My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Ladder Company 6 (Engine Company 22)
Chapter 2: Containing the Demon
It had been three weeks now. Three weeks since we first arrived at the station. We all wondered when we were going to see our first fire. Gilda was the company engineer. She drives our rigs to and from the local supermarket. We have two trucks in the garage, a 1997 Simon-Duplex/LTI 2000/300/102' and a 2013 Ferrara Pumper/Tanker.
Our other engineer is Greta. She drives our pumper/tanker truck. I am the lieutenant at this fire station, and Genevieve and Giselle are our firefighters under my command. I am the second-in-command under Captain Gordon. We had just finished checking all the tools and equipment on the trucks, and they were all running in working order.
We checked everything from the valves and gauges to our tools and to our breathing apparatuses, "When are we gonna get out, and go fight a fire?" Gilda groaned, and just then the alarm went off, "spoke too soon," we stopped what we were doing and got into our firefighting gear in a flash. We were all ready to got to work, "let's do this!"
Gilda and Greta blew the air horns. The lights blazed, and our sirens wailed as we got out on the road. I ride with Greta, and we are the ones who lead the tower unit to the fire, "Take a left up here on 7th avenue, it should be another three blocks down!" I said amid the noise of our trucks blazing down the city streets, and cars giving us room.
I looked up to see a big fire on the sixth floor of an apartment building. I was out of the cab, and unscrewing the valves while Greta was getting out the hose, "Giselle, I need you to man that monitor, move your tail!" I called out, breathing through my oxygen tank and mask. The hoses were set on the fire hydrant, and we waited for the order.
Giselle was up on top of the pumper with a ready monitor. Glass shattered from heat. Gilda was out of the rig, and on the scene, "What've we got?" she asked,
"Structure fire, sixth floor," I replied, Genevieve was operating the outriggers so the tower unit won't tip over when we raise the tall ladder up into the air.
"My daughter is still up there, SOMEPONY HELP!" cried out a frantic mother named Sweet Vanilla out on the street outside the building, "PLEASE SOMEPONY HELP!"
"Everything is going to be okay, ma'am, we will get your daughter," said Captain Gordon to console the mother. Gilda wanted her first taste of action, and now was the time, "Gilda, Billie, there's a filly trapped on the sixth floor named Cinnamon Swirl, let's go, c'mon let's go!" We pulled out the hose, and started the climb up the flights of stairs.
Gilda helped me with the hose as we hurried up the stairs. Gilda was also carrying an axe to break down the door. The ladder was going up into the air. We were at the door, and Gilda cut through the door with a few swings. The door swung open, "Keep down low, keep down low!" I called to her from behind as we evaded a coming backdraft.
"Go! Go! Go!" I commanded patting her on the shoulder as we went in. I placed down the gas-powered fan to blow out the smoke, and went in after Gilda, "fire department, Cinnamon Swirl, where are you?" I called out, and saw a little filly huddled up in the corner, and crying. I smiled under my oxygen mask, and picked her up off the floor.
"Don't you worry, we'll get you out here, mon amie," I said to her as I held her in my arms. I then radioed to the others, "I've got Cinnamon Swirl, I am coming toward the window, run it when she gets out safely!" Captain Gordon was coming up in the tower unit. When he was within reach, I gave Cinnamon Swirl to him. She was covered in sot.
Captain Gordon signaled to run the hydrant. I helped Gilda support the hose, as the water was coming out from the hose and the monitor from the pumper/tanker unit, "Hit it high! Hit it high!" I yelled under the heat and the roaring flames. It was like being in the belly of a dragon. I saw Gilda smiling back at me as the fire was now under control.
"We did it, Gilda! We did it!" I congratulated her just as the tower unit was putting water on the fire with Captain Gordon at the helm of the nozzle on the basket.
As we went back down the stairs with our gear, Cinnamon Swirl was reunited with her mother. Such a scene warmed my heart knowing that no one died, and no one was injured in the fire, "You should be proud, Gilda, this is what we do," I said to her as we took off our masks, and we shared a hug between friends. The little filly looked at us.
"You guys are griffons?" she asked, we nodded 'yes' and smiled at the filly, "you are my heroes," my heart melted as I smiled back at her. My feathers were caked in sweat and sot, yet it's hard to tell with my coloration. Giselle started crying at this moment that unfolded. It was the first time our company put out a fire, and saved a life on duty.
The ladders were lowered back into place, and the hose was neatly rolled up as we left the scene after the tower unit had it's outriggers and ladder in place. The next day, Sweet Vanilla and her daughter Cinnamon Swirl visited our station with a single layer chocolate cake, "Thank you, thank you so much for saving my daughter," she said to us.
"It's what we do, ma'am," I said, greeting her from our front desk at the side entrance of our station. Gilda smiled, and nodded to say hello as she was sweeping out the rooms, and Giselle was making breakfast in the kitchen. It is moments like these when you do your job that makes you want to work harder at everything that you do in life.