Detroit Post-Bankruptcy The Men of Engine 41
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- by Charlie LeDuff
DETROIT - The firefighters of this metropolis are are buckling under the workload and it shows.
The Fourth of July weekend was an orgy of flame and mayhem: 140 fires, innumerable medical runs, the obese invalid needing extraction from a stale back bedroom.
Sunrise to sunset to sunrise again, the alarm bells in the firehouses across this city bray like a beaten mule. Always, the goddamned bell.
There is no good sleep in the early morning hours for the men here at Engine 41, located deep in the heart of the city's East Side. The bell won't allow it. They wear the fatigue like a mask of mud.
“When you have poverty, you have fire,” says Firefighter Wes Rawls, 41, a lean, 17-year-veteran as he scans the evening horizon for smoke. “And here, there's a lot of poverty.”
This firehouse - known as “Fort Rohns” - is located in the neighborhood where a mad man or mad men or mad women lost the lightning one recent evening, setting fire to 18 houses. The building across the street from the firehouse is abandoned. The house next door was destroyed by an arsonist as was the one next to that and the one next to that and so on to the expressway a mile up the road.
“People jumping power lines to get electricity. The wiring in the houses is shoddy. They don't have smoke detectors,” Rawls says. “There's that, and then there's the arsonists trying to outdo each other.”
For all the talk about the miracle comeback of downtown Detroit, there is little mentioned about the struggles of the city's neighborhoods where 600,000 people go all but unnoticed. The skeletal city services, the bankruptcy balanced on the backs of the people who serve them: the police and firefighters, many of whom are retiring or relocating to distant cities with higher pay and better benefits and far fewer fires.
Fires are slightly down in Detroit this year, but the workload has increased for the Detroit firefighter thanks to a new directive that requires them to respond to medical emergencies. In total, firefighters have responded to 16,000 emergency calls this year.
That being said, things are slowly, but perceptibly changing for the better, many firefighters say. Response times for medical emergencies and fires are down in Detroit, near the national standard of eight minutes. New bunker gear is on order. Boots no longer have holes and there is plenty of toilet paper and soap in the bathrooms. Older trucks and engines are being repaired when they used to rot in the shop. New rigs have been budgeted. The mayor has promised to hire 90 new men. The commissioner and the union are working together with a sense of common purpose. A deal for a small boost in pay and a pension sweetener is on the table. Arsonists are being arrested, and abandoned houses are being demolished. Money is going into the field instead of contractors' pockets.
“We've got a long way to go, but things are starting to turn around,” Rawls says. “No matter what, no matter how beat down we are, we're still coming. We're coming with everything we've got.”
And with that, the bell goes off and so do the men of Engine 41.
Would love to see a long form version of this.
I love this video. I can't wait to be come a Detroit firefighter, Work hard brothers. Stay strong
Awesome to see that you fulfilled your dream!
our fire guys have always been the cream of the crop regarding city workers. trustworthy/accountable/and always great in our communities. thanks to all of them, and of course thanks to you and Matt!
Charlie LeDuff and the city of Detroit; I'm routing for you. Compelling videos of a beautiful community who is proving their strength in the face of adversity and corruption. Very inspirational.
How do you not have your own show yet?
There have been many specials, but no one wants to do a show in Detroit because filming is too dangerous and there is no profit. You have to film on location because Detroit is such a unique city that you can't use a city like Toronto or Seattle or whatever to mimic it.
This is amazing
I can't wait to see what you guys are going to put out here in the near future.
People who save lives, one day I hope, get the recognition they deserve.
I do hope some of those men are still with the department, these 6 years later. They, and the rest of the department, the part not getting drunk on the job, represent the fighting spirit of Detroit.
Nice job charlie! Be nice to get some more documentries of these guys!
Charlie, can you please do a video on the recent shooting in Detroit involving children. With the police perspective.
I'll be patiently waiting...........
I have respect only for all of these insanely brave men, but the guy at 1:09, what he had to say really stuck with me.
The Americans with Charlie LeDuff Big fan of yours
+MesoCyclone That's so cool, we appreciate you watching.
Matt
Matt, this is the last time I'll hit you up about "the Shea show" idea, I don't want to be a pest. his best friend has passed thru hospice and probably in a better frame of mind. perhaps you can set something up with him now. I'm still adamant that this could be a compelling story for you and Charlie to take a look at. he's said he's willing. find him thru UA-cam. thanks for being the best.
+Michigan Mister Brother, I never got an email. Where did you send it? My apologies, but I never received anything to which you speak of.
I was commenting the info through your videos on the channel. probably not the best way to do it, but I can be a goof sometimes. the deal is this cat's been around for a long time purchasing not many homes in bad condition, but more overseeing the redevelopment for local/overseas investors. cool part is although completely amicable, his street smarts are completely engaging. he hires local street cats that he juggles to get a certain job done/mostly turned into rentals. tough areas to nice. so much more, but there's a story here. research "the Shea show" on UA-cam. he really likes Charlie and said he'd be open to it. he's a compelling character. main thing is he's good for the city, period. thanks for responding Matt! I'd also like to see you two look into this NED thing? peace
+Michigan Mister Ok, please, just email the info.
Matt
ENGINE 41 and all Detroit Firefighter besafe......🚒 2:16
I wanna see more of this!
you're the best
love the videos. are you working on the shootings?
Now do a ride-along with the po po!! Come on!
where can I get those boots
That's what I wanna know too
Can we get the full version ?
Just a taste for what's to come. Dd you read the words?
Matt
Great videos, but these boys need to clean their gear. Check out the colour of the visors and the cuffs of their jackets.
Thats the stuff that kills firefighters slowly and painfully. It's not cool!
They are beyond cleaning, they're scorched from being in so many fires. Normally those would be refurbished/replaced with spare parts, but with a bankrupt city and no department funds, who's gonna buy them new ones? They don't have the money. They just graduated from a pop can full of pennies hooked up to a fax machine as an alarm bell in the last 5 years,
Anyone who can tell me what music is used in the beggining in this clip 😊
I'll get ya. It's at the shop. I'll get back with you next week.
+Sammy Pettersson Third Night: Dark Electronic - Lucian Blomkamp
+The Americans with Charlie LeDuff is that song from some kind of production music ?
+Sammy Pettersson Yes, online music library that we pay for use. firstcom.com
Thank you soo much for the help !!