Page 34 of Rescued Faith

“I’m Bryce Crawford. This is Izan Collins. We’re excited too.”

He might not admit it to the other guys, but this was one of his favorite parts of the job. He loved seeing the awe in the kids’ faces when they took in the shiny red truck, tried picking up the hoses, and their laughter when he told them a funny story. He and Izan grabbed a few of their tools and one set of turnout gear and followed the principal into the school and down a wide hallway into a media center.

Principal Haywood clapped her hands, settling the chatter in the room instantly. “All right, third graders. Let’s be kind and respectful to our guests today. I expect you to be on your best behavior.”

“Yes, Mrs. Haywood,” they said in unison.

She turned to Bryce. “They’re all yours.”

“Hi, Coach!” a little voice called from the middle of the group of kids sitting on the floor.

Bryce scanned the crowd. A tow-headed boy gave him a gap-toothed grin and waved. “Harry! Nice to see you, buddy. These are your friends?”

The boy nodded. “And Ty and Hayden are here too. But Charlotte is sick today. So she prob’ly won’t be at practice tonight.”

“Good to know.” Bryce winked at his toss ball player. “So.” He rubbed his hands together. “You guys are in third grade?”

Most of the kids nodded.

“Wow, third grade. Do you remember third grade, Izan?”

“Sure I do. Best four years of my life.”

The kids laughed.

“I remember in third grade I got to start staying home alone for a little bit. But we had to prove to my parents that we could be safe.” Bryce gave his usual safety spiel, reminding kids to stay away from fireworks, incendiary devices, and chemicals. Izan showed the kids the turnout gear, mask, and air tank. They asked for a volunteer. Harry waved his hand so hard he almost pulled his arm out of its socket.

Bryce chuckled. “Okay, Harry. Come on up.”

They dressed Harry in the coat and gloves, then plopped the helmet on his head.

The kids giggled to see the yellow sleeves on Harry hanging down to the floor and the helmet go sideways.

Bryce picked up the air tank. “Ready for this?” he asked. “It’s only twenty-eight more pounds.”

“What?” Some of the kids’ jaws dropped.

Bryce set the tank on the ground. “Go ahead and put it on, Harry.”

Harry picked it up and lifted it a few inches off the ground. “Ugh. This is soooo heavy!”

“I wanna try!” One of the other boys jumped up.

“First, we’re going to go see the fire truck outside. I’ll have the tank out there, and you can take turns picking it up?—”

Emergency tones for the fire department sounded from Bryce’s and Izan’s phones. The kids covered their ears at the piercing sound. Bryce froze, listening for his crew’s tones. He wasn’t technically on duty, and they’d brought the extra truck used only on occasion.

“Fire department, please respond to a confirmed fire at—” Nope. Just the fire crew. Bryce turned down the volume of his radio. The dispatcher called out an address on Broadway. Sounded like a restaurant.

“Do you have to go?” one of the girls in front asked. “Is there a fire?”

“There is, but—” Bryce’s phone buzzed. He ignored it and faced the kids for his last message, probably one of the most important things for them to hear. “Remember, Izan and I are firefighters, but you can be safety experts too. If you see anything dangerous or unsafe, oranyonewho needs help, make sure you tell an adult who you trust.”

The phone buzzed again. Bryce leaned over to Izan and whispered, “I better take this call. You got this?”

He nodded and Bryce left the room. He pulled out the phone.

Allen Frees? What did the fire department community liaison want? “Hey, you should get down here.”

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