Horror, fatigue and constant calls: 24 hours with skid row’s firefighters

A man in tan cargo shorts is lying on the pavement, turning gray with his shirt pulled up to his chest.

An ambulance from Los Angeles Fire Department Station No. 9 shoots down an alley and comes to a stop. Firefighters Brian George and Nicolas Calkins pop out and grab an assortment of medical gear.

“It’s probably heroin, dude,” George says to Calkins, even before kneeling.