Station Commander's office

[ERT-RPG 2]

This is the office of the station commander, usually the captain on Engine 1. The office is located on the main floor, with a private sleeping quarters behind the office space. 

 

[W. Burke]

*After a brief exchange with the chief of KVFR, followed by a VERY long conversation with the fire liaison officer, it was decided our best bet was to have a chat with our SCFD brass and see if we can't work out some of the issues. Headed over in my car, I park outside of the station buzzing myself in the front door and walking, from memory, to Captain Summer's office, the acting duty chief. I tap on the door and she looks up from her desk.*

'Captain, I hope you don't mind, but we wanted to have a chat with you about an issue in the county, and how we might be able to work together to help solve it?'

'Of course, come in.'

*We both walk in and take a seat. She shuffles some paper aside, and then looks intently, waiting for one of us to start.*

'Alright, so basically the Chief over at KVFR, I don't know if you know him, Mike Mathers?' She nods knowingly, 'He emailed me upset over some funding issues, and when I went to speak with Lieutenant Hanson. Mike here, after I spoke with him said that apparently they have more than just equipment funding issues, and seem to be woefully unprepared for major fires and emergencies. In the spirit of cooperation, he suggested that we ask the SCFD to do a training session or two with Kimberly.'

'Yeah, basically, they're losing man power and losing skill power. They need a refresher to get the work done, and your crew is the go to for this stuff. If you could arrange a bit of time for the two of you to sit down and work out a training program to help buff up those volunteers. Their heart seems in the right place, but their skill...'

'Leaves something to be desired.' I furnish. 'We're concerned that if something comes up, they're going to be in trouble, and not be able to handle the call, and of course, the next due engine if they call for a mutual aid is your guys. I'm worried with what I heard today, they can't even properly identify a fire type and update dispatch appropriately, maybe not even know how to do mutual aid. So what do you think Cap?'

[K. Summers]

*I walk into my office, sitting down in my chair with a sigh. We've barely had any time to stop this shift at all. I have so much goddamn paperwork too and after the Kimberly mill fire I'm sure to hear from all sorts of people. With luck this will blow over reasonably quickly and I won't have much fallout from this. I hope. It's frustrating but I don't see how it could have gone any worse.

Even with all the training we did with them it clearly wasn't enough. Those firefighters were still woefully underprepared and the sorry excuse of a chief didn't help. Recalling all the scenes from that run makes my blood boil. Never mind him calling me spineless bitch.. God I hate that man. I lean forwards, resting my head in my hand. My crews are still being run ragged, with luck they'll be able to recharge after this shift and when we get back I'll need to shuffle some things around. We're brimming with new recruits and there's few people I trust to train.*

[W. Burke]

*Walking in behind Stone, I watch him answer a text message, pausing in his step before sitting down.*

'No, take your time Captain. I've got nothing better to do. Take your time. Need to give your mother a call too? Should I come back at a more convenient time?'

 

[M. Stone]

*I wince slightly as the Commissioner jumps in my shit for answering that text. Oh well. Let's not fuck up again. I take a seat at my desk and motion for the Commissioner to sit as well.*

'No sir, now is perfectly good. What can I do for you, sir?'

[W. Burke]

'Tell me what in the fuck is happening with your people. The awards banquet the other evening, one of your men lost his shit, got into a fist fight with two deputies, assaulted security, destroyed hotel property, and most importantly, made a joke of the county emergency services. I'm fuming at this. I'm headed to the Sheriff's office next, but your man, he needs to be dealt with. The way things are going, it's proactive action, or termination of everyone involved. This shit doesn't fly any more. Can your people not control themselves?'

[M. Stone]

*I take a breath and listen to the Commissioner's tirade. Nowhere had I thought this would fall back on me. I hadn't even been in the ballroom when the fight had went down, but of course I had heard the stories.*

'I'll handle it, sir. It'll be dealt with before you're off the property. I'll ensure nothing of the sort crosses his mind again, off duty or after he retires, even.'

*To say I was displeased that my first asschewing was over this would be an understatement. Shit flowed downhill, and everyone knew it. Cook was about to get quite the pile.*

[W. Burke]

'You better. I'm going to go out to the admin offices, check in with some of the brass, and by the time I leave, I expect a full detailed report of your planned actions and your actions in my inbox. I don't want to have to come back over. Listen Captain, this hasn't been picked up by the media yet, but when it is, I expect to be able to handle this swiftly and satisfactorily. I can't deal with another shit show because of children in the agency's employ.'

*I don't wait for an answer, I stand back up, walk out the door and close it, before making my way around the hallway, out to the floor and into the administrative side of the building.*

[M. Stone]

*As soon as Burke is out of my office, I breathe a deep sigh of relief. I then immediately get up, walking over to the station intercom button and pressing it.*

"Firefighter Cook, report to the Station Commander's office."

*I then sit back down and wait for him to arrive.*

[L. Cook]

*I have bad feeling about this.  By the sound of his voice I can tell I'm in trouble and I can't remember what I did.  Walking up to the Commander's Office I knock on the door and enter when told to enter.  Heading to the center of the room I stand ready to be told of my fuck ups that I can't recall.*

[M. Stone]

*I sit at my desk, fuming. Burke had crawled my ass and now it was my turn to pass it along. As he enters, I gesture to the door.*

'Close the door and sit down.'

*Once he obliges, I rest my elbows on the desk and steeple my fingers together.*

'You want to tell me exactly what the actual fuck happened at the goddamn awards banquet, Cook? Because I just had the goddamned Commissioner of the motherfucking E-R-fucking-T in here to crawl my fucking ass.'

[L. Cook]

'Honestly Sir, I want to know the same thing because I have no recollection of what happened after the Awards Ceremony.  All I know is that I woke up in a bush the next morning.*

*Leaving out the mention of spit on my face.  He doesn't need to know that.*

'Regardless of whether I can remember or not I guess I may have crossed my limit of booze that night which led to whatever I did.  For that I am sorry and it won't happen again.'

[M. Stone]

'You woke up in a fucking bush? A goddamned bush? Outside? What the actual fuck?'

*As he says he may have crossed his line I slam my fist on the desk.*

'MAY? May?! You think you may have crossed your limit? Son, you not only crossed your limit you fucking overwhelmed it. You drunkenly fought deputies and brawled with security guards. You were party to the destruction of hotel property. You are an embarrassment to this department and the absolute only reason you have not been fired is because this event is so far hush-hush. You need to reconsider the course of your life and whether or not this is really the place you want to make your career, because you're now forever going to be known as 'that guy that got shitfaced and got his ass kicked at the awards banquet'. You need to attend counseling for this clear problem you have with controlling your intake of alcohol. Contact the department EAP posthaste, that's not optional. Now go detail every truck in the bay and be thankful you still have a goddamned job. Get the hell out of my office.'

[L. Cook]

'Yes, sir'

*Fuck.  Getting up from my seat I waste no time getting out of the Captain's office.*

[M. Stone]

*Once Cook departs, I start typing up an email to Burke detailing Cook's corrective actions. I make sure to CC the platoon chief as well, not wanting him to be left out of his own man's details.*

[M. Stone]

I step into the office and close the door behind Kat, then take a seat behind my desk.

"It's good to have you back, Kat. I'm very glad to see you back with us."

[K. Clark]

*i sit down in one of the chair's as stone sits down behind the desk*

'It's good to have you back, Kat. I'm very glad to see you back with us'

'Thank you sir, It's good to be back again i'm sorry about dropping by yesterday with that letter i should've just waited till today. But clearly we need to address the elephant in the room... the letter.'

*i look down at the floor and take a breath and then look back up*

'Before coming back i had to talk to the fire chief and we got talking and both have agreed if i can't be comfortable in station 1 he agreed to move me to a station closer to home, It's nothing against the station i'm just afraid i wont be able to operate out of this station without thinking about that day'

[M. Stone]

I relax in my chair, hoping Kat will feel more at-ease if I don't play the hardass station captain and instead play the friend.

'Don't worry about coming by, it was fine. We're friends, Kat, you can come by if you'd like. Don't sweat that.'

I nod as she says she's unsure of how she'll be handling being back on duty.

'Well, we'd like to keep you here, of course. But you need to do what's best for you, and we understand that. I understand that. Now, with that said, we're here for you. We'll support you in any way possible. You're a damn good firefighter, and I'd hate to lose you to Station 9. I'm proud to have you on my company. Don't think for a second that that day makes you any less of a firefighter.'

[K. Clark]

'Well, we'd like to keep you here, of course. But you need to do what's best for you, and we understand that. I understand that. Now, with that said, we're here for you. We'll support you in any way possible. You're a damn good firefighter, and I'd hate to lose you to Station 9. I'm proud to have you on my company. Don't think for a second that that day makes you any less of a firefighter.'

'I would like to stay here and i hope i can overcome the thoughts and feelings and can get back to where i belong with station 1. I love having you as a captain your more then a captain to this company. And i can't thank you enough for what you and the crew did that day if weren't for you guys i would be dead right now'

*I stop and take another breath*

'Also at some point if we get the chance i would like for the crew to go back to the house that it happened at if thats ok with you sir' 

[M. Stone]

I listen attentively, nodding in the right places.

'We just did our jobs, Kat. That's all. You're one of us, and we took care of you. You know my door - work or home - is always open to you if you need to talk. We'll work you through this. Have you been talking to anyone? Professionally, that is. You don't have to disclose it, that's your privacy, but I'm asking as your friend.'

I nod as she mentions returning to the scene.

'We can't on duty. Out of our zone. But in the morning, I'll stop by with you if you'd like. I'm sure the others would be down.'

[K. Clark]

'We just did our jobs, Kat. That's all. You're one of us, and we took care of you. You know my door - work or home - is always open to you if you need to talk. We'll work you through this. Have you been talking to anyone? Professionally, that is. You don't have to disclose it, that's your privacy, but I'm asking as your friend.' 

'Yes sir i've been talking with a counselor about it i have another appointment with them tomorrow after, They are also talking about doing something called exposure therapy. I also understand about not being able to go back well on duty i just figured i would ask. My next question though what happened that day what went wrong i don't remember much the last thing i remember before waking up in the hospital was starting fire attack then everything after is a blur. James has told me some stuff but its been hard for him cause he doesn't fully know what happened, I'm just wondering what went wrong that day' 

[M. Stone]

"Nothing went wrong on your end. Part of the structure collapsed and trapped you. You didn't do anything wrong, Kat. Like I said, you're a good firefighter. You did your job to the best of your ability."

I pause for a moment before continuing.

"I'm glad you're seeing a professional. That's good. Don't bottle up your feelings about this - or anything else. Keep those appointments up."

[K. Clark]

"I'm glad you're seeing a professional. That's good. Don't bottle up your feelings about this - or anything else. Keep those appointments up."

'I plan too keep them up as...'

"105 third street south for a residential fire alarm"

'Well sir guess this meeting is cut short we have to go do what station 1 does best' 

*i get up and open the door and start to head my way through the crowd towards the engine bay*