Monday, October 17, 2005
We started out a little late this morning, as we had to run by the Texas Trubadore Theatre to validate our tickets to the Elvis Show for this evening. The doors don’t open until 1000 hours, so we waited around the unit until then. Then we headed down to the Nashville Zoo, where I dropped Karyle off before heading to some NFD stations.
My first stop was NFD Station 27. The engine was out on a run and a very nice firefighter pulled out the truck so I could get photos. Then the engine returned and I got good photos of it. The firefighter told me to go to new Station 17 to see their tower. I went there, but they had a reserve truck, and it was out. I was out front taking s station photo when they returned. I ran over to where they were awaiting traffic to clear before they could turn the corner. I got one shot there and then I chased them around the side of the station (they have drive-thru bays) and caught them just before they turned into the station. I got photos of them, but then realized my radio wasn’t in my photo bag.
I almost had an instant heart attack on the spot. I went back to the car and no radio. Then I prayed that it had fallen out as I was running. Sure enough, there it was in the grass by the corner of the building. Whew!!!! I went back inside the station just as the engine got a run. I tired getting a photo of the engine as they took off. This station has only been open since February. The old station was torn down and rebuilt at the same sit. Crews were relocated to other stations for 11 months.
I headed to Station 20 next. It was in the shade in a bad location, so I just took a station photo. I headed to Station 13. Station 13 houses Engine 13, Squad 13 and HazMat 13. I ran into a very helpful firefighter there who pulled out all the rigs for me and then talked a little about responses and the low moral of the FD. I had asked him if one of the four squads responded on every reported building fire. He explained that every full assignment consisted of three engines, one truck, one rescue and one district chief. They may add a fourth engine and a second truck on a hospital, school or large buildings.
Then, he told me that the department had 10 engines, two new squads and a mobile command rig on order. He said he thought the new squads were going to be on the same International 7400 chassis that they had bought for engines and misc. rigs most recently. He said that they only had old reserve Mack (MB) squads (very run-down- he said) to use when one of the current squads goes down. Once the new rigs come in, they’ll have two 2001 E One squads in reserve. I asked him who goes first on alarms. He said it’s a race to see who can get out the door fastest.
He told me there was a moral problem in the department right now. He said that it involves the Mayor and Fire Chief (who is leaving office soon). I was told that the Fire Chief here earns over $200,000 a year. He was brought in from outside the department. That, in itself, is a problem for firefighters here. There was some dispute between the Mayor and fire chief here over hiring practices, and the mayor won. That is why I was told the fire chief is leaving. Another part of the problem for firefighters here is their pension fund. I’m not sure I understood what was said about that.
I headed to Station 19 from there. It was where the other 1998 ALF/Luverne/AI 100-foot tractor-trailer aerial was assigned. They have a huge apparatus bay at Station 19. I was told that the separation in the middle was because the back end was going to be the city morgue but plans changed. I took a photo of their new Air Truck inside the station and two helpful firefighters pulled the truck around the back so I could get photos of it.
I headed through town and the busy Vanderbilt University Campus to Station 16, a very quaint looking house designed to fit into the neighborhood. It was on a busy street with no ramp, so I just took a station photo. I headed to very nearby Station 8 and found them gone and ended up just taking a station photo their also.
My next stop was the very unique NFD Station 21. That station has the very unusual apparatus bays that form an “X” within the station. It could easily hold eight pieces of apparatus, each responding out of its own door. It currently is home to Engine 21, Truck 21, Air Unit 21, an old shops-converted USAR rig (that I couldn’t get a photo of) and Medic 21 (which wasn’t there). In fact, in all the stations I’ve visited here so far (with the exception of Station 34 the first day) I’ve yet to see a medic unit in a Nashville station. You see them on the streets- everywhere. The medics here must be super busy.
About the time I was leaving Station 21, Karyle called saying she was done at the zoo. I was only a station way from the zoo, so I headed there and picked up a tired Karyle. We headed back to our unit, after picking up a few necessities at the local Kroger’s store.
We got back to the unit around 1530 hours and relaxed before the Elvis show that starts at 1900 hours. We had dinner in the unit and then went to the Texas Trubadore Theatre for the two hour Elvis show. It was really a great tribute to Elvis. The impersonator singer sounded just like him and even looked like him in later years. He gave a running narrative of Elvis’ life as he sang the tunes as they were recorded. He put a tremendous amount of energy into the show. There were two female singers, a guitar player, a bass player, a drummer and a keyboard player- all of them darn good. The drummer that played with Elvis for 14 years was in the audience and was introduced. The show lasted two hours with no intermission.
That’s all for today.
