Tales of the 7th Battalion 6
Junk Yard Goat
One of the hazards of the job in the 7th Battalion was watch dogs. It seemed everybody was getting a German Shepard or a Pit Bull to protect their property. When responding to a junk yard fire you could be sure of an encounter with a junk yard dog. These dogs were the derelicts of the world. They were mean beyond reason and aggressive as hell. You had to be careful when moving about a salvage yard. If you had a charged red line you could roll these dogs up and keep them at bay. These dogs were clever. They loved to attack from the rear. If you were not being observant you were subject to being bitten. Most of these dogs could count, so if you moved in with a lot of Firefighters they would run behind an old car barking and wait to bite another day.
I remember a run we had to a junk yard in Engine 48s district. I believe Adrian Locke and Carl Anderson were riding the back of Ladder 13 that night. I was the company officer. Central office told us there was smoke coming from the location. It was dark that evening as we investigated the scene. We found a bunch of grease smeared good old boys burning the insulation off of a pile of electrical wire. They were drinking Red White and Blue beer. I called it in as smoke from an industrial operation. I heard something behind me. There was a clanking and clinking sound that was moving toward us. Looking up we saw an amazing sight. A scroungy, dirty, grease streaked Billy goat was bounding down a pile of wrecked automobiles. The sound we heard was his hooves hitting the metal of the roofs and fenders of the junk pile he was charging down. His eyes were blood shot and blazing with anger. He was headed our way.
Adrian said, "Lieutenant, we better get out of here."
I agreed but it was too late to run for the gate. We darted behind the good old boys. One of the men jumped up and caught the Billy goat by the horns as he charged by. The smell of the goat was awful. The goat was bleating and kicking when one of the other guys stood up and emptied his beer can on the goat’s back. That calmed Billy down. He started licking the beer off his coat. All the men were laughing. They were drunk and having fun. “This goat is better than any dog we ever had,” one of them told us. My crew and I headed for the gate. It was a strange encounter. It was a group of guys enjoying life and drinking beer with a goat. It was a night to remember down in the 7th Battalion.
"Fire Talk" Archives
- Benny the Hook
- Got To Love Texas
- The Fog of Retirement
- Two Tough Kids
- On Leaving the Department
- Cop Talk 3, Ceremony
- Putting it on the Line
- A Bond of Love
- God Will Protect Us
- Stealing Fires
- Poo Poo Pants
- Decoy Carver
- Firefighter's Road Trip
- Day Twenty-seven. Road Trip
- Down Mexico Way
- Zoo in the 7th
- A Gentle Landing
- Always a Firefighter
- Christmas at the Firehouse
- Harem Sacrum
- The Crow Who Spoke Polish
- Once a Firefighter always a Firefighter
- A Brotherhood
- Retiring a Hall of Fame Firefighter
- Anatomy of Forcible Entry
- 911
- Old Horses
- The Milk Wagon
- The Howling
- Tales of the Seventh Battalion 26, Destructo
- Memories of the 7th Battalion
- Running Mates
- Engine 32
- Last Alarm
- Tiger Stadium Fire
- To Moosenee and Back
- Memorial Day 2009
- Anatomy of a Fire at a Dangerous Building
- Tales of the Seventh Battalion 25, A Typical 7th Battalion Fire
- Boris the Talking Dog
- Wear and Tear
- Tales of the Seventh Battalion 24, Legends
- Axemen
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 23, Ankie
- Anatomy of a Dwelling Fire
- A Firefighter's Spring
- Input
- My Running Mate
- The Singing Fireman
- The Right Stuff
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 22, A Desperate Rescue
- 300 Spartans
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 21, Men Who Fight Bears
- At the End of His Rope
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 20, Wolf Warriors
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 19, Motorcycle Maniac
- Career Ending Injuries
- Detroit Loses One of Its Finest
- On Duty Injuries
- Unpractical Jokes
- Dedication in the Fire Service
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 18, Spare Parts
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 17, Passage to Hell
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 16, Gallant Warrior
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 15, Big Ones
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 14, Chicago Lil
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 13, Bridge Fires
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 12, Hot Stuff
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 11, Taco Wars
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 10, Day in Hell
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 9, Engine House Cat
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 8, Finding a Pen
- The Polish Squad
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 7, Wayne Soap
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 6, Junk Yard Goat
- The 1967 Riot in Detroit 3
- Department Legends
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 5, The Fonz
- The 1967 Riot (an entry from Tom Hart)
- The 1967 Detroit Riot
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 4, Howard
- The Buhl Building Fire
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 3, Engine 27
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 2, Roof Rescue
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 1, Explosion
- The worst 7th Battalion Fire
- Fire Incidents
- Beeler's Fog Monster
- Thoughts of a Retired Firefighter
- Dogs of the Realm
- Going to the Dogs
- Firefighter/Lawyer ?
- Moe Tales
- The Legend of Moe
- A POEM: When Brave Men Cry