Editor's note: This article is the second in a series following recruits through the San Mateo County Fire Academy.

By Dwana Simone Bain
Staff Reporter

Tuesday, May 7 2001: "Ladder week is dedicated to Bobby Hutchinson -- SFFD 1968-1973. Died on the line as a result of a fall from a ladder."
In week three of fire academy, recruits see those words written in dry-erase marker on the corner of the classroom white board.
"That was my uncle," explained academy Co-Director Capt. Keith Roberts. Hutchinson was 33 when he died, the same age Roberts was when he began teaching. He dedicates every ladder week to his late uncle. The words serve as a message Roberts doesn't ever want recruits to forget. "Any time you decide to get complacent, remember Bobby," he tells them.
Hutchinson died on a drill, said Roberts. The fact that he died during a routine event only drives home a point. "It doesn't have to be a call," he said. "Wherever you are, this is a dangerous business."
That doesn't deter those who view firefighting as a calling. "We don't shy away from death," said Roberts. "We deal with it every day. But we use it as a lesson to us. We use it as a motivation to us."
Some firefighters die as walls collapse on top of them. Others fall to their deaths, or are caught or trapped in a burning building while searching for victims. These are things that should never happen, said academy Co-Director Colin Sullivan.
Roberts, along with Burlingame Assistant Fire Chief Don Dornell helped revamp the old fire academy in 1996. "We were hired as the new guns to come in and straighten the academy out," said Roberts. A few years ago, Dornell became academy administrator and Capt. Sullivan replaced Dornell as academy co-director.
In the five years since the academy began, said Roberts, academy staff went from its original two to 25 instructors. This academy class-- the 10th since 1996 -- is the largest to date.
"This is a good academy, a very, very good group of people," said Sullivan. "This one is probably the most cohesive [academies] among the recruits." Sullivan said that so far it appears that each of recruits will make it to graduation.
By week three, recruits have already learned water supply and hose techniques, learned to throw ladders and passed several written exams with a high scores. "We're not crawling anymore," said Recruit Steve Rohrer. "We're starting to walk."

Feeling the heat
It's been hot these past few weeks, but recruits are dressed in full gear. It's what they wear on the job, said Dornell. They might as well get used to it. The clothing is designed for safety more than comfort. "It's designed to protect us from the heat," said Dornell, explaining that while the clothing will burn, it extinguishes itself when removed from the fire. It also serves as a vapor barrier, preventing firefighters from getting burned by steam. However, "All that works together to keep our body heat inside the clothing." When recruits remove their uniforms -- even with just a T-shirt and boxers underneath -- they're often soaked with sweat.
But the uniform gives the recruits a sense of meaning and discipline, said Dornell, and recruits don them proudly. Dornell recalls an incident when he told the recruits to take off their uniforms to cool down. Recruit Jane Hunt told him, "I've waited four years to wear this. I'm not hot."

Happy to be here
Forrest "Buddha" Dyer, 27, woke up on cloud nine this morning. It's where he's awakened every morning since joining the academy. "It took me four-and-a-half years to get in," said the Redwood City recruit. "It's awesome."
The ever-perky Hunt can't stop smiling either. "This is what people do to play," she said. "And we get to do it all day long."
The workweek doesn't end Friday afternoon for Hunt, Rohrer and many other recruits. Many are expected to pull an additional 16-hour weekend shift to complete a firefighter's 56-hour workweek. But for Hunt, the academy's been a chance to focus. "It's been amazing because I had five things happening before this," she said of her day jobs and cadet and intern work. "And now I am focusing on this one thing."

Burlingame Station No. 34
Wednesday afternoon, May 9: Today is the obstacle course, where recruits can test every skill they've learned to date. Recruits work in teams of two, competing against each other for time. Partner one on either team must scale the ladders to the second floor of the tower, cross past each other on the second floor and scale down the ladders on the opposite side. Partner one unrolls hoses as partner two prepares to turn on the water. Partner one gives the command for water and a wet mess ensues as the competing teams spray down the orange cones on the opposite team's side.
While it looks like -- and is -- a grown-up water fight, it's a real chance to practice their skills. Recruits spend hours upon hours on coiling and uncoiling hoses, something apparently simple, but so precise. Every kink, every bend will restrict the flow of water in an emergency situation.
Recruits attended lectures and took exams in water supply systems, learning the best type of water to apply to each type of fire situation. As a garden hose stream varies, depending on pressure, so does a fire hose. And different types of pressure work best in different types of fires. In addition to a direct stream of water, firefighters can restrict the water flow for a far-reaching fan effect -- or they can adjust the hoses to spray a wide fog, creating fine droplets of water that have the best capability of absorbing heat.
Today, recruits have a more immediate target. "The first person that knocks down the cones gets to squirt the other crew until the other crew knocks down their cones," said Dornell. "It's a reward for being first." As he speaks, he points to one recruit struggling to knock down a cone, blinded by the water from the winning team's side to the point where he can barely see.

Top Gun
Friday, May 11: Everything recruits have done has so far has led up to this day. This morning, recruits will be tested on everything they've learned to date -- ladders, equipment, hoses. "It's geared to show their skill level after three weeks in the academy," said Dornell.
Chief training officers from each represented department arrived to evaluate what the recruits have learned.
At the signal, recruits began on the series of tests, loading up their self-contained breathing apparatus, climbing ladders, tying knots, coupling, uncoupling and spraying hoses. Recruits are timed and graded on whether they've demonstrated a basic competency in each area. "If they make a mistake, they are penalized time," said Sullivan. At first it's a 15-second penalty, but "the penalty times for mistakes double up each [Top Gun]" Sullivan said. Penalizing the recruits teaches them "speed is not the only God. Doing it correctly is [even] more important than doing it quickly."
The 24-foot extension ladder -- the first ladder test to pass in Top Gun -- is a "rite of passage," said Roberts, because it requires a good amount of technique. It's not only heavy -- a wooden extension ladder can weigh 100 pounds -- but hoisting the extension -- called the fly -- can be tough.
"My stomach is tingling," said Hunt, rubbing her abdomen. Dornell asks why. "Because I'm excited!"
Hunt said she can't think about being nervous. Rather, she sees it as a chance to show her chief what she's learned.
When it's her turn, Hunt doesn't stumble.
Her academy friends cheer her on as climbs ladders and tackles hoses with confidence.
"Good job, Neiley!" they yell, calling her by her nickname.
"She's great" said Rohrer of Hunt. Pre-academy, the two knew each other from their cadet days in Menlo Park. Out of nearly 90 firefighters in the Menlo Park district, she will be one of only two females. "She did her work to get where she got," Rohrer said.
Menlo Park Deputy Fire Chief Ed Greene agrees. Neiley was "outstanding," on her Top Gun, he said.
It takes about three hours to get through all the recruits, and Recruit Rohrer is one of the last few. "I'm ready to go," he said as he stood in his turnouts. "I'm ready to go," he repeated. He'd waited two-and-a half hours.
Carlos Arroyo, 27, a South San Francisco recruit -- is finished. You can tell because he's smiling and joking around, he explains. He points to some of his classmates to demonstrate his point. Those who are finished, are grinning, gulping gallons of water, and laughing and joking around. Those who've yet to go seem quiet, contemplative.
Blake Washington, 29, a recruit from Redwood City has been waiting a while. He sits quietly in the shade in the southwest corner of the station lot, upon a stack of boards.
When he started college in New Orleans, Washington hadn't thought about the fire service. But during his senior year, a twist of fate changed Washington's path. When Washington was visiting his hometown of San Francisco, "My grandfather had a massive heart attack," he said. The situation was hopeless, said Washington, but firefighters persisted for the sake of the family.
"The diligence that was put into trying to resuscitate him, that's what sparked my interest in fire services," he said. He wondered, "How can somebody go into a negative situation and give it their all?"
But that's what firefighters do best, said one instructor. He tells recruits, "The only thing we ever do is go out and help people when they can't help themselves. That's the only job we ever have."