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Conversations with firemen [1]
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Date: 2025-01-15
I walked up to the 3 firemen standing behind the fence.
They were just watching over into the canyon below. Their job, for now, is to wait and watch. In the canyon below is JPL.. Jet Propulsion Lab. They all know what that means. JPL is the only entity on the planet that knows how to do inter-planetary navigation. They know that they need to prevent the fire from getting to it. The fire is still smoldering within the City of Altadena, and the winds are supposed to pick up in a few hours. Embers will fly. Tensions are high. We had just returned home (when mandatory evacuation orders were lifted). Did I mention that tensions are very high.
A neighbor walked up and joined the conversation.
“We cannot tell you how devastating this was”.
The Firemen nod their heads and utter soothing words. I am sure they have heard that line before. Maybe 1000 times. Maybe more. “We cannot describe how devastating this was”. But they have the perfect blend of reassurance and sympathy in their response. Not everyone can manage that… I would not have been able to. I would not have been a good fireman. We are all devastated. Although our homes are standing, each one of us knows 50 who have lost homes. We are doubling up. Rental units will be scarce for the next year.
Another neighbor walks up.
“You guys are our heroes. We cannot describe how much we appreciate you”
One of the firemen respond “no, we appreciate you !! that's why we are here”. Again, the perfect blend of sympathy and reassurance. I cannot but help think about this neighbor. She is an elderly white lady ( and no, she is not a “Karen”), and during the pandemic, she used to rant about the firemen and policemen who were refusing vaccines. “They should be fired for putting the rest of us in jeopardy”. I looked at the Firemen. There are about 20 firemen within 50 yards of us. All young white men… with “white men” looks. Some are very handsome, with the “fireman handsome” stereotype. They are from places I did not recognize.. they were nice enough to point out “that's in Northern California”, or “that's in Oregon”. I suspect most of them voted for Trump. I suspect quite a few of them had refused the vaccine back in 2021, thereby “putting the rest of us in jeopardy”, to quote my neighbor. But no matter, they are all heroes today.
I asked if they needed to use bathrooms, shower, etc. And offered the use of homes on the street.
No, we are all right. We get plenty of rest and sleep at our base camp.
They have a base camp by the Rose Bowl.
I get upset when the Rose Bowl is used for any reason including football games or even the Rose Bowl itself...the Grand Daddy of them all. In my view, the Rose Bowl should forever be reserved for runners, for cyclists. And for walkers… those who are trying to reduce weight, and those who are trying to hang on to their New Years Resolutions for one more day. And those elite athletes who make the rest of us look like sloths.
And particularly for those disabled athletes.. the blind runner who runs with a tether to a guide. Or the paratheletes with their special bicycles.
They are inspiration.
The Rose Bowl should be reserved for inspiration.
Today, the Rose Bowl is base camp for all of those firemen (and a small number of fire-women, I should add) from all of those small towns whose names I did not recognize. They spend 24 hours working, and then they have 24 hours to rest and eat and sleep. The Rose Bowl is now filled with campers, trailers, tents, and other facilities for those firemen.
It remains a place of inspiration today !
My dog walks up to one of the firemen to say hello!
“Oh, how sweet. I miss my doggie” says fireman number one.
“I miss my doggies too” says fireman number two. With emphasis on doggies (i.e. plural). The third one just smiles. They probably have a sweetie as well, but they don't mention that they miss their sweeties. I understand… I would miss my doggie more than my sweetie too. I think my sweetie would expect nothing else.
I pointed out some of the lesser known landmarks that are worth $0, but which are priceless.
”You guys know of Richard Feynmann?”
“Yes, of course.”
“He is buried over there, about ½ mile behind those trees”
“oh wow. I did not know that.” They are not sure about the condition at the cemetery. I am not sure either. I will go look tomorrow.
“and over there, just behind that peak (I point to a peak that is red with fire retardant) is the old observatory where the Milky Way was first understood”.
“oh, we know about that. There is a crew up there, with instructions to defend it”
“And over there, about ½ mile that way is where Jackie Robison grew up”
They did not know this, and they tear up. Jackie Robinson means more to them than Richard Feynmann. I should have opened with Jackie Robinson.
To all of you who are out here… THANK YOU !
[END]
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