Chapter 25 New Shoes

I am not much of a shopper except for one notable exception - REI.  This store has everything you could ever want for hiking, running, camping, and biking that you could ever want.   When I find myself there, I always find something that I need.  I never go in wanting a specific thing, but I always find something I need, yesterday that was new hiking boots. 

Every time I get a new pair of hiking boots, I tell everyone I am going to donate the old pair.  To be honest, I have never donated an old pair of hiking boots.  I have an old pair on the back step for yard work.  Another pair is in the garage for garage work.  The new hiking boots I got yesterday are at home.  The newest old pair of hiking boots is now in my locker at station 3 and they are officially my back up pair.

I had just put my feet in the hiking boots I needed (not just wanted) when I got a frantic call from my mom.  I tell the sales lady I will be right back, and I walked to the front window of the store in my socks to sort out he call.

I am a rock during times of crisis.  The Fire Service has been helped me understand how to manage a critical situation.  The most daunting situations can be broken down into manageable pieces that people can work on and process appropriately.  Events that at first glance look unmanageable to me until understand how to break down a critical situation into manageable a couple of deep breaths and tell me what is going on.  Mom has had a couple of heart attacks.  The frantic, rapid fire talking makes me think she is having another cardiac event. 

Mom is telling me my brother has had a heart attack and is in a hospital in Virginia.  His wife called to tell her and to suggest that she fly out to see him.  I tell mom, that I will come over and we will get it sorted out and get her on a plane to Virginia.  Calmer now, my mom gives me details on how he was found.  My brother was home with his two small children when he called his wife to have her come home because he was having chest pains.  His wife called the paramedic's and they found him lying on the floor unconscious.  The two kids were rubbing his back and talking to him in an attempt to try and wake him up.   These details that are being recounted by my mom don't help her.  My brother lives Virginia and mom lives in Colorado.  These kind of details are a heart punch for my mom.  This level of detail makes the distance between mother and son seem they seem like they are on other parts of the world and not a three hour plane ride away.

Without an engine and a engine crew, I tend to bring the sensibilities of a man to problems like this.   I want to fix this for my mom and my brother, even though I know this is well beyond my scope to do anything to change the current situation.  The things I can fix for people by myself are kitchen sinks, toilets, law mowers, and minor repair on cars.  Everything that falls outside of sinks and toilets requires me to reach out for experienced help.  The Fire Service as also help clarify for me that when I am responding to a crisis, that it is not really about me.  I understand this even now when I am doing my best to make it all about me.  When things like this are in the capable hands of professionals, I will be relegated to be an observer and not a participant.

It turns out there are significant complications.  My brother has a bad gallbladder and is currently in the hospital and not stable.  Doctors are working to stabilize him in order to perform the cardiac surgery that will be needed.

I do get mom on a direct flight and have her focused on stepping in to help my brother's family.  My brother is the prodigal son.  The silence has become more comfortable than trying to bridge the gap with him.  As is always seems to be the cause, a crisis is what brings family together to try a bridge a gap like this.  God, (not Dorothy on the Wizard of OZ) is the guy who invented the red ruby slipper trick.  You can always go home just by using something your own red ruby slippers.  Going home is not as complex.  Like the movie says "You've always had the power dear, you just had to learn it for yourself".

My thoughts are interrupted by the familiar voice and green light in the room.

Engine 3, Paramedic 3 Yellowstone and 287 for a Car vs Pedestrian

"There shouldn't be a pedestrian out there during the day or night, there is nothing out there" Chris said grabbing a radio to get on the engine.

"I know, there are no houses, trails, or anything out there, maybe a dog?" I said

Engine 3 in route, status 3
Engine 1 in route from Longmont, status 4


Engine 1 is headed to the call northbound on highway 287, we will have some help locating the people and cars involved in this accident.  At the intersection of both of these roads there are no homes or businesses in the area.  This is not a section of road where people walk but the the shoulders are wide in case someone had to walk for help.

Engine 1, Engine 3 tac 2
Engine 1 ok 

The familiar voice of  Lieutenant Martin comes over the radio.  He tells me that they are coming up 287, heading north.  I tell him we will come towards Yellowstone from the east side so we will cover both roads where the accident was reported.


We should get there ahead of Engine 1.   Worst case, I am trying to think of what worse case is here.  The speed limit on 287 is 60 MPH, if someone was hit, I have to assume they are in critical condition and will need an air ambulance to a level 1 trauma center.  I do not have enough information to put Air Life on an airborne standby.  They will be about 15 minutes away from us by air and Longmont does not have a level 1 trauma center.

State Patrolmen are on the way.  If this is a fatality, I will have to continue the ambulance so they can pronounce the death in the field.  One of the engines will have to stay to assist the coroner and if needed.

"Car" Chris says over the headset.

There is a car with its lights on, stopped just short of highway 287 with its lights on.  It is a convertible and does not appear to be occupied.

"Go slow, Randy use the box light back there and start scanning the ditch"

Engine 3 arrival, with a single car stopped with headlights on, this will be Yellowstone Command, we are investigating

"Keep an eye out, we are looking for a driver, and a pedestrian that has been hit.  We don't know if there are drugs or alcohol involved, watch for crazy too."  I tell Chris and Randy as the engine comes to a stop.

"Chris bring med kit, collars, and O2"

We are walking up carefully to a older model convertible.  The car is still running, with the driver side door open.  There is no one in or around the car and after a quick look in the car we confirm it is unoccupied.  The radio is still on and there is an odor of pot in the car.

I can hear and see Engine 1 coming up 287.  I am starting to think about worst case again, the driver of this car cannot be far away from where we are.   Anyone hurt or in trouble would make every attempt walk towards the engine or try to let us know where there were.

"Keep looking and be careful of crazy"

I pick up my radio to give an update and I am interrupted by radio traffic.

Engine 1 arrival, one car heavy front end damage, this is 287 command

Engine 1, Engine 3 tac 2

"Martin, I got nothing here, I got a car that was left running with the door open and we are searching the area" I tell him.


"We may have found him, standby" Martin says.

From my vantage point I can see Engine 1 about 1/4 mile up the road.  The lights on the engine are up and it is blocking traffic for the small SUV that is in front of the engine.  I can hear a woman yelling/crying and who is visibly distraught over by the tailboard of the engine.  There is a State Patrolman trying to comfort her.

"Cap, look at this" Chris says pointing his survive light on the yellow line in the southbound lanes of highway 287.  In the middle of the lane are two leather shoes that are still tied and absolutely nothing else.

Engine 3, Engine 1 tac 2
Engine 3 ok

"We have a code black here, do a good search there and make sure there is no one else there" Martin says.


"Copy, will do and we will secure the car, need State to come down and look at something we found in the road" I tell him.

Code black means there has been a death and this becomes a crime scene.  We have not touched anything because so few minutes have passed.  The car is still running but I am going to wait for State Patrol to turn off the engine.

"What you got?" the State Patrolman asked.

"A running car, and some shoes in the middle of southbound lane.  No one has touched either one." I say walking over to where the shoes are.

The state patrolman shakes his head and asks us not to move the shoes.  He is asking for additional car up to our location and gives us permission to shut the car off.  He notes the smell of pot in the car and is doing a quick search.  We light the scene so they can finish their work

He gives us a quick update before he leaves.  The lady driving the SUV did not see the man standing in the middle of her lane when she was going 65 mph.  She saw him looking up at the sky and he never looked down.  He remained on the car until she came to a stop.

The crew on Engine 1 did all of the heavy work tonight.  I don't regret for a minute not seeing the aftermath of that accident.  I regret that the crew of Engine 1 did have to see it.  I hope the lady driving the SUV can reconcile this night and that she is surrounded by people who will listen to her angst until the sharp edges are no longer there.

I no longer tell people I have heard the story they are going to tell me.  I listen patiently, hoping I am taking the sharp edges off of something for them that I did not see.