I'm amazed.

[480sparky]

Even though most fires that are blamed on electrical are not electrical at all, on the flip side it might scare people enough to give us more work for preventive electrical analysis. Have to look at the "BRIGHT SIDE":smile:

I've gotten more work from people who are afraid of gas..... they want to convert their home to all-electric. KaChing!

One couple was so terrified of natural gas that even after converting the house to electric and having the gas line disconnected and capped off, they still had me install a combustible gas detector.

 

[K8MHZ]

I've gotten more work from people who are afraid of gas..... they want to convert their home to all-electric. KaChing!

One couple was so terrified of natural gas that even after converting the house to electric and having the gas line disconnected and capped off, they still had me install a combustible gas detector.

Did they have a German Shepard?

 

[iaov]

I believe it has become so ingrained in people's minds fires are electrical, that firemen are looking for an electrical cause first, instead of being open minded about the cause.

Well put Pierre. I think too, when they have no clear cause, they say it must have been electrical.

 

[EBFD6]

As a firefighter I feel the need to comment here, as I have in the past, and defend firefighters.

The cause being determined as "Electrical" does not necessarily mean premise wiring. Appliances, extension cords, baseboard heaters etc. are all in the electrical category. Just because the paper states the cause as "Electrical" doesn't mean that the investigators report says that, it usually is more accurately described as to the origin and not just "Electrical". Don't take what is written in the paper as gospel.

Another issue I have with what may be written in the paper or on the news is the source of the information. Most times the reporter asks some firefighter on scene who shouldn't be (isn't qualified to) comment on origin and he states "Electrical". This is a discipline problem with in the fire department and spreads false information, because, as we all know, give the media one tid bit of info and they run with it. The only one who should ever comment on cause and origin is the fire investigator, everyone else should be giving the canned response that they beat into our brains at the academy "The cause of this fire is still under investigation and I am not able to comment at this time".

The morale of my story is, don't believe everything you read in the paper or hear on the news - firefighters aren't really as dumb as everyone thinks.

 

[mlp425]

Just look at it like free advertising. How many times do homeowners contract there electrical needs to the pros so their house doesn't have one of those "electrical fires" they read in yesterdays newspaper.

 

[480sparky]

.....The morale of my story is, don't believe everything you read in the paper or hear on the news ......

You just told us, but there's still millions out there who haven't gotten that message.

.....- firefighters aren't really as dumb as everyone thinks.

Again, I didn't start the thread to bash firefighters. It just irks me that the general public may come to view us as an inept and incompetent profession.

 

[luckyshadow]

WAIT ONE MINUTE !
Are you trying to tell me that there are other ways to start a fire?
BESIDES ELECTRIC ???

 

[iwire]

It just irks me that the general public may come to view us as an inept and incompetent profession.

Let it go

The general pubic already know that there are hacks and professionals in every profession.

Let your work speak for you and don't worry about what others work says about them. :smile:

 

[Karl H]

I'm surprised there aren't more Electrical fires. It seems that
everyone who walks into a Big Box store walks out a qualified electrician,
plumber,framer,etc.

 

[tonyou812]

well if the house is anything like some of the rental houses Ive come across I cant say im surprised. I turned down work about 3 weeks ago in a rental just because of the real bad electrical situations i saw. When I told the guy that he has some real problems he told me that he just wants me to fix some of the outlets that dont work on the third floor.

I told him no thanks than, im not interested in touching anything in that house. I dont want to be responsible for anything that could happen.

Its not my problem if people dont want to adress dangerous situations. I bring it to their attention and thats all I can do.
I have a couple of friends that are volouteer firefighters and they tell me that portable heaters and people not cleaning thier dryer vents are big catalysts for fires so I guess one could classifiy that as electrical fire.

 

[tonyou812]

Lets not forget that many electrical fires could have been precipitated by weekend warriors. And I sure we all come across these. ex. 30amp single pole for 14 wire, and the list can go on.

 

[wireguru]

they need to create two categories of electrical.

building - electrical for everything before the receptacle,
and occupant - electrical for everything after the receptacle.

I hate how someones cat knocks a heater over onto a pile of newspapers and its an 'electrical fire'

 

[tonyou812]

It should be a wake up call for many people that electrical work isnt quite like unclogging your drain or fixing a leaky faucet. \
so let them be classified as electrical fires. Fear sells !

 

[acrwc10]

I love this quote from the article,
It's been a rough year for the Rissmans. Jordan, 6, accidentally shot himself with a handgun in August while in the care of his grandmother. Sorry if it seems uncaring, but a loaded gun where a 6 year old can get to it is no accident, thank god he didn't kill himself.


Maybe the fire was started when Granny's bullet hit the gas line and stated a gas leak , bullet ricochets off gas line hits cable inside the wall causing arcing, when level of gas reaches arching wire house explodes into flames, "Electrical Fire".



.

 

[Minuteman]

they need to create two categories of electrical.

building - electrical for everything before the receptacle,
and occupant - electrical for everything after the receptacle.

I hate how someones cat knocks a heater over onto a pile of newspapers and its an 'electrical fire'

A Lady at our church plugged in a faulty cord for christmas lights today. The carpet caught on fire and she yelled, "Mike, come quick". I unplugged the cord and was able to stomp out the fire with my big feet.

Cause? Electrical.

The smoke was a neat special effect for our choir presentation.