911 Whats Your Emergency?

SixPapaCharlie said:
How does one maintain their pipe?
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Wellll, most towns/cities have certain areas of town for that. It can be dangerous, ya know, pimps and diseases and stuff, and sometimes very expensive if you're real particular. Risk enters the equation if there's a sting operation going on. Nothing like having to call your wife to bail you out, and then seeing your mug splashed in the paper, along with all your neighbors, friends (if you have friends), boss etc seeing and knowing what you do. But they'll clean that pipe out for ya!
 
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I never would have thought to call 911 on a gas leak. Normally they are reported to the gas utility here.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I've had the opposite occur. Once we had a stove fire (the internal workings of the stove caught fire) but we killed the breaker and that put it out. We called the non-emergency number to get someone from the FD with FLIR out to make sure it was out. They sent EVERYONE. I was expecting one of those fire SUV's not 3 entire fire trucks!
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Fortunately, I think fire departments are usually not very busy. So if they have the capacity, they have to run the trucks so much anyway. Might as well get a chance to turn on the sirens. Plus if they actually are needed, they're there and could just as easily go to another fire if something more serious came up.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I never would have thought to call 911 on a gas leak. Normally they are reported to the gas utility here.
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I was really hesitant. We went to the gas company website and that was their advice:

leak.jpg
 
Sac Arrow said:
I never would have thought to call 911 on a gas leak. Normally they are reported to the gas utility here.
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Every time I've called a utility company, the first thing they say on the recorded line (before I get the "Press 1 for...") it says "If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak, hang up immediately and call 911."
 
Why do I anticipate the "As the Propeller Turns" hangar is going to have a gas leak or electrical fire?
 
Gas smell inside = get outside, call 911. They can call the utility for you and get FD on the way.

Gas smell outside = get outside, call 911 or the utility, or both.

--

KC had an incident where someone was electrocuted by a downed wire in a park. It happened about 2(?) years ago. There was a storm, or something, and a power line was knocked down by a broken tree branch. Someone called 911. Since nobody was hurt and there was no fire or other immediate emergency, 911 figured it was a utility problem and forwarded the info to the utility. Utility filed it in the pile of "things to do sometime today". Hours later, someone called again, 911 said it's already been reported. By the time the utility finally got around to rolling on it, there was a fatality. Now KC 911 operators are trained to get emergency services on scene AND call the utility.

I don't live in KC, I'm in a suburb, but I'm pretty sure any gas leak or other utility related 911 call gets FD on the way so they can see it first hand.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I never would have thought to call 911 on a gas leak. Normally they are reported to the gas utility here.
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A guy I used to work with was in his house when it blew up from a gas leak. He and his son got out with cuts and scrapes, but the house was knocked off its foundation and on fire. Gas leak started outside, under his driveway, from a broken connector on a buried gas line. Gas seeped under his driveway until it found an opening, got inside, and reached the pilot on the water heater. He and his 4 yo were watching TV in the opposite corner of the house.

Another time I was driving past a construction site where a backhoe had hit a gas line - there is a LOT of pressure inside those things, it was loud even from about a 50-100 yards away where I was driving.

Even thought that scent they add to it doesn't take very much for you to notice, don't mess around with gas.
 
Matthew said:
A guy I used to work with was in his house when it blew up from a gas leak. He and his son got out with cuts and scrapes, but the house was knocked off its foundation and on fire. Gas leak started outside, under his driveway, from a broken connector on a buried gas line. Gas seeped under his driveway until it found an opening, got inside, and reached the pilot on the water heater. He and his 4 yo were watching TV in the opposite corner of the house.

Another time I was driving past a construction site where a backhoe had hit a gas line - there is a LOT of pressure inside those things, it was loud even from about a 50-100 yards away where I was driving.

Even thought that scent they add to it doesn't take very much for you to notice, don't mess around with gas.
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I'm not suggesting one should do such. I guess that makes sense. You probably know that an entire block was leveled in San Bruno from a gas explosion about five years go.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I'm not suggesting one should do such. I guess that makes sense. You probably know that an entire block was leveled in San Bruno from a gas explosion about five years go.
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Even if you DO make all the calls, there's no guarantee it's going to help. About 3 years ago someone was killed in KC when a restaurant blew up. Crews were installing buried fiber cables, and nicked a gas line. They called 911 and the gas company. Gas company showed up, poked around trying to figure out where the leak was and nobody thought that the restaurant right there might want to know about it. By the time they were told to evacuate, the place blew up before everyone was out.


Interesting video - watch the left side of the image when a window across the street blows out.

Resulted in a pretty big fire, too:

 
Well, to be fair, if the lawn crew was running a zero turn or similar mower, they may not have noticed the engine guard scraping the gas meter as they were screaming by a few laps. However, the evidence left behind would be pretty difficult to deny responsibility. I'm not sure I would fire them over it unless you know for sure that they worked near it after the impact for long enough to notice it. If it was their last pass in the area, then who's to say they would have smelled anything?
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Fortunately, I think fire departments are usually not very busy. So if they have the capacity, they have to run the trucks so much anyway. Might as well get a chance to turn on the sirens. Plus if they actually are needed, they're there and could just as easily go to another fire if something more serious came up.
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They also have ventilation equipment which comes in handy for indoor gas leaks...
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I like this stuff called "Naval Jelly"
It is a rust remover. Am I okay to brush that on and then coat it with... (With what?)
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Naval jelly is okay if used properly. In industry we typically use a 2 part epoxy for coating. Even rattle canning it is better than nothing.
 
Anyone notice that it's ALWAYS someone else's fault when 6PC has something broken?

The FBO guy hit my plane, the mower broke my meter, the AC guy messed up my system, my passenger pulled the red handle, rolivi wouldn't get his slow ass Infiniti out of my lane.

Sheesh... It just never stops with this guy. :)

On a serious note: looking forward to seeing him at Osh this weekend.
 
rolivi said:
Anyone notice that it's ALWAYS someone else's fault when 6PC has something broken?

The FBO guy hit my plane, the mower broke my meter, the AC guy messed up my system, my passenger pulled the red handle, rolivi wouldn't get his slow ass Infiniti out of my lane.

Sheesh... It just never stops with this guy. :)

On a serious note: looking forward to seeing him at Osh this weekend.
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If he doesn't make it, it won't be his fault.
 
In my city the website says to call 911 for any utilities emergency. I came home once early evening to find the street bubbling water and looked for an after hours number to call...said call 911...while not an "emergency" seemed weird to make that call to 911. Dispatch called up the City on call guy and over they came.
 
Driving to Fayetteville, a few weeks ago, I passed a pickup with flames starting to shoot out from the hood. I promptly pulled over at a safe distance and called 911.

Ring...Ring...Ring...60 seconds....Ring...Ring...90 seconds...Ri.."911" - Not KIDDING

Me: "Yes, I'd like to report a truck on fire on 4..."

911: "Are you driving?"

Me: "No, I'm pu.."

911: "Are you having an emergency?"

Me: "I'm trying to report a truck on fire"

911: "That's not our concern, I'm transferring you to State Police"

Me: "Umm, Okay??"

Police: "State Police, Fort Smith District" in a Annoyed Tone

Me: " Yes sir, I'm reporting a truck on fire o...."

Police: "Already reported, officer should be there in the next 20 minutes" CLICK

WTF??????? I'm not in the middle of nowhere. I'm at most 2 miles outside the nearest sizable city. Thankfully everyone in the truck was safe and just worried about their stuff. I stayed until a off duty firefighter showed up a few minutes later. I told him what I had tried and the guy cussed some while he got his radio and reported the fire directly to the fire department. The guy thanked me for trying to report it and told me he had a truck finally coming. However, by this time the pickup was almost fully engulfed.

I wonder who p###ed in the local authorities cheerios.
 
The whole 911 confusion would have been avoided if the US just called it 'petrol' like the rest of the world.
 
This is what my utility says on its website. Of course you probably wouldn't be sitting at the computer looking up the website if you smelled natural gas.

Think you smell the rotten egg odor of natural gas? Get out now.
  • Leave windows and doors open or closed as they are
  • Don’t use phones, computers or other electronics
  • Don’t touch appliances or flip light switches. These can all cause static sparks.
After you’re away from the building, call 911 or our emergency number 800-694-8989 on a cell phone or from another location. Do not re-enter the building for any reason. Wait for us; we’ll be there, and we know what to do.
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I had a outside gas leak at the meter at another residence and I called the utility. The pipe had cracked because the ground was shifting due to bentonite soils. They came right away. I don't remember getting a lecture about not calling 911. That location was in suburbia so they had a FD. The one out here is volunteer so I'm not sure how good their response time is.
 
Clark1961 said:
That is bad information. Piping should be maintained.
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That's from the gas company. I wanted to paint the pipe to and from the meter and they were insistent that I dont. Code requires it to be corrosion protected where it crosses a wall, but the part that can be readily inspected can be left bare.
 
I was certified as a high-pressure gas distribution pipeline operator, and I can tell you the State inspectors wanted to see above-ground gas pipes painted.
 
asicer said:
Well, you could have said "gaseous" or "natural gas" instead of just "gas" :)
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I suggested "fart style gas" on FB when he was waiting with the cops. Haha.

Mtns2Skies said:
I've had the opposite occur. Once we had a stove fire (the internal workings of the stove caught fire) but we killed the breaker and that put it out. We called the non-emergency number to get someone from the FD with FLIR out to make sure it was out. They sent EVERYONE. I was expecting one of those fire SUV's not 3 entire fire trucks!
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The SUV is for the Chief. Chief "don't do" FLIR. Chief may also have to leave if something else pops up in the District. You're going to get a truck and a rescue usually for gas... Rescue for the ventilation gear, and the truck for a bunch of muscle to bring it all inside. All depends on what resources the dispatcher has available.

Getting the Chief is totally optional. In some districts if there's no requirement for a Chief triggered, Chiefs dispatch themselves. They listen to calls and "announce" to the dispatcher that "Chief 4 is also enroute".

So... You usually won't get an SUV unless the Chief was bored or wants to get up and out from doing paperwork. :)

rolivi said:
Anyone notice that it's ALWAYS someone else's fault when 6PC has something broken?

The FBO guy hit my plane, the mower broke my meter, the AC guy messed up my system, my passenger pulled the red handle, rolivi wouldn't get his slow ass Infiniti out of my lane.

Sheesh... It just never stops with this guy. :)

On a serious note: looking forward to seeing him at Osh this weekend.
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ROFL!

Everskyward said:
This is what my utility says on its website. Of course you probably wouldn't be sitting at the computer looking up the website if you smelled natural gas.


I had a outside gas leak at the meter at another residence and I called the utility. The pipe had cracked because the ground was shifting due to bentonite soils. They came right away. I don't remember getting a lecture about not calling 911. That location was in suburbia so they had a FD. The one out here is volunteer so I'm not sure how good their response time is.
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I loved the website. Get out now! But wait, read the rest of this long-assed page of crap first! Haha.

Rattlesnake has very good response times as do many volunteer departments. A number of the guys can roll directly to an address reported as long as someone has made it to the station(s) and rolled the gear and the truck. Most carry their turnouts in their personal vehicles. Since they're also handling Medical calls out here there is always someone on duty and within X timeframe from cranking out in a Bus... (Ambulance).

I got to party with some of them a month or so ago. Guess who doesn't pay any attention to burn bans or fireworks rules? Fire fighters! Makes for an awesome party! Hahaha.

"If we set your backyard on fire, whoever isn't drinking needs to go get the truck... Who's on duty tonight?" ... may or may not have been heard at said party. Hahaha. As was, "I hope the cops show up!" which may or may not have been said to the off-duty Deputy standing near the beer tap. Hahahaha.

Of course we don't much have natural gas lines out here. But propane tanks can do entertaining things. :)

One of my radio friends helps with their radios and what not, and got his firefighting badge. Took about two years. Lots of hours. He's pretty proud of the accomplishment.
 
weilke said:
That's from the gas company. I wanted to paint the pipe to and from the meter and they were insistent that I dont. Code requires it to be corrosion protected where it crosses a wall, but the part that can be readily inspected can be left bare.
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Someone was confused.
 
weilke said:
They are supposed to look that way. For some reason you are not allowed to clean and paint the black steel pipes that NG is delivered in.
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The gas utility here cleans and paints all the pipe to protect it from corrosion after they finish installing a meter.
 
denverpilot said:
I loved the website. Get out now! But wait, read the rest of this long-assed page of crap first! Haha.
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No kidding, I had to search a little to find that statement.

denverpilot said:
Of course we don't much have natural gas lines out here. But propane tanks can do entertaining things. :).
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I think I live in one of the few older subdivisions out here that has natural gas, which I'm happy about since I don't need to mess with propane refills.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
You already did. That's why you have the red handle.
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Yeah, but that's a lot of work pulling that thing. He has to put the flask down, open his eyes, reach up and then use muscle strength to pull it all the way down. Cirrus pilots can really only handle one task at a time. I like the auto-chute idea, though. Good thinking! :)
 
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