New2view's Blog   Life on The Blue Marble

                            Fire Hall #13

Among all the other things, great and small, that have changed over past decades, kids were allowed freedoms unimagined today. Security was also of far less a worry and concern.

For example, in my pre-teen youth, Fire Hall #13 just two blocks from my home would routinely leave their large firetruck doors wide open when answering a call. And since every man was on deck, no one was left to man the station!
No doubt this would be unheard of today. But amazingly that was exactly what happened one day when I was only 7-9 years young.

When ear-splitting fire truck sirens sounded, everyone in my East side Vancouver neighborhood knew exactly what was happening.
However as fire trucks rushed to the scene of a fire, they left the fire hall completely open and unoccupied! What greater opportunity could there possibly be for an active curious kid?

On at least one occasion I was drawn to explore fire hall #13 when it was unoccupied, even climbing up many stairs to second+story sleeping quarters. But that wasn’t all…!

Emboldened now I surveyed that upper room with its many unmade bunks, rubber boots, and canvas jackets, But now I was mesmerized by a large brass pole extending through a large hole all the way to the main floor! Of course it was the firefighter’s rapid means to man their engines without the potential chaos of having to run down stairs.

Would I; could I; do it…I immediately began to think..as my heart began to pound.? The distance required just to reach the pole was a man-sized open space. It was nearly the same distance as my total height at that age, but the more I looked the more I couldn’t resist the temptation, even with no one to witness the feat.

Jumping off the edge of the opening I just barely reached the pole, but now unexpectedly could not hold tight onto it!
Owing to my physical limitations, and without even knowing enough to wrap my legs around it, as is intended, but also due to the fact it was a shiny brass pole not designed to do anything but transport full grown men to a very speedy landing, I simply descending like a stone, landing hard on the rubber pad surrounding the base.

Thankfully that pad was just enough to break my fall. It may have prevented broken legs, but the physical shock was significant. Indeed that hard landing was enough to cause serious second thoughts about daredevil risks… temporarily at least!
However, my confidence wasn’t permanently injured, it was just another (secret) early lesson in life.