Fire Hall Cookbook

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted) • 8 cloves garlic, minced • 4 tbsp all purpose fl our • 2 cups chicken broth • 1 cup heavy cream • 2 jars (270ml each) sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and thoroughly patted dry with paper towel • 600g parmesan (petals or shredded) • ½ tsp dried oregano • ½ tsp dried basil • ½ tsp red pepper fl akes • 1 green onion, chopped • 1 lb bacon, cooked and chopped • 2 boxes of penne

Directions

• Melt butter in a pan over medium/high heat • Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute • Whisk in fl our until lightly browned • Gradually whisk in chicken broth • Stir in heavy cream, sundried tomatoes, parmesan, basil, oregano, red pepper fl akes, green onion, cooked bacon and stir until thickened Serves: 4-6

Ingredients (Per person)

• Chicken breast • 1 cup small shrimp • 1 package chow mein noodles • 4 tbsp teriyaki sauce • 2 tbsp oyster sauce • 1 tbsp butter • 1 clove of garlic.

Directions

• Butterfl y and section chicken breasts; • Marinate chicken breasts in teriyaki and oyster sauce; • Saving the marinade, BBQ the chicken breasts; • Saute shrimp in butter and garlic; • Add remaining teriyaki/ oyster sauce marinade to shrimp in fry pan and simmer; • Add completed grilled chicken to fry pan with shrimp and marinade; • Cook chow mein noodles, drain and add to contents of fry pan; Simmer for 1 minute (stirring together) and serve.

If you have a Fire Hall recipe that you’d like to share with our members, please contact Suzanne Boss via email at sboss@torontofi refi ghters.org

As my partner worked on him, as per our protocol, I took his sister upstairs. I tried to calm her, and prepare her for some of what was to come in the next few days and when her parents came home. We also talked about how the clergy could possibly help.”

“After the call, my Captain was a bit cross with me, for not staying to assist my partner. I explained that I did not want to respond to the same house for the sister in the future, so I was attempting to comfort her and to help her deal with the tragedy. It turned out that my Captain liked that way of dealing with the situation. While he was fi lling out his report, he asked me what I would call what I did. I answered ‘survivor care’. I had never seen those words before, but they seem to be used now, so I guess that was my little contribution to the fi re service.”

“Back in the days of long coats, tall boots and riding the tail gate, I was returning from a fi re call. The tailgate was loaded with many rolls of hose, and it was very crowded back there. Driving over a bad road that was under construction, we hit a series of potholes. We normally stood with our knees bent, to absorb the shocks. After one of these jolts, at a moment when my legs had straightened, we hit another large pothole. I was bounced off the tailgate and landed on the road. I had fractured 2 vertebrae in my neck (C6 and C7). I was treated at the hospital with a stiff neck collar and sent home. Eventually, I recovered and returned to work. I am glad those days are done! Our new trucks are so much safer.”

“One night I was sent to fi ll in on another truck. We were dispatched to a car fi re. I was an Acting Captain, although I wasn’t acting that night. My co-worker was quite new on the job and therefore eager to have the nozzle. The fi re was in the engine compartment, and he was kneeling in front of the car, applying water on the fi re through the grill. Much to his surprise, I reached over and pulled him away. I explained that since 1973, cars had shock absorbers in the bumpers and that they could overheat and BURST, propelling the bumper forward. No sooner did that register with him, when my prediction came true. Anyone who had been in the path of that fl ying bumper would never walk again.“

“We have always adhered to the principle that ‘what happens in the fi re hall, stays in the fi re hall’. With that in mind, it feels a little strange to be relating these stories.”

“My son KC (Kristian Carlo) is also a very busy man. Any moments we get together are highly cherished. When he was an army cadet in his teenage years, I worked as a civilian volunteer so that we could spend more time together. He is now an offi cer cadet at Royal Military College. We acquired an acreage in Muskoka where we get together whenever possible. Our dream is to turn it into a working farm someday.”

“Our job typically brings us into direct contact with the horrors of life that normal people seldom have to face. I wish that I had the answers for how to cope with these nightmareinducing situations. All I can offer is that drugs and alcohol are short term and ineffective. You can trust me on that. I would suggest dealing with it by talking with your crew, Chaplain, peer councillors, professionals, or your spiritual leader. Not your family or your bartender. As you encounter these occurrences, and you almost certainly will, I sincerely wish you well. Remember that you are only experiencing normal responses to abnormal situations. My heart goes out to you all.”

“For any of the guys who have heard me sing, don’t worry, I won’t be quitting my day job!”