One of the old Rural Metro Stations I used to work at! The "Olde 42"... now "72," with a new modular crew quarters next door... still right where it was 27 years ago... in the vicinity of Benson & Alvernon. I stopped when I saw some of the crew outside. Introduced myself and we started talking. A lot of names were passed back and forth, and I got to tell a few stories that made this crew laugh a bit! Brought back a lot of memories for me too... and to think... I was an "Old-timer" in the minds of these guys.
From there I headed North to another Station I used to work at...
The original "44" at Swan & Sunrise. Shuttered, yet still there! And less than a block away...
The new "74."
From there a quick ride to the East...
To "41," now "71" in the Sabino Canyon area.
I didn't stop in at Station 74 or 71, except to take a quick picture. I also didn't get out to the old "45"/new "75" out East of town. Maybe on another day.
On Sunday night, I worked in the ED, and had the opportunity to interact with a Paramedic employed by the hospital. There was a "critical" patient that required a lot of things happening all at once. The two of us just seemed to click into a mode, got things done, handing equipment and supplies to one another as needed, and it seemed like there was this "understanding" between us as to what each was doing, what they needed, and what the ever shifting priorities were.
Last night, this same Paramedic overheard me telling another Nurse how I used to be a Paramedic for R/M here in Tucson back in the late 80's. The Paramedic came into the conversation and said, "I knew there was something about you last night." I just smiled and said, "We did good last night and rocked it! Thanks for your help."
I came to realize that this was the reason why I took this short trip down memory lane today.
Although I will never be able to re-enter it, this part of my life had a big impact on who, what, and how I am and do now.
So as I pulled out into traffic on Kolb Road, from Station 41...
I thought about a call, in which I was the Engineer that day on Engine 41, responding as the second-in Company to a working fire that Engine 42 was responding to. There was a Lieutenant and a Reserve Firefighter on-board. Code 3, that is emergency lights, sirens, with all of the obligatory air-horn blasts, as we responded South on Kolb Road from Sabino Canyon... right through the City of Tucson, to the County area to the South of the City... almost a full 30 minutes of adrenalin! Yet I was responsible. I had to get us there, safely and securely, so we could ultimately do our jobs...
I remember calmly talking to the Lieutenant about a proposed driving principle, where "big rigs..." i.e. fire-truck drivers, never, ever, unless a true 'accident' emergency response, crossed there hands on the steering wheel. 'A turn and slide.' He was nervous, I could tell. It went against all his former training, when one is looking ahead, watching traffic, pulling that cable... and not knowing that I was only going 5 to 10 mph over the posted speed limit, as appropriate for conditions... It looked and felt like I was just "screaming" down the road!
Even back then, it was known that flooring it, delayed responses ultimately. A steady response, less than 10 mph over a posted speed limit, actually cuts final response time by about 3 minutes. Traffic flows, stoplights, etc., one just has to get "Zen" about it and fall into it!
I rode my bike along this response path today. I recalled and just knew the streets and the turns as they were coming up. I had to think about lane changes though, as I didn't have the advantage of an emergency response and couldn't turn right from the far left lane... nor did it seem that very many people were yielding to my approach, I guess my bike is a lot smaller than an Engine... It was almost surreal!
Peace!
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