Community spotlight: On the job with Folsom Fire Department

Editors note: This article is the first in a series by Telegraph reporter Amanda Rowland that takes readers inside many of the cities facilities and services for true day in the life perspective of the men and women who serve this community. This segment takes you behind the walls of Folsom Fire Station 35 for a day. Firefighters are individuals we call our everyday heroes. They work in a very busy environment. There are unknowns, dangerous situations and people in need. The group engages in bonding activities like crew meals to check in and make sure everyone is on the same page and keep the cohesiveness intact that is obvious amongst the crews. At the end of the day, the guys and gals at the station consider themselves close and one big family."We always do dinner together; it's kind of like a cultural thing, it's family time. We talk, cook and eat together," said Mat Blake, fire captain. One of five fire stations located throughout Folsom, Fire Station 35 is considered the headquarters, and houses a plethora of equipment, trucks, and the amphibious machine for water rescues: the boat. The Division and Battalion Chief, amongst other staff, also work here.Fire Station 35 has dorm rooms upstairs, as well as a gym, bathrooms and showers, and a laundry facility. The firefighters create a space unique to their personalities in their individual sleep space. Downstairs is where the offices are located, as well as a common area or day room, with comfy recliners and a TV, the kitchen and eating area. Alarms are strategically placed all around the station and can go off at any time.Staying fit in this profession is important, Blake explained."It's very anaerobic and sometimes exhausting, especially if it's 100 degrees out. You can't not be ready for that physically," said Blake.On the apparatus itself, you will see a fire captain, the engineer (driver or operator) and a firefighter. To suit up, or don your equipment, there is a 60-second standard to secure everything and get ready to roll."The three musketeers, that's why you see us shopping together, that's why you see us doing everything together. We don't do things individually because if something happens, you need to be ready at any second," said Blake.There are three distinct shifts: A, B and C. They are all different people and each shift is at the station roughly 48 hours at a time. All the firefighters are paramedics here at the station. They can operate at roughly "80 percent medical and 20 percent fire"on any given day, when it comes to responding to emergencies.Their obvious comradery and training are Para-military in nature, and they take pride in that. They also use the military alphabet. For instance, Z is Zulu, A is Alpha, B is Bravo and so on.A common question they get: Where is the fire pole we are accustomed to seeing in the movies?"I think those are nostalgic things of the past, I think they cause more injuries. The station designer I spoke to heard stories of people wanting them and he would have to relay to them there were incidents of people going to get on the fire pole in the middle of the night and missing it," said Blake.Truck 35 is a favorite amongst the crew; it has all the bells and whistles and equipment you would need to go to a rescue, except for water, which you would find on the fire engine."It's my favorite piece of equipment. It's called a truck, on very basic terms, because it doesn't have a hose and water. It's all tools and ladders," said Blake. The truck would accompany an engine to a fire. Truck 35 would be called for specialized needs, such as vehicle extrication. A fire engine can hold roughly 500 gallons of water.The firefighters wear many hats. "There are infinite jobs and stuff that we continually have to refresh on, and sometimes, you have to do more with less," said Pierce Akerman, apparatus operator and engineer. On a hot afternoon, the special rescue crew, or A shift, got together for vertical hoist training and there are a lot of moving parts. Different jobs within this rescue: rigging, victim assessment and access, anchors and mechanical advantage and the fire captain's job, which would be to oversee operations and scene safety, along with objective execution."Over a bank or in a hole or anywhere that Is inaccessible because of sloped walls or a vertical drop. It could be in the water. What we are building on this yellow line, what we call our main line, is a mechanical advantage system, which will allow us to just hoist him with man power. We are improving our output based on where we put pulleys in the system. The old block and tackle technique that pirates and sailors were using back in the day are completely applicable to a technical rescue," said Akerman, who also shared that during the fire academy, they become accustomed to tying all sorts of knots, from basic tying to advanced tech rescue, which prove helpful. This knowledge is becoming standard operating procedure or a department standard. "Timing is everything, it's like the maestro in the red hat and we have multiple people working; it can happen pretty quick," said Akerman.Fire Chief Felipe Rodriguez reflected on his time in the fire service and what he likes most about his profession."My favorite thing about being in the fire service is helping others when they are in their greatest time of need. Firefighters are blessed with the opportunity to put others before themselves; altruism.""My greatest accomplishment as the fire chief was bringing back the relationships and family environment within the Folsom City Fire Department," Rodriguez continued. "Since 1857, the department's personnel have served the community with pride and dedication. The stories of the camaraderie, barbecues, softball games, firefighter balland community involvement were a memory that has become a reality once again. The additional fire station in Empire Ranch, additional ambulance in American River, new equipment, new fire engines, fire station remodels, emergency plan updates, strategic plan completion, among other things are the management side of the job. Yes, these are important and have been completed while I've been the firechief, but it is the leadership side of the job that I am most proud of. Why? Because it revolves around people, and nothing within a fire service career is more important than the relationships that are made during the many years we are fortunate enough to serve. Ultimately, it is the relationships and family environment that results in high morale and better service for our community; and that's what our community members expect and deserve."