Blog: Hats Off to AFD! (Awesome Fire Department)

They could have laughed at me. Or rolled their eyes. Or humored me. Instead, the two who responded to my non-emergency call about smelling something burning actually listened to what I told them, then did some sniffing and investigating of their own. Even better, they found no fire in my house and even made me laugh. But both firefighters agreed: something was burning somewhere nearby.

“We call this smell ‘pot on stove,’” they said, likening the odor to what you might smell if a pot was left to smolder on a hot burner.

Good to know, thanks. My house wasn’t burning down, so I expected they’d return to their truck and head back to the firehouse. But no.

“We need to find out where it’s (the smell) coming from,” said one of the two Jims (they’d since introduced themselves).

And about 10-15 minutes later, they did. About four houses up the street, a different sort of backyard barbecue dinner apparently was the origin of the burning smell hovering between my living room and kitchen. The two Jims were even good enough to explain how the smell might have made its way inside my house.

I apologized for the “false alarm” but they reassured me I’d done right by calling and should do so again in similar circumstances. A bit of conversation ensued (don’t want to get anyone in trouble here – very professional, but fun and funny guys), and eventually they got into their big red truck and drove away.

But they left me with one of the best lines I’ve heard in years: before entering my house I warned them I had two dogs inside. When the dogs ran to the firefighters as they entered, they looked down, nonplussed. “Those aren’t dogs; those are slippers.” I’ve been chuckling ever since.