Chapter 30: Saving a Life

Jimmy set off on his patrol as usual. It was the final night of his shift, and he would soon be rotating to the day shift. This constant inversion of day and night had completely disrupted his biological clock; he barely slept during the day, and had he not made it a habit to rest immediately after returning to the station each morning, he likely would have suffered a nervous breakdown.

Shortly after Jimmy departed, he received a dispatch call: a house was on fire in the town of Carmack. An ambulance had already been dispatched, and police were needed on-site to maintain order. Jimmy checked his location and realized he was quite far away, so he responded directly, requesting that dispatch contact the Carmack Police Department to handle it themselves.

County deputies often played a secondary role, as the vast majority of incidents occurred within cities or towns that had their own police departments. The county sheriff's office acted more as a support force, handling cases that fell outside local jurisdictions. Tasks like maintaining order were easily managed by local officers, who were more familiar with the area and could quickly arrange for others to set up perimeter tape.

Jimmy had long passed the rookie stage and had no interest in rushing to the scene just to rack up experience. In truth, if it weren't for Noah’s diligent and responsible nature, they wouldn't have spent their initial training period patrolling the western suburbs of Little Rock. That had been done solely so Jimmy could gain experience quickly, as the area had a high volume of cases. They had even risked stepping on the toes of the Little Rock Police Department, given that the area was technically within city limits.

Jimmy cruised along the highway, aimless and unhurried. Despite the chill in the air, he kept his window cracked—a professional habit. Because the population density in the United States is low, vast stretches of land remain without villages or residents. If something were to happen in these remote areas, patrol officers might miss it. Of course, most officers preferred not to get involved; in such isolated environments, there were significant safety risks, and it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Jimmy, however, was the type to stay alert even when bored. If he could hear a plea for help, he could respond in time. Having spent eleven years in the rescue profession, he hadn't suddenly turned into a slacker after just a few months on the job.

Suddenly, Jimmy caught a familiar scent: the smell of burning wood. It was a fragrance he had encountered constantly over the past eleven years. Something nearby was on fire.

He scanned his surroundings but saw no obvious source of flames. He pulled over to gauge the wind direction and the drift of the smoke. Once confirmed, he drove toward the source. There were a few houses ahead, and he suspected the fire was there. With no visible flames, the house was likely smoldering from within.

Jimmy circled the houses, identified the target, and used his radio to report his location.

He activated his siren and the low-frequency warning tone, the rumbling bass shaking the surrounding residents awake. Lights flickered on in several rooms.

Jimmy first ran to the door of the neighbor living next to the burning house and urged them to get out immediately.

A man emerged from the house, and Jimmy asked, "Hi, is the house next door occupied?"

"Yes, Mr. Anderson lives there alone."

"Do you have a fire blanket? Or just give me a blanket."

Jimmy ran back to his patrol car, stripped off his gear, and grabbed a blanket from the neighbor. He rushed to a garden spigot, soaked the blanket and his own jacket until they were dripping wet, wrapped a wet cloth around his nose and mouth, and sprinted toward Anderson’s house.

He kicked the front door open and immediately ducked to the side. A cloud of smoke billowed out, but he saw no flames yet.

Calling out for "Mr. Anderson," Jimmy charged inside. Half of the living room carpet had been scorched, though the fire hadn't yet reached the entryway. The sofa and a cabinet, however, were already engulfed.

Jimmy quickly checked the sofa and floor to ensure no one was there, then bolted toward the back of the house; if someone were home, they would be sleeping in the bedroom at this hour.

He kicked open the two bedroom doors and found a middle-aged man lying on the bed. Even with the thick smoke filling the room, he hadn't stirred—something was definitely wrong.

Jimmy grabbed Mr. Anderson by the arms, draped the wet, dripping blanket over him, dragged him off the bed, and pulled him down the hallway and out of the house.

Once outside, Jimmy ran to the neighbor’s spigot to cool down his own clothing. Without the blanket to protect him, he had become quite scorched. While dousing himself with cold water risked a severe cold, it was better than suffering steam burns from the high-temperature vapor.

After a brief moment, he ran to his patrol car, reported the situation via radio, and requested a fire engine and an ambulance. He then returned to Mr. Anderson to perform a preliminary check.

Anderson was clearly intoxicated; the smell of alcohol intensified as his body temperature rose. He was still breathing and was extremely hot, but Jimmy couldn't remove his clothes yet—the air outside was freezing. A neighbor provided another dry blanket, and after removing Anderson’s soot-covered pajamas and wrapping him in the dry blanket, Jimmy finally let out a sigh of relief.

Entering a burning building without proper equipment was not something that happened often. Firefighters always wore full fire-resistant gear. This had been an emergency measure, and the duration was short; otherwise, the wet blanket could have caused serious harm, as the intense heat would vaporize the water, creating scalding steam.

Jimmy was well-trained. He had sized up the house, and the time taken to enter, find the man, and exit was well within the safety margin for such emergency measures.

The house continued to burn. The ambulance arrived before the fire truck. The paramedics checked Jimmy over—since he had run into the fire, they had to ensure he had no burns—and then rushed Mr. Anderson to the hospital, leaving Jimmy to wait for the fire department.

The fire truck took a while to arrive, as they were coming from far away. By the time they arrived, the house was essentially destroyed. The firefighters soaked the surrounding flammable areas and extinguished the smoldering remains to ensure no hidden embers remained. They packed up and left, noting that the bill would be mailed directly to Mr. Anderson.

Once Jimmy confirmed there were no further issues, he drove back to the station. His clothes were still damp, but fortunately, the car's heater was effective. Back at the station, Jimmy took a hot shower, changed into his own clothes, and finally lay down to rest.