By Michael Morse
“Who are those guys?” I asked one of the firefighters who was standing with me on the ramp at the Atwell’s Avenue fire station. “The Big Apple,” also known as Ladder Co. 6, was my assignment for the night; it was an overtime shift and my first night in one of the busiest fire stations in the Northeast.
“Dings,” was the answer, as if I knew what that meant.
“What’s a Ding?” I asked.
“Those guys,” somebody said, and pointed across the street where six cars were parked and about a dozen guys stood around them, shooting the breeze, much like we were doing on our side of the street.
Turns out the “Dings” were the local fire buffs. I had no idea that people actually loved the fire service so much that they would wait outside the busy fire stations; listen to their scanners; and respond to the same fire scenes as we did, only with cameras instead of axes and poles.
“Why don’t we invite them over?” I asked. The other firefighters either laughed or walked away. I couldn’t figure their response out then, and I still can’t figure it out. The way I saw it, those people across the street were our supporters. For whatever reason, they weren’t able to respond to the fires with us, but I’m sure they would have loved every second of it if they could. Maybe they were on a list somewhere, waiting for their chance. Maybe they had an injury or disability that prohibited them from doing the job that we took for granted. Maybe they were simply happy to be part of our world in whatever capacity they could. Whatever the reason, I thought that they were part of us; in some way. I still do.
爱好者，叮叮，未固定的火腿 - 无论人们称呼它们，我一直都喜欢四处走动。有可能屈服于他们的风险，我认为这是对我们的终极称赞 - 付费消防员 - 实际上可以将其视为粉丝俱乐部。随着我职业生涯的持续时间，我认识了许多“抛光大火”的人，并得知他们对消防服务和倡导者充满热情，他们中的许多人对历史，工作，政治的了解更多和组成消防部门的角色比我们所做的。
Good thing I always respected them. Karma works, always. Being retired gives me ample opportunity to “ding.” If I had a dollar for every fire truck I followed, I’d have a lot of bucks. When at home, my ears instantly tune in to sirens in the distance, and sometimes it’s all I can do to not get into my personal vehicle (the one with the fire department stickers) and find out what’s going on. I am the ultimate television Ding. Nary is a fire or other emergency displayed across my screen that I don’t have some criticism, advice, or commentary for.
“That ain’t what it’s like!” I roar to the empty room as flames and no smoke fills the TV screen.
I’ll keep it going until the TV fire is out.
“你看不到诺丁！他的背包在哪里！Ya呼叫适当的设备放置？CPR我的屁股，他们永远不会开始呼吸！”
What can I say? I was born a Ding. Then I became a firefighter. But once the boots came off, and the turnout gear was displayed in the garage, back to my roots I went. I have yet to sit across the street from a busy firehouse, but don’t be surprised if some day you see a tall, gray, and devilishly handsome old man outside your firehouse, watching and waiting, with his scanner tuned to your frequency.
而且，如果您碰巧见到那个家伙，请不要害怕邀请他在街上加入您的行列。他可能有有趣的话要说。
Michael Morseis a former captain with the Providence (RI) Fire Department (PFD), an author, and a popular columnist. He served on PFD’s Engine Co. 2., Engine Co. 9, and Ladder Co. 4 for 10 years prior to becoming an EMT-C on Rescue Co 1 and Captain of Rescue Co. 5.
