Why would firefighters be walking around on top of the roof of the grocery store across the street from my apartment?
(This event is currently unfolding.) Moments ago, two firetrucks and an ambulance arrived in the parking lot of the shopping center across the street from my apartment. A few firefighters entered the building at ground level with hatchets, and then one of the trucks extended the ladder so four firefighters could use it to go up on the roof of the building.
None of them seem to be hustling, and I can’t smell any smoke.
Any idea what could be going on over there?
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13 Answers
Sounds like standard protocol for engaging a reported fire. Heat rises and so do flames and inspecting the roof is a primary point of focus when trying to determine if all is well at a 911 call.
I’m about eye level with the roof so I could see them spread out and walk around as if looking for something. What do you suppose they were looking for?
It could be practice. Keep us informed.
My expectation would be that there is a “suspected” structure fire. That is, someone saw flame, smelled smoke, felt unexpected heat or saw bright lights where those things should not have been, and called in a fire alarm. There should be firefighters inside the building looking for flames or hot spots, and that’s what the ones on the roof are doing, too. If there were an honest-to-gosh more-than-incidental fire, then the firefighters on the roof would be looking for the best place to chop a vent to enable smoke to exit the building so that those inside – whether firefighters or others trapped in the building – could either fight the fire or escape, as need be.
They all came down from the roof about 10 minutes after I posted this. One firetruck is still here; the other one, and the ambulance, seem to have left. They had the sirens going on the way here, which made me think it wasn’t a drill but a real-life emergency.
When we have planned fire alarms at our rather large office building (shared with four other companies of moderate size), the fire trucks come with sirens on. It’s all part of the drill, for us and for them.
And actually, their lack of urgency seems to support that conclusion.
2 Firetrucks dispatched to the scene is tell tale that the threat whether real or a drill was minimal from the get go. A real full blown structure fire would demand support of more than 2 trucks.
Grab one of the scanner apps for your phone, listen in.
Most of our local fire/police services have twitter accounts. We check them when we wonder what they’re up to.
Heating and cooling systems are usually on the roof. There could be a gas leak.
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