I-O-U My Life

摘要

Climbing up into the cab of the apparatus, we heard the initial units go on the scene of the gas explosion and collapse in the East Village in New York City. The transmissions between the dispatcher and units on the scene took priority over everything else as the tone alert and signal were broadcast for a major emergency response, followed by the second and third alarms. Then over the department radio we heard a unit transmit that an officer had given a "Mayday" over the portable radio. Everyone in the rig felt as if they'd just been punched in the gut, knowing the severity of that signal. After backing into quarters, everyone assembled in the house-watch listening to the radio. The alarm tones suddenly went off, and out the door we went on another run. While responding, we heard that the unit transmitting the Mayday was all accounted for.