Emergency!!!

[Blues4Life]

Thought I'd share my little emergency of the day.

I had just chucked some lunch into the microwave and had settled back to watch Field Of Dream on tape when I heard a large bang and some other foreign sounds coming from the kitchen(I was home alone ) . I raced in to find my microwave on fire! After standing still in shock for 2 seconds I dialled 000 to find out what I should do to contain the fire. The conversation was something like this:

me: "I got a fire in my microwave what can I do?"
operator: "I can't advise you what to do. Do you need assistance?"
me: "Its only a small fire, should i switch off the power? Stay away from it or what?"
operator: "I can't advise you, I'll send assistance to your home."
me: "Fine"

I then went out the front and switched the power off at the main which duely terminated the fire since it was electrical. I was glad I hadn't completely panicked and thrown water over it because I'm fairly sure I would've been electrocuted. Anyway the fire department came and I told them the situation had been dealt with in the 5-10 minutes that it took them to get to my house. They weren't too happy and muttered something about false alarms and overreacting, which was perhaps true but if I just got some advice then it would've been fine. I dunno what the hell happened to cause the fire, the microwave is about 2 years old.

So that's my drama for the day Certainly gave me something to pass the time.

Anyway else got any to share?

 

[Jars458]

I am a fireman who's day was ruined by some peanut who set their microwave on fire andthen put it out but got me to come out anyway.

I had a great poker hand too.

 

[Blues4Life]

Originally posted by Jars458
I am a fireman who's day was ruined by some peanut who set their microwave on fire andthen put it out but got me to come out anyway.

I had a great poker hand too.

LOL yah, I'm still puzzled over how it started, I'm sure it's part of a large scale conspiracy against me.

Sorry bout your poker hand

 

[mandy]

Originally posted by Blues4Life
I was glad I hadn't completely panicked and thrown water over it because I'm fairly sure I would've been electrocuted.

......and don't throw water onto burning oil on the stove either. I learnt that the hard way.

 

[Mr. Snrub]

It's a bit weird that the operator "couldn't advise you" about anything - what happens if it's a real emergency and someone's life is at risk? Do they just get you to wait 15 minutes until the ambulance/fireys/cops arrive then too?

Just sounds like some dodgy wiring in the microwave otherwise...

 

[RooMatera]

Least you don't sound as dumb as me.
I left a chiko roll in the deep fry from about 4 hours. I was home alone to. I only went to the kitchen coz I heard a pretty large crash. I got to the family room where I could see the kitchen, the ceiling just collapsed on the ground on fire. Like you, I was stunned for a couple seconds, then raced over and pushed the deep fry off the bench to stop it burning the roof (flames were least a meter and a half high). Oil spilt all over the floor, along with the flames. In panic, I stamped the sh|t out. Major 3rd degree burns on my feet. Didn't feel a thing due to nerve ends being burnt aswell. In the end, I ended up grabbing the large keg of flour and smuthered flames in on kitchen floors/benchs with flour. Everyone was completely white. (oil fire, knowing not to use water)

Plastic surgery to my feet, skin grafts from my thighs.

Us men should steer clear of the kitchen.

 

[Blues4Life]

Originally posted by RooMatera
Us men should steer clear of the kitchen.

After today, I whole heartedly agree with you. It seems I can't even operate a microwave.

Why the operator couldn't tell me what to regarding the fire is a strange one. I spose they couldn't see what was going on and it would be too risky to give advice when I may have described the situation wrongly and end up getting myself killed through them giving me the wrong advice.

 

[BoroBoy]

Originally posted by RooMatera
Least you don't sound as dumb as me.
I left a chiko roll in the deep fry from about 4 hours. I was home alone to. I only went to the kitchen coz I heard a pretty large crash. I got to the family room where I could see the kitchen, the ceiling just collapsed on the ground on fire.

Sorry to hear about the chiko roll. You must have been starving after all that.

 

[evade28]

Originally posted by Blues4Life
After today, I whole heartedly agree with you. It seems I can't even operate a microwave.

Why the operator couldn't tell me what to regarding the fire is a strange one. I spose they couldn't see what was going on and it would be too risky to give advice when I may have described the situation wrongly and end up getting myself killed through them giving me the wrong advice.

i think thats bcos when u ring up youre supposed to ask for ambulance, fire, or police and emergency services. then they can tell you what to do.
or maybe theyve stopped bcos of legal reasons. if she tells you to do something and u get burnt maybe u can sue them or something.

 

[Mr X]

The inital 000 call is to a Call Centre (Intergraph??), the person who takes the inital call simply directs you to the correct service, rather than trying to solve the problem/assist.

It is things like this that will cost you in the future if Bracksy has his way. Big overreaction on your behalf, and a waste of emergency services time.

 

[dr nick]

Originally posted by Mr. Snrub
It's a bit weird that the operator "couldn't advise you" about anything - what happens if it's a real emergency and someone's life is at risk? Do they just get you to wait 15 minutes until the ambulance/fireys/cops arrive then too?

Just sounds like some dodgy wiring in the microwave otherwise...

they would be stupid to do that. they are not professionals, and if they make a mistake, they could be up against some heavy litigation. If they had thought that the water would maybe put the fire out, and our precious carlton fan had died, well the operator could be spending some time in the slammer (and have his/her career ruined)

 

[dr nick]

i've only had to ring 000 once when an old lady fell of the bus and slammed her head against the footpath. she was bleeding heavily from the lip and was going into shock.

the biggest accident ive had in the kitchen was when i put a tin of heinz spaghetti in boiling water... then 2-3 minutes later there was a massive explosion, and spaghetti strewn all over the roof, windows, dining room, everywhere. only the floor had been spared.

 

[BlueMark]

When I was a Ambo, we responded to a 'major hemmorrage from leg.' So we lit up the lights and siren, raced though the poring rain in peak hour Melb traffic, only to arrive and find? Distressed Person sitting in kitchen with a stubbed toe. Found it very hard to smile and be sweet to the patient. Moron

 

[Blues4Life]

Originally posted by Mr X
The inital 000 call is to a Call Centre (Intergraph??), the person who takes the inital call simply directs you to the correct service, rather than trying to solve the problem/assist.

It is things like this that will cost you in the future if Bracksy has his way. Big overreaction on your behalf, and a waste of emergency services time.

Not really an overreaction, I didn't mean for them to come out to my house, I just wanted to know what to do without my home burning down, something I didn't want to have to explain to my parents. Waste of time? Perhaps, but you weren't there and I really did fear the fire could get out of control quickly.

 

[Deestroy]

Ahh emergencies in the kitchen, got to love them.

Worst incident I've been involved in involved a cigarette lighter. Anyone know the trick where you take the cap off and wind it in a certain way to make the flame huge? Well I was about 10 at the time, and decided it would be a good trick. Problem was after a long period of this it gets rather hot, and the lighter caught itself on fire, not a good thing when it's filled with fuel.

I then dropped it on the floor because it was buring my hand, which then caught on fire. As a 10 year old watching the carpet burn was an interesting experiance.. At least I had the sense to run to the sink, fill a cup and tip the water on the flames. It put the fire out but left a rather large burn mark in the floor which would have got me in some serious trouble. My solution? pour a heap of cleaning products on it making the carpet a very off white color and then blaming the dog (telling my parents the dog had ****ed on the floor and I had just done a really poor job of cleaning it). Worked well enough.

 

[dr nick]

carpet in the kitchen?

 

[Yianni]

Originally posted by Blues4Life
Anyway else got any to share?

I was doing my radio show this morning and we got evacuated from the studio because there was a fire there!

We had to just run out of the studio. Luckily my friend Ewan put it on AutoDJ before he ran out so it wasn't all dead air!

 

[BomberGal]

Had a really vague week recently...

I was going out on the Friday night, and I decided I needed to wash a couple of things before I went. So I put a bit of water in the washing machine (NB: we have a manual machine), put the clothes in, and started washing. On my second load, I decided the water was too cold, so turned on the hot water, intending to come back in a second to turn it off, and then left the room and sat down at the computer. Completely forgot about my washing until about half an hour later. Anyhow, I was walking past the laundry, and I looked in, and the machine was overflowing with water. The adjacent sink was filling with water, the spinner had filled with water (and I had clothes in there, they were kind of just floating around!), and the floor was covered in water. Doh.

Not an emergency, but continuing my vagueness...I was also playing netball the next day, and was playing GS. I normally play GA, so I'm used to running out to the centre to get the centre pass. Anyway, after I'd got a goal, I went back up to the line (ie where the GA & WA stand), and when the whistle went, I ran out for the centre pass. I was the only one clear (obviously my opponent had stayed in her own area!) and I couldn't understand why they wouldn't pass to me! Teammates were hissing at me to get back, and I couldn't understand why, til I looked at my bib and realised I was actually GS and I was offside Everyone was laughing...me included...but the umpire didn't even pick it up!

 

[Blues4Life]

Originally posted by BomberGal
but the umpire didn't even pick it up!

Jeff Gieschen isn't in charge of the netball umps too is he?

 

[Deestroy]

Originally posted by nicko18
carpet in the kitchen?

Nah, hallway near the kitchen.

 

[lioness]

Originally posted by nicko18
carpet in the kitchen?

Don't laugh - our kitchen is carpeted. It's just flat kind of carpet not fluffy at all, it's just annoying if the dishwasher or fridge leak. It soaks up water but takes a while.

And before you ask, we're renting, so the kitchen carpet was not our idea. I asked a friend who's a carpet layer WHY the hell someone would want that in their kitchen and he said it can be cheaper than tiles.

go figure.

 

[Mr. Snrub]

I used to live in a place that had carpet in the bathroom (pretty fluffy carpet too). We tore it up pretty quickly, but that had more to do with the bath starting to leak...

 

[evade28]

Originally posted by Mr. Snrub
I used to live in a place that had carpet in the bathroom (pretty fluffy carpet too). We tore it up pretty quickly, but that had more to do with the bath starting to leak...

wouldnt it go all feral and mouldy from being damp all the time anyway (as in, if the bath wasnt leaking)?

 

[lioness]

Originally posted by Mr. Snrub
I used to live in a place that had carpet in the bathroom (pretty fluffy carpet too). We tore it up pretty quickly, but that had more to do with the bath starting to leak...

My sister shared a house years ago that had nice fluffy carpet all through the bathroom........ a strange idea for sure.

 

[Mr. Snrub]

Originally posted by evade28
wouldnt it go all feral and mouldy from being damp all the time anyway (as in, if the bath wasnt leaking)?

The flat was pretty new, so it wasn't too bad. But yeah, the mould was starting to set in underneath it even before the leak. Don't know which brilliant designer came up with that one - especially considering the bathroom carpet was nicer than the carpet in the rest of the flat..