BEYOND THE CALL

By Todd Bentsen
HV staff

Jen Franklin has tears in her eyes as she describes the highway auto accident that turned her into a volunteer firefighter.

A women at the scene, Franklin recalls, picked up what appeared to be a "balled-up blanket." The blanket turned out to be a baby who somehow managed to survive.

"I felt helpless," said Franklin of the 1993 accident. But she did something about it; she trained to become a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT) for the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department.

Franklin says she doesn't feel helpless any more.

The HVFD is one of 46 volunteer firehouses in Prince George's County. The Hyattsville crew ranges from college students who live in the firehouse rent free year-round to professionals like Franklin, who volunteer on evenings and weekends. They respond to about 2,500 emergency calls a year.

Sitting in the modest, two-story brick firehouse, Maria Coppa, a product safety researcher by day, recalls her first futile effort to save a heart attack victim. As an ambulance driver leafs through a trade magazine and a volunteer-in-training discusses his lessons nearby, Coppa, a three-year HVFD veteran and an EMS rescue sergeant, describes walking into the Hyattsville home of a couple in their mid 40s. "The man was in cardiac arrest, and his wife was trying to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation," she says sadly. Coppa took over, but the man died.

Three distinct tones come over the radio loudspeaker, it's time to respond. After pulling on firefighting gear laid out nearby, three firefighters jump onto a ladder truck and head out, followed by another volunteer in a station car. The sirens blare, the rescue lights flash and the emergency vehicles sail through all traffic lights to their destination.

On the scene in a nearby office building, things don't look serious. One firefighter stays with the truck and two enter. They're back soon to report that a welder working on the tenth floor tripped the building alarm with the smoke from his torch. It's back to the station to wait for the next call.

"I was one of the first to arrive on the scene in 1991 when a University of Maryland student jumped from a dorm window and later died," says HVFD Vice President Bill Moran over pizza in the comfortable day room. Moran says his volunteer work is "pretty exciting" compared to his daily routine as a systems administrator for Bell Atlantic. Moran says he's experienced tragedy like the one he describes, but also joy. "I helped deliver a baby on the Beltway! I arrived 30 seconds after the baby was born in the front seat of the car. The woman delivered the baby herself."

For the basic knowledge needed to ride fire trucks and respond to calls, volunteers complete two weekends of training known as "32 hour recruit school." The course is conducted by the Prince George's County Fire Department.

John Inman liked his training and volunteer work at the HVFD so much that now it's his full-time job. "I love my work because it's a different day every day," says Inman. He has a political science degree form Catholic University and once considered law school. "But," he says, "this is what I like doing."

For Inman, firefighting is family affair. His twin sister is an EMT captain for the county.

Most volunteers say the excitement and helping people are what motivates them. "You can see the relief in people's faces when you show up," says Inman. "And you get to run red lights!"

Coppa says being a volunteer is a "huge adrenaline rush." She adds that "it's kind of a cliche, but I want to help people. It's a good feeling."

"I care, and thought I could make a difference," says Jonathan Ransom, HVFD president and supervisor of 50 active members, on why he's done this for 12 years. He speaks proudly of his volunteers. "Firefighters care about each other and trust each other. You have to in an emergency situation."

Trust and competence are watchwords for the volunteers. Franklin explains how she felt early on. "As a woman, I was scared and apprehensive. When I walked into the firehouse I didn't know what to expect, but the guys were great." She gets no flak from her male colleagues. "If you can do the job, you can do the job," says Franklin. She said she felt the "same good atmosphere" when visiting a Boston firehouse recently.

"What if you pull someone out of a fire and you don't know what to do?" Franklin asks. This question was very real for her a year and a half ago. But now, Franklin knows exactly what to do.

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Updated 5/4/96