Okay folks, this is just a little silly. In the past month two different folks have called me to tell me that there was either a fire somewhere or that there had been and now there was smoke somewhere it shouldn’t be.
First, thanks for the vote of confidence, BUT!
Don’t call me, or any other person you know to be a volunteer firefighter when there is an emergency situation. If there is a grass fire headed toward your property; house or barns, or if there is smoke inside your house for some odd reason call 911, don’t call someone on the fire department! 911 is the fastest way to get someone there to help you.
Okay if you just want to know if there is still a burn ban on, or if it’s a good idea to set off fireworks go ahead and call up your friend on the VFD. But if it is an emergency and you need help call 911! Calling a member of the department will not really get help there any faster. Calling them second might get them to the fire house ahead of the others.
Remember most real emergencies, medical, fire, or accident usually require more than one person and even specialized equipment like fire trucks or an AED and not every single person on the department can use ALL the equipment. If you call 911 and tell them what the problem is they can tell the local VFD faster than one of the members can call up everybody on the phone. Then we all go to the firehouse, get what we need and get to where ever we need to go.
And that brings me to another big problem. When you call 911 know where you are! Know where the problem is! If you call from a land line the address you are calling from shows up at the 911 office, but it helps if you also tell the dispatcher your address number and road. Then you can elaborate a bit and say it’s this or that color house with something noticeable (if anything) out front. If they ask you can give them simple, clear directions. You should have also told them exactly what the emergency is. Maybe you burnt that pot of beans and the house is full of smoke and all you need is a big fan to blow the smoke out. That’s fine. Make sure they know that’s what you need so they can tell the VFD. If your friend just fell down after complaining of a sudden pain in his left arm and stopped breathing, be sure they know that and be ready to do what they tell you to do.
However, if there’s smoke in your house or it’s on fire don’t even bother calling 911 until you and your family is out of the house! And don’t go back in! Use a cell phone or your neighbors phone and call 911 from OUTSIDE the house.
If you use a cell phone to call 911 about an emergency on the road or otherwise, be very sure you can tell them where you are. Preferably something like “Hwy 69 near the water tower just north of 513.” or “the water tower north of the river bridges.” Be as specific as you can. It’s very frustrating to be wandering up and down roads trying to find somebody who’s called for help when you’ve only been given a very general location like “somewhere on 513!” when the actual problem is at the fourth house east of 513 on 21whatever and THAT is actually closer to, say 2947 than to 513. See what I mean.
When you need help you almost always need it quick. So call 911 rather than an individual. After all it is entirely possible that all the volunteers on the VFD could be at work and/or out of town at the particular time you need help. If that happens and you only call your friend on the department then you are, as they say, S. O. L. But if you call 911, give them a good idea of the problem and an accurate address and/or good directions then one of the surrounding VFD’s can come help you. Or at least come looking for you if you don't give them an address or good directions.
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