"Night Shift at Baltimore's Busiest Firehouse"

It was a cold February night when the night shift had begun at the

firehouse of Engine Company 25, at 2140 McCullough Street. The clock had struck

1700hours, and the watch desk went off a few seconds later screaming, “1700 hours,

Baltimore City Fire Department, 1701”. Firefighter Bobby Salmon walks over to the

watch desk to make sure everyone is in. Firefighter salmon then decides as he does

everyday, “well I guess I will get me a cup of coffee”, as he passes Firefighter’s George

Green, and Michael Johnson. Mike and George look up from there newspapers and

magazines briefly as Bobby walks by. “Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-

Doo, Wee-Doo, Box Alarm 25-10, Engines 25-8-13-52, Trucks 10-4, & Battalion Chief 4,

respond to a report of a dwelling fire, 1500 block of Woodyear Street”. George hollers, “

well there goes your coffee, and we are first in”. George says to Bobby, “every time you

head for the damm coffee machine we get a box. As they mount the wagon and head out

the door with the crew of Engine 25 they turn to go across Gold Street, Captain Reginald

Sessions tells the guys that “we got heavy smoke showing, ain’t that a bitch, we just got

here”. Firefighter Salmon is the Engineer this shift and is rolling across Gold Street, and

getting closer to the fire and thinking of which hydrant he will pick up. Arriving on the

scene Captain Sessions give a size up on the dwelling. “Engine 25 on the scene, we have

a 2 story brick dwelling, and we have fire showing 1st., and 2nd. floors, and we have a

hydrant at Carey & Gold”. George is at the hydrant, and Mike is ready to attack the fire,

and Bobby is connecting hose lines and getting ready to pump water. Captain Sessions

and Mike enter the first floor and open the line up and start heading to the 2nd. floor.

Lieutenant Novak & Firefighter Kenny Lee take the 2nd hose line and attack what’s left of

the 1st floor. Bobby is at the pump panel checking the pressures with a cigarette dangling

from his mouth. The Captain of Engine 25 comes across the radio, “Engine 25 to

command, we have the fire knocked and we are checking for extensions”. After a few

minutes of overhauling, and packing of hose, all of the companies head back to there

stations. Back in station, Captain Sessions tells his men, “good job guys”, we got most of

the fire. Bob walks over to the coffee pot as George jumps up, and says “its that coffee,

that’s why we caught that fire”. Bobby smiles and asks George, “did you pay your skin”,

and puts on a big grin the one he is known for. George looks at him speechless, and picks

up his newspaper and starts reading it again. Mike and the Captain look on and smile as

the Captain heads for the stairs to fill out some paperwork. Mike starts to fix a little

dinner, and the box goes off again. It’s a medic assist down on Druid Hill avenue with

Medic 4. As Engine 25 heads back to quarters, another box gets struck out. “ Box Alarm

8-8, Engines 8-25-36-13, Trucks 10-4, & Battalion Chief 4, respond to a report of a

dwelling fire, 1014 North Mount Street”. It turned out to be a pot of food that Engine 8

would handle. Bob turns the wagon around and heads back to station. They get a few

blocks and they get another medic assist. Bobby hits the lights & sirens, and they head for

North avenue & Pennsylvania Avenues for a shooting. As they approach the scene,

Captain Sessions yells, “we got one down”, and Mike and George scramble for some

latex gloves in the back of the wagon. Medic 4, with Paramedics Willie Williams, and

King Teasdale arrive on the scene, and ask “how many”. George screams,“ he has 3

visible bullet wounds”. The medics take charge of the incident, and rush the young man

to Shock Trauma. Back at quarters, Bobby wants to know who left dishes in the sink.

That happens to be one of Bobby’s pet peeves around the station. After doing home

improvement work all day, Bobby finally settles down and falls off to sleep. Mike has

chilled out on the phone talking to his wife, and George has to read every word in the

News American everyday. The night seems to moving slow, so all of the guys take

advantage of it. “Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Box

Alarm 52-10, Engines 52-25-8-20, Trucks 10-18, & Battalion Chief 7 respond to a report

of a dwelling fire, 2116 North Pulaski Street”. Captain Sessions slides the pole, and yells,

“lets go we are second in”. Bobby already has the wagon started, and up and ready to roll

across North Avenue. “Across the radio blares “engine 52 on the scene, we have a 2

story brick with fire showing on the second floor, and we are taking the front of the

building”. Bobby pulls up to cover Engine 52’s hydrant as the rest of the company of

Engine 25 head for the fire building with the second line off of Engine 52. The Captain,

Mike, & George advance the line to back up Engine 52, and to hit a few hot spots here

and there. After the fire is out, Bobby says, “hey Captain we have been rolling, this is our

5th. run tonight”. It is now 2245 hrs., and they get on the wagon and head back to quarters

again. Bobby backs the wagon into quarters, and before he can shut it down they catch

another run. “Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Second

Alarm of Fire on Box Alarm 40-17, Engines 25-36-13-8, Trucks 4-10, Rescue 1, Battalion

Chief 4, Safety Officer 5, Medic 15, and F.I.B. 2 respond on the second alarm, 4216

Duvall Avenue, Operations on Charlie 5”. Bobby heads the wagon back down West

North Avenue towards Walbrook Junction and he has the siren blaring in the wind.

Captain Sessions has the map book open looking for a hydrant to hook up to as they head

North on Garrison Blvd. Bobby scrambles some words with another cigarette dangling

from his mouth, “They must have one of those big barn off down in the hole”. Mike and

George riding in the jump seats listening patiently to the fire channel to figure out what

type of dwelling they have. The Captain hollers back to them, “they have got a heck of a

fire and it sounds like we are going to be here a while”. They pull up on the scene and

have a perfect view of a huge three story frame dwelling with fire thru most of the roof

and a lot of the second and third floors still well involved. They lead off from Clifton

Avenue & Queen Anne Road and take there line toward the second floor to make an

interior attack. Almost to the second floor landing the Captain screams across the radio,

“Engine 25 mobile, charge my line”. Bobby hears the Captain and flows thru his line 130

psi, and calls the Captain and tells him, “it’s on the way Cap”. Captain Woodlawn and

the crew of Truck 10 are on the 2nd. floor with Engine 25 advancing two lines on the fire

hitting as many pockets of fire as they can. About 40 minutes later the 7th. Battalion Chief

finally declares to communications, “Duvall command reporting, fire under control”. It is

now 0322 hrs. as the crew of Engine 25 head back toward quarters as they get a medic

assist at Bloom & Division Streets for a Stabbing. Bobby hit the lights and siren as

Captain Sessions acknowledges the run. As they turn off of Pennsylvania Avenue on to

Bloom Street, they notice a crowd of people and a number of Police at the corner. Medic

4 takes the patient who has multiple stab wounds in his chest, and side to Maryland

Shock Trauma Center. Before they get back on the wagon, they hear another box get

struck out. “Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Tactical Box

25-5, Callow Avenue, and Whitelock Street, for a report of a dwelling fire, Engines 1-13,

and Truck 11”. The Captain calls Communications, “Engine 25 in service, medic assist

handled by Medic number 4, and do you want us to take that Tactical Box?”.




Communications responds, “That’s affirmative Engine 25, take the response, Callow

Avenue & Whitelock Street for a report of a dwelling fire”. “Engine 13, Engine 13, place

your unit in service, Engine 25 has it”. Engine 1 is on the scene investigating a trash fire

in the basement of 2302 Callow Avenue. The Lieutenant Scott of Truck 11, tells

communications that Engine 1, and Truck 11 will handle a trash fire at 2302 Callow

Avenue. Bobby makes a U turn at Lennox Street, and Linden Avenue and heads back to

quarters. All the men head to bed except Bobby who sits on the watch desk reading a

Readers Digest laughing at a few jokes in the book. It is now 0543 hrs. and another box

comes in. “Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Wee-Doo, Box Alarm 7-

7, report of a dwelling fire, 514 Half Mile Court, Engines 7-13-38-25, Trucks 4-11,

Battalion Chief 4”. Bobby drops his book, and runs for the wagon while the rest of the

men slide the poles, and yells, “we are last due”. George mumbles, my relief will be in at

any minute Mike remembers that he was sleeping good until he heard the sound of the

gong and the lights coming on. Bobby leaves quarters and wheels the pumper off of

Gold Street onto Druid Hill Avenue, and lets the siren wail off of the walls of the row

houses. Lieutenant Urban of Engine 7 calls across the radio, “we’ve go smoke show’ in

from the 2nd. floor of a two story brick dwelling”. Bobby pulls up the wagon and covers

Engine 23’s hydrant and the other men walk down to the fire in the rear of the dwelling.

As they stand in the rear of the house they hear, “Engine 7 to Half Mile command, the

fire is out, and we are checking for extensions”. Captain Sessions and his men walk back

to the wagon as the sun starts to rise, and they head back to quarters. The humble rumble



of Engine 25 echoing up McCullough Street among the row houses early in the morning

means that the night shift is almost over. They back into quarters and as usual, Mort

Katzenberg is there with a box of fancy pastry with the members of the day shift. It is

now 0652 hrs and all members of the night shift are properly relieved.


By Robert L. Wilkins