A Day In The Life:
Fire & Em
Story and photos by Joel Diller, Public Affairs
O
ne minute. That is the time a firefighter has to put on their protective bunker gear consisting of pants, coat, hood, helmet, mask, breathing apparatus, and gloves upon an emergency dispatcher’s notification of a fire call. “The tones will go off and [the dispatcher] will usually say ‘Stand by structural, stand by structural’ to let everyone who’s out know that we have a call,” said Greg Manglona, fire captain. “Then they’ll ring it again … and then they’ll do a quick description of what the emergency is.” NSA Souda Bay’s Fire & Emergency Services works each day with Team Souda to prevent fires and Page 16
emergencies through inspections and education, but are prepared to respond to medical, structural, and flight line emergencies, if required. Manglona said there is a fire panel in the station that lights up and provides information about the emergency. A red light indicates a structural call, which could be triggered by a smoke detector, a pull station, or a problem with the fire suppression system. A flashing blue and red light indicates a medical call and a green light indicates there is an emergency on the flight line. Nick Stratoudakis, fire captain, said ensuring people’s safety is their first priority when responding to a call.
