Can You Hear Me Dispatch?

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 19 June 14, 2009

There is a narrow window of survivability for a firefighter who is out of SCBA air supply or trapped. Individual firefighters must not delay reporting to Command if they become lost, trapped, or otherwise in need of assistance.

Canwest Fire Services has completed an extensive study of the Radio Transcripts of the fatal fire at the Sofa Super Store, 1807 Savannah Highway, Charleston, South Carolina, June 18, 2007.

It was in this fire that nine firefighters lost their lives. Analysis of the recorded radio traffic indicates that the deceased members did not attempt to call for assistance until they were in critical distress.

All of the recorded messages indicate that the firefighters are lost, disoriented, and either running out of air or already out of air. The firefighters were already in imminent danger, deep inside the building, when they began to call for assistance.

The single use of the term “Mayday” was recorded at 19:32:15.

The “Mayday” was not heard by the Incident Commander or by anyone else at the fire scene.

The Communications Center immediately notified the Incident Commander when a firefighter’s EIB (Emergency Indicator Button) was activated at 19:34:40.

The only individual who understood and reacted to the urgent radio messages was an off-duty Battalion Chief (Car 303) who was en route to the scene in his privately owned vehicle and heard the radio traffic on his portable radio. He attempted to contact the Fire Chief by radio at 19:30:27 to relay the information, but was unable to reach him. He drove to the scene as quickly as possible and relayed the information in person to the Fire Chief at approximately19:33.
His face to face report to the Fire Chief was the first recognition at the fire scene that firefighters were in trouble inside the building.

During the period while firefighters were attempting to call for assistance, the following radio traffic was recorded:
· Car 1 called for more pressure in the supply line from Engine 12 to Engine 10;
· Car 1 called for Engine 3 to respond to the fire scene and lay a line to Ladder 5;
· Car 2 called for manpower to assist with the civilian rescue operation;
· Car 5 reported that the trapped employee had been rescued;
· Car 2 called for EMS to respond for the rescued employee;
· Engineer 11 advised that he was charging the 2-1/2 inch line;
· Engineer 16 called for traffic control on Savannah Hwy. because cars were still running over the supply line.

The recorded radio traffic included 16 distress messages that were transmitted by firefighters inside of the Sofa Super store Distress messages were recorded from Firefighter 16, Firefighter 5, and Engineer 5.

The recordings included additional distress messages in which the firefighter speaking could not be identified.

None of these messages were heard by a command officer on the scene.



Thankfully God, our God hears our cry and answers. The Lord knows those who are His. He knows our voice.

The Greyhound Bus Company used to have a slogan that we may want to apply to the Lord. “Leave the driving to us.”

God, our God says: “Leave the driving to me. You just trust me and I'll get you where you need to go.”

Jesus said: In this world, you will have trouble, but don't be afraid, I have overcome the world.

Just as Jesus was identified with us in the defeat and humiliation of sin as He suffered for us, so, he says, we can be identified with him in his victory.

This opens up some amazing possibilities. His victories I can make my own. I actually live by the life and victories of Jesus. That doesn't mean the absence of trouble, but the transformation of trouble into good when we place it into the hands of God.

We need to learn not to nurture our fears. It's not for nothing that 81 different times, people are told in the Bible FEAR NOT.

That doesn't mean that you can't have normal fear--the kind that makes you move out of danger.

Someone said that normal fear makes you jump back on the curb when a car is coming.
Abnormal fear, lingering fear, is lighted by the fires of Hell and the smoke of its torment ascends upwards forever.

God has not given us a spirit of fear—but of love and power and a sound mind.

The only antidote is the perfect love of Jesus that casts out our fear.

A famous preacher said: Don't settle down to live permanently with your fear. If you do, you will never be happy or effective.

Fears are not removed by saying, "Cut it out! Swallow your fear!"

No, the steps to take begin with facing your fear realistically.

Then replace fear with faith.

Say to yourself again and again the words
“I trust in you, O Lord; I say you are my God; my times are in your hands”.

The only known cure for fear, one Psychologist says, is faith.

David said: I sought the Lord and he heard me; he delivered me from all my fears.

If God hears us and is quick to respond, may we like him hear the cry of the world and be quick to respond!

God help me, help!

Psalms 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears.

Psalms 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard [him], and saved him out of all his troubles.

Psalms 107:6, 13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, [and] he delivered them out of their distresses. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, [and] he saved them out of their distresses.

Jonah 2:2 I cried by reason of mine affliction to the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and you heard my voice.

Psalms 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

I John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us:

Jeremiah 33:3 Call out to me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things...