Firefighter Billy Griffin's voice came over the radio: "Ladder 26 has been rear-ended."
And every Charlotte firefighter held his breath to hear what came next.
The firefighters were fine. The driver of the car that rear-ended them Saturday evening -- at an accident scene at Interstates 485 and 77 -- is, too.
But one of the department's newest 105-foot ladder trucks, which cost more than $350,000, is out of service.
Less than an hour later, it happened again, this time at Brookshire and Independence boulevards near uptown.
Another ladder truck parked at an accident. Another driver rear-ending it. Another valuable firefighting tool badly damaged.
"I mean, they hit the darn trucks," said a disgusted Capt. Jim Dedmon, who couldn't believe it. "These are big trucks with all the lights and buzzers going."
The Charlotte Fire Department has about a dozen ladder trucks, which number among their most valuable pieces of equipment. Ladder 26 is about 3 years old, Dedmon said, and Ladder 1 -- the second one hit -- is even newer.
"They can be repaired," Dedmon said, "but we're not talking an overnight deal."
In the meantime, the department will rely on backup trucks, but the ladders will be shorter, Dedmon said -- about 75 feet.
Every firefighter and paramedic in Charlotte knows what can happen in an accident like this. Two years ago, one of their own, paramedic Tim Hayes, lost his legs in a snow storm.
Since then, they've parked their trucks more as barriers. If it hadn't been for that, Dedmon said, something worse might have happened Saturday night.
"Give our guys a wide berth," he pleaded. "The Charlotte Fire Department -- we got hurt a little bit tonight."
