Page 16

Amos looked at Sawyer. "Is whatever you put in those shakes going to flag anything?"

"I'd worry about whatever's in that thermos you bring every shift."

The crew started shoving each other. Chairs scraped, somebody's coffee spilled, and within ten seconds the briefing had turned into the same wall of noise it turned into every morning.

I cleared my throat. "Enough. Drills at eight. Full gear, ladder deployment, then the SCBA confidence course."

The groan was unanimous and immediate.

"We did the confidence course last month," Julio said.

"And we'll do it again this month."

"Cap, my shoulders are still sore from last time."

"Then you should have stretched."

Sawyer leaned back in his chair and grinned. "You know he's right. We look better than every crew in the department and it's because this man makes us suffer."

"That's not why I do it."

"No, but it's a nice side effect." Sawyer stood up and stretched. "All right, let's go suffer."

They filed out toward the bay.

I followed them out and started the clock.

The tones dropped at 11:40.

Structure fire, residential, two-story duplex on East Broadway. We were on the engine in ninety seconds. I keyed the radio as we rolled.

"Engine 19 responding, East Broadway. Dispatch, do we have additional on the box?"

Her voice came back clean. "Engine 19, you have Ladder 17 and Engine 12 assigned. Medical is en route. Ladder 17 is three minutes behind you. Reports of smoke from the second floor, possible occupants still inside."

"Copy. Engine 19 will be first due."

We pulled up to smoke pushing from a second-floor window. A man was on the sidewalk in a T-shirt and no shoes, waving us in. He'd been cooking. The fire was in his kitchen and he'd gotten himself out, but there was a woman with a baby in the unit above him.

I sent Amos and Julio up for the search. Bert and Sawyer took the line into the fire unit. Each person was in position, each tool in its place, the radio traffic steady between me and dispatch.

"Engine 19, two occupants located in the second unit. Mother and infant. Bringing them out now."

"Copy, Engine 19."

They came through the front door thirty seconds later. The mother was holding the baby against her chest. Both unharmed. She sat on the curb and the man put his jacket around her shoulders.

"Engine 19, Ladder 17 is on scene."

"Copy. Primary search is complete, all occupants accounted for. Ladder 17, assist with fire attack."

Grease fire that caught kitchen cabinets and traveled to the wall void. We had it under control in twelve minutes.

I keyed the radio for the final update. "Engine 19, fire is out, all units can begin clearing." I paused, then added, "Good coordination, Janine. Clean dispatch."

Janine.

The channel went quiet. After years of running calls by the book, I'd just used a dispatcher's first name on a live frequency.