Tri-C Live Fire Burn

When the phone rings from your mother at 8:30am; you answer it. When the phone rang Tuesday morning, I answered it like a good boy should.

"They are burning today!" my mother said rather loudly in my ear for being 8:30am.

On Lake road in Avon Lake, there was a house that was prepped for a live burn. My mother, God Bless her, has a keen eye for firemen, and when she saw apparatus heading into the house, she knew they were going to light a fire and let it burn.

She had been bugging me for week that they are burning it down and that I should call and see when. I called the ALFD, but didn't get a call back, so I was convinced they didn't want a snooping photographer on scene, and besides it is 8:30 on a Tuesday and my back was killing me.

But my curiosity got the best of me and I headed to the house. I knew exactly where it was, I knew where to park to stay out of the way. I was from Avon Lake. I walked on scene with a barely charged battery and a nearly full memory card and a pocket full of business cards. I wasn't prepared and that scared me. I walked up to the police officer on traffic duty, and he immediately asked if I was with the paper. No, just a snotty fire photographer looking for some fun. I asked if he was cool with me crossing and seeing if I was cool to come on scene. There was no way I could get photos from the street.

Thankfully the Chief let me come on scene. I told them who I was, what I do, and who I have worked with. When all else fails, drop the names of a few fire chief's that like you. Not only did they give me incredible access to their live burn for the Tri-C Fire Academy, but they gave me better access than the local paper. Where I was close enough at points I could touch the building, the local paper guy, who as it turns out is really cool, was stuck outside the command post with a short lens.

The safety officer took me around the building where he thought there might be great photo opportunities. The backside where they were doing roof ops, the front where they were coming out onto a flat roof. It was great access for a guy who just walked on scene, didn't know a single person in charge, but yet they seemed to trust me. They trusted me enough to hold the ladder for a trainee while they went up and down because they had to run and grab a tool for them and instruct them.

It was a great experience, and I hope they like the photos I sent them.