MAE JULIAN
Continuing on with the night in Louisville in which we were hit with the biggest snowfall in its history (or at least recent history), one story topples over the first. We were able to stagger our truck into the barn, but many of the units were stuck in the snow with no hope of recovery. We had three surviving units at shift change, which was not a shift change at all, seeing as how there was no one to change WITH. We held a conference. We had Mick, the three crews, one supervisor, and Tick at dispatch.‑ None of the crews who were to relieve us were able to make it through the snow. Which meant that we would continue, and that we would take priority runs only. Meanwhile units that were stuck in the snow were given first priority by the city and would be dug out first.‑ We contacted the closest motel and they were commandeered to put us up for the night in staggering shifts. We were given one large room with two double beds. The crew that had been out on the streets the longest took the first partial shift. No organization of sleep and manning the streets had to be planned. Some were able to tough it out longer than others. So we just winged it, and whoever needed a bed just took a bed, sharing it with whom ever occupied it. We probably worked in approximately three-hour shifts and slept three hours. The motel was only a few blocks from the barn so we were able to switch off fairly easily, even if we had to walk.‑I remember when I went into the motel, everyone was passed out, there were soaked clothes laying over everything. No one was dressed.‑ They slept whilst their clothes were drying. So when I went in, I saw a bunch of whipped, mostly naked bodies laying all over the place. No one was awake, and so I had to move one of the out of the bed and take his place and he had to hit the streets. We managed for two nights that way. Day and night, I should say. It never occurred to me, prior to those two nights, that I would be sleeping with every assortment of crews and that not a one had a thought in their heads of anything but sleep. It was a unique experience. It occurred to me then what a family we had become. No one was embarrassed, no one cared what anyone else had on, (or off). We were the protectors and responders of the city and we did it. We did it with three units and staggering ourselves, sleeping in bits and pieces and not an argument broke out amongst any of us. The hero actually turned out to be Deafendum, because he had his jump kit loaded with soap, deodorant, and a toothbrush (which everyone shared) and hygienic items that no one else but Deafendum would have ever been prepared for. So it turned out that he was good for something after all.
As we were dug out by the city and we were able to get replacement crews in, our saga was coming to a close. We were like a crew that had climbed Mount Everest and made it to the top. It was a challenge and a victory. It cemented us closer than we had ever been‑before. I guess we could say we knew each other real intimately by the time that saga was over. Survival of the fittest was how we saw ourselves. I remember after I had worked there five years, and punched my time card out for the last time, I knew I would never see the likes of this kind of life again…and I never did. But many stories lay between that one and the punching out for the last time. They are buried in my head and as I bring them to you, I relive them. The crews, the people, the dispatcher, all of them are another family of another time. And they will live forever in my heart.
> Read More Information About Us
> More Articles Written By Our Staff
- Celebrating 20 Years Of Community At The Stand - April 12, 2024
- First Positive Case Of Chronic Wasting Disease In Indiana - April 12, 2024
- Southwest Allen County Schools Embark On Major Tree Plantings - April 12, 2024