Hearts Afire: The Men of the Del Rio Fire and Rescue Department
By Jennifer Litz
Special to LIVE!
How to sum up the Del Rio Fire and Rescue Department? They’re the comedy troupe that saves lives.
Take, for example, how the “C” shift describes their captain, Jimmy Crane, who has been with the department for over 13 years.
Lieutenant Cliff Hill: He’s small.
Tim Breckenridge: He’s a smart guy. He’s fair.
Hill: He’s small. He’s small but he’s smart. He shops at Osh Kosh.
Jason Ford, usually the cut-up and exhibitionist (he once surprised his coworkers in just a chamois “loincloth” during a fishing trip to the Devil’s River), talks about Crane straight: “The attitude on the shift reflects his leadership. He acts like one of us; he doesn’t push himself forward.”
Such banter is the language of love for the band of brothers that eat, sleep, and work together. The men of the Del Rio Fire Department work for 24 hours and are off for 48. A lot of damage can be done in this time—both for the men to alleviate in the outside world, and also within their department, inflicted on each other until they need to make a run or dispatch.
Like the time Captain Crane was careless enough to leave his room unlocked at night while sleeping in his sleeping bag in his underwear. The boys rolled him outside through a window, and wouldn’t let him back in. Crane knew the drill. He hid patiently behind a tree until the boys let him back in.
Clint West has 5 and-a-half years’ experience with the DRFD. West, who recently responded to a call at the airport when a plane’s landing gear wouldn’t come down right—and was alerted to a structure fire concurrently—wants people to know that this sort of tomfoolery is just a loophole that surrounds a very hairy job.
“People don't think about us until they need us,” West says. “We're not like the police department—we don't drive around all day where the public sees us. We are assigned to stay at our firehouses for 24 hours. Many people from the public think we do not do anything except watch TV, sleep, eat, etc. [But we’re usually] outside training on the truck or doing some type of drill [during ‘down’ time].”
“I've been told by a veteran firefighter from a large city, ‘If we are having a slow day, that's a good day for you [a lay person]. Why? Because it's not you or your family member we're cutting out of a car from a major accident. It's not your home or family business that's burning. You’re at home enjoying time with your family. We're not there performing CPR on your dad, or worse, your young son or daughter.’"
They don’t just do CPR or put out structure and other fires. The men of the DRFD make between 12,000 and 14,000 runs per year from the city’s three stations (plus one at the airport). They assist in EMS runs, car accidents, and are versed in—and teach—how to handle hazardous materials. Some work for ambulances on their time off.
The men say they haven’t had too many fires recently, which they attribute somewhat to their “pre-incident planning”: They visit schools during Fire Prevention Month in October, which includes taking kids in a trailer, which they fill with fake smoke so they can teach kids to stay low. They take “Sparky” along to help teach the kids. Sparky, of course, is a guy in a dog suit—usually, the department rookie. (In this case, his name is Ivan Magallon.)
They also conduct fire extinguisher training for companies in the industrial park, at customs, and even for maquiladoras.
“When you see an ambulance or a fire truck, more than likely, someone is having a very bad day,” West says. “And it's probably going to be the worst day of their lives. When we were all outside at the training tower, we were able to goof off. But remember, we have seen some of the worst things imaginable. We have good days and bad just like everyone else. But the most awarding part is to hear my fellow brother say, ‘Good Job.’”
Good job, men of the Del Rio Fire Department. To honor you and present your assets to the public, we present this little photo collection: Hearts Afire: The Men of the Del Rio Fire Department.
Status: Married
Sign: Scorpio
Ford describes how some of the guys got their middle-name monikers: for trust fund activities between the police and fire departments to raise funds for those killed in the line of duty. “We call it the ‘Guns ‘n’ Hoses Tournament,’” Ford says. “We play softball, basketball, and football. And we came up with names—one guy was Ariel ‘Big Booty’ Falcon; another was Danny ‘Bootylicious’ Patino.”
Ford, who has been with the Department for close to 7 years, says it had to hire him—“because I’m a minority,” jokes the half-Hispanic Ford. Lt. Cliff Hill offers another explanation: “He’s like one of those puppies that won’t leave.”
Status: Has a girlfriend
Sign: Aquarius
West is a third-generation fireman; he calls his vocation the “family biz.” His father is a retired lieutenant in Del Rio, and his grandfather was a firefighter in Baltimore City.
That background may have helped him during his rough beginning: His first call was to assist with two kids that burned to death in a car accident.
Tim Breckenridge
Status: Married
Sign: Cancer
California-born Breckenridge is now Del Rio’s dead ringer for Liam Neeson. Breckenridge has seen a lot of improvement in the Department within his 14 years. “When I got here, the trucks we were driving were from the seventies,” he says. “We’ve come a long way with that.”
Status: Married
Sign: Gemini
Magallon is the department rookie. He admits having to buy ice cream for the force a few times for bumping into the curb with the fire engine.
Magallon has another identity: firefighter “cover boy.” “When I went through the firefighter academy in Crowley, Texas, they needed a new advertisement, and they picked me to be in it,” he says.
Lt. Cliff “Mama’s Boy” Hill
Status: Married
Sign: Aries
A man of few words, Hill is protective of his captain. “Come on, Captain, it’ll make you look big,” he coaxed Crane during photos. Hill is an 18-year veteran with the department.
Ernest Caron
Status: Married
Sign: Taurus
Caron has been with the department for 17 years. He enjoys working with “a lot of good people,” and remembers one particularly close call: “We were at Amistad Lodge, up on a roof that was fixing to come through.” They were bailed off right before it fell through.
Status: Married
Sign: Scorpio
He left before we could interview him. But nobody describes him better than his men (see above), who were close enough to him to know his astrological sign.
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Well, in my opinion... WHAT
Well, in my opinion...
WHAT THE DRFD DOES IS SOMETHING IM SURE ALOT OF US DONT HAVE THE COURAGE TO DO. I AM PROUD TO CALL "PRETTY BOY" MY DAD AND THE BOYS AT THE STATION MI TIOS! THEY ARE LIKE A BIG FAMILY AND NO ONE CAN TEAR THEM DOWN! THOSE GUYS HAVE ALOT OF COURAGE AND BRAVERY.. I THINK DOING THE INTERVIEW AS A "COMEDY" WAS A GREAT IDEA. AS FOR "BORDER BEAUTY" .... WELL .... GET OVER YOURSELF MIJITA. THE LT OR CAPTAIN HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THE PICS OR INTERVIEWS. ITS A TEAM EFFORT. AND THEY DONT NEED TO GET RID OF HIGER AUTHORITY TO HAVE FUN! THEY DO WHAT THEY WANT, HOW THEY WANT, AND WHEN THEY WANT TO.
I JUST WANT TO THANK ALL THE GUYS IN THE LINE OF DUTY, MEN AND WOMEN, FOR ALL THEIR WORK AND DEDICATION. WE LOVE YOU AND NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS, YOURE AWESOME!! :)
Wow! I turn my back for a
Wow!
I turn my back for a day or two and all hell breaks loose, what is everyone so uptight about? Why do we want to keep Del Rio in the dark ages? Anywhere else this story would have gotten great comments and great commnedation to the hard working men and woment that put theirlives on the line when called upon. Shame on those who continue to have a closed mind and a narrow perspective on things not to have recognized the story for what it was meant to do. Grow up and allow a little big city into your life, otherwise we would never ever see the day of prosperity and expansion for Del Rio.
I don't know any of you personally, and I'm sure you are fine people, but your comments lead me to believe that you have something against freedom of speech, freedom of publicity, freedom of choice, or simply something against this publication, except when it comes to your own opinion.
Live and let live!
I agrre with border smiley!
I agrre with border smiley! My thamks to all those who put their life on the line for people they don't even know. Where is the leadership? I would like to know if the leaders of our Fire Department truly have the best interest of the community? Do these Fire Fighters get random drug screenings? Or do they turn their heads? This is a small town, not much is a secret. The last thing I want is for them to show up at my loved ones home if they are in a let's say "not high on life" condition.Do our Fire Fighters and local Law Enforcement have random drug screening?
I believe that the leaders
I believe that the leaders of the Fire Department have the best interest for our community and yes they do get random drug screenings, but what does this have to do with the article that was written. You are making more out of this that what is was intended for. This was suppose to be a fun article, not for the community to sit here and put down our local Fire Department. I would like for you to put your life on the line like these men do and then have someone put you down and see how you feel. I would have to agree that if this was a bigger city we would not see the comments that we have here in Del Rio. Come on lets lighten up and give these guys the respect that they deserve.
This story is a good story,
This story is a good story, no matter what any body has to say. These men work hard day in an day out, they deserve to have a little fun every now and again. Of course, everyone might not agree but come on guys let's not slam these guys. They do, do a great job here in our city and in the surrounding areas. Keep up the good work guys.
I guess there are a few
I guess there are a few people out there that just don't seem to "get it". That's OK, though, it happens in the best of families.
Let me try to explain.
The life of a firefighter, be he career or volunteer, can be summed up in several different ways. My favorite is that it's a life of mundane boredom, punctuated by frequent moments of sheer terror. One of the things that makes this mix of extremes tolerable is the brotherhood and comraderaie that exists among fellow firefighters. Without it, we would all go batshiat crazy.
In over 30 years of being a volunteer firefighter/EMT and officer in a medium sized metro area, running 500 calls a year, I have seen things that the vast majority of you could not even imagine in your worst nightmares.
I have seen more than anyone's share of death and destruction. I have held the hand of an accident victim and tried to comfort them as my crew worked feverishly to extricate them. All the while being quite certain that my voice was the last one they were going to hear in this life. I literally watched an entire family (Mom Dad and 2 Kids) die in a crushed and burning car. It stopped and was slammed by a tractor trailer that was going 60 MPH. I had no equipment on the scene yet, and no way to get them out.
And then there are the children. I see those dead children in my sleep sometimes. You never want to see that, but we do.
I have had to tell loved ones that their family members won't be coming home. I have had to tell young children that their dog, cat, gerbil, hamster, bird didn't survive.
I have fought the demon in high class neighborhoods and the filthiest hovels. I have been knee deep in garbage in a row house while trying to save the few meager possessions that were there. I have seen valuable antiques and art that took someone a lifetime to aquire, or were passed down through generations, go to ash. I sifted through three feet of debris after one fire to find the only thing that one lady cared about, the engagment ring her late husband gave her 55 years earlier. Everything else was destroyed, but we somehow managed to find it.
I have sat in a circle with my Brothers and Sister after a call, in what we call a "Critical Incident Stress Debreifing" and cried like a little baby. Yea, men cry. Even rough tough firemen.
I have left my family early on Christmas day to fight a fire that totally destroyed another family's home. Imagine seeing the tree, the presents (most still unopened), and the video camera that was on the floor, record light still on. Then I spent the rest of the day and a good portion of the evening cleaning gear and getting our apparatus back in service. I got home at 10:30 that night. No Christmas for the Chief that year.
Imagine never going anywhere together. Always 2 cars in case an incident goes to 2 alarms, or it's your duty month. Carrying a pager everywhere you go and having to bolt at a moment's notice. Missing work because you were called out early in the morning, or worse, going to work on no sleep because you were out all night on a call.
On top of the calls, there is the training. Hours spent in a classroom environment or in the field putting it into practice. Hours spent away from your family.
The pictures in this article tell a story. They tell a story of a group of guys that have seen the horrors that I described, and more, and can still function in the real world. they can do this because they have each other, and an incredible sense of humor.
The next time you see a firefighter running toward a building that everyone else is running away from, think of these pictures that you seem so offended by, and remember what I just told you. You might be able to put it in a different light then.
Thank you Diablo for your
Thank you Diablo for your service, I aplaud your efforts and your commitment.
Hey Diablo. Thanks for your
Hey Diablo. Thanks for your service. Most people don't understand the particular style of humor that all those who serve have. In all too many cases its a buffer for the nightmares [ you know, both the waking and sleeping ones ]. I asked an EMT once about this very thing and he told me that if he didn't laugh he would cry and I didn't ask further because I understood.
Outstanding perspective,
Outstanding perspective, Diablo. That's what people need to hear, the whole enchilada. Thanks for taking the time, and thanks for your heroism, even though you might not call it that. I think few people found the pictures offensive, but it's great to hear your offering to complement the overall effort.
Bill Sontag
Feature Writer
Southwest Texas LIVE!
Thanks to all of you for the
Thanks to all of you for the kind words.
Hey Bill, easy with that heroism talk, there, buddy. I once read a quote that described a hero as "Someone that does something incredibly stupid at just the right moment".
I've done my share of stupid stuff, but to the best of my knowlege, it was never at the right moment.
First of all hats off to all
First of all hats off to all the firepersons both city and county, they do a very good job with the equipment they have, and even if they need to outsource they find a way to get the city and county safe. Now as to having to get hired because of their ethnicity well WRONG, every city firefighter has to go thru a series of tests, both writen and physical, then you get hired as a Rookie, and still have to go thru another series of studying and tests to get certified, so you don't get to be a firefighter for your looks or ethnicity. From now on the firefighters who are on the bottom of the totem pole should think before they speak. Even if it's just for fun.
First off, I don't think
First off, I don't think that the story in its entirety, was meant to be serious. Secondly, I believe that the "astrological signs" portion of it were meant to add a little Humor to this story.
The fact that their sign or clothing did not please everyone , does NOT take away from the SERIOUSNESS of their duties as firemen and first responders. It takes Courage to run into a burning building when everyone else is running out !!! I'm sure Pretty Boy and the rest of these guys will still save you if your home is on fire even if they dont like your attire or your astrological sign.
Keep Up the GREAT work gentlemen !
Note: If the content of this story doesn't please you, you can always take it up with the people that publish this or edit the content Or you can always click and exit this page !!
It is clear that the story
It is clear that the story wasn't meant to be "entirely serious." That fact was not lost on me; and I certainly do know how to click and exit the story (which I did when I finished my comment). I think humor is a great thing and has a place in most situations. I am neither an intellectual or stodgy. I'm sure these men and women probably have a lot of fun when not under the gun and it is well deserved. AND I have no doubt they would try their best to save my home if it was on fire, but I doubt they would show up in just their underwear and I doubt they could care less about my attire; that was not the point of my comment.
There are some
There are some 'intellectuals,' who are loyal readers nonetheless, who take themselves WAY too seriously! This is a fun article. I think serious examinations of issues are important, but every now and then we like to have some fun doing it. If we can't have fun doing what we're doing, then why do it?
(I have no idea why their astro signs were included, but I assure you it does not mean that I personally subscribe to astrology. But in 'serious' newspapers, where all the boring people are hanging out with other boring people being 'intellectual,' they publish the horoscopes like it's real news.)
joe
First off I would like to
First off I would like to thank the DRFD for all it's sacrifices and hard work.
Judging from the replies here I have to conclude that this style of reporting
isn't for everyone, but I for one enjoyed the tone of this story. A fun loving
bunch of nuts would and probably do prefer a fun story and not necessarily
a dusty and stilted piece of work. And Ohh isn't shift work fun?? It will
drive even the most sane individual nucking futs after awhile. It sure drew
the prankster out in me during the years that I did it. Oh, and it really
screws up your Arcadian Rhythm.
All that being said however, certain portions of this piece did cause one
to feel like this was an op ed for eharmony.
Oh, hey Border Smiley the Family Say's HI!! And hope you and your's are doing well.
So did "Pretty Boy" get the
So did "Pretty Boy" get the okay from the city information office to pose for that picture? There has got to be someone, in the city offices, that gives out or authorizes reports and interviews with their employees. Where is the Chief of the Fire Department?? I bet he wasn't on site when that picture was taken.....or at least I hope he wasn't.
Good grief.....find a better way to report on the men who keep us safe!
All I can say about this
All I can say about this article is "Thank you to the men and women of the DRF&RD (and all over the country) for keeping us safe." I have no idea why astrological info was integrated into what could have been a serious and very important story about very courageous men (and women?) who put their lives on the line each day for Del Rio's citizens. My son in-law is a firefighter and I worry every time I hear he is battling a fire or involved in a rescue run and pray that nothing tragic ever happens to him. I certainly do not care about his (or anyone's) astrological sign and think the reference took away from the importance of what these professionals do for us on a daily basis.
I agree with Border Smiley . . . I don't want to read about anyone in their underwear; it takes away from their well-earned credibility.
I would have like to see a
I would have like to see a Sparky profile