Page 6 of Set My Soul Ablaze

We went into action. We had to bring out the jaws of life and spinal boards in case any of them sustained any serious injuries. There were a lot of sparks flying, machines roaring, and people crying.

“Daddy!” A shriek came from the back seat.

“It’s okay, baby girl. These amazing firefighters are here to help. Please listen to them. They’re doing their job, okay?”

She whimpered softly. “Okay, Daddy.”

“Hey, pretty girl. What’s your name?” Juliet asked as she checked the little girl’s vitals.”

“Savannah.”

“You have a beautiful name, Savannah. My name is Juliet, and I’m going to get you and your siblings out of here, okay?” Juliet asked.

Savannah nodded softly. “Okay.”

While Juliet worked on getting Savannah out, Connor and Bradlee worked on getting the wife out of her seat. The woman had been going in and out of consciousness since we’d arrived.

“Ma’am?” Connor called out.

“Honey!” the man in the driver’s seat shouted.

I stepped in. “What’s your name, sir?”

“Jared.” He tried to crane his neck to see his wife, but the pain coursing through his body made him wince.

“Sit tight for us, Jared. We’re going to get you and your family out quickly and efficiently. These nice paramedics are going to make sure you don’t have any bleeds or damage to sensitive areas while we work on getting the bent metal out of the way.”

Jared nodded slightly as a few of our paramedics went to work to assess his injuries.

We moved in record speed to free the other four members out of the car. Luckily, the children only had minor scrapes and bruises. Jared’s wife sustained a head injury that would need to be monitored for the threat of a concussion. She also had a few broken ribs, but we were all sure she would make a full recovery.

“I’m-m-m s-s-s-o c-c-c-cold.” Jared shivered uncontrollably. The chatter of his bottom lip filled the air with each word hepushed out through his teeth. The color in his face drained as he looked ghostly pale under the heavy lights we had set up.

“Cap! He’s lost a lot of blood. The metal is piercing a major artery. If we don’t move him now, he’s going to code.” Penny watched Jared’s vitals hit alarming numbers.

“All hands on deck. Get the spinal board ready. Flame, cut the metal off the car, but we won’t remove it from his body. We’re going to transport it with him in the ambulance. Graves, call CCG and let them know the severity of the situation. CCFD, keep a level head and let’s save this man’s life.” Captain Moore’s voice was even and firm.

The confidence he had in his station resonated through every command he called out. We moved like a well-oiled machine. We got Jared into the ambulance with stable vitals within six minutes. He even offered a reassuring smile before we closed the doors, and they hauled him off to the closest emergency room.

Once we moved the critical patients out of the way, we worked diligently to get the wrecked vehicles moved off the tollway. One of the Cade’s Cove police officers redirected traffic an exit back, so the aftermath wasn’t too bad.

We loaded up the trucks and headed back to the station, happy with the outcome of the call tonight. As Cade’s Cove’s nightlife passed by in a blur, I reminisced about my life as a firefighter.

My first introduction to firefighting came at the young age of eleven years old. The house was quiet as we all slept soundly in our rooms. I remember being woken up by the cries of my sister instead of the smoke alarm.

Smoke filled every room. I could still feel the burn of the smoke in my lungs as I called out for help. The doorknob was too hot to open. The fear immobilized me. It felt like an eternity before the door was pushed open and the firefighter came to my rescue.

“Where’s my sister? Is my mommy and daddy okay?”I remember asking through fits of coughs as the firefighter carried me to the awaiting ambulance to be looked over.

I watched as two other firefighters escorted my older sister and mother out of the house. Relief washed over me only briefly as the home I’d known blew up in flames with my father still inside.

Gary Gilliam wasn’t a perfect father in the slightest. He was strict, old school, and mission oriented. He showed affection to my mother but often treated me and my sister like a burden he was tired of carrying. He was still the man I looked up to.

It turned out a rival gang member started the fire. The craziest part of the whole situation was I didn’t even know my father was into gang activity until the detectives explained the ongoing rivalry to my mother a few weeks later.

Something in me shifted that day. I vowed to be a better man for my family and community. I wanted to pour into the city that raised me despite how unforgiving the streets were.

I had saved thousands of lives since I joined the fire department, and I planned to save thousands more before I took my final breath, when God decided to call me home.