Jesse replies, “I am, Chief.”
Chief Bodett says, “All right then. You will report to this address tomorrow morning to begin development and training.” He hands Jesse the letter with the address on it.
Jesse takes the letter and replies, “Yes, Chief.”
Captain McMenn says sarcastically, “Jesus aged Christ. A whole unit of adrenaline junkies? God save us!” He smiles and shakes Jesse’s hand. “Congratulations, Jesse. Good luck. I hope my OCD didn’t push you to the limit.”
Jesse replies, “Not at all, Captain.”
Later in a swimming pool, Jesse teaches Maggie about scuba diving in a pool with some scuba gear.
Maggie says, “So you have trained yourself to feel no emotion? You marines are like robots.”
Jesse replies, “Once you remove all emotions, one emotion always remains. When facing death, love is the only emotion that never leaves. It flashes your life before your eyes.”
“I am trying. Consider me a project in the works. Well, congratulations on the new opportunity and title of commander. You deserve it.”
“Thanks. You are invited to the first indoc if you want to join the team.”
“I will think about it.”
“Good. Okay, well, this is a regulator not used by most. Marine Force Recon and Navy Seals use the double hose regulator. It allows for more oxygen to be used during strenuous physical activity. We will get familiar with it. Then we will work on holding your breath while swimming the length of the pool. That exercise will allow you to share your oxygen mask with the victim you’re rescuing until you move the victim clear of the fire and smoke.”
Maggie gets close to Jesse. She says, “I know another exercise for holding your breath is this.” She kisses Jesse.
Jesse says, “A lesbian kissing a straight guy. This might hurt your reputation with the ladies.”
“It might. Consider yourself lucky.”
Jesse smiles and says, “I do.” Jesse and Maggie smile.
9.
Eight months later, Jesse’s new title is Commander Cole. He is in front of a class of recruits teaching at his new Advanced Rescue Tactics Team facility. Behind him, “Advanced Rescue Tactics Team” is written on the wall under the ARTT symbol. The symbol consists of gold parachute wings. The symbol also has two axes crossed with an EMS symbol, Rod of Asclepius, down the middle in the background. Jesse is wearing a high-collared ARTT suit he designed. A crimson red, lightweight fireproof suit with kneepads and elbow pads. The suit has a white ARTT symbol on the left chest with an ARTT patch written in white below it, just above the chest pocket. Cole is written in white on Commander Cole’s name tag just above the right chest pocket. It has many attachments including a zip line harness tethered to a D-ring. ARTT is written on the back in big white letters.
Commander Jesse Cole says, “Welcome to the Advanced Rescue Tactics Team selection board. That is ARTT for short. ARTT will be made up of twelve highly trained operators. A team has three operators and one team leader. A team works twenty-four hours on duty, twenty-four off, and then works the ready reserve shift. There are three teams on rotating, 24/7. Usually, one team is enough for most situations, but we must be prepared to handle multiple situations simultaneously throughout the state. ARTT protocol dictates we can only be called into action by one of this state’s fire departments or the New Jersey governor.
“This ARTT facility is established in the heart of the state, so we can cover the entire state expeditiously. The extreme and brutal ARTT indoctrination includes some tough fitness testing as well as emotional and psychological testing using physical and mental variables. If you pass this indoctrination, you will be trained to fly the MH-60 Jayhawk equipped with the cabled rescue carriage. We also fly the Bell 205 chopper equipped with cable carriage on right side and water cannon on left. The water cannon can shoot foam as well. The Bell 205 chopper can drop its entire payload of water or foam on a fire if necessary. Both choppers are paramedic equipped.
“We deploy one Jayhawk chopper and two Bell 205 choppers. You will learn advanced repelling skills like zip lining, fast roping, rope-climbing methods, and horizontal commando rope crawling. In this unit, you will learn to use rope like regular firemen use water. You will undergo parachute training.
“You will be trained at the paramedic level. During paramedic training, you will be trained in advanced airway management—including intubation, IV fluid administration, cardiac monitoring, cardiac pacing, both synchronized and unsynchronized cardioversion, and medication usage in adult and pediatric patients. As an ARTT operator and a paramedic, we have authority from the governor to take custody of any victims we deem critical from the regular EMTs.
“An ARTT team is comprised of one chopper with a four-man crew to include a team leader and a rotating designated pilot. Every team member will rotate doing pilot duty to keep proficient flying skills.
“We do assist in fire investigation on any scene we become part of. Most calls will only require one chopper with one four-man team. Some might require two teams. In almost every situation, we are the last resort, and time will not be on our side. We come in fast and hard. Fortune favors the bold when saving lives.
“Okay, now that everyone has their tactical gear, I will familiarize you to it. After that, your indoctrination will begin. When regular firemen can’t get to the victims, they call us. We have to know if you have what it takes to handle these kinds of situations. You will have to pass a much harder physical fitness test than the CPAT you are used to. Here we learn to deal with scenarios that regular fire departments cannot. You will learn the most advanced tactics and have the latest cutting edge and developmental rescue gear. I will have an assistant instructor helping me. Come on in here, Mike.”
Assistant instructor Mike Hail enters the classroom. He is wearing an ARTT red leather beret, a red ARTT instructor shirt, black combat boots, and some ARTT physical training fatigue pants. The PT pants have a fire camouflage design of red, orange, and yellow colors in it.
Commander Cole says, “This is my ARTT assistant instructor Mike Hail. He is an old Marine Force Recon buddy of mine and the best soldier I ever served with. He was discharged and has joined our cause to help train you. He will help run the indoctrination. If you pass the indoctrination, Mike will also be assisting in the training phase with parachuting, rope climbing, advanced repelling, zip lining, and other training exercises. He will help me find your limit and push you beyond it.” Jesse holds up a protective vest. “Part of your tact gear, if you make this unit, is this thin, lightweight protective vest. The vest is fireproof, reinforced, and level 3 bulletproof. In many rescue situations, burned debris may fall on you. This vest will possibly keep that debris from breaking ribs or your back. Extreme heat explosions can cause percussion injuries to vitals or shoot projectiles your way. This vest will protect you from that.”
Commander Cole puts down the vest and holds up the ResQmax grappling gun. “This is the ResQmax line gun. It is the best grappling gun money can buy. It has many other uses. It’s part of your gear if you make the indoc.”
Jesse puts down the ResQmax line gun and picks up a Rescue Victim’s zip line harness. “This is a Rescue Victim’s zip line harness—not unlike the zip line harness built into the ARTT backpack harness. Every ARTT operator will have five of these harnesses in their backpack to put on rescue victims incase zip lining out of a burning structure is the only option.”
Commander Cole puts down the ARTT Rescue Victim’s zip line harness and picks up the ARTT C4 wall buster. “This device has a thermal canister that can withstand extreme temperatures. It is called the ARTT C4 wall buster. This piece of equipment is a last resort if trapped or blocked from getting to victims. Communicate with the ARTT helicopter pilot before using a wall buster so he ca
n look through his heat imaging scope to see if there are any rescue victims too close to blast radius. Stick it to the surface, and once you activate the device, it explodes in five seconds. It is part of your gear if you make the indoc.”
Commander Cole puts down the ARTT C4 wall buster and picks up the ARA Fit-5 extinguishing device. “Most pressurized tank fire extinguishers use carbon dioxide or nitrogen to shoot either their powdery potassium bicarbonate or liquid water or a fluorocarbon at a fire. Instead, we will use this extinguishing device. This device can fully extinguish a class B, fuel-based fire in a room. This device is also designed to control class A, wood-based fires enough so that regular firefighters can douse them with water. You come to a room engulfed in flames, throw it right into the center of the fire like an extinguishing grenade. It uses potassium carbonate, which is less risky to firefighters and as effective.”
Commander Cole puts down the ARTT extinguishing device and picks up the ARTT multi-ax. “This tool is telescopic. The ax can be can be extended or retracted and locked into place. On the backside of the ax, blade is a pick. Underneath the pick is an electric titanium saw, which can be removed. While the ax is retracted down, it slips into the leg holster. It’s lightweight and can be put in your pack if necessary. It is made of stainless steel. The saw has a battery life of two hours of continuous use. It is part of your gear if you pass the indoc.”
Commander Cole puts down the ARTT multi-ax and picks up the ARTT backpack. “This is an ARTT backpack. On the outside of the backpack are two extinguishing devices that are attached on both sides of the pack. Above them are your two guns—a grappling gun and a foam gun.”
He partially unzips the backpack. “Inside the backpack on the left is a compressed foam tank that is connected to the foam gun with a hose. Many times, regular firefighters have to connect then drag a fire hose up a stairwell, and that can take valuable time and energy. Having this compressed foam gun on your back solves that issue. Foam is also better than water when dealing with accelerants and chemicals. On the right side of the pack is a compressed oxygen tank with a hose that connects to the ARTT helmet. In the middle is a parachute. Under the oxygen tank is the locator device. There are some places a firefighter might go where a GPS satellite can’t locate their GPS device.
“There are also places that an analog radio won’t communicate. This locator device will tell us your location in any burning structure connected to your helmet.
“In the middle section of the backpack is a quick enveloping parachute built from the technology of the creators of the Evacuchute Emergency Evacuation Systems—a company leading the field in some of the best rescue gear in the world. The Evacuchute is a first of its kind building parachute. This chute can safely deploy fifteen floors above ground. It’s activated by a static line for a hands free deployment in 1.5 seconds. It has special air vents to move you toward or away from buildings. It can easily be steered for precision landings.
“You will always have this pack on when deployed into action, so get used to it. You need at least four stories to fully envelope the parachute. We follow in the tradition of the wildfire smoke jumpers. We are modern day urban smoke jumpers. We are classified in the fire and rescue community as pararescue firefighters, and you will have that title on a shoulder tab if you are good enough.”
Commander Cole puts down the ARTT backpack and picks up a C-Thru smoke diving helmet. “This is a C-Thru smoke diving helmet. It was created by Omer Haciomeroglu, a man way ahead of his time. This is one of the most advanced pieces of gear we have.
“Sometimes, it is just about impossible to see in highly dense smoke. This helmet uses a thermal imaging device. This helmet has an optical thermal camera and selective active noise cancellation. The optical thermal camera captures the imaging of the surrounding area and sends the data back to a handheld device I will have outside the burning structure.
“The data is calculated there and sent back to the helmet. Firefighters would like to hear the sounds for warnings of a collapsing ceiling or doorway. Loud sounds in a burning structure sometimes interfere with this. The selective active noise cancellation feature cancels the sound. It has been made airtight and seals to the ARTT suit.
“An oxygen hose from the oxygen tank is connected to the back of the C-Thru smoke diving helmet. The helmet has also been modified with an internal megaphone to communicate with victims in a burning structure. I will also use the megaphone on anyone who falls asleep in my class.”
The class laughs.
Commander Cole continues, “This helmet is modified with an extra bright light on top. This makes you easily heard and seen by those in a smoke-filled inferno. The helmet can break it’s seal and open to reveal the entire face.”
Commander Cole puts down the C-Thru smoke diving helmet and picks up an Evacuchute for rescue victims in one hand and an ARTT rescue victim’s oxygen mask in the other. “This is an oxygen mask with a small fifteen-minute canister attached. You will give this mask with instruction to use it on any conscious victim unless they refuse it. If they are unconscious, the mask goes on until they are clear of smoke or chemical.
“This is an Evacuchute specifically for rescue victims. It is different from the Evacuchute built into your ARTT backpacks. We will have many onboard our helicopters to give to rescue victims in tall burning structures unless they refuse it. The parachute is just a precaution in case we can’t get them evacuated before the fire or smoke gets to them.”
Commander Cole puts down the Evacuchute and oxygen canister. He holds up a spy rig line. “This is a spy rigging line. It connects to the chopper, and the line easily connects to the ARTT suit. Once connected, you are hands free and can connect rescue victims to the line or your suit.”
Then Commander Cole pulls out a stopwatch. “As you can see, no expense has been spared to equip you so that you have what is needed to routinely overcome the odds in rescue situations that regular firefighters cannot. You are being trained to handle the most difficult rescues on a daily basis. The state can afford this because at the end of this indoctrination, there will be only twelve of you to train. Unfortunately, the state cannot afford to give the same training and gear to all the firefighters throughout the state.
“Sometimes, ordinary firefighters have to call 911 when there are people they can’t get to. You are the elite of fire and rescue. You are the tip of the spear in saving lives, and at that, you will be state of the art. Many consistently show their fear and doubt every day. In time, acting on fear affects your judgment and binds your potential.
“Fear will cause you to think in absolutes about your situation and assume the worst. Science has shown that anger sends a chemical to the mind causing one to be less competent. Selfishness will get you killed in this job. An ARTT operator is a problem solver. Only together can we overcome the odds.”
Commander Cole then moves and is standing in front of a diagram showing a transparent upper torso of a man and what internal parts of the body adrenaline effects. He then points to the structure of the adrenaline molecule next to it.
He explains, “Adrenaline is a neurotransmitter made by the body that increases athletic performance and coordination. Adrenaline reduces fatigue by elevating your metabolic rate and breaking down more fat. This is what produces the kind of strength some have used to lift cars off people. Adrenaline makes your senses and mind more alert for anticipation and quicker reaction time. Does it make us superhuman? No, but in our line of business, we are on the edge of life and death all the time. Adrenaline is a window of opportunity to survive on that edge where most firefighters might die. You will learn to use and develop your adrenaline as I have.
“PTSD is something to weary of. It’s caused in part from the activation of your sympathetic nervous system over long periods of time. This is caused as a result of fearing
death or bodily harm for long periods of time. This does not let your autonomic nervous system reset. Adrenaline is like NOS for a sports car. A car engine can’t run on NOS all the time, or it can be ruined.
“Remembering bad events can put you back in that emotional state, once again triggering your sympathetic nervous system. This is residually living the event over and over in your mind and heart. Forget everything that keeps you from maintaining a clear heart.”
Commander Cole points at the ARTT symbol on the wall behind him. “If you want the ARTT star, then you must make the choice to do what is necessary to receive it. We will find your limit physically, mentally, and emotionally. Then we will push you beyond it. I have to know what you can endure under pressure.
“Okay, now that you have been orientated, your indoctrination begins now.” Commander Cole starts the stopwatch and immediately, a fire bell rings, and the class scrambles for drill. The recruits are made to do exercises in the sand with their gear on. Push-ups, leg lifts, power climbers. This goes on for fifteen minutes.
Then ARTT training assistant Mike calls them all to attention. Jesse paces in front of the group.
Commander Cole says, “Today, we will do a marine PFT—pull-ups, sit-ups, and a five-mile beach run in boots with your pack on. I will push you until you almost fall out. Then I will see who is committed.”
Many fall out on the beach run. ARTT assistant instructor Mike tries to motivate them to endure.
On day two of the indoc, recruit Judd is doing the variable mental test.
Commander Cole says, “Most fail this test because they are unable to focus mentally when having to deal with variables unrelated to the task. In this test, you will be asked a question and have a time limit to answer the question. No matter what happens, your mission is to write the answer to the question on the board before the bell rings by any means necessary. Are you ready?”
The State Of The ARTT Page 7