Forged in Flames

Chapter 1

Lake County Emergency Services Training Center sat along the Wilman Canal heading into the Santee River. The facility had grown over the two decades since it was first built to fill almost four hundred acres. A joint effort between Lake County Fire department and Lake County Sheriff's office the facility included a shooting range, a k9 training area, and a driving track to one side of its central Administrations's building. On the other side, there were two burn buildings, one LP for controlled flames and one for live burns, a water rescue pond, the LP gas training tank, and the seven-story monstrosity known as the Tower. On the backside of the facility was the newest building, The Recruit Firehouse, an eight-bay fully functioning fire station built to house 32 recruits at a time

For its first two decades, the campus was only used for occasional training and hosting classes for volunteers provided by the state's fire academy. The state academy held the recruit training school on its own campus in Columbia. Growth in the state had made it so that one Academy couldn't support the need for recruit training and now Lake County's facility was being opened for the first time as a full-time training school.

Frankie Cassleman drove his new Dodge Charger through the front gates of the training center and continued past the pond and the tower towards the administration building. He pulled into the space near the Front entrance with a sign which read "RESERVED FOR TRAINING CENTER COMMANDER". He reached in the back of his car and grabbed his duffle bag, placed his sunglasses on, and walked towards the front door. As he walked into the lobby he stopped at the set of pictures adorning the wall across from the door, the banner above them reads "Always with us".

As Frankie stood there with his thought, a young woman with blonde hair, wrapped in a tight bun approached dressed in a Charleston County Uniform. She tapped him on his shoulder and waited for him to turn before holding out her hand. Frankie eyed her for a moment before taking her hand and shaking it.

"Captain Cassleman, I'm Lieutenant Frances with Charleston County, I look forward to working for you here."

Frankie nodded, "Frances, you're my Haz-Mat and Flag instructor correct."

She smiled, "Emergency Medical Technician too, sir. I got here early to set up my office and meet with you before the other instructors."

Frankie raised an eyebrow and started walking motioning for her to follow him, "You needed to meet with me before the other instructors got here, why?"

They turned a corner and came to the administration offices. As he walked through he regarded a bespectacled older man who sat at the receptionist desk typing something on his computer. He looked up momentarily and nodded at Frankie before returning to his work.

"Captain," Frances continued, "I need to discuss who's medical control are we teaching the recruits, we have several recruits from Charleston County and they need to know the rules for our agency."

Frankie opened the door to his new office and walked in sitting his bag down. There were several boxes that had been delivered courtesy of Wayne he assumed. He turned to the young instructor and gave her a cross look.

"Lieutenant we have seven agencies sending a total of 32 recruits for our first class. We are servicing five different medical jurisdictions. I have no problem with you discussing your medical control, but they will operate under Lake counties Medical control on calls and they need to understand their agencies will have different Medical control."

Frances frowned, "Captain Charleston County is sending ten recruits here, that's almost one third of this class and,".

Frankie cut her off, "And Lake County make up another third and the last twelve come from Berkeley, Dorchester, Georgetown, Beaufort and Colleton Counties, and we owe it to all of them to prepare them to go back to working in their counties."