Hollister firefighters spend eight hours each day in uniform
inspecting homes, cleaning and maintaining the station, training,
visiting local schools, giving tours and responding to emergencies.
But even after the station closes down, the guys in the big red
trucks have to stay on their toes.
Hollister firefighters spend eight hours each day in uniform inspecting homes, cleaning and maintaining the station, training, visiting local schools, giving tours and responding to emergencies. But even after the station closes down, the guys in the big red trucks have to stay on their toes.
After 5pm, Hollister’s firefighters change into T-shirts and gym shorts, work out, go grocery shopping, conduct training operations, eat dinner, play video games, watch movies or just sleep while waiting for their next chance to be heroes.
“I never want to go to a car wreck or a fire,” said Capt. Jeff Granucci. “But I always want to be the first one there.”
Although he’s always ready to run out to a call, Granucci and his fellow firefighters do get a chance to relax at the Fifth Street fire station.
The Hollister Fire Department has two stations, one downtown and another on Union Road. The Fifth Street station has one fire engine crew and one emergency response crew, staffed with two captains, two engineers and one firefighter. The one-story station house doesn’t have a pole, but has three refrigerators – one for each crew, A, B and C.
And while each crew is trained in medical aid and fire rescue, the people who make up the crews give each one a character all its own.
Firefighter Rob Aranda can rescue someone from a building, but when it comes to the kitchen he puts many of his teammates to shame. Aranda, a former chef, is the team’s best cook. Although nobody forces him to cook, the second-year firefighter is always eager to share his talents with the rest of the team.
“I did a roast filet loin with garlic mash potatoes last week,” he said. “They don’t expect it and they’re always really helpful.”
The team usually eats together three out of the four nights a week that they are on duty, but getting the food Aranda prepares is not always easy.
“Fires happen during grocery shopping,” said Capt. Tim Schneider. “We get a call and have to leave our carts in the middle of the aisle.” Usually, a thoughtful clerk will store the cart and its contents in the freezer until the crew is able to return and pay for it, he said.
While the kitchen, which is always clean and has no frills to speak of – only a sink, dishwasher and industrial-grade stove and oven combination – it is the dining room that serves as the central room of the station. The walls surrounding the large dining room table are laden with plaques and awards, maps of Hollister and signs offering helpful tips such as three different ways to tie a boot.
When they’re not cooking, shopping or responding to calls – the majority of which are medical aid calls, such as heart attacks or car accidents – they’re lounging in their sparsely-decorated day room, complete with large reclining chairs and a big-screen TV. Only a telephone and emergency call alarm mar the stark white walls.
Schneider is also the team’s movie buff and when he brings in a movie, the whole crew watches it together. Last shift, the crew watched “Transporter 2” without incident, which is not always the case, Schneider said.
“Some nights we start watching a movie and get so many calls that we just say forget it,” he said.
Sleep comes in dormitory-style beds with eight to a room, while the captains sleep two to a room. The beds, which are well-worn from years of use, are almost always made. Most bring a sleeping bag that they roll out on top of the mattress, and those who sleep under the sheets bring their own blankets.
But after each 24 hour shift, the team leaves and passes their home on to the next crew.
“Today it’s our home, but tomorrow it’s someone else’s home,” Schneider said. “We have to hand it over clean and ready to go.”
While most members of the department try to get to bed around 10pm, on Wednesday they practiced rescuing victims, running fire hoses, spraying water and climbing ladders on to the roof of the former San Benito County communications building on Park Hill in Hollister until nearly 11pm.
Since the fire department doesn’t have a training facility, firefighters and trainees have been using the building as a make-shift practice ground, Schneider said. Schneider and Granucci had their team and three on-call trainees dragging out hoses, strapping on breathing apparatuses and heading into the house at full speed to save the mock victims.
“This is the kind of night where you find out if this is the right job for you,” he said. “We like to throw new things at them to make it seem real and tonight the adrenaline was flowing.”
Such training exercises serve many purposes. They keep the firefighters alert, prepare them for real emergencies and build confidence.
“It comes down to trust,” said Engineer John Parrinello. “And the best way to gain trust is practicing and training.”
Even when they’re not training, the crew works together as a team. Everyone has their own jobs, specialties and skills, both at the scene of a fire and around the firehouse.
And it’s the 240 hours they spend together each month that fosters that trust and forms bonds that last a lifetime.
“This is our second home,” Granucci said. “Our second family.”
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
br******@fr***********.com
.
