I want to be a fireman when I grow up has uttered out of the mouths of hundreds of little boys for decades.Louis Renzo Jr. wasn’t one of those little boys even though his own dad Louis Sr. was a proud dedicated volunteer firefighter in Hawthorne FD, NJ for 54 years. Renzo himself, now a veteran with 26 years of service behind him loves his job and doesn’t consider it a job at all.
A day at the Station can be an unpredictable waiting game uncertain of how many calls in the day they’ll have. Calls can deal with anything from a child falling off their bicycle to car accidents to a major fire, and “anything that people don’t know who to call.” He’s even gone as far as to save a man’s cockatiel in a tree.
Every situation is different and each one is handled professionally. However, depending on the circumstances you always have to be prepared to expect the unexpected as things can seriously go wrong in an instant. Renzo says, “With fires you try not to create another victim. If the situation is hopeless you don’t go in there and do the impossible. Most people die from smoke inhalation long before the flames get to them.”
It is also standard practice that they accompany the ambulance to numerous medical calls and all car accidents. Renzo says, “Medical stuff is tough sometimes since having a grandson hits home a little more. It’s hard when we’re doing CPR on somebody and the victims’ family has hope but we know they’ve checked out. We still go through the motions for the people. We’re not heartless.”
He can never forget a car crash that happened 20 years ago and how it could have ended in tragedy but fortunately didn’t. “A drunk driver had entered on the wrong side of the parkway through the exit ramp. She was going northbound on the southbound side and hit a Cadillac head on. It had minimal damage compared to her Hyundai and he had only suffered a cut to his hand. It took one hour to cut her out of the car and she thought she’d loose her legs. One year later she walked into the firehouse and thanked us for saving her life.” It’s moments like these that also make the job a very rewarding one.
When asked how he separates himself from his job Renzo says, “I don’t know how I do that but I’ve been able to leave all that at work. We meet people at the worst times of their lives. If I cried every time I saw a dead person I would have floated away by now. I’m not scared about anything about the job, which scares me sometimes because it’s kind of gruesome. I can go back to the firehouse and have dinner after a call and just resume where I left off before we went out.”
He also doesn’t feel that the movie Backdraft was an accurate portrayal of firefighters. Renzo says, “It was a joke to a point where it was ridiculous. It was a very unrealistic movie that tried to glamorize firefighting.” However, he did praise the movie Ladder 49 and says, “It was the most realistic portrayal of firefighters. It showed a lot of the antics and practical jokes we do to each other around the firehouse. How close the guys get to one another like a real family. The way we live together, eat together 24 hours a day.” He’s seen a lot of things change on the fire department since he started but wouldn’t change a single thing had he done it all over again.
Besides, it made him feel good when he asked his four year old grandson Thomas what he wanted to be for Halloween this year and his reply was, “I want to be a fireman like you because I love you.” But that dream was short lived when he seen a photograph of a chef in a magazine and said he wanted to be that too. Renzo laughingly says, “Been an interesting 26 years for sure, been an interesting 26 years indeed.”
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008
"MY SURVIVOR HOLLYWOOD"
Starring in my own action adventure should have been listed in the brochure when I booked my trip in Toronto. But in typical tourist fashion the very thought of spending two weeks in Tinsel town had me wanting to shout, “Hollywood here I come!” from the top of the CN Tower.I’d specifically chosen the Sheraton Universal for its luxurious appearance, convenient location and most importantly, star gazing. It was a stunning five-star hotel that was picturesque in nature and sat atop a hill high above the valley below. It was my first night in room 1117. I had dreamt of this moment for so long and now it had finally become a reality. Sleeping was the last thing on my mind and for a brief period I lay there staring at the ceiling in my hotel room. I turned on my side and noticed something strange. It was circular in shape and contained a glowing red light. I was wondering what purpose it had and did all the rooms have them. But my questions would be answered soon enough.
My restlessness got the better of me. It was apparent that sleeping was not on the agenda for tonight or at least it wasn’t now. I decided to sit on the couch near the window and gaze out towards the 405 (highway). The digital clock on my nightstand flashed an eerily 12:50 a.m. but you’d never would have known it with the heavy volume of traffic moving about outside. The headlights and taillights looked like tiny white and red dots flowing rapidly in opposite directions between the valleys. They flickered in unison moving in an S formation in the distance until they disappeared out of sight around the mountains. Once again my attention turned to the glowing red light on the wall. The room was dark and silent but that would soon come to an end in hurry. No more than ten minutes went by when I was startled to the sound of a horrific buzzing noise echoing throughout the hotel forcing people out of their peaceful slumber. Luckily, I wasn’t one of them. I leaped off the couch and opened the door to a startling realization. I needed to get out and quick.
Smoke had filled room 1119 before starting to seep into the hallway. It began to billow below the door adjacent to mine. Yet, I still managed to quickly gather my things, get my shoes on and bring my luggage with me. I exited my room dragging my bag along and joined one of the many hazy silhouettes that rapidly moved through the corridors. Panicked voices echoed down the stairwells awakened from their sleep at 1 a.m. to the sound of the fire alarm. I had finally found out what that glowing red light was. Oh how I wish I hadn’t. I found myself racing down the stairwell passing people at lightening speed. I could barely make out their faces and their voices sounded muffled. All I knew is that I had to get to the bottom as fast as I could.
The stairwell door flung open like the saloon doors in an old spaghetti western. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. I had finally made it to the lobby in one piece. Out of breath but in one piece. There was so much confusion all around. Firefighters in their gear dragging hoses, guests in their pajamas moving about in frenzy like ants in a colony, while the phones at the front desk could be heard ringing off the hook. I drop my luggage near my feet after having clutched it for dear life down 11 flights of stairs. I’d never been so happy to be on the ground in my entire life. The plush lobby chair felt good as I fell into it. I was completely exhausted and sat far enough from the elevators to absorb all the action but not be immersed in it.
An hour later we were given the green light to go back to our rooms. Completely wired from my ordeal, I sat up in the bed watching reruns of Green Acres. I must have dozed off at some point because the last thing I remember was that glowing red light staring back at me on the wall. I was relieved to know what its purpose was and that it did its job when the time came. However, I hadn’t bargained on auditioning for any show while I was down there on vacation. Hollywood or no Hollywood this was one reality show I did not want to star in.
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My restlessness got the better of me. It was apparent that sleeping was not on the agenda for tonight or at least it wasn’t now. I decided to sit on the couch near the window and gaze out towards the 405 (highway). The digital clock on my nightstand flashed an eerily 12:50 a.m. but you’d never would have known it with the heavy volume of traffic moving about outside. The headlights and taillights looked like tiny white and red dots flowing rapidly in opposite directions between the valleys. They flickered in unison moving in an S formation in the distance until they disappeared out of sight around the mountains. Once again my attention turned to the glowing red light on the wall. The room was dark and silent but that would soon come to an end in hurry. No more than ten minutes went by when I was startled to the sound of a horrific buzzing noise echoing throughout the hotel forcing people out of their peaceful slumber. Luckily, I wasn’t one of them. I leaped off the couch and opened the door to a startling realization. I needed to get out and quick.
Smoke had filled room 1119 before starting to seep into the hallway. It began to billow below the door adjacent to mine. Yet, I still managed to quickly gather my things, get my shoes on and bring my luggage with me. I exited my room dragging my bag along and joined one of the many hazy silhouettes that rapidly moved through the corridors. Panicked voices echoed down the stairwells awakened from their sleep at 1 a.m. to the sound of the fire alarm. I had finally found out what that glowing red light was. Oh how I wish I hadn’t. I found myself racing down the stairwell passing people at lightening speed. I could barely make out their faces and their voices sounded muffled. All I knew is that I had to get to the bottom as fast as I could.
The stairwell door flung open like the saloon doors in an old spaghetti western. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. I had finally made it to the lobby in one piece. Out of breath but in one piece. There was so much confusion all around. Firefighters in their gear dragging hoses, guests in their pajamas moving about in frenzy like ants in a colony, while the phones at the front desk could be heard ringing off the hook. I drop my luggage near my feet after having clutched it for dear life down 11 flights of stairs. I’d never been so happy to be on the ground in my entire life. The plush lobby chair felt good as I fell into it. I was completely exhausted and sat far enough from the elevators to absorb all the action but not be immersed in it.
An hour later we were given the green light to go back to our rooms. Completely wired from my ordeal, I sat up in the bed watching reruns of Green Acres. I must have dozed off at some point because the last thing I remember was that glowing red light staring back at me on the wall. I was relieved to know what its purpose was and that it did its job when the time came. However, I hadn’t bargained on auditioning for any show while I was down there on vacation. Hollywood or no Hollywood this was one reality show I did not want to star in.
Read more on this article...
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