r/Firefighting • u/Kevsterific • May 05 '25

Ask A Firefighter Did I waste the fire department’s time?

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I was out for a trail run and got to a clearing at the top of a big hill that I could look out and see off in the distance.

I saw a big flame about 1km away (as the crow flies)

I called the fire department to report and stressed that while it looked like a big flame I didn’t know exactly where (I was able to give a street name by looking at google maps). In hindsight I didn’t see any smoke accompanying it and I didn’t think to mention it.

The dispatcher said there’s something called a burn off (I think that’s the phrase he used) in the area, but I told him I didn’t know what that was or looked like.

He said they’d send someone over to check it out but I’m just worried either it wasn’t actually a fire a was seeing or it was the burn off the dispatcher mentioned and I just wasted their time on a false alarm

I took this picture after I hung up, I wish I had a way of showing them what I saw so they could better determine what I was calling about

391 Upvotes

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300

u/Chicken_Hairs AIC/AEMT May 05 '25

Amongst ourselves, we'll bitch about false alarms.

But you're not a firefighter, you don't know about burn-offs and all the other stuff in our area like we do, and deep down, we all know it.

If you're not sure, call. No matter what anybody says, it's our job.

147

u/jeremiahfelt Western NY FF/EMT May 05 '25

Not to mention...

"Oh no. I have to go for a ride in a fire engine. Let me disappoint my inner 8-year-old, who, despite thirteen years on the job, still finds himself grinning ear-to-ear because... I get to ride on a fire engine."

29

u/Chicken_Hairs AIC/AEMT May 05 '25

Seriously. I miss that left seat. Still fun.

18

u/yankcanuck Volunteer FF/EMT/HazMat May 05 '25

We may have to stop for ice cream on the way back.

4

u/I_Fap_2_Democracy CFA()volunteer()operational()1year()#hungouttodry() May 06 '25

We mainly utilise a tanker with seats on the back deck, no protection from rain or dust

24

u/Eatsbakedchicken May 05 '25

I’m a career guy in a big city and I don’t even know about burn off’s. We pretty much exclusively fight high rise fires so when it comes to wildland im pretty clueless. I forsure would’ve called this in if I was just walking by

14

u/Chicken_Hairs AIC/AEMT May 05 '25

Yup, industrial stuff. No facilities that do this in my RA, but next district over has one. The place actually calls the station to let them know they're doing a burn-off because they know 911 gets inundated every time.

0

u/Typical-Efficiency31 May 05 '25

I hate to break it to you but Ft. Lauderdale isn’t a big city hahaha

5

u/Eatsbakedchicken May 05 '25

I hate to break it to you but I don’t work for Ft. Lauderdale lol

1

u/Typical-Efficiency31 May 05 '25

Oh so you work somewhere even smaller?

1

u/Eatsbakedchicken May 05 '25

Check out a map of south Florida and do some deductive reasoning. Should be pretty easy unless you’re an absolute regard

2

u/giggitygoo123 May 06 '25

Do you know Canteen 26? If so, what's up

3

u/boatplumber May 05 '25

I was wondering where someone would identify as exclusively fighting high rise fires. Guys I know in a big city with the most highrise projects in their first due still have a mix of buildings. Super highrise or whatever you call that doesn't burn often enough for those guys to say they are fighting fire in them. In fact I have heard a guy from the middle of the city say every fire they got was a restaurant duct fire.

Fort Lauderdale makes a lot of sense.

1

u/JohnJimothyJones May 05 '25

Not a pitbull fan huh?

1

u/Chicken_Hairs AIC/AEMT May 06 '25

My RA is less than 12k.

Ft Lauderdale is plenty big to a lot of us. 😁

3

u/Caboose88nc May 05 '25

Exactly on point id say. Very dry and windy here in Midwest, also time of year that farmers are in fields planting. The tractors kick up dust that can be seen quite a ways and mistaken for a fire. That was my experience on a call today. Thank goodness it wasn't, definitely still be out there if it was.

-13

u/[deleted] May 05 '25

[deleted]

12

u/commissar0617 SPAAMFAA member May 05 '25

How is it cringe? It's absolutely true.

0

u/[deleted] May 05 '25

I got flamed

6

u/karasins May 05 '25

that looks like it went well

4

u/[deleted] May 05 '25

It didn’t

2

u/Chicken_Hairs AIC/AEMT May 05 '25

At least you seem Agreeable about it.