 |
 Fire Rescue FIREFIGHTER Fireman New T Shirt FF2066  US $16.75
|
 Fire Rescue FIREFIGHTER Fireman New T Shirt FF2061LS US $21.75
|
 Volunteer Fire Rescue T Shirt FIREFIGHTER Shirt Fireman TShirt FF2088 US $14.25
|
can you wear firefighter t-shirts?
okay so i have this friend,, who sometimes goes out the house in t-shirt with our city fire logo on it and company number like this(http://www.elliottsportswear.biz/catalog/userfiles/image/18.jpg) he also wears blue pants(not dress) and black boats. the uniform looks exactly like the ones our fireman wear... now he does not wear a badge or have one... and does not tell anyone hes a fireman... in fact he dress like everyone else its just the combination of clothes is the type our firefighter wear...... is this illegal the state is md.
not at all illegal. a bit weird if he's trying to look like a fire fighter.
|
|
Fire Rescue FIREFIGHTER Fireman New T Shirt FF2066 US $16.75
|
Fire Rescue FIREFIGHTER Fireman New T Shirt FF2061LS US $21.75
|
|
Volunteer Fire Rescue T Shirt FIREFIGHTER Shirt Fireman TShirt FF2088 US $14.25
|
 DETROIT FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION LOCAL 344 IAF T TEE SHIRT BLUE X LARGE FIREMAN US $7.98
|
 Fireman Shirt Firefighter T Shirt Fear No Evil FF2073 US $14.00
|
 Fire Rescue American FIREFIGHTER Fireman T Shirt FF2064 US $14.25
|
 Firefighter T Shirt Volunteer Fireman Design White Xl US $9.99
|
 Firefighter T Shirt Fireman Formal Attire White Xl US $9.99
|
 Firefighter T Shirt Fireman Saves Live Black Xxl US $9.99
|
 Firefighter T Shirt Firemans Dad Design White Medium US $9.99
|
 Firefighter T Shirt First In Last Out Firemen Black Xl US $9.99
|
 FIREFIGHTER PRAYER FF NEW T SHIRT FIREMAN FF2011LS US $21.75
|
 Firefighter T Shirt Save Truck Ride A Fireman Black Xl US $9.99
|
 Firefighter Long Sleeve Shirt American FIREFIGHTER Fireman T Shirt FF2064LS US $21.90
|
 Firefighters T shirt Fire Rescue Eagle EMT EMS Volunteer Firemen Fire Dept US $6.99
|
 Volunteer Firefighter T Shirt Tradition Dedication Sacrifice Firemen EMT EMS US $14.99
|
 The Mountain firefighters firemen American Flag patriotic t shirt adult M NEW US $14.95
|
 short sleeve T shirt Real American Heroes FIREFIGHTER fireman Fire fighter US $17.95
|
 short sleeve T shirt VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER fireman Fire fighter US $17.95
|
 short sleeve T shirt FIREFIGHTER fireman Fire fighter Americas finest US $17.95
|
 short sleeve T shirt FIREFIGHTER fireman Fire fighter FIRST IN LAST OUT US $17.95
|
 Fire fighter Fireman Onesie cute funny t shirt infant baby shirt Firefighter US $11.99
|
 US NAVY Damage Controlman Controlmen T Shirt USN DC Firefighter Fireman Med US $17.00
|
 Men Of Fire Strength And Honor Mens V neck Sport T shirt Firefighter Firemen US $20.95
|
 Fire Fighter T Shirt The Hardest Job Youll Ever Love Firemen EMT Volunteer EMS US $12.99
|
 Peace Love Firefighter Fireman Firefighting Hero Long Sleeve T Shirt US $20.95
|
 Fire Rescue Firefighter Fireman New T Shirt US $17.95
|
 773 WHERE MY HOSE funny fireman emt firefighter T Shirt US $19.99
|
 DALMATIAN FIREMAN FRIEND FIRE FIGHTER PUPPY DOG BREED T SHIRT S M L XL 2XL 3XL US $22.99
|
 MY DAD IS A FIREMAN FIRE FIGHTER TRUCK T SHIRT WS95 US $9.99
|
 718 FIREFIGHTER FASTER WE COME funny emt fireman Shirt US $19.99
|
 FIREMEN FIRE FIGHTER KICK ASH SHIELD T SHIRT WS119 US $11.99
|
 MY GRANDPA IS A FIREMAN FIRE FIGHTER TRUCK T SHIRT WS94 US $9.99
|
 Firefighter Fire Dept Crest T Shirt Chest Print Fireman Tee Hoodie US $11.99
|
 None But The Brave Firefighters Firefighter Shield Fireman Hero Mens T Shirt US $13.95
|
 Band Of Brothers The Few The Proud Firefighter Fireman Mens T Shirt US $13.95
|
 Save A Truck Ride A Fireman Funny Fireman Firefighter Sexual Mens T Shirt US $13.95
|
 Fire And Rescue With Eagle American Flag Firefighter Fireman Mens T shirt US $13.95
|
 Firefighter Flaming Eagle Rescue Shield Pick Ax Hose Scroll Fire Mens T shirt US $13.95
|
 Big Dogs Navy Blue T Shirt Fireman Firefighter Size XL US $9.99
|
 HOT SPOT T SHIRT 3058 FIREMAN FIREFIGHTER FLAMEHEAD US $20.49
|
 SAVE A FIRE TRUCK RIDE A FIREMAN Firefighters Humor Rescue Cool Funny T Shirt US $12.94
|
 FIR NA TINE Men Of Fire Firefighters Dedication Rescue Firemen Funny T Shirt US $12.94
|
 FIREFIGHTERS KICK ASH Cool Adult Humor Fire Team Firemen Rescue Funny T Shirt US $12.94
|
 Firefighter Chicks Kick Ash T Shirt Fireman small thru 3xlarge tanktop hoodie US $13.99
|
 Firefighter T Shirt Fir Na Tine Tee Man Of Fire Men Of Fire Fire Fighter Green US $11.99
|
 T shirt this is what a FIRE FIGHTER looks like fireman US $18.95
|
 Interesting Life Fire Fighter Fireman T Shirt S 2X3X US $9.99
|
20 Minutes to Hell and Back
For me, as a journalist, covering the blaze engulfing Nandaram complex in Burrabazar area of central Kolkata had seemed to be an easy task. After all, during my career as a journalist, I had covered incidents which were full of adventure, thrill, risk and even threat. So what could have been the problem with a fire? That is what I thought. Until, I cajoled my photographer Suchandan to accompany me inside the building on fire.
Getting inside the Nandaram complex, I was looking for some experiences that would satiate my hunger for adventure. Never had I thought that once inside, I would have a close brush with death. I had considered myself lucky, when on Monday I managed to escape the wrath of the local public which thrashed media people. I was equally lucky on Tuesday as well! Had it not been a matter of barely 5 minutes, perhaps I wouldn’t be writing this!
As we were entering the Nandaram building on Tuesday afternoon, Suchandan looked up at the thick, black smoke billowing out, and asked me "Are you sure you want to do this?" I just started climbing up the steep stairs, through which water was gushing down with full force. As soon as we entered the complex, we were drenched – from the water accumulated on the stairs, and showering on us from the hose pipes above.
Up we went, from the first, second, third, fourth, fifth to the sixth floor of the Nandaram complex. While the first few floors were clean, minus the dirty water and scattered items, a gory sight awaited us on the sixth floor. The damage caused by the fire was evident at every step we took towards the upper floors. Heaps of burnt paper lay scattered here and there. So did piles of textile, charred remains of plastic, a stray slipper floating on the water, empty bottles of water and a few photographs of deities.
The sixth floor was packed with media people, clicking pictures and recording the horrific sight. We moved further and we climbed up to the seventh floor. The scene here was similar to the sixth floor. The entire floor had been badly gutted by the fire. The walls were charred, and the iron grilles were in a dilapidated state. The entire floor lay engulfed in a blanket of darkness, and we were having a tough time moving ahead. The icy cold water in which we had stepped in the lower floors had started turning warm now.
Moving further we climbed up to the eighth floor. I had started getting a weird kind of smell on the eighth floor. "What's that?", I asked the fireman. "Methane" was his one word reply. It was considerably warm on the eighth floor, and I could not keep my coat on. A mesh of wires from the main electric board hung before us like spider-webs in a dilapidated building, and we had to stoop low in order to move ahead. A debris of plastic, water-logged shops with broken shutters and walls, remains of half-burned shirts in cardboard packets lay scattered here and there.
Carefully avoiding tripping over the criss-cross of hose pipes on the ground, we moved up to the ninth floor. The same scene of devastation everywhere... However, on the ninth floor, we got a glimpse of how Nandaram market would have been before the fire. On the left of the floor, we found the shutter to a shop open. The shop was partially damaged, and the thick, white mattress on the floor, with white pillows, a small table, accounts book, a bunch of visiting cards gave an eerie impression that a customer would just enter the shop and the business would begin as usual. But, we knew it wouldn't.
On the ninth floor, towards the other side, was a shop which appeared more like a home. A wooden table, a gas cylinder, a stove, utensils and an iron cot with a heap of clothes lay in the cubicle partially damaged in the fire. I shuddered! What if someone was sleeping on this cot when the fire broke out? I shut my eyes tightly and moved aside.
Swallowing a lump in my throat, we moved up to the tenth floor. A cloud of thick smoke welcomed me. The heat was unbearable by this time, and we were bathed in sweat. Covering our face with handkerchief, we started surveying the floor. Sunlight was shining through an opening in the wall, but we still found it difficult to move in the darkness. We could see embers at short distances, amidst piles of textile and plastic. The walls of the shops on this floor were completely gutted, and even the stairs were starting to crack. As I was entering inside of the ravaged shops, a fireman warned me "The ceiling can come down any time. Please don't go inside."
Within moments, I was climbing the stairs to the eleventh floor. Our eyes were watering in the smoke, and we found it difficult to breathe. The heat seemed to be getting into our head, and we had started feeling dizzy. "How do you manage to stay here?" I asked a firefighter. "Many of us have fallen sick, and have been taken away from here. We are also half-sick... but we can't help it."
The water through which we were wading on the eleventh floor was very hot. It was also very dirty, with a frothy appearance, and had a bad odour. A strong and pungent smell of methane wafted through the air, which seemed to be minus a trace of oxygen. "Ouch", escaped my mouth, as a drop of hot water from above fell on my arm. The heat was enough to give me a blister.
"Madam please don't go further. It's difficult staying there for a minute," urged a firefighter. "How are you staying there?" I enquired. "Our handkerchiefs are wet, yours is dry. Wet handkerchiefs are giving us some oxygen," came the reply. I took out a bottle of water from my bag, soaked the handkerchiefs I and my photographer were using, covered my face, and moved up.
Twelfth floor – The floor still virgin in terms of any media person stepping in. I climbed up and fumbled upon a wire sticking out from the stairs. I put my hand on the heated wall to prevent tripping over. And a part of the wall collapsed. Just my touch was enough!
Principal Officer of West Bengal Fire Services, Gopal Bhattacharya met me on this floor. "Go carefully", he instructed me. I asked him about the situation on the floor above us. "The fire is under control, but we cannot say anything at the moment. It might start raising its head anytime." As a pungent odour filled my nostrils again, I asked him, "What odour is that?". "Liquid ammonia," he replied, "There's a leak on the floor above". I couldn't resist asking him "Don't you feel uncomfortable?" He replied, "We do. No one can stay here for more than five minutes. So, we keep rotating."
As I started moving further, Suchandan asked me again "More?". I nodded and moved up to the thirteenth floor – the topmost floor of the building! My heart skipped a bit as I entered a zone full of smoke and ammonia odour. I could smell fire smouldering somewhere around. The heat could not be tolerated for even a second now, and we were almost blinded by the smoke.
I came to know that even firefighters had not managed to reach completely inside the thirteenth floor. One of them said, "We are trying to move inside, but have managed to reach only half way." The firefighters were spraying water on the walls, and the sutures in the ceiling. "There's a leakage here. We are trying to remove the gas," said a firefighter. I wondered how the men were working with just handkerchiefs covering their faces, when in real, it was difficult to stand there even for a minute without a gas mask!
"Please go back. It is very risky out here," said a firefighter. Suchandan had already started suffocating. I threw a final glance at the hell of a floor, and started descending the stairs. Carefully escaping the hose pipes, wires and debris as we had done on our journey up the Nandaram building, we reached the exit. We were covered in soot, and were all groggy when we emerged out of the building. After washing my face at a hand pump across the building, I glanced back to take a look at the firemen fighting the fire.
And I froze in horror! The twelfth floor of the building, where I had just spent about five minutes surveying the damage and talking to Gopal Bhattacharya, was in flames again! I stood there trembling for a while, before I could regain my senses. I did not know how to react. I just said a silent prayer, and moved away from the spot. I was lucky, wasn't I? This narrow escape from death made me look at life from a different perspective. I realised, life is precious. The thought of what could have been, is still giving me shudders!
To Read More Articles By This Author and More News From India Visit http://www.headlinesindia.com/
About the Author
Divya Pathak is a Reporter with http://www.headlinesindia.com working out of New Delhi. She has over five years of experience working for news dailies in the country.
