Meals rotate on a per-man schedule, with no money exchanged. Some guys are actual cooks, others are hot-dog kinds of guys. Two meals a day, complete with kitchen and working appliances. There is plenty of food and conversation. With training and cleaning chores awaiting, there is also no rush to finish.
Smiles come easy, and the talk turns to the job.
Asprocolas is not only third generation, he also has two uncles and two cousins who have fought fires. It's a privilege to save someone. I took a lady out of a fire once, the guys met me at the door and I went over and sat on the curb. Everyone was still working around me, water and smoke and everything. It was the best feeling.