Page 46 of Once Upon a Summer Night

Hannah remained inthe office after Chase left Monday morning, going through emails and getting a plan together for the week. An email from Mildred pinged around eight thirty, letting her know a scanner had been located and would be delivered to the station by one of their summer interns yet today. Giddy with excitement over the idea of reducing her father’s clutter, she headed down to the kitchen to get a refill on her coffee. As she passed the common room and wished Scot, Herb, Bill, and Grant a good morning, she was met with similar greetings…along with smirks and wide grins.

Oh, yes, the office rumor mill had definitely been churning.

Since her scanning project was on hold until the device arrived, she felt that now was as good a time as any to prove to her station mates that her qualifications far outweighed the current designation of “temporary office grunt.” She refilled her mug, then paused outside the common room.

“What do you guys have on your task list for today?” she asked.

Herb, the crew’s captain, shifted his gaze from the morning talk show they’d queued up on TV. “Just rescuing the town as needed. No calls yesterday, so not much to restock or do maintenance on today. Was there something you needed us to do?”

“Actually, there is. Follow me.”

No one argued, though none looked overly pleased to leave their comfy seats. They followed her out into the main garage, stopping one by one to fold their arms across their chests.

“What’s up?” asked Scot Strahm, a six-year veteran. “Floors not clean enough for you?”

“Oh, no, the floors look great,” she said. “But I noticed the other day that this space isn’t exactly up to code for a safe working environment. There’s no safety data sheet binder, no reflective tape marking trip hazards. And your tools on the wall?” She pointed toward the haphazard mess across the way. “I have no idea how you guys find anything over there. There’s zero rhyme or reason to the layout.”

Bill Falco, the crew’s engine driver, shrugged. “But everything’s off the floor. Isn’t that the whole point?”

“I mean, sure, you want a clear walk space to get from the interior of the building to your trucks. But where I come from, you also need organization so you can find what you need as quickly as possible and not have to guess where someone else put the tool you need. What did the academy preach over and over to you guys?”

Grant spoke up, understanding in the five-year veteran’s eyes. “Every second counts.”

“Exactly. And those seconds start even before the alarm sounds.” Hannah walked over to lean against their ladder truck, fire engine two. “So, I thought maybe we could have a little competition. You know, to see who gets what task.”

“Competition?” Scot threw a cocky look to the others. “Okay, I’m in.”

Bill and Grant quickly agreed. Herb, however, looked wary. “What kind of competition are we talking about?”

“Well, from what I can tell of the daily pre-trip records, our ladder truck doesn’t see much action. And since I don’t want your climbing skills to get rusty…”

Herb hung his head. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes.” Hannah offered them a fiendish smile. “We’re gonna take old Laddie here out back, hang a flag from her basket, and raise her ladder all the way up. Whoever can retrieve the flag in the fastest time wins.”

Scot nodded. “So, what do we win?”

“Hmm, there’s four of us, so let’s say fourth place has to scrape off the old reflective tape and apply and extend new.”

“Wait—you’re participating, too?” Bill asked.

“I have to keep my skills sharp, too, don’t I?” Hannah shrugged. The guys exchanged smug looks. Hannah smiled politely.Suckers. “Now let’s see…third place will be the one to organize that damn tool wall to 5S standards. Second place will identify all chemicals that need safety data sheets, then print, hole punch, and put them in a binder.”

“Not sure any of those sound better than the others,” Herb grumbled. “What does first place get to do?”

Hannah though for a moment. “Hmm, how about they get to walk down to the Coffey Still with my debit card and bring back coffee and donuts for everyone.”

“Deal,” Scot said without hesitation. “I’ll grab a rag that we can use for the flag.”

“You seem awfully confident,” Bill said. “This could be a trap.”

Scot smirked. “No way. I’ll try not to eat your donut on my way back from the bakery.”

An hour later, Hannah stepped into the Coffey Still, a list of her coworkers’ drink requests in hand. She was surprised to find Mia sitting with her bestie, Robyn Owens, in velour armchairs beside the building’s unlit fireplace and gave them a wave. Once her order was placed, Hannah made her way over to say hello.

“A little far from the station, aren’t we?” teased Mia.

Hannah grinned. “A bit. It was my reward for winning today’s challenge. Thought I’d add a little fun into some safety training.”

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