THE “NOT SO EVERYDAY” CALL
BY JERRY NAYLIS, MEMBER AND FORMER CHIEF, BERGENFIELD (NJ) FIRE DEPARTMENT
Editor`s note: This new, quick-hitting column focuses on lessons learned in both typical and not-so-typical fire department operations. We seek your input. Send a brief description of your incident, including lessons learned, and any photos or illustrations, to Fire Engineering. Remember, it doesn`t have to be the “job of the century” to learn a valuable lesson (or lessons).
On an evening in June 1994, the Bergenfield (NJ) Fire Department was dispatched to a residence for a report of something burning in an oven. While en route, firefighters received two messages from the police dispatcher: The first was that the owner of the dwelling had called back and said the fire was out. The second was the relay of a radio communication from the first-arriving police officer that no fire was visible but there was a light haze of smoke in the house.
On the surface, this appeared to responding firefighters to be a typical cooking-related fire incident. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Fire department policy requires all firefighters to don and use SCBA until such time as it has been established that an atmosphere no longer presents a danger to firefighters. Such was the case at this call.
The first-arriving engine company ascertained that indeed no visible flames were in the oven. Smoke ejectors were quickly set up to vent the light smoke condition present on the second floor of the house.
Meanwhile, information was gathered from the homeowner to complete the fire incident report. It was learned that the owner had just purchased the house and had lit the oven to warm up some food. No one from the owner`s family had put anything into the oven, and he felt that there might be some type of problem or malfunction–thus his call to the fire department.
But what the firefighters found inside the oven startled them. Apparently, the previous owner had put an ingestible rodent poison into a small plastic container and inserted it into the oven. When the new owner turned the oven on to preheat it, the plastic dish containing the poison began to produce a large quantity of smoke.
Fortunately, the firefighters had used their SCBA while responding to this “run of the mill” incident, preventing their exposure to the toxins present in the heated rodent poison.
Two valuable lessons were reinforced: First, even the most typical incidents can yield unique and unusual results. Firefighters cannot afford to take anything for granted, no matter how “routine” the call. Second, SCBA are needed and should be used for ALL calls.
