I feel a little out of place here, because I'm not a firefighter -- although I have served my country in the Army.

One has to be of a certain age to remember the TV show "Emergency!", and there is no way of knowing just how many people went into firefighting and/or paramedic careers because of this show. In May of 2000, I had the pleasure to see one of the actual "Squad 51" vehicles at the City of Chicago's Firefighting Academy, as it was on its way to being donated to the Smithsonian. I have a handful of pictures of the squad, the Academy, and some of the CFD apparatus that was there. Here's a pic of the squad...