They respond to about a dozen calls today, making it the 4th busiest fire station in the city.

Firefighters rotate in 48-hour shifts. The fire house has cots, but when they are at the fire house, these fighters are always at the ready.  I spent hours with the “B” shift, led by Capt. Lisa and fellow firefighters Eric, Matt, Adam, and Doug, along with medics Monica and Michelle. They’re amazing professionals. They epitomize the concept of teamwork. They keep their fire station organized, clean, and ready to respond with new technology and old-fashioned people skills to any call they get.

While I was there, I inspected the station’s equipment: the engine (which has pumps, hoses, and 500 gallons of water), the large fire truck (which houses everything from the Jaws of Life to saws), and the ambulance. I learned about all of the station’s tools, and some of the basics of air supply and other gear that keeps the firefighters safe when they fight blazes.

We were steadily going thru the fire station when we got our first call, an alarm from the local school. The firefighter team was assembled in seconds, and off we went. It turned out to be a false alarm, but it was amazing to see the teamwork involved and all the readiness preparation utilized so efficiently.

Back to the station we went, and then the alarm went off again. This time the medics were dispatched to help a woman experiencing a respiratory problem. We drove her to the hospital, and the medics dealt with lots of paperwork. They’re trying to make things more efficient, but the red tape for every emergency (or in this case, a non-emergency) was fairly overwhelming. They’re trying to be more efficient.

We headed back to the station, but unfortunately I had to head to another appointment. I was sorry I missed the lunch being prepared by Doug, who apparently has a reputation as being quite the chef, as well as dedicated firefighter. Next time!