A friend of mine worked at the Indian Island Fire station when I was growing up. One of the things I heard most from him was that nothing ever happened for them to respond to, what with few things on the island ever burning. The story went that they had to find things to do with their time. Much of it was spent walking around the firehouse holding the broom or playing video games, but they also set some time aside to plan for emergency situations. They perfected a maneuver and named it the “roke-tobu” after themselves (Roy, Keith, Tom & Buzz). This maneuver consisted of holding someone’s hand and patting it while assuring them that someone who has experience responding to emergencies would be there soon.

It makes me giggle every time I think of it.