FLORIDA FIRE SERVICE July 2017 18 T here are a number of reasons that have influenced the course that most of our careers have taken over the years; a thirst for education, a hunger for change, the desire to excel, promotions, demotions, births, deaths, marriage, divorce, successes, failures, good fortunes and tragedies, all of which will eventually define a legacy that is left behind. Were we to pause and glance back at one of those critical stages in our life, we would hopefully see the face of someone who was a contributing factor in making us who and what we are today. For most of us the incentive to look over our shoulder and walk in the past may prove to be painful and uncomfortable but make no mistake, there are no victories without conflict, and that, my friend, is a fact of life. When I started with Pembroke Pines, the fire department consisted of one station on North Perry Airport, one engine, one rescue, and a small crash truck that had a mind of its own every time you tried to shift it into second gear. There were less than 25 firefighters on the roster and most of our calls were medical and automobile accidents with a structure fire sandwiched in between every now and then, if we were on the right shift. We never wished the misfortune of flames or catastrophe on anyone but we were anxious to prove to the world and to ourselves that we were America’s finest. We were living the life that many could only dream of. By 1981, we were still trying to adjust to the reality of moving from the tailboard of the engine to the open jump seats behind the driver and lieutenant. We felt that the risk of falling off the apparatus versus going deaf from the high whine of the diesel engine up front was the trade off; at least that’s what I tell my wife every time she says that I have selective hearing, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I miss the thrill of riding on the tailboard of the engine while holding tight to the cross bar with the sound of the Federal siren clearing the way ahead, but as painful as it was to move up front, change was inevitable. Two years prior, we exchanged our hip boots, lightweight coat and plastic helmet for Nomex and Kevlar but even with the finest protective gear the industry had to offer, the only training facility that we knew consisted of the one and only fire station in our city. Most of our search and rescue training entailed blacking out our mask with whatever was available and crawling around the apparatus bay, bunkroom and day area looking for an elusive manikin. I was proud to be a firefighter/paramedic but would soon find out that a little knowledge, a sharp uniform, quality protective equipment, and financial security were nowhere close to what makes a firefighter what he or she should be. It was a bright clear day in November 1981, with white clouds clustered far above us gently moving across the winter sky and disappearing beyond the parapet of the new training tower at Broward Fire Academy. The weather could not have been more perfect but unknowingly to me, there was a storm brewing just beyond the horizon. I was asked if I would like to join a group of firefighters as they familiarized themselves with the new six-story training tower. It was a big jump from crawling on the floor of the fire station to working in a six-story smoke tower but I was pumped and ready to go, or so I thought. After securing the clips on my coat and donning the self-contained breathing equipment, all I could hear was the familiar sound of air as it entered and quickly exited my mask. We were ushered through the door on the south side of the tower then up the steps. I had reached the second landing when someone closed the door and the world that I once knew suddenly went black and everything changed. I felt as though I were not getting enough air and could hear my heart pounding inside. I indicated to the instructor behind me that I was having difficulty with my equipment and needed to return to the ground By J. Marvin Hart, Retired Chief Officer, City of Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue, Indian River State College Fire Academy July 2017 FFS.QXD 6/27/17 7:55 PM Page 18