THE FIRE BRIGADE

 

THE FIRE BRIGADE

By Jack Random

Jonas waited for the call.  As nervous as the day his father took him to a Texas brothel to become a man, he fought to hold back his anxiety.  He considered himself a patriot and a warrior.  After two tours in America’s war in the Middle East, he grew tired of taking orders from a commander who was not committed to victory.  He walked his own path – a path that led to sorrow and desperation.  He married and divorced before the vows could go cold.  He wandered from job to job and town to town with the aimlessness of a gambler on a losing streak. 

He found redemption and purpose in a group of like-minded individuals in the Northern California town of Redding.  The town had burned to the ground some years back.  They rebuilt with a mind to survive the next fire.  Jonas got a job as an auto mechanic and spent most of his free time shooting guns at the local range and riding his old Harley in the hills. 

The Brigade spotted him from his online presence.  He hated the government.  He hated Republicans almost as much as he hated Democrats.  He loved guns and fast cars and hot women.  He liked drugs, beer and whiskey.  He never went to church but he still considered himself a God fearing man.  He liked NASCAR and football and Harley Davidson.  He was one of them. 

#

They were individuals dedicated to their mission.  They received no salary or wages for their labor – though they did receive a stipend to cover expenses from the national organization.  They worked on weekends and holidays and their numbers were growing.  They now had an active membership of over fifty trained firemen and a hundred more unskilled volunteers.  Some women were among them but they made it a point to call themselves firemen.  They didn’t believe in political correctness and went out of their way to defy the liberal standards of polite society.  They used language that would make a bartender blush.  Their jurisdiction ran from the Canadian to the Mexican border. 

For the last decade wildfires ravaged much of the west coast forestlands.  Every fire erupted like a volcano and spread through the dry brush like the chain reaction of a split atom.  The Fire Brigade did not believe in global warming.  They did not believe that human activity had any real impact on the planet’s climate.  The climate was in God’s hands and the ravages of fire were the will of God.  Those who perished or lost their homes, their belongings and loved ones deserved to be punished. 

The Brigade protected their own people.  Everyone else could go to hell – and surely would.  They had chapters in four states but most of them were in California – the most liberal and godless state in America.   They were on constant alert and stood ready to answer the call of any and all emergencies.  

Their leader was a man named Willy Johnson – a rail of a man with a full unkempt beard.  He came from North Carolina with a message for anyone willing to listen:  The world would soon confront what he called The Great Reckoning.  It was time past time to choose sides and get right with the Lord.  His Lord was the Old Testament Lord, the vengeful fire and brimstone Lord, the God of wrath and destruction.  His God was merciful as well but only if you were blessed with His divine sanctity. 

##

Willy first called Jonas when conditions for a major fire arose along the Rogue River in Southern Oregon.  The drought that plagued California for decades had moved north.  Land that was once known for its rich plant life and thick green brush fed by a constant supply of rain and river water was suddenly parched and dry as an instruction manual.  The rivers ran low and sucked up all the water the clouds could release.  The land along the Rogue became a tinderbox waiting for a spark.  The Pacific wind that flowed through the canyon that the river carved would carry a flame a hundred miles before the local firefighters could react.  The fire would spread through protected forestlands including the liberal tourist Mecca known as Ashland. 

###

Jonas was having second thoughts.  He had fought fires with the Brigade in Paradise and Pine Mountain.  Though they faced opposition from officials, none could deny their effectiveness.  They were willing to go where others would not go.  They took chances and, yes, they lost lives but they saved exponentially more than they lost.  The local papers described them as heroes but they refused to take credit.  On the rare occasions when Willy spoke to the media he stuck to the script. 

“We’re only doing what anyone would do.  We see people in trouble and we try to help.  We fight fires.  That’s what we do.” 

Willy instructed Jonas to scout the area.  He spent a week on site from Bandon to Ashland.  He got to know some of the people along the way.  They were good people.  A lot of them had their heads on crooked but you can’t blame them, can you?  People are as people are taught.  People believe what they’re told to believe.  The people in the Brigade were exceptions.  Some people – the chosen few – rise above their upbringing to become leaders and trailblazers like the pioneers that settled the American continent.  Others – like the savage tribes that were here before the Christian landing – had to make way.  It is the nature of progress that it always comes at a price. 

####

Magdalena ran the Italian restaurant at the beginning of the main drag in Ashland.  She inherited the job from her mother.  Though the restaurant changed hands a number of times its management remained in the same hands for over two decades.  She knew all the locals and treated everyone who entered the doors with respect.  Some of the tourists were demanding and difficult but they all soon yielded to her grounded charms. 

Jonas discovered Gepetto’s on his first visit to Ashland and made it a point to eat there every time he returned.  He would sit at the small bar and chat with Magdalena when she wasn’t busy serving customers.  The food was excellent and he enjoyed watching her interact with the locals.  They were like a family and it aroused a vague sense of jealousy in him.  He didn’t know what to make of it.  His upbringing was difficult on the good days.  His father was a mean drunk and his mother was not a whole lot better.  They had time enough to take care of their own needs and not much left for the needs of their children. 

Magdalena must have thought Jonas had a crush on her but the truth was:  He would have been happy with her friendship.  He sometimes fantasized that she was his sister.  They would enjoy Thanksgiving or Christmas at a long table of siblings and relatives.  They would joke and laugh and sip glasses of wine while basking in the ambiance of familial love.  His own family was less than accepting of his ways.  His parents split up when he was in diapers and his siblings – there were four of them – he no longer knew.  They wanted nothing to do with him and he felt pretty much the same. 

#####

Maybe the important lesson Jonas learned from the Brigade was that skilled firemen knew how to steer the flames.  That was why they lit fires to cut off a wildfire’s path.  The Brigade drove a fire like cowboys drive a herd of cattle.  Every fire had a distinct personality.  Some were easily led while others were stubborn.  You had to push and pull and slap them around like a mule with his mind made up. 

Jonas became one of them when he demonstrated the ability to steer a stubborn wildfire.  He took a lead role in the Pine Mountain fire and earned his marks.  He was fearless.  He crawled inside a raging fire and ripped out its heart. 

That was why Willy chose him for an even more prominent role on the Rogue River project.  Together they studied satellite photos and live footage revealing how the river carved the land and the land guided the forest.  Their mission was twofold:  Guide the fire away from the good working folk of Medford to the godless liberal elites of Ashland.  It would not be easy but with the help of the Brigade they were certain they would succeed. 

######

Jonas received the call while dining at Gepetto’s.  A logging operation sparked a fire down the river at Crooked Bend.  His crew of seven men – six men and one woman – would be ready inside thirty minutes at a safe house in Medford. 

When Jonas threw a twenty and an extra five on the bar, Magdalena asked if everything was okay.  He shrugged and said it was but his expression conveyed the opposite message.  He told her more than he should have.  He said their was a fire and warned her that if it got close she should consider getting out. 

She smiled and said thanks.  In the decades of her family’s residence in Ashland, a wildfire had never threatened them. 

He knew in that instant that she would not heed his or anyone else’s warning.  She would remain with her friends and family.  She would rather die than live without them.  He wanted to explain but time escaped.  His crew was waiting. 

#######

They were tried and true believers.  Four of them grew up in Redding.  They went to church at Easter and Christmas.  They voted Republican but only in presidential elections.  They hated Democrats and loved baiting longhair hippie types in the local bar.  They recruited Jonas and believed in him and in his ability to lead.  One was a biker from Reno, Nevada, one was from a Sacramento white supremacy group and the woman was Willy’s girlfriend.  She was willing and able but relatively new in the field. 

When Jonas arrived at the safe house their preparations were all but finished.  They showed him on a map where the fire sparked south of Grants Pass and where it was headed.  He broke them into teams of two and assigned them precise positions where they could guide the fire.  Willy’s girlfriend, Alice, would go with him. 

They climbed into their four-wheel drive vehicles and headed directly to their assigned places along the Rogue River Canyon.  They would stay in contact by phone, make camp and begin the hard work of establishing control of the fire.  Jonas and Alice took their position outside Jacksonville at the turning point where the fire could be directed north above Medford or south along Ashland Creek to the heart of Ashland. 

########

By midday they were making steady progress.  The main branch of the fire grew stronger and headed straight to Jacksonville.  He ordered his team to converge on the turning point.  He directed Alice to meet them in town and wait for his word.  Alice seemed reluctant to leave him and Jonas wondered if her purpose was to keep an eye on him.  Did Willy doubt him?  Was this his final test as a leader in the Brigade?  He had to admit he did not know which way he would turn.  He wanted to secure his role in the group.  It was his family.  He was honored when Willy chose him to lead this operation.  But he also wanted to protect Magdalena and the people he came to know and regard with warm affection.  They were the family he wished he had. 

“Willy told me to stick with you and that’s what I’m going to do,” said Alice. 

“Willy put me in charge of this operation,” Jonas replied. 

“That’s right.” 

“Then follow my orders, damn it!  That fire’s heading home and it’s bearing down fast!  It aint going to wait for us to work things out.” 

“Willy told me…”

“I’m telling you:  The best place to organize the Brigade is in the center of town.  Now someone’s got to stay here and watch it coming.  The rest of us need to be ready to take positions and you need to be there to explain the situation!” 

They were stationed at a viewpoint overlooking the canyon.  The fire could move in any number of directions.  It was fast, hot and unpredictable.  If they had people in town they could react to any contingency.  If they were all at the viewpoint, their reaction would be delayed and the local firefighters could establish control.  It made sense and Alice knew it. 

“Okay,” she finally conceded.  “You keep me posted,” she added as she climbed into her jeep and headed for town. 

Jonas took a deep breath and braced himself for what had to be done. 

#########

Magdalena watched the reports on the local television station.  The fire was burning hot and moving down the Rogue River Canyon.  The fire chief was certain they could stop it before it hit any major towns or cities.  They’d handled fires like this before and they wanted people to remain calm. 

She wouldn’t have thought too much about it except for the words of warning by a man she hardly knew.  There was something in the way he said it and the look in his eyes.  Of course the fire wouldn’t reach Ashland but still it worried her.  Most of the people who worked in their town lived in Medford or Talent and she worried for them. 

She had little choice.  Even if she wanted to get out she would have to leave behind the people she loved – including her own children.  No one in Ashland was panicking so she wouldn’t either.  The stranger was just trying to show his concern.  Like so many other tourists and people passing through, he liked her – maybe he fell just a little in love – and he wanted to impress her.  She smiled at the thought and got on with the business of serving the next customer. 

#

From his perch on the overlook, Jonas saw the fire carving its way toward him.  He saw the position of the Forest Service and its official fire fighting force on the north side of the river.  He saw them slowly branching out and preparing to take positions on both side of the river.  Their movements were slow as molasses and as predictable as Pavlov’s dogs.  They intended to stop the fire’s southern route before fighting it on the north.  His job was to distract them by creating a flare-up to the north and leading them to believe that there was little danger in the fire branching to the south.  The primary branch of the fire was north, meaning it had to jump the river to take the southern route. 

The first thing Jonas learned about fire is that it hates water.  Water in the air, in the ground, in the trees or in the brush on the forest floor thwarts fire and pushes it on a different path.  The second thing Jonas learned is that fire loves fire.  Just as a fire will avoid water at all costs, it will go to great lengths to find and join fire to fire.  It will cross highways, streams and rivers to find its own kind.  If a flame sparked on the south side of the river, the main fire would jump the river to find it. 

All options were on the table.  His team in Jacksonville awaited his instructions.  They were all capable firemen and they could move three times faster than the forest service or the local firefighters.  The official teams had to observe protocol: they gathered information, analyzed the data and consulted with each other before their people could react.  His team operated on his word and his word alone. 

##

Unknown to Jonas, Willy Johnson was monitoring the situation from Medford.  He had a team of loyal soldiers and a handful of drones to track the fire and the position of the firefighters.  He knew where the forest service and the local firefighters were camped.  He knew when and where they moved.  He knew where the fire was moving and how fast it was going.  He also knew where his people were. 

Alice called him from Jacksonville to update him on the situation.  She didn’t trust Jonas and she didn’t hide it. 

“The son of a bitch has the hots for some broad in Ashland,” she said. 

“That don’t mean he’s not with us,” he replied.  “Let’s wait and see.” 

Willy liked Jonas.  He admired his bravery and skill.  He was always two steps ahead of his colleagues in the Brigade.  He knew this was a critical point in his training.  They all faced the turning point.  He remembered well his own turning point.  Back in North Carolina he was called upon to delay his team of volunteers and let a fire consume a church of predominantly black worshipers.  He knew some of them.  He broke bread with some of them.  He had a drink or two with some of them. 

He chose the Brigade but it wasn’t easy.  Until the last moment he didn’t know whether or not he could go through with it.  That decision changed his life.  It tortured him for months but he survived it.  It made him stronger.  It solidified his commitment to the cause.  He would give Jonas a chance.  He would wait and observe until there was no stepping back.  It was the least he could do for the man he hoped would succeed him as the leader of the western branch of The Brigade. 

###

Jonas saw an opportunity and he grabbed it.  He called the Forest Service anonymously and informed them there was a renegade operation of firefighters intent on sabotage.  He then called Alice with instructions and coordinates.  He would send two teams to the north side of the river and two to the south.  It would seem reasonable to them and Alice would bury her suspicions.  But the coordinates he provided would take them into the enemy camps.  They would be captured and questioned.  If they were allowed to operate at all, they would be under official supervision.  They would be unable to carry out their mission. 

He told Alice to meet him at the overlook.  Together they would watch the operation unfold.  They would observe the Forest Service sending their firefighters to the north to counter the flare-up.  They would watch as their people lit fires on the south side of the river, attracting the flames of the primary fire.  Before nightfall the raging fire would be speeding south toward Ashland. 

That was the Brigade’s plan.  But Jonas had another plan.  He would watch long enough to be certain that Brigade’s plan was foiled.  Then he would head out.  By the time Alice arrived at the lookout he would be long gone. 

####

Magdalena was stunned to hear on the news that the Rogue River fire had taken an unexpected turn.  Still raging out of control, it turned south at Jacksonville and was now headed straight to Ashland.  A warning was issued to all residents:  Evacuation was advised.  Mandatory evacuation was under consideration. 

She thought of the stranger who had foreseen this development and wondered what he knew that others did not.  Just then he walked in the door but his eyes did not find hers as they normally would have.  He stared with unmistakable fear at the tall, thin bearded man who was sitting at the counter. 

Willy turned and smiled. 

#####

Jonas learned what took place on the drive to Ashland.  The radio reported that the Rogue River fire had taken an unexpected turn to the south.  He didn’t have the time or resources to go back and change what was happening.  The fire would hold its course.  He figured that Willy’s doubts went deeper than sending Alice along to monitor his actions.  Willy oversaw the operation from somewhere nearby. 

The Brigade would be after him now.  They were capable of killing and he was their target.  But all he could think about was Magdalena.  It seemed strange.  He had never slept with her.  He had never kissed her.  Hell, he had never even gone out with her.  Still, at this critical moment, the turning point of a journey that could mean life or death, she dominated his thoughts and his affection grew.  Was she a witch?  Did she hold unnatural sway over his heart?  It didn’t matter.  The only thing that mattered was that she was safe.  He would do whatever he had to do. 

Midway down the mountain and through the forest he realized that the Brigade posed a threat not only to him but to Magdalena as well.  If Willy had observed his behavior over the last week, they knew about Magdalena.  If they knew about Magdalena, they wouldn’t think twice about taking her hostage. 

He called the Ashland police and told them he was one of the saboteurs who steered the fire south.  He asked them to confirm his story with the Forest Service.  He said he’d be waiting outside Gepetto’s to turn himself in. 

######

“Hello, Judas,” said Willy.  “Surprised to see me?” 

“The name’s Jonas,” he replied.  “Nothing surprises me.” 

“Maybe you’d like to say hi to your woman before we take leave.” 

He motioned to Magdalena who stood frozen like a bronze statue in Lithia Park.  She had no idea what was going down but she realized she was in the center of it. 

“Her name is Magdalena and she’s not my woman.  She’s got nothing to do with this.” 

“Of course not,” said Willy.  “But here you are, risking your life for a woman you hardly know.  Was it worth it?” 

It was a question he had asked himself many times.  He had turned it over and over on sleepless nights and it always led to the same conclusion: worth it or not, he had no choice.  A man can no more control his heart than the moon can control the sun. 

“Let’s take this outside,” said Jonas. 

Willy hesitated and looked back and forth between Jonas and Magdalena, calculating whether it was worth it to take her captive if only to exact his revenge on the young man who rejected his paternal affection. 

“It’s your lucky day,” he said to Magdalena as he rose and followed Jonas out the door. 

#######

Four officers of the Ashland Police force were waiting to take them both into custody.  Willy was stunned.  His chosen one had outfoxed him in the end.  He gave him a hard look and winked. 

“I always knew you was a step ahead of the rest of us.” 

########

Over the course of the next seven days, the authorities rounded up the remaining members of the Fire Brigade that sabotaged the Rogue River fire fighting campaign.  Over the next seven weeks they closed down all chapters of the organization across the states of California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado. 

The Forest Service and the local firefighters managed to contain the fire before it reached the town of Ashland.  Jonas went to jail with special consideration for his action and cooperation in saving the residents of Ashland and turning evidence on the Brigade.  He would serve six months before being released. 

Despite a powerful yearning, he never saw Magdalena again. 

[With regard to Arthur C. Clarke and his classic story Fahrenheit 451.]

Copyright 2018 Ray Miller