Three days ago I bought a rick of wood (that’s a 4×8 tightly stacked rectangle of corded wood for a fireplace or stove). I also bought a wire brush to clean my own flue. I am having seconds thoughts about not hiring Chimney Sweeps West. That evening, as I prepared dinner, I noticed some large trucks at the end of the road. I quickly dismissed them as moving trucks and realized they were fire trucks! Racing down the street to see which house was on fire, I counted 4 trucks and saw firemen on the roof. I figured the house was a goner but the next night the porch lights were on and the interior lights were on. Perhaps it was a flue fire. Today I got the story.
Sure enough, their flue caught on fire. Rural Metro turned on their meter to the tune of $1000 per hour per fire engine. They brought four engines on the assumption that this house was going to go up quickly. The fire was contained in the brickwork of the chimney. Dry chemicals were put down the chimney but could not stop the fire. The firemen went into their kitchen, got all their cooking flour, went onto the roof, and dropped the flour down the chimney. A fireball erupted from the chimney and extended 20 feet into the air burning the life out of the flue fire. In a dramatic light show, the house was saved…well…until Rural Metro puts a lien on it for their services.
I would think that a prudent homeowner living in Knox County would pay the R/M subscription fee so as to avoid the enormous costs incurred like that. It also merits a similar discount on homeowner insurance, so it comes out about even. Living in the city, you still pay for KFD, but it’s called city property taxes.
Smoke detector batteries nice and fresh? Tested them lately? Got fire extinguishers on every floor? Tested them lately? Does the whole family know exactly what to do and where to go if there is a fire in the middle of the night? During the day? Do the adults know basic first aid? CPR?
Having been both a paramedic and an insurance agent, I’m a pretty darn cautious person.
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That’s one of the reasons I live my (small-ish) town. City fire services. Ambulance too. I’m about 5 blocks from the fire station and about 8 from the hospital. I like it that way.
Oh, and my mail gets shoved through a slot in my door. Very nice.