Woo-Hoo! Fire Alarm's Done!

25 Jan 08

I did, in fact, make it to Fire Alarm today, which is housed on West Exchange Street - down behind the building that I will ALWAYS call The Civic Center! (I REFUSE to call it by the "new name".) Anyway...

I arrived at 11 am and was brought to see Chief Jim Taylor. He brought me over to the room where the dispatchers are and as we walked in, my friend Kevin Gomes turned around in his chair. With a huge smile on his face, his first words to me were, "did you bring food?"

I knew at that moment that the day would be a fun one!

I was happy to see that Jim and Kevin were not the only two of my friends there today, but Larry Warner was also working. I was introduced to Capt. Bill Moise and Dispatchers Bob Papa, Sr., Mark Kearney (the new guy) and the world-famous John Lanzone. (Okay, maybe not WORLD famous, but famous in MY world.) Let me explain...

I have been listening to the PFD scanner for a few years now and the first time I listened, there was this one guy who cracked me up. He seemed like he was the kind of guy who was really great at his job - very professional - but able to bring a little levity to the situations when needed. To most people - even firefighters on the Providence Fire Department, he's just a voice that directs companies to go to where they're needed. It seems to me, though, that he's more than that to most people on the department.

Back to the filming. I got my camera set up and did some lighting tests. I was concerned about low light levels, but I think I managed to overcome that. A good portion of it can be corrected in post-production, anyway, but any good photographer takes care of it at the time of the shoot (yes, that's Fran talking!). Ya work with what ya got, folks. I finally got everything set up how I wanted it and it started out slow, not a lot going on. That didn't last long, though. The phones started ringing and I started filming. During a quieter moment, Larry Warner (who just made Lieutenant - YAY LARRY!) explained the board that handles all of the box alarms in the City. (Box alarms are master alarms inside commercial buildings and high-rises, as well as the pull-boxes that are on telephone poles that you can pull for emergency situations.) I talked about the job with each of the guys at one point or another, during the in-between-call times.

What was truly amazing, though, was watching John Lanzone. This guy's been on the job for thirty-two years and is masterful at what he does. You can rattle off any random street name in the City of Providence and he can tell you which companies would be dispatched to it, right off the top of his head. I watched as he dispatched calls to various companies and as he finished dispatching on the box alarms (possible fire calls), I noticed that he would start writing down other available trucks. He explained to me that he does that in case there is an actual fire and another alarm needs to be sent out. He's pre-planning, even though the likelihood of an actual fire is fairly small. He does this every time, just in case. Even after all these years on the job, he never EXPECTS that a call will be a false alarm. He anticipates what will be needed and gets it together on a piece of scrap paper, off to the side. It really is amazing to watch.

Once I got into the groove of what I was doing and the phones started going, I was able to follow a full call, from the phone being answered through the dispatching of units to the scene. The call comes in and is answered by a one dispatcher, in this case, Mark. Mark speaks to the person, gets the pertinent information and before he even hangs up with the caller, the "run card" is on the second dispatcher's computer screen. In this case, it was John Lanzone. He finds the available companies and tips the alarms via a switchboard for each station. He then announces the call over the voc-alarm system, which I've talked about before.

"Attention Engine 2 and Rescue 5 a still alarm." He pauses. "That's Engine 2 and Rescue 5, respond to eleven-twelve, that's eleven-hundred and twelve North Main Street at Radiation Oncology for a report of a man having difficulty breathing." He pauses again and repeats the information, adding, "he has just had a radiation treatment and is now having difficulty breathing." Several seconds later, a voice responds to John. "Engine 2, received." John keys the voc alarm. "Rescue 5?" A moment later, they respond. "Rescue 5 received and on the way."

John turns and begins explaining some of the Standard Operating Procedures to me, but his ear is always tuned to the radio. There is also a foot pedal that keys the radio, so even if his hands aren't close to the button, he can still step on the pedal to respond. As he's speaking with me, a call comes back. "Engine 2 on the scene." John immediately steps on the pedal, turns to the microphone and responds. "Engine 2 you're on the scene at 12:42." He turns back to me and picks right back up where he left off. "Engine 2 to Fire Alarm," a voice announces. John's footpedal immediately activated. "Go ahead, Engine 2," John responds. "Be advised, patient is an elderly male. He has had a radiation treatment we're getting further vitals. We have him on O2 now." John wastes no time. "Received, Engine 2. Rescue 5?" They respond. "Rescue 5 received." He returns to explaining the operating procedures to me. A few moments later, his explaination is cut off by Rescue 5. "Rescue 5 on the scene." Again, he steps on the pedal. "Rescue 5 you're on the scene at 12:46."

It's an incredible little dance that these people do. All the while, phones are ringing and other things are going on, which is why there are multiple dispatchers in the room. When everything hits the fan all at once - and believe me, it does - there are enough people there to handle all of the traffic, even if there are multiple companies at multiple locations.

I was told about the night that the Motiva Pier went up in flames, a stormy night that was already crazy. Once that fire started, all hell broke loose and what's worse, the power was knocked out and the computers at Fire Alarm were lost. John Lanzone was working that night and more people were called in to handle the multitudes of calls going on that evening. While Motiva was burning, there were downed power lines, motor vehicle accidents - all kinds of insanity. John was handling a good deal of the traffic from the mobile incident command unit because of the loss of power.

What did I learn today? It takes a whole hell of a lot of work to be a dispatcher for the fire department. They aren't just some schmuck with a radio who calls out a company to respond to a call. You have to be on your toes and ready for anything. It's the heartbeat of the Fire Department... where it all starts and where it all finishes.

"Engine 2 in quarters and off."

"Engine 2, you're in and off at 13:10," Lanzone responds.

"Rescue 5 transporting to Miriam."

"Rescue 5 to Miriam 13:11."

And when Rescue 5 is finished with the run to Miriam, they will let John Lanzone or Larry Warner or Kevin Gomes or Bob Papa or Mark Kearney know that they are available and they or one of the many others at Fire Alarm will respond.

"Rescue 5 available..."

On and on it goes, folks. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They're always there, waiting to listen to us, waiting to send the firefighters out to help us and manage communications during the runs. It's truly an incredible operation.

My deepest thanks to Battalion Chief Jim Taylor and all at Fire Alarm for letting me hang out with them today. John Lanzone - thanks for giving me a crash-course in dispatching. I am honored to be able to say that you trained me!

Oh, and Kevin... I hope you actually did share that chocolate cream pie I came back with later on.

Stuff

So, I should be filming at Fire Alarm this Friday - barring any insanity in the meantime. That will put me so much closer to post-production! I still have a little more to do, some dependent upon weather conditions, others dependent upon scheduling, but we're nearly done with the tough stuff.

I realized the other day that I am, in fact, dragging my feet a little bit. I almost don't want it to be finished. But now, it's so close I can taste it and I want to see the film myself. Yes, I know more about what it looks like than anyone else, but I still want to see the actual, finished product. I'll pick up the pace a little bit and hope for the best.

There is one thing that just sparked the proverbial fire under my butt - I read one of the entries on Michael Morse's blog just now. It's called "Comfort One". I've not heard this term before, but apparently it's a protocol that is in place for terminally ill people. It's a sort of DNR sort of thing, the patient wearing a bracelet and calling only for supplemental oxygen and providing of comfort by EMTs in the event that they are transported to the hospital. Michael, as always, pulls you into the story, speaking of the patient having been transported numerous times by him to the hospital during his courageous battle with cancer. At the end of the piece, he reveals that he transported the patient to the hospital - Hasbro Childrens' Hospital - because the patient is only eight years old. Tears rolled down my cheeks - pain in my heart not only for the child who has only had eight years on this earth and God only knows how many of them were good and his family, who must certainly be dealing with unfathomable pain - but also for Michael and the other First Responders who went to that boy's home.

I know so many people out there who think that firefighters "get used to it". If they only knew... if they only knew how many times firefighters have nightmares about things like this. If they only knew about how a firefighter - days, weeks, months even YEARS later can be driving down a street and see, hear or smell something that reminds them of that little one that they carried out of a scene and burst into tears, pain tearing at their heart. They just don't understand that it never goes away... it just gets tucked behind that brick wall, into that storage unit where all those little ones live forever - they never really die. They live with all of the other horrors that these brave men and women face every single day.

Would YOU ever be able to get "USED TO" this?

Bless them all... each and every one.

Clarification...

As an addendum to the post about Paul Doughty, I want to just take a moment to say that he is not the only firefighter I know that has amazing experience. There are so many others... too many to mention. The point of this post is known to some - others will figure it out.

To the others, the importance of the statement must remain a mystery. It's all part of the plan to make this film work to change the minds of people who are unaware of what firefighters do and who they are.

Okay. 'Nuff said.

Image... It's All About Image....

He's not only the Union President, he's also a Firefighter.

You know, there is something important that must be remembered in the midst of all of the media madness and political mudslinging. Union President or not, Paul Doughty is - FIRST AND FOREMOST - a firefighter.

If you ever saw this guy's credentials, you'd fall over. His involvement in the job of firefighting goes far beyond the fact that he is a member of the PFD's Special Hazards Unit. Federal Emergency Management, Urban Search And Rescue, Heavy Rescue, Incorporated - the list goes on and on, up to and including being an all-around great guy and a good friend.

He's not impressed by his own career. He'll tell you he's just doing his job - he's just a firefighter and that's all there is to it. He's not in it for the glory; he's not in it to be called a hero; he's not in it to be praised by those he helps.

"Has anyone ever come back to find you just to say thank you for helping them?" I asked the question, paying close attention to his immediate reaction. I think the best description of that reaction would be amusement.

"I'm still waiting," he replied. "But that's not important. We know that we help people. We don't need thanks."

I disagree, but I can see his point. I think they should ALWAYS be thanked for what they do.

Who knows, Paul? Maybe you'll get that "thank you" someday - hopefully the film will inspire someone to seek you out just to say that.

Be well & stay safe, my friend.

She's Not Just My Photographer...

she's also my best friend of thirty years.

Fran Paliotta and I met at a Girl Scout meeting in 1978. It took a couple of years, but we became best friends. Over the last thirty years, we've gone through some pretty amazing things - good, bad and indifferent - but we were always there for each other through it all. When she went to photography school in Boston two years ago, I supported her endeavor and did all I could to help her to achieve her goals. She completed the program - finishing with honors and as a Recommended Photographer from the New England School of Photography. It was a gruelling program and she paid dearly for her exhaustive work, battling pneumonia just before the start of her final term. I was incredibly proud of her and her achievements and still am. She becomes a better photographer with each image she creates. I was so happy when she had decided to get on this track because I had told her when we were kids that she should get into photography. She always had the eye for it, she just needed the technical training to hone the skills.

When I began work on this project, I talked with her at length about my plans and about how I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I knew what I wanted to accomplish. Fran, being Fran, immediately offered to help in any way that she could, whether it be with advice, photographs, music (yes, she's also an accomplished composer and pianist) or just to be there as a support net. Well, I took her up on all of those offers. Her largest contribution, though, has been her photography and it's awesome.

I have dragged this poor kid to bunches of firehouses and had her take images that I'm sure she never would have taken on her own. She's never complained, though - just shot what I needed and donated them without a second thought. You might think it's not such a big deal to take some pictures... but that's not what she does. She talks with me about what I need and then creates the very images that I'd seen in my mind's eye. Her talent for doing that never ceases to amaze me.

Fran has been incredibly generous and I am eternally grateful to her for her support of and participation in my project. See, it helps that she's my best friend because she knows... she sees into my heart and knows that this project means the world to me. It is a labor of love in the utmost sense of the phrase. She knows how important it is and even though she initially had no interest in the subject matter, she has ended up making some great friends, too. She's even donated her time and photographic talents to Local 799, having photographed a Poker Run, the Family Outing and most recently the PFD's picket in East Providence. The firefighters have been great to her and have accepted her into their circle, just as they did with me. THAT makes this all the more wonderful for me because after thirty years, she's more like family to me than anything else.

So, thank you, Frannie - you're the best friend a girl could ever hope to have. I don't know what I would have done without you through any of this.

Here are a few of her images that will be seen in the final film.

Thanks, Eric Norberg & Danny Rinaldi!

A couple of Eric & Danny's images. Thanks, guys... you rock!

Thanks, Joe Arsenault...

A couple of the images that you'll see in the final film... Thanks, Joe!

A Plethora of Photographs!

Ah... the sweet feeling of accomplishment. With each moment of "oh, crap, how am I going to pull THIS one off?" comes the moment of "thank God somebody spent so much time doing this crazy stuff!".

I had posted a note on the Local 799 website forum asking for photo submissions for the documentary. Along comes Joe Arsenault, donating about 15 shots of a truck rollover at the Roger Williams Memorial. Fantastic shots... even shots of the poor schmuck's foot all bent up and stuck under the frame of the truck. No blood, no gore - just great, documentary-style stills of what occurred that day. Beautiful stuff for the Hazards segment. So I went to the Broad Street station and met Joe, had a nice talk with him and that led to him referring me to Lt. Eric Norberg of the West Warwick Fire Department. I was told that Eric had been photographing fireground images since the late '80's and had a ridiculous number of photographs. Hmmm...

So, I contacted Eric and found out that he and Dan Rinaldi of the PFD Hazards Unit had partnered up in taking all of these photographs. The guys generously offered to have me go to the Washington Street Station and review their collection - or at least part of it - then stay for a dinner cooked by the amazing chef himself, Danny. (What a treat THAT was!) So, I went to the station and met with Eric and Dan. They produced four albums chock-full of great images spanning several years up through the mid-nineties. Phenomenal stuff... and then they offered to let me use whatever I wanted to. I thought I was going to pass out. They had no idea how much work they had just eliminated for me! I had visions of sending myself into debt trying to buy images from the Providence Journal Bulletin. Well, that fear has been completely dispelled. For the simple act of giving them each a CD of the images that I scanned, they are donating whatever images I need for the film.

You know, life is tough sometimes and there have been times on this project when I thought that I would tear my hair out with frustration. Delays, scheduling issues, illnesses (on my part - not major, but enough to put me out of commission for a week or two here and there)... on occasion, it was enough to make me say I wanted to abandon the project all together. Then something like this happens... I post a note, someone responds and then they lead me to another who can help in the process. It all seems to come together just when I'm starting to believe that it's falling apart beyond repair.

So... my sincerest thanks to Joe, Eric and Dan for their incredible generosity. Bobby Alvarez has some images, too... I still need to talk with him. It's a beautiful thing, really, when it all seems to fall into place.

Wonderful World of Ladder Companies...

Lou Sackal - God love him. He walked me around Ladder 4, answering questions, opening compartments, showing me what the Ladder trucks carry and telling me what all of it was for. Then, despite the fact that it was freezing cold outside, he offered to pull the truck out and raise the ladder up so I could get some footage. He's a sweetheart - and a life saver!

Lou and I had never met. Jay Fabrizio, my right-hand man, had spoken with him for me. I needed someone to do just what I described above. Jay had left it up to me to explain the project to Lou, which was cool. It seems to make things easier and make people feel a bit less nervous if they get to know me a little bit first. I know it was a bit of an awkward situation for him and I know that he was a bit nervous, but he did a beautiful job of explaining the purpose of the ladder company and the apparatus and equipment they use.

I am eternally grateful to Lou and Jay - my Ladder Segment is complete, now.

Honest, folks - we're chugging along and getting it done. Now that the holidays have passed, maybe I can get my butt in gear and get this film finished!