Welcome back for the conclusion of this three-part blog. Last time ended when Eddie, worried I was out to get him, transferred to a different firehouse. With Eddie gone we were assigned a tramp each following shift to take his place. A tramp in Minneapolis is a term for a firefighter, female or male, sent […]

  I value kindness most. I often find kindness in conflict with what I value second, truth. I mentioned a story of revenge in my last post. What does revenge have to do with kindness? Months after refusing to participate in the unsafe hose training drill, I was assigned to an engine company at a […]

Chasing the Flash I like the me I was, more than the me I have become. I like the idealistic me—before I understood regret. Jessie, pound for pound was the strongest person on the fire department. She was knocked on her ass during a training drill and my internal injustice alarm screamed through my idealistic […]

Angel of the Air Before I was hired as a Minneapolis firefighter, I worked as a 911 call taker and as an ambulance dispatcher. A small percentage of people make sitting in dispatch a life-long career. The revolving door in and out of those positions is a fast one, for a variety of reasons. Some […]

Early in my career as a firefighter I had already collected three stork pins. Granted, two came after delivering one set of twins. When my newest call came in for an imminent birth, I calmly strolled to the rig. I sensed anxiety as the rest of the crew piled into the cab. The captain and […]