What it is like to be a Baltimore Fireman responding, and putting out a fire

Life in the day or night of a Fireman. You have just finished doing your housework in the station, and you take 10 to relax. A short while later, the box goes off, "Wee-Do, Wee-do, Ee-do, Wee-do, Wee-Do",and the dispatcher rattles off the response. Engine 13,52,8,14,...Trucks 10, 13...Battalion Chief 4, & Ambulance 4 respond to a report of a dwelling fire, 13 North Street @ Division Street. You drop everything and race across the floor to the engine, with your adrenaline pumping. Your mind is hydroplaning, "do we have something". As the engine leaves the station you are still getting dressed into your turnout gear. Fireman are sitting in the seats, and pulling the hoods over there heads, and whipping the straps of the air mask over there shoulders. This is done in a matter of seconds so they will be ready to exit the engine when they get to the scene of the incident. The first engine is squawking on the radio, "Engine 13 is on the scene, and we have a 2 story brick dwelling with heavy fire showing on side A-Alpha" 1st., 2nd., and 3rd. floors. As the siren blisters the ears, and drivers moving out of the way for so the monstrous truck can move through traffic. Finally, you arrive at 13 North Street. You crawl up on the porch, and fall to your knees, and put your face-piece on so you can go in the building. As you are crawling you cannot see anything. In firefighting, your hands and ears are your eyes. You take one hand to sweep in front of you as you move along, and touching the walls to know where you are. As you are moving about, and listening is very important, he who has ears, let him hear, you can hear the thump of a axe, and the sounds of leaking water in the distance, or the water from other hose lines as you are advancing your hose line. Also there is the crackling of fire, and hot spots as you crawl along. If you have the nozzle, you hear the gush of air coming through the nozzle as you open it up. You can hear a busted water pipe still flowing and the yelling of  other members, and it is totally dark & quiet. This is basic firefighting at many building fires all over the country. Most people do not know that when you see a Engine with the hose, and a Truck with ladders and tool that they do different jobs on the fire-ground. The engine extinguishs the fire and the truck [hook & ladder]has tools to ventilate, open locked buildings, and rescue people, or trapped fireman. After the fire they pack up there hose and other tool, and prepare to return to quarters [station]. Back at the station, they clean air mask, and other tools, and then begin to relax and recover before the next response. Now you have a taste of the day of a Fireman. Although we do a lot more then fight fires. We do Medical stuff, Home Visits, Public Events, Check Hydrants, Install Smoke Detectors, and most of all...keep our station clean.