r/Firefighting • u/AlaiaArcana • Jun 27 '25
General Discussion Called the fire department for gas smell, no leak. Am I fucked?
I'm not going to give any more information regarding this because I don't want to doxx myself, but I called the FD over a gas smell in the basement of my apartment. It's the laundry room and the boiler room is right next to it. FD shows up, no leak. Get yelled at by my dad for calling 911, he thinks I fucked up bad and that we're going to get in deep shit with the apartment or police. I didn't make a false call on purpose, I genuinely smelled gas and learned that I should always call to be safe rather than sorry. Did I fuck up?
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u/davidj911 Chaffeur/EMT Jun 27 '25
Better we show up and tell you your cat farted than find you dead.
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u/biffNicholson Jun 27 '25
Yep, years ago, when I lived in the city, I got home parked my car and it reeked like gas outside. I went into my basement. Nothing smelled out of the ordinary. But I called the gas company and told them. Somebody was there within about six minutes, guy came checked out my basement, then walked around the neighborhood. I woke up the next day and there was a crew in the house next to me. Apparently there was a gas leak in that house’s basement. It’s better to call.
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u/RevoltYesterday FT Career BC Jun 27 '25
There should be absolutely zero consequences for this. It's a good intent call. There will be no bill. There will be nothing bad coming from this. You're fine.
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u/King_Catfish Jun 27 '25
Only thing I could think of is op isn't telling us he's a frequent caller for calls that turn out to be nothing.
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u/Recovery_or_death Jun 27 '25
Respectfully, your dad is an idiot. Show him this comment.
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u/AlaiaArcana Jun 27 '25
I prefer living.
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u/Haunting_Trip_248 Jun 27 '25
I've been to many "why tf did you call us" calls, this would not be one of them.
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Jun 28 '25
[deleted]
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u/Farcryfan15 Jun 28 '25
This exact thing happened today lol only difference is the extremely strong odor of brining rubber and wires and heavy blue smoke was coming out of the vents inside the house so much so I started coughing.
called FD and everyone and the kitchen sink comes Because there was a likely working fire and my aunt is bed fast so there was also a entrapment.
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u/Fantastic_Bed8423 Jun 27 '25
No, please call 911 if you smell gas. Its ok if its end up being a false alarm, I would rather go check it and deem everything is 10-4 then someone smelling gas , not calling 911 and ending up going to same location for building explosion. You did the right thing.
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u/Correct-Ad-5312 Jun 27 '25
Ha! nerd, who uses codes
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u/Regayov Jun 27 '25
And they forgot the ‘K’.
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u/Accomplished-Suit595 Jun 27 '25
And…. Be advised. Also…. At this time
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u/jdubz3237 Jun 27 '25
my biggest pet peeve. if you’re keying the damn mic you don’t have to say “be advised” you’re literally advising us when you took the time to press the button and talk
also saying “obvious” working fire during an on scene report. if you just say working fire, that already implies that it’s obvious
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u/Accomplished-Suit595 Jun 27 '25
Also time stamped when you key up so they know it’s “at this time”
Preach! Haha
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u/Fantastic_Bed8423 Jun 27 '25
I started volunteering in a different area of the US and they corrupted me 😂
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u/AlaiaArcana Jun 27 '25
I think he's more worried about the company that owns the apartment getting on our ass for calling 911.
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u/salami_williams Jun 27 '25
THAT is suspicious. Normal property owners would be relieved in you reporting dangerous conditions that could threaten the life of you and other tenants… sounds like they’re trying to stay under the radar?
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u/AlaiaArcana Jun 27 '25
This apartment company is really bad. We have 2 elevators, one broke in November. It was only fixed 2 days ago. This is after multiple people called the city, for the record. The buildings are very old too. He's calmed down but I somewhat understand why he was pissed. I called without telling him and it's not unlike these guys to evict people for violating a nuisance ordnance.
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u/Successful-Growth827 Jun 27 '25
You guys gotta leave that place as soon as you can when you can. Sounds like a management company who's willing to skirt responsibility until they're finally forced to by code enforcement or another relative body. That usually never ends well for tenants.
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u/SquishyComet Volley Technical Rescue / Rescue Diver Jun 27 '25
the apartment people should be glad that you called instead of risking what could have been serious life and property damage. you did the right thing.
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u/spartankent Jun 27 '25
fuck that. It’s your rights as a tenant. You can’t get in trouble for thinking there’s an emergency... that’s why you call the guys in with the meters to see if there is an emergency. Seriously, don’t sweat it.
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u/Dramatic-Account2602 Jun 27 '25
That i cant help, but 911 has ZERO issue with legitimate concern. Also, assuming there is a floor drain in this area? Its always wise to pour about a gallon of water down these every few months. If the "p" trap dries out, sewer gas can creep by, and cause an odor similar to mercaptan, the stuff they put in natural gas to give it that odor!
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u/Fantastic_Bed8423 Jun 27 '25
When I rented , I don’t remember any clauses about calling 911 and it turning out to be a false alarm. But who knows landlords are freaking crazy
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u/National_Conflict609 Jun 27 '25
I would rather have tenants that looked out and took action than not
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u/Blackdog202 Jun 27 '25
Yes pls call, can also call gas company directly happens literally all the time… source gas guy.
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u/AragornTheDark Discount Lucas Device Jun 27 '25
You had reason to believe there was something wrong. You did the right thing. A good faith 911 call is not considered a false report or abuse of the 911 system. You have nothing to worry about from this
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u/spartankent Jun 27 '25
You know what, let me go further into this. We’re seriously way happier when you call and it’s nothing. Our gas meters detect Natural Gas and Carbon Monoxide... and I’m telling you we’d SERIOUSLY rather come out and tell you if there’s a leak in any gas or CO going on ahead of time. We’ve had both go HORRIBLY south from people not thinking clearly enough to call.
And listen to what everyone said. It’s good faith calls when you think there’s an emergency. It would be different if you called to say “There’s a house on fire across the street and I can see flames and little kids hanging from the windows” when there wasn’t anything going on. THAT’S how you’d get into trouble bc we’d be racing like hell to get there, risking accidents and loss of life.
There’s a major difference between those two calls. You did the right thing. And if your dad or the landlord tells you otherwise then it’s time to find a new place to live
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u/Puzzleheaded-Bag8314 Jun 27 '25
If you called the gas company they would tell you to hang up and call 911. You called the correct authority, odds are the apartment owner will never know let alone be billed for a hazmat call. Bottom line: you did the right thing.
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u/AvaHorsie volly ff Jun 27 '25
literally responded to a call exactly the same as this yesterday, better safe than sorry always!!!
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u/I_got_erased FF/EMT Jun 27 '25
Literally got a call about this exact same thing like 45 minutes ago. Had this happen 2 weeks ago. Had this happen 3 weeks ago. Happens like actually all the time don’t worry about it
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u/AlaiaArcana Jun 27 '25
This might literally have been me
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u/PerrinAyybara All Hazards Capt Obvious Jun 27 '25
I went to one yesterday, I'll probably go to one on OT tomorrow
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u/UnderdoneEgg Jun 27 '25
Call, better it be nothing than your basement filling with gas and blowing up the neighborhood. I’ve been to Plenty of these through the years. Few turn out to be anything but you’re not wrong to call.
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u/Lo_Van2U Jun 28 '25
You'll definitely need to move to another city. You're a marked man now. Move fast, only use cash, and never look back. God speed.
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u/Complete-Bass-9431 Jun 28 '25
You are perfectly fine, I run at least 4-5 of these calls a shift. Don't even sweat it
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u/Recent_Society5755 Jun 27 '25
my boyfriend was a firefighter for 14 years, and you are correct better safe than sorry and it’s a good thing if the smell dissipated that means there wasn’t an active leak, but I don’t understand why your dad is upset when you were being cautious and why do you think you were getting in trouble with the police department, etc.?
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u/herehear12 just a volunteer doing my best Jun 27 '25
Cops won’t do anything at all. Only time they start caring is once it becomes obvious that there’s no issue and the call keep coming. All responders rather get called and it turn into nothing then it be something and not get a call. If apartment management have issues they can kick rocks
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u/FireRescue3824 Jun 27 '25
There’s a difference between a false call “you were wrong”, and a false call “intentionally making a fake report”
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u/ttopsr Jun 27 '25
Boy, I wonder how much your dad would have yelled at you if the apartment blew up.
You did a good thing with good intent.
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u/PerrinAyybara All Hazards Capt Obvious Jun 27 '25
You can't doxx yourself with that info, every single major FD runs this call daily. All year long, sometimes multiple times a day
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u/RustyShackles69 Big Rescue Guy Jun 28 '25
Youre good. Give me your dad's number so I can clown him for telling you not to report a potential hazmat
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u/Spooksnav foyrfiter/ay-ee-em-tee Jun 28 '25
Absolutely not.
Unless you're grilling or cranking your hog (motorcycle), the smell of gas is never good.
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u/Di5cipl355 Jun 27 '25
If you had a genuine worry about the source of the smell and a potential leak, it wasn’t a “false call” and your dad shouldn’t be hounding you so hard. Also, unless there’s any specific local ordnance or anything, I don’t think your apartment complex could have any sort of legal recourse about calling 911 for a genuine life safety concern.
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u/Zajac19 Jun 27 '25
This happens multiple times a day we would rather you call then respond to a gas explosion and a family dead
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u/kgilf23 Jun 27 '25
My wife called 911 in the middle of the night because she woke up smelling gas while I was on duty. She debated calling 911 and thought about calling me first, but didn’t want to bother me or waste time because she knew I would tell her to call 911. As we talked about many times if there is an emergency put the kids in the car and greet the responders at the street. When she went out to greet the arriving Engine Company she saw the dead skunk in the middle of the road in front of our house. After I got done laughing I made sure to tell her I was proud of her for taking decisive action. Moral of the story, we’d rather you feel safe than sorry. You did the right thing.
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u/TheCamoTrooper Fire & First Response 🇨🇦 Jun 27 '25
This is what we’re for, if you think there could be an emergency we’ll either verify it’s safe or not. If you get in trouble with the apt building something sketchy is going on and need to report them
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u/abitmessy Jun 27 '25
I used to call about a gas smell around my back door (OF MY HOUSE) a couple times a year. They’d check around, even checked my basement. Never found anything. Until utilities upgrades were being made in the alley behind us and they discovered gas leaking thru the asphalt which was then probably gathering around my back door… no consequences ever unless you count feeling kinda dumb every time they didn’t find anything.
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u/TonySpangs508 Jun 27 '25
No you didn’t mess up at all. We go to calls all the time for gas smell and there’s no leak. We are paid to respond no matter what! You did the right thing.
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u/Gettsy Engineer Jun 27 '25
When this happens we literally leave and never think of the call again.
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u/Ingesting_Marijuana Firefighter / EMT Jun 28 '25
That’s a million dollar bill incoming.
All jokes aside, this is a free service from the fire department and you should never be scared to call them if you suspect something potentially catastrophic like a gas leak. Call anytime you want for anything you genuinely think is an emergency, don’t hesitate.
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u/the_narrow_road Jun 28 '25
Very common. Your dad is overreacting. Also, sewer gas gets mistaken for natural gas amongst people that can’t distinguish the two smells. Floor and sink drains can dry out and release sewer gas. Pour some water down all your drains. Don’t forget to check the basement and garage floors.
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u/Fireman12-25 Jun 28 '25
That is what the Fire Department is for. The volunteer department goes on several gas/co2 calls monthly. Great way for the Fire Department to build relationships with members of the community. Also a fantastic opportunity to make sure the house has working smoke detectors and set them up with new ones if needed. I would much rather respond to a legitimate false alarm than respond to a working house fire with entrapment. You didn’t mess up!
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u/Affectionate-Cash929 Jun 28 '25
You did nothing wrong. We get these all the time. Your apartment complex manager could give two shits.
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u/Photoboy82 Jun 28 '25
Did the same years ago. Thought I was being overly cautious. 4 apts above a store front that had sat empty for a few months.
Apparently, something had broken or was leaking in the basement. Another renter and myself were there and quickly discussed what to do.
Turned out the FD was able to get in and shut gs off to the building and called the gas company to come do their thing. According to the FD it was good we called as I guess things like this can escalate to a huge issue. The other renter and I were like, "we almost didn't call," figured the landlord would discover and fix it..
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u/WesternAssociate8019 Jun 28 '25
🥱🥱🥱 you’re fine. Fire department is required to respond. 2am toe pain, gas leak, tooth pain, cardiac arrest, GWS’s, wrapping a cord around your penis bc you identify as a women etc…we do it all hahaha and it’s an awesome job!
“Even though it isn’t an emergency to you, it’s an emergency to them, and kindness goes a long way in crisis”
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u/ShrubberyDragon Jun 27 '25
You're fine. We would rather you call and have it be nothing than not call and have something bad happen.
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u/Computationalerrors Jun 27 '25
Better to be vigilant about these things anyway, but no, nobody is gonna come tickle your feet tonight because you thought there was a gas leak and did what you were supposed to do.
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u/reeder301 Jun 27 '25
That's our job. You shouldn't get harassed from anyone. FD has already forgotten they went to your apartment.
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u/vastactionkalypso Jun 27 '25
If I had a penny for every one of these calls I’d be rich. Better to be safe than to have your apartment randomly explode. Don’t lose sleep over it.
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u/jujukamara Jun 27 '25
lol this is not a big deal at all. Happens so often I can’t even remember all the times. Your dad’s overreacting. You did the correct thing.
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u/bbrow93 Jun 27 '25
We go to tons of false alarms each day, any dept worth their salt won’t give you any flack, in fact they should praise you for being aware and acting swiftly. Now if you call every day… you may get spoken to, but that doesn’t sound like the case
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u/ThePureAxiom Jun 27 '25
No, you didn't fuck up. We'd certainly rather have you call in and it be nothing than to hesitate to call and have it turn into something bad.
Gas odor calls are relatively common, sometimes it's the genuine article, sometimes it isn't. Just a part of the job.
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u/Intrepid_Log92 Jun 27 '25
Not at all. That’s what your taxes pay for. Don’t ever feel bad for calling us
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u/Orgasmic_interlude Jun 27 '25
This is our erry day. I spent 1.5 hours this week chasing down carbon monoxide.
Unless you’re running an illegal meth Iab or doing something criminal we literally don’t care.
The majority of our calls are automatic fire alarms and 95% are bogus, another 4% are real but unconcerning.
We might be grumpy or bitchy about it but we’d rather you call them end up with a house fire or carbon monoxide poisoning/dead.
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u/neekogo Beardless Volley Jun 27 '25
Nah you're good. The only time we'd be annoyed is if you smelled something all day but only decided to call us at 2am. We'll still be there, just tired and wondering why you didn't call during normal human hours. Otherwise dont sweat it. It was a legitimate call that turned out to be unfounded. You didn't abuse anything
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Jun 27 '25
We run more false alarms than active emergencies, trust me it’s fine we’d much rather roll out for nothing than get called for an explosion, or carbon monoxide poisoning, tell your dad to chill out and whoever owns the apartment if they don’t want there tenets calling 911 they are willfully endangering lives…..they certainly wouldn’t want that to go public
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u/bdouble76 Jun 27 '25
This is pretty common place. Part of our job is to inspect this before it turns into disaster.
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u/spartankent Jun 27 '25
it’s not a problem at all. You didn’t fuck up. It’s better to have called and have us make sure that it’s nothing than the alternative. Let’s say you didn’t call and there was a gas leak, and you lit up a gas stove or something. Why risk it. We get false alarm calls for stuff like that ALL of the time. It’s no sweat.
Honestly, it’s better for us when it’s nothing because we get to leave sooner... especially in this heat. When there actually is gas, we have to ventilate the whole place, call the gas company and wait for them to come out... it’s a whole thing. So nah, no worries. Better to be safe than sorry.
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u/thepaa Jun 27 '25
I literally went on a call to a house this morning for a detector going off and nothing. They didn't smell gas. We still assured them it was right to call and we let them know their detectors were out of date. It's no big deal.
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u/paramagician Jun 27 '25
This is what 911 and the fire department exists for. Why would anyone get in trouble for using public services exactly as intended? And if your landlord somehow punishes your family for this, report their dumb asses to the city housing department and the fire marshal’s office.
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u/Puzzleheadedtroll Jun 27 '25
Dude. Like 65% of our calls (off the top of my head estimate I do not do math) or more are for "false" gas leaks. We don't mind going. We hop off the truck, wave around our lil sniffy wire thing and then say "hey we're good" or "yeah we're calling nyseg" and that's that. No issues. You did very much the right thing by calling. I'm sure your father didn't mean to shame you for calling 911 but don't let that stop you from calling again if you need us - even if it's a gas smell.
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u/Deplorable821 Jun 27 '25
Way better to call thinking there MIGHT be a gas leak rather than NOT call at all & the coroner has to show up. It’s not a misuse of 911 if you legitimately think something is wrong
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u/lImbus924 German VFF Jun 27 '25
I can say that in germany, we prefer you calling us one too many times rather than the other way round. If you call in good faith, noone is going to make fuzz about it.
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u/Drunk_PI Jun 27 '25
No, you did not fuck up.
Tell your dad that what you did was a good intent call and that no one is or should be making a big deal out of it, nor should you or your dad. You had legitimate concern that there was a gas leak because you smelled gas in the basement. You won't get in trouble with the police, and I imagine you won't get in trouble with your landlord since it's in their best interest that their property and residents are safe.
With all that said, never hesitate to call 911 if you feel something life-threatening. Gas leaks are not a joke. I'd rather grudgingly respond in the middle of the night for a gas leak where there is no leak because the homeowner thought they legitimately smelled something or the stove accidently was turned on or left on for some period of time versus responding to multiple unconscious people upgraded to a gas leak or - worse - the house explodes due to gas buildup.
Just enjoy your Friday night. Don't fret over this.
If there is retaliation from your landlord, go to r/legal.
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u/exbex Jun 27 '25
Had our co2 detector go off. Exited the house and called the FD. They came and walked through the house with a sensor and didn’t detect anything. I told them I was sorry to waste their time and they said that’s what they are there for. Pretty sure they’re rather go on a false alarm call them body removal call.
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u/ElectronicCountry839 Jun 27 '25
Lol. Absolutely not.
That's the whole point. Smell gas? Then call FD and/or gas company.
Weak smell isn't a huge issue, but it could be intermittent leak. You shouldn't ever smell gas if it's done right.
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u/hezuschristos Jun 27 '25
You did the right thing. Tell your dad not to worry. This is not a thing you/he/the building can get in trouble for. It happens all. The. Time.
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u/Freak_Engineer Jun 27 '25
Firefighter here. Your dad is an idiot. We'd rather have a bunch of false alarms than one guy/girl who doesn't call in out of fear that it might be one. As long as you haven't intentionally made a false call, nothing will happen to you (at least where I live, but I would be surprised if that rule was different where you live because that would be dumb). I say "well done!".
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u/firefighter26s Jun 27 '25
You'll be fine. A high percentage of the gas calls that we go to the source can't be found; even with various gas detectors we've bought over the years. The only time anyone gets into trouble is for chronic, repeat offenses. We're talking dozens upon dozens of calls; and those typically only apply to alarm bells as a result of a faulty system and a building owner who refuses to have the system repaired or serviced.
IMO, and nearly everyone will echo it, it is better to call us and we don't find anything than to not call us and the worst happens.
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u/hunglowbungalow Jun 27 '25
If you think there is an emergency, that is all you need to call 911.
Especially gas, that shit can turn south real quick
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u/Blind_Dad Edit to create your own flair Jun 27 '25
You're fine. We're here to check that stuff out.
For what it's worth, every time I've gone to a smell of gas in a laundry room that ended up being a false alarm, the smell was coming from the floor drain. There's a trap in them that holds water to prevent sewer gas from coming out. They often dry up and you just need to pour a couple cups of water down them
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u/Gruecifer Jun 27 '25
Not at all, your father is a twit. FD would far rather show for a suspicion of leak that turns out to not be such, than damage or fatalities because the suspicion was dismissed and things progress catastrophically.
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u/BigWhiteDog Retired Cal Fire FAE (engineer/officer) and local gov Captain Jun 27 '25
Better safe than dead. Tell dad to chill
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u/FrostyHoneyBun Industrial FF/EMT Jun 27 '25
Went to a gas call yesterday where somebody just left the stove on, don’t overthink it it’s a part of the job to do the little things. Definitely not going to get in trouble over something mundane. And definitely don’t worry about the FD
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u/Firefighter55 Career Truckman Jun 27 '25
Lmao if people got in trouble for making false calls about gas half my district would be in jail. People do it all the time better safe than sorry. Your dad’s a goof.
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u/Forward2Death I miss my Truck Jun 27 '25
Not a cop or a landlord, but I feel confident in speaking for the fire service: you're good with us.
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u/whitecinnamon911 Jun 27 '25
I’d rather you call and we find nothing, rather than get enough fumes to get to the lower explosive limit and your house go kaboom.
Also you can always call the non emergent line or call you local gas company direct. When my dept goes to any gas odor, whether we get reading or not, the gas company is immediately called onto respond as well
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u/Psyren1317 Jun 27 '25
Happens quite literally all the time. You're not in trouble with the fire department. Now, with your dad? Who knows. But you made the right decision. Better to have someone check and there be nothing than to be found dead later.
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u/Straight_Top_8884 Jun 27 '25
Brother I get ATLEAST one of these in a 48 hour shift. You’re good lol
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u/mij8907 Jun 27 '25
Don’t worry about it, you did the right thing
A false report with good intentions will not cause you an issue
It’s far better to get something potentially dangerous checked out than ignore it and find out it was serious when the apartment build blows up
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u/frogiveness Jun 27 '25
This same thing happened to me. They smelled it as well but found that there was no issue. The fire dude told me that it was probably coming from the floor drain because the water evaporated and told me to put some water in it once in a while
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u/flatpipes Jun 27 '25
So fucked not even funny, put your kidneys up sale on the dark web. Don’t even ask about the last guy that did this.
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u/Krumdaddy24 Jun 27 '25
Not trying to be a douche, but my take is coming from a large US department. Happens to me every day. The maximum consequence for this is that maybe one guy got woken up from his nap. Literally no fireman gives af. They may secretly be shitty if they’re the guy that got woken up, but you would never know. Always better safe than sorry. Never ever feel bad for calling, it is literally what we get paid for. Only time I’ll be shitty is if your medical “emergency” started at noon and you decided to call at 3am
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u/phantomest Jun 27 '25
Better to be safe than sorry. It’s our job to investigate. I’m glad it was nothing but if you think you need to call then you call. You did nothing illegal and you won’t face any repercussions.
Now with that being said I’m sure they talked massive shit about you afterwards, I know I would have. 😂😂
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u/nw342 EMS super god...probably Jun 27 '25
Dude...I've picked up the same 400lbs patient 8 times this week because "her foot was a little sore"....calling 911 for a possible gas leak is nothing. Please call again if you smell it.
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u/SwerveDaddyFish Jun 27 '25
We go on 100 gas leaks a month. We get a read on the meter for gas leak about 3 times per month. You're good
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u/Livid-Rutabaga Jun 28 '25
Why would you be in trouble? You thought there was something dangerous, you called for help, It turned out to be nothing, that's a good day. Happens all the time. Always be safe.
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u/dangforgotmyaccount previous intern Jun 28 '25 edited Jun 28 '25
Don’t really see what your dad is all worked up about. If you smelled gas, or what you thought was gas, then you call 911 or notify the appropriate authorities, especially the fire department. Ive gone many places before and smelled it and made sure to tell someone. Mostly with it being your place of residence, better safe than sorry, it’s what you pay taxes for. If it ends up being a lingering fart, big whoop. If its an actual leak, then you probably just saved your entire block.
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u/lump532 Career Company Officer and Paramedic Jun 28 '25
No consequences. Probably just a dry floor drain p-trap.
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u/BriGuy550 Jun 28 '25
Yep, you really screwed the pooch buddy. Hope you get a good roommate when they send you to Gitmo!!
People call for smells all the time. It’s totally normal.
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u/BobCrypt CFA (Aus) Jun 28 '25
You're fine. Better safe then sorry. We get these types of calls all the time, and even if its a false alarm 9 in 10 times, we'd still rather come every time.
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u/Horseface4190 Jun 28 '25
It's way better to call us and have it be nothing than blow up the building because of an unreported gas leak.
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u/reds87 Jun 28 '25
No you did the right thing we run this call all the time most of of the time it's nothing .every once in awhile we find legit leaks . Better safe then sorry . I can't think of a reason why the pd or apartment complex would have a problem with what you did
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u/OldDude1391 Jun 28 '25
Most awkward smell call I had was telling someone their house just stank. They had been away few days and called because of an odor of gas. We used the 4 gas monitor on the pumper and the BC vehicle had one as well. Both read 0 for everything except O2. Did not smell like dead critter either. Just smelled like old grease, cat shit, body oder and funk.
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u/Local_Loss_1757 Jun 28 '25
Lol this a daily occurrence in the fire service. You absolutely did not fuck up.
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u/Farcryfan15 Jun 28 '25
I feel like I should tell you from experience just today and several others I’ve had
today I had to call 911 myself for the first time ever and it was because heavy smoke was billowing from every vent inside our house and the smell of burning wires and rubber was observed
my aunt has dementia and is obviously bed fast so there was no way pf getting her out without some help FD from every department in surrounding areas show up because of both the extreme likely hood of a starting structure fire and the fact that there was a person trapped inside.
turned out it was something wrong with our AC/HVAC unit no fire (yet)
I did the right thing…and you did too just think of the grave consequences if I hadn’t called
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u/losswaffles Jun 28 '25
If it makes you feel better I’m a firefighter (volly only but still) and I called in a gas leak within my district. I could have sworn on a stack of bibles the smell was permeating the area maybe a whole block. They found no smell and no readings on any meter or any leak. It happens 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
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u/Madsmess2 Jun 28 '25
It’s better to be safe than sorry. Some people will brush this type of thing off and use a lighter and cause a fire/explosion, or they die in their sleep. It’s better to call when you’re alive, rather than having someone else call when you’re dead and having to call a DOA. You did the right thing, I promise.
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u/Infinite-Beautiful-1 Jun 28 '25
Your dad must be stupid… this is literally our job. I hate when people are blamed for being better safe than sorry. 80 percent of the gas leak calls we get aren’t serious or aren’t even gas leaks, but we would rather you call us and have us investigate, then it turn into a fatal incident. The police aren’t gonna get mad, neither is the apartment. If anything they should be appreciative that you are keeping an eye on the place for emergency situations.
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u/YeOleRustyHook Jun 28 '25
The police nor the FD could give a shit less about your call being a false You are totally fine. As many have said, those calls are dime a dozen. It’s always best to be safe than sorry.
I would recommend getting some gas detectors. Put one in your laundry room and then one in each bedroom.
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u/Educational-Buy9920 Jun 28 '25
You're fine. Smoke scares and Smell of gas are frequent calls. Dont worry about it.
If it makes you feel better get a CO alarm to put down there.
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u/Engine552 Jun 28 '25
If everyone that did this got arrested we’d have to build a prison the size of Rhode Island
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u/New-Carpet-3549 Jun 28 '25
It’s fine. Better to be safe than sorry with gas, CO, or wires down. I’d rather run an odor investigation than an EMS call any day….unless that odor investigation turns into an EMS call…..
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u/happyinheart Jun 28 '25
If it makes you feel better, the firefighters who responded have already forgotten about you and your house.
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u/998876655433221 Jun 28 '25
Your dad has some odd misconceptions about calling 911. You smelled natural gas and live in an apartment. You did the right thing
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u/Alone_Ad_8858 Jun 28 '25
Nah you’re good. We had a guy call 911 for a co2 leak. Dude was high on weed and maybe something else. Said the Co2 detector was going off so he tried to smacked it with a broom, ran outside and called 911. We go in see 3 holes around where the smoke detector should be on the ceiling. broom on the ground and a dresser pulled from a room so he could clime it and the smoke detector placed on the dresser with the battery removed.
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u/AbdulAhBlongatta L449 Jun 28 '25
Your dad is an idiot. This is what the department is there for. Better unfounded than found dead
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u/llcdrewtaylor Jun 28 '25
Not at all. ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry. Watch the news, there have been several house explosions this year caused gas leaks. The FD would much prefer to pull up, investigate, find nothing and clear. Probably a 10-15 call.
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u/domtheprophet Jun 28 '25
Lmao no.
It could have been something way more serious, so calling 911 over something you believe is a threat to your life will not have consequences.
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u/RedditMuzzledNonSimp Jun 28 '25
First thing I did when I moved into my house was pull the gas appliances and lines. Seen a few blown up houses and not gonna be gaslit into believing it is not dangerous and is safer than electric or oil. It's NOT cheaper either no matter how much liars twist the numbers.
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u/DBDIY4U Jun 29 '25
The answering service for our local utility company literally says if you suspect a gas leak to hang up and call 911. We get called out for stupid stuff all the time. Someone that honestly thinks that they might have a gas leak is not something stupid. The stupidest call so far this week was dispatched as a traumatic injury. Turns out, a lady in her 40s stubbed her little toe on a door jamb and broke it. She was perfectly capable of driving herself to the doctor but was acting hysterical and claiming she could not walk. Your dad is being dumb
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u/Informal_Counter8321 Jun 29 '25
I called 911 when I smelled gas outside my house. No leak was detected and I wasn’t in trouble/fined.
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u/Sun_fun_run Jun 29 '25
Unless you’re house is a complete disaster and inhabitable; which would lead the FD to report it, then no.
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u/Ok_Mountain4390 Jun 29 '25
No nothing will happen. You pay taxes for a reason. We fall under taxes. If it’s continuous, sure we might look into fines etc, but not in this scenario
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u/Amazing_Attitude_596 Jun 29 '25
You did not f up. If you smell gas or are worried, call. You can’t get in trouble for that. Better safe than sorry
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u/Emerald2122 Jun 29 '25
Your dad is not knowledgeable about such things 😂. Better to call it in and let the FD make that call.
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u/Business-Oil-5939 Jun 29 '25
This is a run of the mill call lol, no fuck up.
I don’t know why your dad is all upset, this could have been potentially serious.
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u/tacosmuggler99 Jun 27 '25
This happens literally all the time