Putting off a fire
Yesterday was a weird day, here in "paradise".
Indeed, this title isn't any clickbait. I had to really put off a fire!!!
After sleeping this all over, I believe we had a lot of luck.
Firstly, I came outside our house for no obvious reason and I heard that specific cracking sound that fire creates.
Secondly, there was a wind blowing, but at the opposite direction of our house. Still, the fire was closing in...
I took that photo below, in fact, after the fire was practically put off. No more photos of this unlucky event, as I was too busy panicking, extending our garden hoses to reach the flames and... sorry... yelling at my partner asking her to do things that aren't typical for her at all :)
While doing all those, I also placed a call to 112, that's the unified emergency phone number for all the countries in the European Union.
The call felt like an inquiry.
Actually no, that isn't the best word. It felt like an interrogation!
I was asked questions as "How big is the fire", "What is the area", "How strong is the wind". I was also asked to describe the place and how to get to it, two or three times. I've been asked for my names as well. That's all probably a standard procedure to eliminate false alerts but to me it felt it's taking too long and at the same time I was watching the flames getting bigger and spreading wider and visually approaching that other house above.
The firefighters arrived in about 15 minutes and I was really grateful for that as their station is located more than 10 km aways from us and they have to drive through the nearby city, with traffic, as the station is at the other side of the city... So, the response time was great, after all, I think.
One of them firefighters came to me to ask me what could have started the fire.
I was pretty sure it has been caused by the big tractor ploughing the field just next to the fire, probably a sparkle or droplets of hot machine oil. I have no precise idea but this has happened before already, several years ago, in the same way. Some agricultural machinery doing something and then after few minutes, the dry grass in the wild area separating the houses from the field, is on fire...
Anyway. I have to admit, I understand why someone would become a firefighter. Isn't that of the most common young boys' dream? To became a firefighter, or an astronaut, or a cosmonaut, as called in the different counties...
It may not look like anything huge from the photo, but there was a risk a few houses to catch fire and then... the event finds its way to the national news, God forbid. The adrenaline rush during and after... they make you feel alive. Or more alive if there is such phrase...
Here comes my big thank you to that small team of firefighters. I know they are generally not paid well but they do great work. This summer was awful. Too hot for too long, with massive wild fires, many people lost their lives and homes...
Stay strong and stay safe!
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Here is an uncomplete list of some of my equipment I use on a regular basis:
| Cameras | |
|---|---|
| Canon EOS 5D Mark III | |
| Canon EOS M5 | |
| Canon EOS 550D | |
| Lenses | |
| Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM | |
| Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM | |
| Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM | |
| Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM | |
| Canon EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM | |
| Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM | |
| Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 | |
| 7artisans 35mm f/1.2 | |
| Strobes | Dynaphos Speedster |
| Flashes | Metz |
| Tripods and Mono-pods | Manfrotto |
| Benro |
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Upvoted! Thank you for supporting witness @jswit.
I think we've seen too many American movies featuring firefighters. My idea of them is definitely very different from what you are telling. Especially this - there's a fire, a call comes in, the fire engine starts and comes. It's that simple.
I had to call this number 112 once and the questioning was so long that the person I was calling there for had regained consciousness in the meantime and no longer needed any ambulance.
In Bulgaria, we really suffer because of outdated equipment and low pay, but we forget that in other countries firefighters are volunteers, I have been once in contact with such and there are no more kind and humane people than them. Of course, in other countries, not here.
I'm curious how you feel after what you've been through. Are you going to start feeling like I do - scared and helpless, when realizing that it's really hard to get help from anyone in this country, and if at all, the process is ridiculously long and sometimes completely unnecessary.