JO= Justina Ortiz F1,F2,F3= Firefigters CM= Chief Morgan
Kelly's pov: is the morning of the leadership conference and Stella decided to stay over last night so that I can help her more get some last-minute information about the conference. Right now we are heading down to her car to send her off to the conference I speak up
K= you got everything you need for the trip
S= I got every flaming hot snack they had at the grocery store plus a gallon of milk
K= good thinking
S= i'm surprised how not nervous I am you know I'm feeling very chill
K= that's great
S= yeah figured these leadership conference happen every year and you know plenty firefighters to buy them so ( Kelly starts to shut her back and up) wait I forgot to pack a phone charger
K= if you want me I can run back up
S= aspirin god what's wrong with me
K= I'm I'm sure they have
S= and earplugs oh I can't sleep in bunks without earplugs
K= Stella
S= I...oh hey my charger is right here ah and I did pack your plugs I knew OK and you know what they probably have aspirin at the conference. So don't worry about it
K= okay I won't
( They walk to the front of her car and Stella gets into the Driver seat)
S= yeah okay all right I'll call you tonight
K= you got this stella kidd ( they kiss)
I Watch a Stella drives away she's so cute by how nervous she said she is but I think she'll do amazing at the conference and show them all that she is better than all of them of course I miss her while she's gone but she will do great things and I can't wait to see her when she gets back once she is gone I head to work
Stella's pov: once I leave Kelly's please I feel a lot better and not super nervous like how I feel like I am inside just because he told me I got this. Couple hours later I live at the conference check-in area once I get myself checked in I look around and I only see one other female and she looks like she's like the boss so I go over and say hi
S= hi stella kidd firehouse 51 Chicago
JO= Justine Ortiz house 83 Pittsburgh
S= ah it looks like they're doing a killer job closing the gender gap huh
JO= what
S= oh we're the only two women here
JO= right I didn't know another female officer would be attending
S= oh I'm not an officer actually well right yet but
JO= huh I thought this was officers only
When she said that she walked away and I was as confused as ever now why am I the only One here that is not a lieutenant now I'm starting to get really nervous again because now I really have to prove myself that I belong here when everybody else has had the training and everything else. A couple hours later we all got lined up to start doing the first drill of the day and before we can get started the chief in charge yelled at me because I didn't have my gloves on so I had to run up the stairs with a hose which is fine and all but now I feel embarrassed because I'm only one that's not an officer. After a couple more hours of doing a lot more drills we decided to call it a day so I decide to get my car and called Kelly to check in on him and tell him about my day once I filled him in on my day he was surprised.
K= it sounds like you had a busy first day
S= I haven't won that many stairs since the Academy but it's all good and somehow making me a leader
K= so they say
S= yeah not to brag or anything but I'm pretty sure I had the fastest time
K= so it's going well then
S= Yeah totally the thing is there's this guy here from Colorado he's a wildland expert he just won a medal of valor and I was excited about the scuba class tomorrow because you know you got me ready for it but guess what some other guy here is he would jet former navy seal
K= so what
S= just not sure that I fit in with this crowd that's all and what's worse is that I just feel like I'm letting boden down because he picked me for this and I have no idea why ( She noticed Kelly is a little quiet on the other end of the phone) hello
K= yeah I'm still here I just don't know if you want advice or to vent
S= oh that's sweet after I snapped at you
K= I learn my lesson ( The bells go off). That's me
S= go get 'em hey Kelly real quick can you just tell me that I got this one more time ( he laughs)
K= you got this Stella Kidd
S= thank you
Once he hangs up the phone it helps me big time that he said that I got this so I go and grab me something to eat for the night and head back to the main place that we are at and start looking over more stuff to make sure I am prepared for tomorrow if they ever ask me anymore questions. The next day all the firefighters are lined up in front of the building that is on fire probably getting ready to go over a scenario that we're getting ready to do when the Chiefs speaks up
CM= be worn the fire is real with real consequences so gear up or go home. What are the qualities of a good leader well to name one a good leader is decisive this doesn't necessarily mean you have to arrive at a quick decision if you're the manager of Starbucks but as incident commander on the scene of a fully involved fire in an occupied structure time is a luxury. You don't have. Flames are going through both windows at still level a panic mother ones up to tell you that her babies in the back room and equip and her elderly mothers somewhere still in the house what do you do ( he starts looking at each firefighter down the line to see what they say)
F1= Umm
CM= next
F2= I would attack with an inch and three-quarter sir send a team to vent and start a primary search
CM= next
F3= if smoke is blowing up then I would
CM= next
S= I wouldn't send anyone in chief
CM= are you tell me you'd those people die
S= if flames are rolling out at still level like you said that means the temperature at the floor is 1000° unprotected civilians can only survive 300° for a minute so at that point it's a recovery it's not a rescue
CM= finally the correct answer
Once he said I answer that? I felt better but then I looked down and seen everybody's faces they were all shocked that I got that question right so that made me feel even way better that I got this. About an hour later we were setting up for another drill when the other female firefighter comes up to talk to me
J0= i've been meaning to say that was a real ballsy move The way you stood your ground at that no-win scenario
S= yeah thanks
CM= hope you all enjoyed chief Nevin's talk on station management this morning now back to the fun stuff. Will be before me zero visibility simulation with blacked out mask and live fire you all have been grouped together for days now I expect you've gotten to know each other well so I'll let you choose the incident leader for the first run
JO= I nominate Stella Kidd
F1= I second that
F2= third
CM= all right a good chief knows how to handle an ax and lay hose but also command the respect of those under him or her as incident leader you'll be responsible for getting your team in and out safely and I will be keeping time
S= copy that chief ( turns to the others) mask up
I was beyond shocked when the other female firefighter nominated me to be the incident commander first and then also to have two male firefighters back her up on it maybe I finally showed him that I am worthy of being here. So we do the zero visibility safely and I think I set the record time on it we also do a couple more drills throughout the rest of the day once we were done I head home and I can't wait to tell Kelly how well I did and how much it helped him telling me that I got this. Once I arrive home I get out of my car and within two seconds of me turning around he is standing right there waiting for me
K= welcome back
S= hi. ( they kiss) I have so much to tell you
K= thanks get better
S= oh yeah question never had a doubt
( they laugh and kiss again)
We grab my stuff from the back and head upstairs so I can tell him about my day once he opens the door he grabs my stuff from my hands
K= welcome back
S= you already said that
K= I know but I'm just glad you're back
S= well thanks I'm happy to be back
K= that's good how about I put your stuff in my room and you can sit down on the couch
S= I can take care of my own stuff
K= I know you can but I got this
S= yes sir ( they laugh)
Kelly drop my stuff off in his room and then goes to the fridge and grab some beers for us and comes to the couch
K= here you go
S= why thank you cheers
K= cheers (Kelly sit down on the couch) now give me your feet
S= okay here they are ( he takes off her shoes and socks and starts massaging her feet)
K= so tell me how did it go since I've talk to you
S= it turned out way better so thanks for telling me I got this because I think that really help me build my confidence again
K= you're so welcome so what happen
S= Well the chief in charge gave us all a scenario about the fire been out like a still level and a panic mother coming up to us and telling us that her baby is in a quiet and also her elderly mother's in the building somewhere like what would we do and guess what
K= what
S= I knew the right answer and nobody else did
K= way to go that's my girl
S= thanks so the next part is the funny part after I answer that question right
K= really what happen
S= well the next drill that we had to do that day was the zero visibility drill and one of us had to be like the incident commander and I was shocked by this but they nominated me to be the first one to be the incident commander on that scenario
K= that's amazing Stella I told you you got this
S= I know but I just lost my confidence the other day because I found out I was the only one there that was not an officer
K= see it doesn't matter if you're an office or not you show them that you can be a great leader and know the right answer to things so you show them
S= yes I did and thank you for massaging my feet I needed it after I beat the record of running up the stairs so many times
K= no problem but I bet you I still have the fastest time there at the leadership conference thing
S= whatever you say you're just afraid that I'm gonna beat you on time
K= not at all well I'm glad you had fun and it got better for you the second
S= me too is Matt still at work or is he at Molly's
K= I think he has a lot of captain stuff to do right now and he might go to molly's I don't know
S= so you're saying we got this place to ourselves
K= yes that's what I'm saying what's your plan and your little head Stella
S= That I can beat you to the shower
K= Game on
We run to the shower and I beat him to the shower but it didn't matter we have our fun since Matt not here
General pov: after all the firefighters were done at the leadership conference the chief in charge decided to give boden him a call And to let him know how Stella did at the conference
CB= chief Morgan I was just about to call you
CM= well I didn't want to leave you hanging Wallace after pushing through the only non-officer of the bunch I figured you must have big plans for Stella Kidd
CB= what do you think
CM= you were right she's got real potential
CB= and that is high praise indeed coming from you I've seen more crumble under your gaze
CM= well maybe I'm losing my touch
CB= somehow I doubt it thanks for the call
Authors note: Stella was a complete badass in this episode and showed everybody up at that conference. To be honest I feel like chief Boden and Kelly could've told her that this conference was for officers in the fire department and said they send her into it without knowing that part. I love that we got kelly sending Stella off to the conference and telling her that she's got this. I love that we got a phone call between them too and I love the ending scene when Stella comes home to him. Also does it look like that they are at Kelly's place and it seems like maybe she's moved back in tell me your opinion on this episode