July 19th, 1996.
At firehouse 141.
“Hey Lusty? What kind of specialized training did you do at the fire academy?” asked the Lieutenant of Squad 141.
Lusty replied, “HAZMAT Tech A, Vertical rescue and building collapse one. I also learned how to deal with different types of fires.”
"Why did you want to become a firefighter?” asked the Lieutenant of Squad 141.
Lusty replied, “It’s a part of my nature to help others. When I was a little girl and teenager the apartment building I lived in caught fire four times and the first three times I was four, six, and eight. A strange man wearing ¾ boots, a black rubber jacket, a tank on his back with a mask with strange breathing sounds and a helmet. The guy came and carried me down four flights of stairs outside. Because that man saved me I became a firefighter.
"I could've become a musician but I would rather help others than become a musician. My aunt wanted me to go to a musician school or go to Arcane university to learn vocalization and to be a musician. But being a musician is my side job which I do to help pay the bills.”
***
It was a slow day and the firehouse didn’t have a call yet. Lusty was about to ask another firefighter on how often they get slow days but she didn’t because she didn’t want to jinx the firehouse. That’s because when days are slow for Lusty and she does something or asks why it's slow then it gets busy and she doesn’t want to jinx them.
Oh my God this is a slow day! Lusty thought, Feels like math class all over again! Forty-Seven minute math class… felt like a century felt like ten minutes passed yet it was only thirty seconds! Might as well go to my locker and bang my head!
Not long after Lusty thought that, a man came with boxes on a dolly and asked for the Lieutenant of Squad 141. The Lieutenant signed for the delivery but Lusty didn’t put her nose in other people’s business so she didn't ask what the boxes were for. She just went to the kitchen to drink a cup of coffee.
The Lieutenant gave them some good news and that their new turnout gear has arrived and said that the modern turnout gear consists of a jacket, pants with suspenders, shorter boots, gloves, and a hood to wear under the helmet. Lusty asked how much it cost and he told them that it cost the department $5500 per firefighter and because the Fire Department City of Empire had a total of 1,700 active firefighters so around 9,530,000 dollars.
Lusty whistled and said that was a lot of money and she thought it would be around a hundred thousand dollars. They got to try out their bunker gear. Lusty even noticed that it said “Lusty Johnson” on her gear and the Lieutenant revealed he was nervous about having the department having “Lusty” on it due to the fact that he didn’t want to have the public think she has a strong sexual desire because not everyone knew where she got her nickname from. But the Lieutenant knew that Lusty would probably bitch about it if it had her birth surname on it.
Then Lusty went over to the history wall for Squad 141.
She learned that Squad Companies hand to ear their salt and they were controversial back when they were first formed as manpower companies during both World Wars and the Mid-late of the Korean war. She learns that Squad 525 earned their salt during a high-rise fire that lasted eight hours, and a ship fire that lasted for fifteen hours on July 5th, 1953 and Squad 141 eared their salt on October 24th, 1954 where there was a explosion at Arcane University which people thought it was Soviet sabotage or Soviet atomic bomb not perchloric acid explosion that killed thousands.
Then Lusty went over to the map of the northern half of the city of Empire.
"Oh my God, that's a lot of street names," Said Lusty.
The map for the districts of Downtown, Tall wood, High wood, Anderson, and Riverview has; Willow Way, Maple Street, Cedar Lane, Ivy Avenue, Oak Road, Birch Boulevard, Pine Drive,
Redwood Circle, Elm Terrace, Chestnut Lane,Magnolia Avenue, Azalea Boulevard, Jasmine Court, Rosewood, Avenue, Sunflower Street, Lavender Lane, Tulip Circle, Daisy Drive, Randall Avenue, Seacrest Boulevard, Mountaineses Drive, Aurora Street, Nightingale Avenue, Park Boulevard, Ocean View Drive, Hillcrest Street, Pace Avenue, Liberty Boulevard, Freedom Drive, Independence Street, Patriot Avenue, Constitution Boulevard, Democracy Drive, Republic Street, Union Avenue, Confederacy Boulevard, Victory Drive, Triumph Street, Glory Avenue, Honor Boulevard, Courage Drive, Bravery Street, Valor Avenue, Liberty Street, Freedom Boulevard, Justice Drive, Equality Avenue, Fraternity Boulevard, Sorority Street,Unity Avenue, Harmony Drive, Peace Street, Serenity Boulevard, and Tranquility Drive.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Lusty hummed while waiting for an emergency. She remembered the stories of her father when he was in the Little Bird Marines from 1967 to 1974 as a heavy artillery battery soldier who gave orders to the artillery crews where to fire their 203mm and 210mm shells. She also remembered when she was 10 in 1989 when her dad told her about a mistake he made where the firing coordinates he was told he told the artillery battery to fire at where a few minutes later learned the coordinates where friendly marines were.
Soon a guy of African descent came in with a dolly with boxes and asked Lust if she was the Captain or Lieutenant of Squad 141 but she denied it and called for the Lieutenant of Squad 141 to come. Lusty went into the kitchen where the Lieutenant announced that the fire department and the city and city council got all 1,700 firefighters including the volunteers in the city's new modern bunker gear. Now they didn't have to wear their three-quarter boots, black rubber jackets with yellow stripes and metallic helmets. Now it's a modern combination of a jacket, pants with suspenders and leather boots.
Lusty asked what it was made out of and the Lieutenant told them that it’s made of made of fire-retardant fabrics, mainly aramids such as Nomex and Kevlar or polybenzimidazole (PBI) and their new helmets are made of thermoplastic. Lusty and everyone else got to check out their gear and had some time to put on and test their new gear.
The fire bell went off for a fire at Arcane University in the School of Science building… The emergency that gave Squad 141 a spotlight and removed its controversial status back in 1954.
***
At Arcane University.
Lusty wanted to make a joke about how it’s different than how it was in 1954 due to in 1954 with perchloric acid explosion destroyed the entire School of Science and the buildings that houses the School of Business, School of Law, School of Engineering, School of Physical Education, School of Communications, School of Science, and the dormitories, fraternities, and sororities were badly damaged and had to be closed for a year for structural repairs and education was taught off campus for a year.
On the fourth floor of the School of Science there was thick smoke and on the fourth floor science lab they saw green and violet fires.
“Got chemical and metallic fire,” said the Lieutenant of Squad 141. “Lusty go get dry powder extinguishers.”
“Oh good Lord, chemical fires,” said Lusty, “I’ll be back, Lieutenant.”
Lusty ran to Squad 141 and back where she grabbed every dry powder extinguishing fire extinguisher and ran back. That's because Lusty trained in combating metallic fires she was able to give the Lieutenant and other four the dry powder fire extinguishers knowing that water and other common fire fighting agents can exacerbate metal fires and make them worse. She also made sure they were dry powder not dry chemicals knowing they can be ineffective or make the fire intensity worse.
The fire spread and Lusty made sure the doors were cold to prevent a backdraft or to know if there’s a fire on the other side. Sometimes she would kick in a door but if she found someone either a student or teacher she would bring them out by having her right or left arm around their torso and carefully walk with them out.
When Lusty returned to the fourth floor she tripped and fell on the stairs and she landed on her right knee hurting it. She still got back up and continued to do search and rescue efforts but she finally put her training into full gear fighting the metallic fires because of her classes that taught her how to fight metallic fires.
“Hey wait, don't!” shouted Lusty.
A college age student threw a bucket of water onto the fire and it spread further including getting the college student. Lusty ran over and used the dry powder fire extinguisher on the fire and the college student.
“Battalion 1-9 this is Squad 141-7. I got a badly burned female on the fourth floor. I’m going to bring her to the south stairwell. Squad 141-7 over and out,” said Lusty into her radio.
Lusty carried the burn victim outside and turned her over to a paramedic and EMT. A Paramedic radioed in to alert the nearby hospital about the burn victim he stopped to say that the victim is DOA.
Lusty swapped her oxygen tank with the air mask service unit who took her tank and gave her a spare before she went back in with another dry powder extinguisher as well. Some fires were able to be put out with a hose but it took several hours because both extinguishing and search and rescue happened alongside each other. Majority of the windows and glass inside of the School of Science are reinforced which makes ventilation nearly impossible.
After a couple of more hours they packed up their gear and went back to the firehouse even though during overhaul Lusty gave herself a first degree burn by moving a metal stool with her hand without wearing gloves.
***
At the firehouse Lusty placed her hand under the kitchen sink faucet and let some cold water run on it. She then sat on the tailgate of Squad 141 reading a book but her aunt came by.
“Oh My God!” said Aunt Juliette, “Claire what happened to your hand?”
Lusty replied, “It’s fine. I just touched a metal chair during overhaul and it gave me a first degree burn and I put some cold water on it. What are you doing here Aunt Julie?”
“I’m here to see how you are and wondering when you’re going to find a boyfriend or girlfriend?” said Aunt Juliette.
Lusty felt different and she felt offended for her aunt wanting her to find somebody to be with but was happy that her aunt was still looking out for her because her parents were dead and her Uncle who was Aunt Juliette's husband was a Empire Police Department Vice Detective who’s in prison for partaking in vices and got arrested at a motel.
Aunt Juliette told Lusty how she and her sister, who was Lusty’s mom, always saw that she did great and that her mom and dad were proud of her for doing a job to help others and following her passion on the side. Julliette also told Lusty that her mother would want her to find the right person to be with and that she shouldn’t wait until she gets too old and she should find a girlfriend or boyfriend.
Lusty’s Aunt Juliette gave Lusty a kiss on the forehead and told her she’d be back later.
***
Lusty decided to make a few grilled cheese sandwiches when there was a knock on the door. Lusty answered it. Her Aunt Juliette was standing next to a seventeen year old girl. Lusty only agreed to date her only when they’re both eighteen to play it safe.