Sorry – We Don’t Do That

My last blog I touched on just a few extra services we provide to the community. Today I’m going to turn 180 degrees and touch on the myths of services that we do not provide, but everyone assumes we do.

Pet Rescue

Not sure how the fire service got started with this, but in the early ninety’s, I was sent out for a call to rescue a cat stuck in a tree. I was wanting to help the owner who was in tears and worried about her cat.  It had not come down from the tree for 24 hours.  Being very professional and polite I placed a ladder near the feline.  My first rescue was going to be “picture-perfect” with a possible public “atta-boy”. Everything was going smooth until I grabbed the cat.  The three pound cat turned into a spitting, hissing, furball with claws of fury. The cat was delivered safely to the owner, but I learned a very bloody lesson.  What a fiasco!  After this an ex-coworker questioned, “how many cat skeletons have I seen in a tree, they will come down eventually.”

We have been known to assist animals that are stuck on the ice or trapped where their lives could be in danger, such as the ducklings we saved the other day.  The caveat with this is that they never take precedence over human life or property conservation.  

Don’t be mistaken,  we will always do everything we possibly can to save animals during a house fire.

Pools

We do not fill pools or offer the equipment needed to connect to a hydrant.  Water is very costly and thanks to our friends in Detroit those rates continue to grow. There are several companies out there that can provide this service, although we have been known to assist with the filling of dunk tanks.

Water removal

Sorry we don’t remove water from flooded basements either. Some may joke that fire departments only fill basements!

Structure demolition

At least once a quarter I receive a call from someone who has a great deal for us. They want us to use their shed, garage, or home for fire training, letting us burn it to the ground. We did this once and found that this was not a great idea. Several times during the night we were dispatched to areas where hidden fires would show. We have and continue to accept homes that are about to be demolished for training, but never with the condition to burn it down. This practical training is invaluable.

These are just a few myths exposed and don’t ever believe the rumors of trying to rescue a five foot iguana or a prejudice parrot from a tree, they will be denied.