My First Ridealong with the SFFD

My first clinical hours were spent with SFFD Station #29.  Medic 29's ambulance was stationed there for its last week, since now the ambulances are to become rovers and be based off of Evans St, and not so much the Stations.  I was sooo nervous!  Not only had I never stepped inside a firehouse before, I'd heard horror stories about the hazing of ridealongs.  I showed up in my spiffy medic uniform and introduced myself to the lone fireman that was there waiting to get off of shift.  The rest of the house was out on a call.  I watched the news for a little while and sports I could care less about.  I didn't dare ask to change the channel. 

When the crew returned, I met the paramedics and they were awesome.  The whole house was very welcoming and it put my nerves at ease.  I hopped in the ambulance to go get coffee with the paramedics.  On the way, we clipped a guy's side-mirror on his Ford Ranger.  The next hour or so we spent waiting for the Battalion Chief, and the PD to show so we could take care of the BS paperwork that goes along with accidents.  The owner of the Ranger was totally cool, apparently his father was a fireman and invented an apparatus on the fire hoses for the trucks.  He didn't want to file a claim, and after an hour of bureaucracy, we finally got coffee at Philz.  Philz Coffee is liquid crack made an individual cup at a time. 

After that we headed back to the Station and had lunch.  Let me just say, firemen can cook!  We sat on a long table with china dishes and proper silverware settings, pitchers of water, and a fabulous spread of bbq hamburgers, veggies, fruit, and chips.  I was impressed.  I mean, I had heard they can cook, but all the manners to go with?  Awwwesome.  After lunch we watched 300 and waited for a call.  We actually finished the entire film before we got a call for a minor car accident a single block away.  Civic vs. FJ.  Both drivers OK, just shaken up.  I was told it was the curse of the ridealong, that as soon as I went home, they'd get blown up with calls.  It was just a Monday...

The entire house was really generous and showed my around (but not upstairs) and gave me the rundown of the firetruck and the ambulance.  SF is one of the last cities to still use wood ladders, for tradition.  The ladders are damn heavy.