L.A. SPEAK

Fire away--a selection of firefighter slang: bean pot: n . a kitchen fire caused by a cook’s mishap. “You could smell it was only a bean pot five blocks away.” blow and glow: n . the rig that brings light and air (for breathing tanks) to the scene of a fire. build a parking lot: v . to work a fire that burns a building to the ground. “Last night we built a parking lot in that mini-mall.” code 31: n . the penalty for being singled out in a newspaper photo, which is to buy ice cream for the rest of the crew. From Baskin-Robbins’ 31 flavors. Guccis: n . heavy, fire-retardant overpants that are central to a firefighter’s safety gear. “Grab your Guccis, there’s a brush fire up the canyon.” haz maniacs: n . the special crew that handles hazardous materials. “We had to call in the haz maniacs when the dry cleaners went up.” robomedic: n . A rookie paramedic who always goes by-the-book. “Tell that robomedic to lighten up!” Tillerator: n . The secondary driver seated in the rear of a hook-and-ladder rig--the tillerman--when he causes an accident. Derived from “The Terminator.” “Tillerator here slammed the curb and sideswiped a stop sign.