'Send 30 Firetrucks'

Robert J. Lopez, Garrett Therolf and Scott Gold: There was spaghetti on the stove at Fire Station 96 when the loudspeaker crackled. Right before dinner. Typical.

"Possible physical rescue," the dispatcher said. In firefighter-speak, it was a run-of-the-mill call that gets the emergency response rolling but usually translates into little more than a car wreck. The voice was cold, detached — numb from the job, perhaps, but also trained to keep emotion at bay.