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!

Status of the Film

02 Dec 07

I've had a great many people asking me when the film will be finished. So, here's an update on my progress thus far.

I have approximately 96% of the film shot. I still have to re-shoot one interview, get footage at Fire Alarm, finish up the Ladder segment, work on one segment about DAC Mike Day and some other filler-footage and introduction shooting to do. That, in the grand scheme of things, is only about 4% of the film.

Now, I know that I said the film would be done in the fall... which is almost over. Then I said the film would be done in the Winter, which is fast approaching. At this point in time, I am going to say that my intended time for completion of the project is late February of 2008. The problem is that it is difficult to stay on schedule when trying to work with a great many conflicting schedules. With me working a regular, 40-hour per week job and trying to jam in shooting on Fridays and Saturdays and sometimes after work during the week, it's been insane. However, I somehow managed most of it already and that in and of itself is amazing.

The largest portions of the film - those being the ride-alongs and the interviews - are now all complete (except for the re-shoot, which will take 30 minutes). Once those things are done, I can go to post-production. The good news about post is that I pretty much have the whole thing edited in my head. I've reviewed the footage on numerous occasions and now it's just a matter of cutting it together.

That's where we stand and once again, my eternal thanks to the members of the Providence Fire Department who have given so freely of themselves for this project. It's been an incredible ride. As always, my thanks to the Executive Board of Providence Firefighters' IAFF Local 799 for their unwavering support - you guys are awesome.

Shooting the Stills

02 Dec 07

Poor Doughty... the things I put that man through! LOL I wouldn't necessarily say that he's camera shy, but I know it's not fun for him to pose for stills. Luckily, he and Fran have become friends and I'm sure that made it a little easier to deal with having to endure still shots.

So I made the guy get into his turnout gear and grab his helmet so we could take still shots of him on the Hazards. I could have gone over to Ladder 6 on Friday night and shot them there, but that just did not seem right to me. The guys who ride the Hazards ARE the Hazards. It would not have been an accurate depiction of him to shoot him at Ladder 6 and when I told that to Paul, he agreed. The Hazards is his home... just like the rest of the firefighters who are assigned to the truck. Most of the people on it have been there for years - because they love it. Okie, Chris Brown... it is WHO they are, not just their assigned truck.

Fran asked me what it was that I had in mind and I explained the shots that I was looking for. Of course, she got them right away (as always). Maybe my opinion is biased, but I'm sure I've got the best damned photographer on the planet for this job! Anyway, when we were through, the rest of the A-Group crew from the Hazards came down to the apparatus floor because they were getting ready for an air bag drill (practicing using special air bags that are used to lift heavy objects that people are pinned under). As we talked a little bit with Paul, he asked Fran if she would take a picture of the group together by the Hazards. Of course she said yes and they all gathered by the chauffer's side. Fran got a great shot of them and showed it to the guys - apparently they liked it very much.

Again, this is where something unexpected happened for me. As I watched these four men standing by the side of the Hazards and posing for Fran, I saw what Paul talked about during his interview. He told me about how the guys that he rides with are his brothers - "minus the blood bond", he told me. "We talk to each other pretty much every day, we live together at the station, we go to social functions, we even fight like brothers." I was able to see the bond between these Brothers and it was a wonderful thing to bear witness to. I'm proud that my best friend and photographer, Fran, was able to capture that moment.

Just another perk to taking on this incredible task of mine... gotta love it.

Finally!!! YAY!!!

30 Nov 07

I was finally able to shoot interviews with two Providence Firefighters today that I have very much been looking forward to - Paul Doughty and Kenny "Hoppy" Hoskin. Both are dear friends and both are guys whose stories I wanted to capture. I am absolutely elated about finally having the opportunity to shoot their interviews, both of which came out great.

I always enjoy the interview process, even though it can sometimes be emotionally draining. It amazes me every time I sit down and shoot an interview. It rarely goes as I anticipate it will... which is actually a good thing. It is especially interesting for me when I interview a person with whom I have become friendly and have a lot of interaction with. I don't always talk with them about their work, but during the interviews certain questions come up and they always answer - even if it is a touchy subject. It is those times when I usually see a side of my friends that I haven't seen before. So these interviews are always an opportunity for me to learn more about my friends - not just the acquaintances I've made along the way. That's ALWAYS a wonderful thing.

I'll meet with Paul again to take some stills of him - part of the Special Hazards segment filler. It's always difficult to be able to schedule with Paul because he is also the President of Local 799, the Providence Firefighters' Union. His schedule is insane and I have no idea when he finds time to sleep, let alone meet with me.

So, my thanks to Paul and Hoppy... I'm proud to have you both in the film and proud to call you my friends.

Interviews

I would be remiss at this stage of the game if I did not thank the following people:

BC Dan Crowley
Capt. Ralph "Timebomb" DeAngelis (PFD Ret.)
Capt. Russ McDonald
Capt. Tim McDaniel
Capt. James "Doc" Potenza
Capt. Heidi Rivard
Lt. Tom Kenney
Lt. Michael Morse
Lt. Ernie Young, Jr.
FF Kevin M. Burns
FF Joseph Mellor
FF Joe Moreino
FF Jim "Okie" Okolowitcz
FF Wayne Oliveira
FF Dan Rinaldi

for sharing their stories with me for the documentary. I still have some interviews to shoot, but the footage I currently have is incredible. I know that in a few cases, it was very difficult to talk about the things that they talked about with me and I greatly appreciate each and every person's willingness to revisit things that were incredibly difficult to revisit - especially on camera.

Thanks to all!

I Am Pleased to Announce...

22 Oct 07

To my faithful readers and supporters:

First, I’d like to take a minute to thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. Your kind words and friendship are appreciated more than I can say.

Now, to my announcement.

I just had a wonderful conversation with Cindy Day, the wife of Deputy Assistant Chief Michael J. Day of the Providence Fire Department, who passed away in the line of duty last June. I will not divulge the specifics of our conversation publicly, but I am proud to announce that I have received permission from Mike’s family to go ahead with my dedication of the film.

So, it is with great pride and honor that I dedicate my film, “Everyday Heroes: A Walk Into the Fire” in loving memory to:

Deputy Assistant Chief Michael J. Day, PFD
1956 – 2006

And

Private Edward A. Conway, PFD
1896 – 1957


I had to share this and I want to make sure that this dedication is not missed in the credits of the film.

My deepest thanks to Cindy and the entire Day family for their kindness and understanding – and for allowing me to honor Mike’s memory, as well as their sacrifice.

Please remember the Day family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

Adventures With Tower Ladder 1

18/19 Oct 07

At five yesterday afternoon, I arrived at the Public Safety Complex on Washington Street in downtown Providence to ride with Captain Jeff Varone and the C-Group Crew of Tower Ladder 1. It was a rainy, muggy evening and I had no idea what kind of a night it would turn out to be. I was brought upstairs and led to Captain Varone’s office to wait for him. I brought my Mom’s famous brownies (which she always sends with me on ride-alongs) into the lounge area and went back to Engine 3’s office to thank Joe Plante for escorting me upstairs and to introduce myself properly. Just as I was walking back toward Ladder 1’s office, the captain walked over. We sat in his office for a little bit and discussed the project, as he was not aware of the details beforehand. Once we had all of the particulars out of the way (my usual, “just treat me as one of your firefighters, Sir… if I’m in the way, don’t hesitate to push me aside”), he brought me out to meet the other firefighters on duty.

Serendipitously, Chris Brown (of the Special Hazards Unit) and Pete Grenier (Rescue 4’s officer for last night) were both there. I was happy to meet them because Chris was involved in a high angle rescue at the Providence Performing Arts Center earlier this year and Pete filmed it. I had found Chris’ blog and read through it, then clicked on a link to the video footage of the PPAC incident, watching the full nine-minute video. I had e-mailed Pete earlier this week to ask him if he would be willing to let me use his footage in my project, which he very generously agreed to. I talked with each of them quite a bit and exchanged information with Chris so I can talk with him more about the incident.

It wasn’t very long before the bell tipped and I was on my way with Ladder 1. Captain Varone handed me a turnout coat as we were getting on the truck, headed for Kennedy Plaza for a box alarm coming from one of the bank buildings. I was sitting in the chauffer’s side jump seat with Tim Bock, Jr., a new recruit to the department. I know his father, Tim Sr., quite well, so while we were waiting to see what was going to happen with the box alarm, he and I talked a bit. Tim, Dave Skaggs and I all remained on the truck to wait for further instructions from the Captain.

The next thing I knew, Captain Varone and Al Scott had jumped back into the truck and the lights and sirens were blaring once again. I had apparently missed something! As we sped toward Point Street, I started picking up from the radio communications what was happening. There was a truck on fire near the Providence Piers… a pretty scary place for anything to be bursting into flames. The blaze was less than a half mile from the Motiva Pier, which caught fire earlier this year and took a day or more to get under control. It made national news when it happened. Once I realized what we were responding to, my heart started pounding in my chest. I was a little frightened by the prospect of being in the vicinity of gas and oil storage tanks that could blow up – but I knew that Captain Varone and the crew would keep me safe. Just before we arrived on scene, we heard the call go out over the radio that the fire had been knocked down. It was literally thirty seconds before we arrived on scene, so I was a bit disappointed, but also somewhat relieved. When we pulled up to the scene, Captain Varone called back to me from the front of L-1 asking if I wanted to get some film of the scene. I jumped at the opportunity and when I got out of the truck, I was instantly grateful that the Captain had given me a turnout coat. It was pouring rain… if I hadn’t had that coat, I would have been soaked to the bone. I felt like I had just stepped into a shower stall – the rain pounding against my head and covering my glasses, which I had to allow to slip down the bridge of my nose and look over them so I could see. I somehow managed to keep the rain from destroying my camera and got some footage of the crews checking the tanker truck that had been on fire. It was still smoking when I walked onto the lot where it was parked. Once I had my footage, I immediately went back to L-1 and tried to shake some of the water out of my hair. It was dripping down into my eyes and I was thinking to myself that I should have followed my instincts and worn a baseball cap. We left the piers and returned to Washington Street.

Just as we pulled back into quarters from that run, the bell tipped for Special Hazards. I was listening to the call, still standing on the apparatus floor by Ladder 1. Captain Varone called down to me from the staircase, asking if I wanted to “jump the Hazards” for the call to the Route 6 Interchange, where a car had flipped over onto its roof. Of course, I said yes and before I knew it, I was on the Hazards again with Chris Brown & the crew. Now… the whole way there, the guys were saying things like, “watch, they’ll be out of the car before we even get there” and “we’ll be back eating dinner inside ten minutes”. I kept telling them to quit saying that, because I’d love to have the footage!

As it turned out, when we arrived on the westbound side of the Interchange at Killingly Street, we could see the rollover on the eastbound side of the road. We took the exit and came back around – the Johnston Fire Department was already on scene, so we just scooted on by and headed back to quarters.

Shortly after dinner, the bell tipped again for Engine 3 and us to respond to Hasbro Children’s’ Hospital for a box alarm. As we headed for the scene, I began to smell something odd – like an electrical fire. Problem was, it was coming from INSIDE Ladder 1. Tim and I gave each other a look that was a mix of bewilderment and “holy crap is that our truck?” Suddenly, Al pulled the truck over and we all jumped out. In less than a minute, the toolbox was out and Captain Varone was attempting to fix the vehicle on site. He had radioed Fire Alarm to let them know that we had a problem. We spent several minutes there on the side of the road and when Captain Varone was satisfied that there was no actual fire, he called in to Fire Alarm and put us out of service for repairs. We drove (carefully!) over to Dexter Street where the PFD Repair Shop is located.

We were greeted at the repair shop by a PFD mechanic named Bo, who assessed and repaired the situation while we waited. Captain Varone was concerned that I might be bored and even apologized at one point. I told him that I was glad this had happened – now I had footage of them repairing their own truck while we were en route to an emergency call. People don’t realize that things like that can and do happen! I was completely cool with the situation. It took just over an hour, but Bo had the truck fixed and ready to go. As we were leaving, Bo called out to me from the bay of the repair shop.

“Good night ma’am – have a safe one, and don’t let these guys be too tough on you, now.” He smiled and winked at me.

“Aww, no,” I replied, “they’re always great to me.”

So, off we went – back to quarters. By then it was probably quarter to ten and I had the sinking feeling that it was going to be a quiet night. I was right.

I crashed on a sofa in the lounge and got some sleep – albeit interrupted a couple of times when the bell tipped for the Rescue and the Engine. I finally woke up at five thirty and figured it would be futile to try to sleep any more, so I sat up and grabbed a coffee. By six thirty, everyone in the house was awake and the shift change was beginning. Just around seven, the bell tipped for the Hazards and the call went out for them, Engine 12, Ladder 3 and Air Supply for a reported house fire on Douglas Avenue over near the Chad Brown housing complex. Captain Varone suggested that I could jump on the Hazards, but there really was no time to explain to the newly changed crew what I was doing and why I was doing it. It was bad enough that Engine 12 had just come over the radio and said that the house was involved, calling a “code red” (meaning they arrived to find a working fire). We listened to the radio communications for a while, and then I talked with Captain Varone about some follow up work. I finally said goodbye, thanked everyone at around seven thirty and headed out the door.

I walked to my car and something told me to get some filler footage of the Station before I left, so I put my stuff in my car, grabbed the camera and the tripod and set up across the street to get some shots. Once I got what I needed, I went back to my car and packed up so I could head home. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I looked to the left of the station and saw a plume of smoke darkening the morning sky.

Much as I hate to admit it, I got a little excited and drove toward where the smoke was, trying to locate the fire. I pulled up in front of a body shop on West Exchange Street, a mere two blocks from the Washington Street Station, to find a tow truck ablaze in the parking lot. I pulled over and dialed 911 from my cell phone to report it. The dispatcher informed me that they were already aware of it and the fire department was on their way. I shut my car off, pulled the camera back out and jumped out of my car, getting footage of the burning truck through the fence surrounding the lot. A few seconds later, I heard Engine 3’s siren and turned when I could hear the truck’s diesel engine roaring down the road. I caught the Engine arriving on scene, the crew cutting the chain that locked the fence surrounding the body shop lot and subsequently knocking down the fire. I kept rolling, catching them folding the hoses back up on the truck, opening and flushing the hydrant nearby and even the owner arriving on scene and the firefighters filling him in on what they had found. Just before I left, I called out to the guys and thanked them, followed by my “have a safe day” as my final comment.

I got into my car and headed home. As I turned onto Broadway, I flipped my cell phone open (I know! I shouldn’t talk and drive…) and dialed the Washington Street firehouse, asking for Captain Varone.

“Erin? Yes, this is Jeff. What’s up?”

“Cap,” I replied, “I just wanted to let you know that all was not lost on my ride along. That vehicle fire that the threes just got called out to? I arrived on scene before them and filmed the whole thing, start to finish!”

“Oh, that’s great!”

We talked a little more and I thanked him again, gave him the “stay safe” and we disconnected. I smiled as I tucked my phone back into my pocket, grateful for the opportunity to have ridden with such a great crew and such a wonderful officer.

As I drove home, it started to hit me that this was probably my last ride along. I still have some more shooting to do – interviews, fire alarm, follow up ladder footage… but this was probably my last night of “jumping the trucks”, as Captain Varone said. My eyes filled up. I guess my time of playing pseudo-firefighter has come to an end. I’ll miss that more than I could ever express in words.

Tired as I was, I still had an interview to shoot. A few hours later, I was driving to South County to interview Lt. Ernie Young, Jr., a very dear friend and the D-Group officer on Engine 8, who has been off injured for a few months now. I talked with him for quite a while, visiting and catching up with each other, then finally shooting a bit with him talking about how he was injured quite badly last summer during a fire.

Now, it’s twenty-five hours since I went to Washington Street and I actually find myself feeling sad. I had spent the day on a real high, talking about how great it was to catch that fire and how weird it was that my gut just kept telling me to hang around. All I can seem to think of now is that my ride alongs are done. It’s a bittersweet moment – I’ve done so much work, ridden with two Engine companies, two Rescue companies, Special Hazards and a Ladder company, but every single second of it has been great for me. Just to have the opportunity to ride on each of the trucks and learn about the importance of each company was wonderful for me. I wish I could keep on riding with these amazing men and women. Time for me to play filmmaker, now.