Report From Rescue Company 1

by BRBrony9

Calm Before The Storm

'So then he says, hey, I didn't order that!'

The ponies of Engine 25 burst out laughing at the conclusion of Striker's latest story. It may have been an inevitable punchline, but it still worked when delivered by a true joke-teller like the black Pegasus. He knew how to tell them, and with years of service under his belt, he had plenty of stories to tell.

Ember Dawn had picked up a couple of his own in his first month on the job, but nothing could quite compare with his first ever fire. Nothing so far, at least. The blaze aboard the Canterlot had been one of the largest incidents the department had ever responded to, and Dawn was still happy to have been there, even if he only made some tiny contribution to the overall success of the operation.

'Hey, everypony quieten down,' Chief Firebrand ordered, turning up the volume on the TV in the break room. It was tuned to the news channel, and the weather forecast was just coming on.

'The weather today will be turning chilly for many in the east, with brisk winds from the southeast and some rain possible overnight. The Foal Mountain region is expecting snow, with up to six inches possible in some areas. To the west, conditions remain unchanged, with highs in Las Pegasus of 95 degrees expected. In the Eastern Sea, Hurricane Gilda continues to grow in strength. Experts say it is now a Category 4 hurricane, but the windspeeds are expected to drop somewhat as it enters the shallower coastal waters. The latest forecast models say that Gilda is still on course to make landfall, possibly as a weaker Category 2 storm, late on Friday afternoon. Current tracks show that the Hurricane has not altered its course, and the eye of the storm is expected to make landfall approximately ten miles south of the city of Manehattan. Officials in Equestria's largest city are preparing for the worst, with flood defences being strengthened and evacuation plans being prepared for some low-lying coastal areas. Other cities expected to suffer the effects of Gilda include Baltimare and Fillydelphia, which are also preparing their own disaster plans. Princess Celestia is expected to make an announcement at...'

Firebrand shut off the TV. 'Alright everypony. You heard what the report said. This storm is definitely coming, whether we like it or not. And since we're gonna be on shift on Friday, I want everypony to be prepared, and I mean fully prepared. This storm could be bad, and I'm talking bad. Not some walk in the park. Chief Starfire Storm is considering a full recall of all off-duty personnel on Friday. We're gonna hear about that later on today, but even if that doesn't happen, we are going to be on duty that day.'

The fireponies from the Rescue and Engine nodded sagely. Winter storms were nothing new in Manehattan, since there was only so much the weather control Pegasi could do to affect conditions in a coastal city. The great tropical climate cells kept the atmosphere churning at a scale that no pony could hope to keep in check. The only way to do so would be for Princess Celestia to stop raising the sun, and Princess Luna to stop raising the moon- but that would cause a global extinction, and so it had to be reluctantly accepted that some areas of Equestria would, on occasion, be battered by poor weather.

'I want everypony to read through All Unit Circular 159, Procedures for Hurricane and Severe Storm Emergencies,' Firebrand continued, referring to the department regulations regarding the potential for major inclement weather. 'Now, this firehouse is not in a flood zone, or an evac zone. But your homes may be. Make sure you double check with the city disaster plans and make preparations for your families if you need to, because you won't be able to get there to help them when you're on duty.'

Dawn thought of Rosebush Roulade in their loft apartment. They were not in a flood zone, and even if they were they lived on the top floor, but he couldn't help but feel a small twinge of concern for his marefriend anyway. Likewise, his parents were not at any severe risk of flooding, and nor was his brother, who sat across from him, listening intently. But if the storm hit, thousands, tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of residents would be.

'Remember, we have a flood risk in our Battalion area,' Firebrand added. The West River abutted Battalion 9's district, and anywhere along it was subject to potential flooding. 'Rescue 1 covers most of the borough and can be called anywhere in the city, so you ponies especially need to be ready for anything,' the Chief pointed out, receiving nods in reply. 'Now, quick fire answers. I want a dozen different types of incident we might expect to arise or increase during the storm. Shout 'em out.'

'Dumbass drivers going into flood waters!' Dark Flash called.

'Debris falling from buildings,' Striker added.

'Dewatering flooded basements!' Dawn called, getting a nod from the Chief. Other ponies fired off suggestions.

'Power outages!'

'Structural collapses!'

'Water rescues- you just know there's some shit-for-brains who's gonna take his kayak out there.'

Firebrand nodded. 'Alright, good. Be aware, because all of those could happen, and plenty more besides. Nopony knows how strong this storm might actually be by the time it reaches us. The track could change entirely; it's unlikely, but it's possible. It might miss us entirely, but we need to assume it's going to be a direct hit on the city. Failure to prepare is to prepare to fail. Clear?'

'Yes, Chief!' everypony called out in reply, and Firebrand nodded again.

'Good. Get yourselves squared away on your off days. You'll have 48 hours before you have to be back on duty. Make whatever preparations you need to make with regards to your families. Make sure they're safe, evacuate them if you have to, but remember that you are all needed here on Friday. You might not be able to go home on Saturday, either, depending on how bad it is. We'll have extra beds here in the firehouse in case we need to accommodate the next shift as well. Keep your eyes glued to those weather reports when you're at home, everypony.'

Dawn and Blaze shared a glance. Their families would be safe, as safe as they could be in a hurricane, but that didn't do much to limit their disquiet. Manehattan had only experienced a couple of hurricanes- true hurricanes, not just winter storms- in its history. One had come in the days of thatched rooftops and bucket brigades, and had destroyed much of the city. The other had struck some sixty years ago, only a Category 1 storm, the weakest classification, but enough to cause massive disruption across the metropolis, with over twenty deaths and several billion bits' worth of damage. The modern city was both larger and simultaneously more vulnerable, thanks to the more developed, but often more fragile, systems needs for its operation, such as telephone lines, fibre-optic cables and power plants.

'We're implementing the 72-hour checklist,' Firebrand informed the staff. 'Everypony get to it. Check your sectors, make sure everything is up to code, and Celestia willing, when we meet back here on Friday at 9am, this whole thing will have already blown over.'

It hadn't.

Friday dawned cool and windy, as was to be expected. Hurricane Gilda was coming straight for them. The intervening two days had not seen its track alter more than a couple of miles. Manehattan was right in the crosshairs, and already starting to see the effects of the incoming storm. Winds were picking up, and the tide was rising. There had already been mild flooding reported in outlying areas, but conditions were only expected to get worse. There were some eight hours left until the hurricane was expected to make landfall, ten or so miles south of the city, but the last two days had, for the other tours of the MFD, been hectic. On top of the regular responses to alarms and fires, fireponies had been helping to evacuate patients from hospitals in low-lying areas. They had been stockpiling supplies and helping to lay sandbags. They had been preparing their firehouses for a war, making sure adequate supplies of diesel for their vehicles were maintained, ensuring sufficient food for at least a few days, taping up windows to help prevent broken glass spraying everywhere if the wind carried debris into them. There were a hundred things to be done to ensure that every firehouse was ready to face the storm, and the fireponies of the MFD had been thinking of nothing but preparedness.

Now, the new shift was coming on. Ember Blaze, Ember Dawn, and the rest of their crews were arriving at the firehouse as the wind whipped their manes. Gilda was not yet upon them, but she was not far away. Chief of Department Starfire Storm had indeed recalled all off-duty fireponies for service, such was the gravity of the danger facing the city. A major hurricane had the potential for mass disruption and widespread loss of life. All subway services were to be suspended at noon, as well as all surface rail lines. At the same time, every major bridge in the city was to be closed to civilian traffic. Only emergency and city vehicles were to be allowed to cross them after that time. The threat from high winds was deemed to be severe enough to restrict city residents from driving over the numerous raised structures which connected the various boroughs of the city together.

The storm, now a Category 3 hurricane, was expected to weaken to a Category 2 before it made landfall, and that was enough to make many city residents greet the impending situation with little more than a collective shrug of acceptance. Despite all of the warnings, they figured it would just be a bit of wind and a bit of rain, nothing that could affect them too badly.

The MFD, on the other hoof, was taking things very seriously indeed. Units from firehouses in districts that might be threatened by flooding had been relocated to other firehouses farther inland. Every unit double checked their ropes, dewatering pumps, and any other equipment that might be needed. Marine Companies, the fireboats, were fully crewed and with enough fireponies to also operate their secondary fast boats, rigid-hulled inflatable boats with small cabins that could be used for medical evacuation or rescuing swimmers, surfers or boaters who got into trouble. If sea conditions got too bad, all of the fireboats, even the great hulking Marine 1 and Marine 9, the 50,000 gallon-per-minute monsters with a dozen deck guns and a full environmental sealing system, would be confined to their berths, leaving sea protection in the hooves of the Royal Equestrian Coast Guard and their more specialised cutters and helicopters.

Off-duty fireponies who had been called in and were not on active duty gathered at their firehouses, where they could be assigned to tasks in the local geographic area, such as pumping out a flooded basement. Alternatively they could be gathered up by messenger van or a commandeered public bus to transport them to a major incident which might require extra ponypower. As a result, Firehouse 25 was thronged with fireponies from all three shifts, filling the bunk room and the kitchen, lounging in the break room and watching the tv news for updates.

'...statement from Princess Luna herself, urging for peaceful resolution to the anger felt by the followers of the New Lunar Republic, who refused to meet with government representatives earlier this week. Princess Luna has again been forced to distance herself from the actions of the terrorist group who claim to be acting in her name. Only time will tell if the NLR agree to the terms put forward by the government. For WMTN news, I'm Dark Star.'

'Now after those headlines, we're turning our attention back to Manehattan and the arrival of Hurricane Gilda,' the anchorpony continued. 'The storm is still some hours away, but the effects are already making themselves known across the city. We go live now to our reporter on the ground, Camera Obscura. Camera?'

The shot cut away to the black unicorn mare, who was wrapped in a plastic rain jacket and similar hat, holding a microphone with her magic and trying to keep it out of the rain and spray, for she was down near the sea. 'I'm here at the Poney Island waterfront in southern Hooflyn, and already we're seeing some significant impact from this storm. As you can see behind me, there's a lot of swell out here at the edge of the Eastern Sea. We've been watching big, big waves breaking over the boardwalk, and even a couple of brave- or foolish- ponies trying to go surfing. But city officials are warning residents not to stray down to the coastal areas. Evacuations of hospitals and nursing homes have already taken place, and residents of the most at-risk communities have been told to leave, because rescue workers might not be able to reach them during the height of the storm. A joint press conference between fire department Chief Starfire Storm and police Chief Blue Cap is scheduled for 11am. The mayor will address the city at noon, at the same time that the subway and bridge closures take effect. We'll keep you all updated on the latest developments, but for now, Manehattan is being advised to batten down the hatches and prepare to ride this one out. For WMTN news in Poney Island, I'm Camera Obscura.'

'Looks like it's starting to get messy out there,' Fairway commented, sipping at a cup of coffee.

'And landfall isn't even until about 5pm,' one of the recalled fireponies added. 'How much worse is it gonna be by then?'

'Yeah...this one could be bad,' Dark Flash nodded, prompting similar gestures from several other fireponies who were grabbing a bite to eat. The new shift had only just started, but the ponies from the previous shift were still hanging around as a result of the recall order, and where they would usually be heading home to their families, now they were confined to the firehouse until such time as the danger had passed and orders came down for them to be released.

Beep-Boop.

'Engine.'

Several of the members of the shift which had just finished began to gallop reflexively for the apparatus bay before remembering that they were not the active crew of the Engine any longer and stopping themselves. Ember Dawn and the rest hurried to the rig and mounted up.

'Box 5062, West 48th at 12th Avenue, medical run!' Oak Wood called from the housewatch. The engine roared out into the drizzle and proceeded west. 12th Avenue was the road which would become the Luna Drive slightly farther north where it became elevated and subject to highway restrictions instead of surface streets. It abutted the West River and was lined with piers, most of which had been abandoned from their initial purpose by economic downturn and the development of the jet aircraft, commercial flights, and containerization of shipping. Some were used to dock cruise ships, others for sightseeing boats. Some had been adapted for use as public green spaces, or even a golf driving range in one instance.

Also along the edge of the street were a number of benches, and it was here that Engine 25 found its victim. It was a purple mare wrapped in a blanket, another of Manehattan's unfortunate homeless population who somepony passing by had figured might be in need of medical help since she had been lying down on the bench.

'Fire department. Are you ok, ma'am?' Lieutenant Coppertop asked as they approached her, and she looked at them with cold eyes, simply nodding.

'I'm fine...why? Did...did somepony call about me?'

'Yeah, I guess they thought you might have been in trouble,' Coppertop replied. The tide in the West River was running high, and water was lapping over the concrete at the edge of 12th Avenue, pooling on the sidewalk. A couple of boats moored at a nearby pier were rocking and bobbing like spinning tops. 'Do you have somewhere to go, ma'am?' he asked. 'It's not gonna be safe to stay here for too much longer. A storm's coming.'

'I'll be fine right here,' the mare replied, clearly already shaking from the cold and damp. 'You fellas just get back to work. I'm sure somepony else will need your help soon enough.'

'You need to get away from the river, ma'am,' Ember Dawn pointed out. 'It's pretty likely this area is going to flood in a few hours, and we wouldn't want to leave you out here.'

'There are refuge centres we can give you the addresses of,' Coppertop added. 'Someplace you can go and stay warm until the storm passes. Nothing regimented, nothing where they'll try to make you go to counseling or ask you questions you don't wanna answer. Just public shelters that anypony can go to to ride out this storm. It's a hell of a lot safer than staying here.'

The mare gazed out across the slate-grey river to the far bank. She spent what seemed like a lifetime making her decision before replying. 'Alright...'

Coppertop returned to the Engine and copied down a few addresses for her from the list of public storm shelters. 'Here you go, ma'am. Keep this dry so you can read it. Please try and get yourself to one of these shelters in the next couple of hours, before things get really bad, ok?'

That was all the fireponies could do. They mounted the rig, called in a 10-31, an assist civilian call, and headed off into the morning gloom, leaving the mare still gazing out over the river.