Firefighters endure long, but relatively quiet shift

Annie Flanzraich

Tuesday, July 5, 2005 | 9:18 a.m.

Even though fire department radios throughout the valley were crackling with reports of brush fires around the valley, the firefighters at Clark County Fire Station 22 had a relatively quiet night on Monday.

While one engine did respond to a call of fireworks that lit a patch of grass on fire and then ignited man's backyard, most of the evening was filled with reports of fires that were contained before the crew got there.

Capt. Kyle Lemmon, at the end of a 72-hour-shift Monday night, hoped the fireworks would stop at midnight, like they were supposed to.

"If it's a good night, things will be slow by 1 (a.m.)," Lemmon said.

The tamest versions of fireworks, such as sparklers, have been allowed in Clark County since they went on sale last week, Lemmon said. But they were only legal through 11:59 p.m. on the Fourth of July.

Earlier in the night paramedics Jen Berg and Ty Frehner from the station at Flamingo Road and Rainbow Boulevard responded to a medical call. A woman had fallen into a hot tub while on her motorized wheelchair at a senior citizen center. The woman suffered no injuries -- it was the chair that was in critical condition after being submerged in the water.

As it began to get dark, calls came in more rapidly. Some, like a brush fire report near a vacant lot, ended before they even began. Others resulted in the firefighters confiscating illegal fireworks like bottle rockets and fire crackers.

There was also a palm tree on fire and a small brush fire. Both were quickly extinguished.

When he was confiscating the fireworks from the people who were shooting them off, Lemmon warned the group about the danger.

"Would you like to pay to replace someone's million-dollar house?" Lemmon asked. "I didn't think so."

If a person is using fireworks and causes damage to someone else's property, the insurance company will most likely sue the person shooting off the fireworks to recover the expense, according to a statement from Las Vegas Fire & Rescue.

But the most frustrating thing to the firefighters on the Fourth of July -- and any other night for that matter -- is when motorists do not yield to emergency vehicles, firefighters said.

Whether it's because of cell phone use, listening to the radio or being distracted while driving, some motorists pay no attention to ambulances and fail to pull to the right side of the road. Even if they are in the direct path of the fire engine.

"That's our biggest delay and frustration," Lemmon said.