Viewfinder: So What's Inside a Sammamish Fire Station (Well, Besides Firefighters and Trucks)?

It's easy to only notice fire trucks when their red lights are flashing and sirens wailing and when the heavy rescue vehicles are barreling to a scene.

Or you might notice firefighters when they're knocking down a blaze, providing medical help or standing outside your house, say, when you need them at 4 am.

So Sammamish Patch thought it would be interesting to drop by a fire station in Sammamish to see what life was like when things were calm or relatively so for a crew that can work shifts of 24 hours.

On a recent morning, Lt. Chris Loken and firefighters Ryan Hendricks and Cody Ramstad worked out of Eastside Fire & Rescue , located on Issaquah-Pine Lake Road Southeast.

They talked about their work - and the things the public might not realize they do. "We do the whole spectrum," Loken said. "If there's any kind of emergency call that doesn't require the police, we go."

For Eastside Fire & Rescue, that can mean fighting a suburban house fire. It also means being capable of battling a wildland blaze, performing a swift water rescue or responding to a hazardous material call.

When people's pipes break at their houses, Eastside firefighters often get the call. They also respond to industrial accidents and car wrecks. If necessary, especially in the wooded Eastside, crews will cut fallen trees that are a hazard. They've also served as electricians.

In 2008, Eastside Fire & Rescue firefighters raced to an area near Snoqualmie Pass and helped save two boys who were standing under an arch of ice when it collapsed.

Firefighters used saws to cut through blocks of ice to reach the boys.

If there's one intangible that firefighters try to bring to an emergency scene, Loken said, it is calmness. He should know: When you meet him, he's pretty calm.

When he responds to emergencies, he sits in the cab of the fire truck, reads computer dispatches and plans tactics to douse a blaze or accomplish any other task.

"People are having one of the worst days of their lives when they call us," Ramstad said.

That calmness helps. All three said they enjoy their work as firefighters.

Hendricks, who drives both the station's engine and medical aid truck, explained that Eastside firefighters can work a rotating shift of three days in a week. Each shift is 24 hours.

Since he's responsible for the heavy vehicles, he wanted to pass on one message to motorists: When you see the flashing lights, slow down and pull to the right.

"I will pass you on the left," he said. "Some people go to the left. Some people just lock up."

The three said that if there's a blaze, it can double in size every two minutes. So, minutes matter.

On this day, in a matter of three hours, the crew responded to two calls: One was a medical call, which was minor, and the other was a report of possibly a person or animal falling through an iced-over area of water.

These firefighters are members of the agency's technical rescue team. They suited up in their bunker gear - the heavy yellow fire coats and pants - and jumped inside Engine 83. 

As the truck raced to the snow-covered Carnation foothills, Ramstad began pulling out gear in case he had to go in.

It turned out to be a dog that needed help. Once Engine 83 arrived, that dog was safe. The crew turned around and headed back to Sammamish.

On the drive back, Ramstad talked about the teamwork that comes with being a firefighter.

"There's been times I've been on a call with Cody and we don't say a word," Hendricks said over Engine 83's internal radio system. "We know what the other will do."

It was around noon and the crew had returned to their station in Sammamish. They were hungry and went searching for food.

After that, they waited for another call for help. 

Editor's note: A team of Eastside Fire & Rescue firefighters will be participating in this Sunday's Scott Firefighter Stairclimb, which will be held at the Columbia Center in downtown Seattle.

More than 1,500 firefighters are expected at this event. It is a fundraiser that will benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Sammamish residents can drop off donations at any Eastside Fire & Rescue station. In Sammamish, the agency has three: Station 81, Station 82 and Station 83. A complete list of station addresses can be found on the agency's website.