whyknotzoidberg
605337
12731
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This is what remains of the gear of Kansas City Fire Captain Charley Cashen.
The fire occurred in a residence in a South Kansas City home.
Though a homeowner escaped safely, her grown daughter was trapped in the basement of the home and tragically died. Two family dogs also died in the fire.
Fire Capt. Charlie Cashen raced into a basement to search for Susan Herrera, 31, but soon found himself trapped by quickly spreading flames.
He sought refuge in a bathroom and put out a MAYDAY call before deciding to charge through a wall of flames (floor to ceiling) in an effort to escape.
Thankfully Captain survived with burns and is able to share the lesson learned.
Captain Charley Cashen's words on his escape.
"When I turned around and saw that wall of fire, I knew I was screwed. Because that was my only way out - I was in a bathroom - that was my only way out. I had to walk through that. I also knew - I was looking at the end right there. The pain - was enough, its what makes people jump out of 30 story buildings that kind of pain - and I had to go."
He tells the INCREDIBLE story of survival on ENGINE HOUSE TRAINING on a podcast here:
http://www.enginehousetraining.com/podcast-002-a-story-of-survival-with-kansas-city-fire-captain-charley-cashen/
If you are a fireman I highly recommend listening to it.
TheSecretPirate
FUCK you guys are amazing!!
SamwiseTheBrave922
What fucking asshole would down vote this?!? As a firefighters daughter, I have only respect for this chief.
lockwoodx
My firefighter buddy described that kind of pain once as taking high grit sandpaper to your skin and going to town. +1 for true heros.
Carmichael106
"Thankfully Captain survived with..." And imgur heaved a collective sigh of relief.
SomeHilariousUsername
What a BAMF
5guy
Fellow firefighter here. Much respect for captain cashen. This was all over firefighter fb pages. Glad he got a bigger audience
whyknotzoidberg
That was why I posted it. Stories like these need to be heard.
5guy
Thanks I really do appreciate seeing good press for our brothers and sisters
Dipityseren
Getting out was human instinct to survive & a clear head - running in there in the first place was unbelievably goddamn amazingly brave.
GondolaBandit
Serious respect.
soPhuckingGladIcameOnBoard
That helmet is enough to make me cringe, so happy to hear he survived.
Heisenbergerandfries
Glad to see he's not cashen out just yet.
htmwc
Man. That poor girl. Kudos to the fireman.
KarlNapf
How I admire these men.
GetToTheGate
A friend of mine knows the guy, says they call him burnt toast now. What a nickname!
merkin420
They should call him Burnt Face Man!
victarionheller777
Fucking badass.
Face0o
Had I been trapped in that bathroom, I probably would've sat on the floor of the tub, with the shower on crying like a little girl.
Luscus
He lived, that makes it a good day. From someone who worked with first responders, serious respect.
HeadWar
And there is only one thing we say to death. Not today.
CenturionDias
A lot of people don't know A) how hot a structure fire can really be, and B) how far from invincible the gear really makes you
DaneBrass
Giant. Fucking. Balls. And here I am at work, on Imgur...
zackofspades
I thought you said you work at Imgur and was about to inform you this new layout is hideous.
millertime89
Right?! Fuck...
Hellaciousness11
Lamb Fries
h20son1586
Hey, some of us sit on Imgur at work and leave when the need arises
katieb420
My thoughts exactly..
Robvp
I'm surprised he managed to get out carrying those massive balls
easteregg
When a man shows balls like this, they are now balls that can exist even if removed.
jitspoe
Wrecking balls. That's how.
MyNameIsWall
Sometimes, "I had a bad day at work" means, "I almost couldn't come home"
spiritussancto
for people who work emergency services, that phrase has a very different meaning than from someone who works in an office
DeltaLevelResponse
"Everyone comes come."
DeltaLevelResponse
RIP: 343
SugarSmack
This genuinely redefines "bad day of work" for me. I feel pretty petty looking at this and thinking about the work-BS I've complained about.
railgap
Thank you, fire-fighters, decent cops, and EMS. (for starters)
PianoMan2112
As a former EMT, thank you for including EMS.
railgap
my wife is a former EMT, my neighbor is currently... :)
andonRT
Wait. That's the equipment... and he SURVIVED? Damn, that's impressive.
CapnSparky
So, firemen out there, would it be weird for me (a 30 yr old straight guy) to bring cookies to the nearest station? They need a high 5.
ATXBadger117
Nope, not at all
Forge128
Not a firefighter myself, but have some in the family. Folks do this sort of thing sometimes, and while it's sometimes a little weird (1/2)
Forge128
It's *always* appreciated. If you call ahead of time, sometimes you can catch a bunch of the guys coming off duty, and field requests. (2/3)
Forge128
Last time I took requests, I brought in one six pack of beer, three 1 liter Cokes, one bucket KFC and some pretzels. We all hung and talked.
ssmud1
Nah, we love getting gifts. Someone dropped us off some nutella cupcakes once, they were the best.
CallMeRusty
Please do it and share the stories the firemen tell you...not the "most gruesome thing I ever saw," but rather their choice of story.
peaceloveandgraffiti
Damn, I've always had an immense fear of fire. This man, and all fire(wo)men, are truly heroes.
peaceloveandgraffiti
Also, my condolences to the lives lost. Animals included.
happohippo
"her grown daughter was trapped in the basement". I hope she got trapped there because of the fire.
AIRBORNEALLTHEWAY
She was the cause of the fire. O_O
SushiJaguar
I'm a cynic, so I'm inclined to believe her room was down there, and the top of her webpage history reads "imgur.com" past the charred bits.
SpectreArrow
Those are our real Superheroes
Leoxcr
It's not the fact he was able/unable to succeed in his deed but the fact he willed to risk his life and try it, that's why he's a hero.
TheBlasphemingTomatoGuy
It would still be cool if they could fly though...
cheechymofo
We are just regular dudes. We all go to work aiming to come home like everyone else. Doesn't always work that way though
HalloweenAintTillManana
Still though, Batman would be pretty fucking cool.
umpbumpfizz
We can't PROVE that a billionaire is fighting crime instead if committing it somewhere in the world this very moment.
tastyknees
I'm attracted to firefighters because they do sexy shit like save people's lives. Plus, suspenders are cute.
whyknotzoidberg
And the mustache?
SayWhatYouMeanMeanWhatYouSay
It takes a special kind of mustache though, mustache game has to be on Tom Selleck levels, no scruffy pencil thin stuff!
Leithoa
The kicker is there's nothing superhuman about them. We all possess the ability, but many lack the will or think they 'could never do that'.
AFelineMassofEyes
Or, perhaps they just don't want to die in a fire.
Leithoa
Firemen don't want to die in a fire either.
AFelineMassofEyes
We all possess the ability to work a fire extinguisher. But some of us have asthma, COPD, or just not enough muscle for the job.
Leithoa
A bit of hyperbole. Most people can put on muscle w/ the right guidance. Genetic ailments are another story.
AFelineMassofEyes
"A bit of hyperbole" is asserting the entire population can meet firefighting standards.
Leithoa
......That's what I said. I'm not expecting the parapalegic in 3B or Pappy who's on O2 and can't stand up w/o passing out to fight fires
Leithoa
2)You're mistaking my claim that it's a job 'anyone' could do for an attitude that denigrates their training and service. Don't do that.
nofateeric
No super powers. Gadgeteer is the word you're looking for.
NationalistCanadianMooseWarrior
Having the kind of shit it takes to do THAT is not normal. In my mind it truly is superhuman.
nofateeric
I think fucking brave and abnormal yes. But at the end of the day they r like Bats & Ironman, gadgeteers. Which makes them more badass.
Savagesquelsch
How are you -50 for this comment. My condolences.
nofateeric
Haha, I'm kinda pumped. Comic origins or not people should use words correctly.
ReptilianOverlord
Autism detected
azureraptor
Well-fried assburgers...
LadyKayrularya
Another tragic victim of vaccinations....
MrMineHeads
When will this end? Illuminati confirmed. Wake up, isreal
Shirtless
I live in Kansas city and dont know shit about this.. thats whack
Hybris51129
Olathe checking in we didn't hear jack shit about this hero.
ThaDoobiestOne
Shits wiggidy wack
CapnStinkypants
NKC here, this is the first I've heard of this. ..
mickielala
They can cover Gates BBQ in Independence burning down but not this? Sad day for KC
quiktrip
I'm still shaken up, the family goes to the same parish as I do. I drive past the giant hole where the house was every single day.
defytucks
Raymore checking in. I didn't hear anything about it either. But Damn it's nice to see fellow KC peeps
spunkgirl28
Ooo oooo me too!!!
Tinyotter
That's exactly what I'm thinking. It's so sad to hear about this from Imgur and no where else.. We're da best.
Boomquisha
Blue Springs here...never heard anything about it either!
missheevan
Anyone say Lenexa yet? Are we sure this is a real story? Surely it would have been on the news.
CrysisAvoided
816 Unite! We should start a Fund or something for the family member that lost everything.
barehandaflyingaidsrat
was this 816 or 913?
implicit989
Waldo here. I too didn't hear a out it.
aaronsgirl
KCK checking in. Have we confirmed 1) it's a true story and 2) it happened recently?
ThatsPermanent
Whack indeed.
OpenlesslyMindedClosedCellIndividual
Lee's Summit... Never heard this! Damn our local news coverage...
shanyoncanyon
Yeah, same. St. Joseph resident here. We usually hear major KC news. I feel like I should have some sort of inkling of this.
redsky33
Smithville checking in. Haven't heard a word about it.
nbruch42
i'm in independence and I hadn't heard any of this
IOnlyMadeThisAccountForNudes
Lawrence, KS, here. Not a damn word. This is heartbreaking.
mmmnougat
Hi Lawrence! I'm Lawrence, too!
barackaflockaflame
Brookside here... nothing. HI KC FRIENDS
iLikeBeerandSquirrels
I regularly watch the news, this was all that was on recently. You should read the story. Fucking incredible. Also, I live in Liberty
mmmnougat
Lawrence here. Not a peep.
celticgirl92
I'm from Kansas City as well...havent heard anything about this, how sad. This is what should be reported.
Shirtless
AGREEED... but it might snow this weekend.. thats more important right
helagos
They are predicting a 100% chance of precipitation for Saturday. Anywhere from 3 to 8 inches. I'm not ready for this kind of winter. :(
4O4UsernameNotFound
If I've learned anything from living in KC my whole life its that our meteorologists don't know whats gonna happen...
helagos
HaHa! That's too damn true! But this actually came from a national weather service via a weather app. But who knows!
PhillipCole
I'm a Kcfd firefighter & it was in the news for a couple days, including an interview he gave at the hospital.
punkinface
Also from KC... I had no clue about this. When did it happen?
quiktrip
January 5th I believe
punkinface
Thank you!
cgrant993
Shawnee checking in. First I have heard. So sorry for the family's loss.
IWouldLikeAPetGiraffePlease
Hello, neighbors!
Shirtless
Hi! So nice to see so many KS/MO people
TheGingerBeardMan
Hai
Jnoof
Me too. Did any of the news stations report on this?
Shirtless
I dont really watch local news but I feel like we would of caught a glimpse on FB or something if they did
Jnoof
Yes! We should've heard something about this. KC local news loves stories like this I'm shocked they didn't talk about it.
Pattimus
I heard about the fire a few weeks ago on fox 4 I think.. but they didn't say a word about this side of the story.
saaaraaabiii
Was just thinking the same thing... KC resident here.
helagos
I never knew there were so many KC Imgurians! Also, I didn't hear about this either. Talk about some shit reporting!
TheGingerBeardMan
We are everywhere!
helagos
There are dozens, DOZENS of us!
Reija
I'm in KC too, and heard nothing about this, which is a shame.
quiktrip
Happened in my neighborhood, emergency vehicles were there for a week. All news stations covered it, along with the Star.
TheGingerBeardMan
I remember hearing slim fast on the buzz play the sound clip of him making the mayday call. Chilling story.
DeadDak88
I always upvote 96.5
mickielala
Hello fellow buzz listener!
esgelrothion
I live in op and I hadn't heard either.
pyruvate
Johnson county!!!!
4O4UsernameNotFound
Overland Park and your damn I-435 road construction....
Shirtless
I live in OP too but KC sounds better haha
MrBriman
If I tell out of towners "OP," I then have to say "KC metro." started just saying KC.
Shirtless
Johnson county gets such a bad rep from the rest of KS but I think were just a wonderful bunch of people!
esgelrothion
Agreed. We're not all assholes, lol.
reed7742
Olathe
takeoffyourvestyoulooklikealaddin
Me too! *waves frantically at my screen*
pappytech
Obligatory "There are dozens of us! Dozens!"
pappytech
But seriously, OP guy here too. Haven't heard a thing about this, which is sad, because I'd love to see something on the news or papers.
thedayisbreaking
OP Bro's unite! I can't believe I hadn't heard about this, seems like something the local stations would love to pick up :/
grandcamels
There's more of us!
4O4UsernameNotFound
THERES DOZENS!!!
helagos
South OP, checking in! Hadn't heard a peep about this.
epilepticSquid
Hello brother
beechcraft11
Aw yis prairie village in the house
LesbianWieners
Hi OP, I too, am OP. I actually did hear about it, but it was on NPR. That's about the only news I listen to/trust these days.
SpaceHaze91
Thank GOD he's alive. My brother is a fire captain and I worry for him every day, every call. The boys are AWESOME!!!
Fuckweasel
Thank the trainers, the engineers who developed the protective gear he had on, the factory workers who assembled it, and his courage.
SpaceHaze91
Indeed! Don't forget those who came before him who did not make it and the lessons/techniques learned from those tragedies. *sigh*
Fuckweasel
They could never be forgotten, :)
SpaceHaze91
Dumb question, I'm sure, but are you a firefighter as well?
Fuckweasel
No
MexicaninQatar
Is a good thing that here in the US firemen are respected and (I think) well paid. In many latinamerican countries... is depressing
seshlife
while a rod keeps bringing in millions...
Keysersose
Not truth. Was on the job over 9 years. It's a job that's not very well liked by outsiders. Pay was ok, but public wants your job to sve txs
icookfoodandfightfire
The paid guys often don't make much but will make up for it with a lot of overtime and something life 80% are volunteers which means no pay
Bblaedzz
I get paid 25 dollars a call....at 150 to 200 calls a year. I don't do it for the money
KellyCrazyCatLadyinTraining
Thank you. Seriously- Thank you. T_T
Draesk
My father was a fire-fighter (UK). When they went on strike for better pay (getting below-inflation), they were spat on. Literally. :(
MexicaninQatar
man, i upvote this only cos you share it... but that totally sucks.
Draesk
I'm just glad he made it home after every shift and got to retire. Not everyone in that station did.
KateUptonsNipples
My dads a fireman for a power plant and generally isnt commended. Everyone calls them worthless until there's an actual emergency.
NationalistCanadianMooseWarrior
That's fucking ridiculous. Firemen are probably the people I have the highest respect for, out of pretty much everyone.
sworp
Brothers a fireman, In England there are constant cuts of the funding for the fire service and it's pretty disgraceful.
geriatricsanatore
Guess they forgot 1666.
MrBananaBeak
And the average salary is $43,000. Well under median.
whyknotzoidberg
Detroit starts fireman out at $29,000 per year. Underpaid and severely overworked.
accipiter
Can we make laws where billionaires are required to pay a certain amount to firefighters? Oh wait, that's taxes. Why're they paid so little?
SpiterMan
Billionaires? Pay taxes? Hahaha are you out of your fucking mind? :P
NothingButReposts
You think they have billions of dollars to pay taxes? Lol. Also you think the government spends smart? Lol
accipiter
Billionaires are above such things! They can't be bothered paying money for things like firefighters and schools!
codylishush
43,000 is not bad though, at least for one person.
DeltaLevelResponse
I am a volunteer FF here in my community. We go through a few years of training (+EMS) and don't never expect more than a "Thank you."
NationalistCanadianMooseWarrior
And a well deserved thank you it is.
DeltaLevelResponse
Your kind words are very much appreciated. Stay safe, my friends.
HarvesterZERO
Thank you!
physco
Former vol FF here, we rarely got thanks for anything we did. Luckily that wasn't the reasons for doing the job.
PastaSatan
As the daughter of a fire fighter, no, they're not well paid, under respected, and the first to go with budget cuts.
whyknotzoidberg
Roughly 70% of firemen in the US are volunteer.
5guy
Yup I'm very unsure where the myth is that all firefighters or even most at paid. Volunteers catch a lot of shit too for being vollies
YouAreNowBlinkingAndBreathingManuallyAndHaveTheSuddenUrgeToYawn
about time people put Kickstarter to its real societal use
uchronia
Kickstarter's only use here would be as Kick-politicians-in-the-the-teeth-until-they-fund-emergency-services-starter.
TheThingNoNotThatOne
Fine, you tell a small town to pay the 10-15 firefighters needed to pay them EMT salaries of $12/hour. That should only double their budgets
Deske
I did not know this. This makes me both happy and sad.
TheBootyJuice
A lot of the seniors at my high school volunteer for the fire department. It's pretty great.
h20son1586
Many are paid per call, however, many rural areas have firefighters scraping together from their own pockets to fill the truck after a run
whyknotzoidberg
I lump paid per call with volunteers only because the pay is typically small. My first station was PPC and we got paid around $100/quarter.
h20son1586
I'm a paid on call with a dept that runs almost 1000 calls per year, I don't want to take the glory away from the guys that do it for nothin
icookfoodandfightfire
As a volly I think the number is a little higher, but the sentiment is the same
whyknotzoidberg
Pretty spot on. http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/NFPA%20reports/Fire%20service%20statistics/osfdprofile.pdf
TheHypocrite
It works like this in most of the Europe as well. They are no less professionals however.
CatWithHands
And this why I think of Firemen more as modern day heroes, than I do Policemen.
causality
That is just one of an enormous number of good reasons.
CatWithHands
Granted.
idontknowyoufromadam
In Sweden it is about the same.
Salpinus
Wut? Here in Norway it's not (Small towns might be different).
idontknowyoufromadam
Yup, it's actually over 74% - about 4 000 professionals and 11 500 volunteers.
sneaker2
In Germany 97%+ are volunteers. (If you exclude company and army firefighters.)
someonefoundoutmyurlsoihadtochangeit
My cousin is a counter firefighter in the US. He absolutely loves it.
helagos
So... he counters the firefighters efforts to put out the fire?
someonefoundoutmyurlsoihadtochangeit
Yeah like a reverse firefighter! He resets everything on fire after it was put out. Sorry haha Volunteer* :)
helagos
Lol, it's ok. I was just having some fun with the mistake.
StarrryNight
That's criminal.
xkr73
What in the unholy fuck?!
pencilv3ster
Yeah only big cities and towns pay their firemen salaries. It's a shame really. I really can't say I know why it is that way.
blackletum
I'll never understand why we will pay our police but not our firemen.
FartedWhileMakingUpName
My town didn't have a police station but had a FD. Many small downs do it that way. A couple may be full time and the rest volunteer.
MrAwesomesauce101
Because in small towns they simply don't have the money to pay their fire fighters like inner city firefighters.
damspam
Not that I agree with it, but they pay for your training and give you experience. Lots of vollies used that experience for school or a job.
wilyweavile
Supply and Demand. Why pay for what you can get for free, particularly when small towns are already strapped for cash on education.
Butane9000
Technically we do pay them to a small degree and we cover their medical expenses.
MrAwesomesauce101
The training for them and gear is still paid for by the government. Volunteers are still great persons and Fire Fighters.
00Donut
Because most small towns/boroughs can get away with having 4 or 5 cops but there's no way you can fight a building fire with five people.
00Donut
So they would need to hire a whole bunch of firefighters and they just can't afford it. Source: I'm a volunteer FF/EMT
h20son1586
look into what EMT's are paid, then throw that into the mix...I know a lot of them that make less than $12/hr
Leithoa
Similar volunteer stats for EMTs
MexicaninQatar
Really? wow! Well that makes them even more... mmm, heroes! But they get money right?
TheUnsolicitedDuckPic
Few towns pay mileage but that's it
icookfoodandfightfire
Nope, closest thing is a $200 tax rebate each year but aside from that, completely unpaid
Hyperialz
Some Volunteer departments pay 5$ per call like we do here in Haslet.
[deleted]
[deleted]
Hyperialz
yessir
SugarSmack
They are paid solely in pussy.
TheLittleBear
find em hot leave em wet.
sudafedsuds
Volunteer Firefighters, of which I was one before joining the military, do not get paid. We do it because we want to.
Luthasox
A god amongst men, sir
HowDoIInternet
There are crazy tax benefits though right..?
Bananabreadbowl
If people are volunteering for the benefits, they're doing i for the wrong reason.
OriginalSandman
gives a rush. Personally I don't think anyone should ever become one for money.
wilyweavile
There's been a push for it lately, at least in New York but to the best of my knowledge, no.
OriginalSandman
If there are then I'm not getting any nor is anyone else I know. People do it either because they feel the call to serve and/or because it
sudafedsuds
No. We do it just for the community.