Sometimes laughter is the only way to get the gruesome and grotesque out of your mind. And for DeKalb firefighters and paramedics, that’s just what they have to do.

The DeKalb Fire Department consists of three stations located in different sections of the city. Each station serves its own area, but provides backup to others when needed. With a minimum of 12 staff members on a shift, these guys (and girl) are used to doing double-duty.

The fire department handles both the fire and ambulance calls, so many of the firefighters also are paramedics or emergency medical technicians. The ambulance is stocked not only with medical equipment standard in any ambulance, but also contains special compartments on the outside to house the fire gear for the ambulance team just in case the call changes.

Station One is the main firehouse and sits nestled just a few blocks north of the railroad tracks and Lincoln Highway on the far east side of DeKalb.

Station Two, the smallest fire station, is located on the opposite side of Seventh Street on the southeast side of town. The third station is located on the northwest side of town, just off of Annie Glidden Road. Station Three often is the busiest station, as it services the west end of town, including the NIU campus.

Julia Mattera, Bill Lynch and Lt. Greg Hoyle, the three staff members housed at Station Three, grabbed their gear, as well as a fire engine and an ambulance, and headed off to Gabel Hall on the afternoon of April 3 to visit the Child Development Lab’s preschool classroom. The 4- and 5-year-olds eagerly responded as the firefighters asked them what to call in an emergency (“9-1-1”) and what to do if their clothes caught on fire (“stop, drop and roll!”).

One child excitedly explained a story he had seen on television where there were people trapped in a burning building.

“And then the Power Rangers came and saved them,” the tot concluded, sparking a hint of laughter in the adults.

Younger students, however, didn’t take to “Firefighter Bill” crawling on the floor in his full gear, complete with the oxygen mask and flashing lights. Once the first one began screaming, a handful more began to wail and make their way to the back of the circle.

These firefighters were no strangers to that reaction, and that actually was part of the purpose of visiting the youngsters at the preschool. But this way, Mattera explained, the children won’t find the masks and helmets so scary in the event of an emergency.

The classroom visit wrapped up just in time as two calls came in a matter of minutes. Straight from the school, the three firefighters took on their role as paramedics as they rushed off to help with a medical emergency. With another ambulance out on another call, the firehouses were understaffed, prompting Lt. Eric Hicks to call off-duty workers.

Hicks explained that it was common for firefighters — who work a 24-hour shift, then have 48 hours off — to get called in on their first day off. The callbacks can keep reserves there anywhere from 10 minutes to a full day, Hicks said.

Once everyone is “in house,” or back at the home station, those called in are allowed to leave.

Back at Station One, dinnertime rolled around, and the firefighters met around a large kitchen table to eat. The crew pooled its money earlier in the day to buy the makings for the meal and later, as each had time, took turns preparing the meat or peeling the potatoes as they continued responding to calls, doing daily chores and exercising in the basement workout room.

Dinner was eaten in an upbeat mood as crew members told stories and kidded each other about their personal lives. The newest member of this shift, Ben Brower, took the most ribbing, but despite that, he enjoys his job.

“It’s a good job,” Brower said. “[It’s] not like having to sell your soul to the devil to get on MTV.”

As dinner concluded, Senior Firefighter Carl Froehlich made a final, lasting remark.

Froehlich said each guy at this table knows what happens out there, and all have been in the same situations.

“We joke around so we don’t think about it, so it doesn’t go home,” he said.