When the call came across the pagers, there was something in the dispatcher’s voice that signaled it was serious.
“Her voice sounded distressed.”
“I knew I had to put on real clothes for this one.”
“You could tell the panic in the page.”
“We could hear it, the seriousness, but the average person probably wouldn’t.”
When firefighters respond, they do so because it is their job. It’s what they signed up for and what they trained for. They don’t do it for pats on the back or recognition.
So it wasn’t easy to find firefighters willing to sit down and talk about their experiences in fighting the Feb. 25 fire that destroyed a portion of historic downtown Alexandria.
However, with just a little bit of convincing, seven members of the Alexandria Fire Department were willing to chat about that day – the day that destroyed four buildings, wiped out six businesses and displaced more than 20 residents.