Incident Date: September 14, 2012
Incident Type: Residential Structure Fire
We were toned out to a reported house fire. Dispatched informed us that it was a kitchen fire, possible working electrical fire. We arrive on scene at the 1300 sq foot single story home. Home's occupant(s) no where to be seen outside the home.
We get to the front door, an elderly woman answers the banging, sees us in full bunker gear with radios out, and asks to see our I.D.??? Seriously?
As if she wasn't expecting the Fire Department to arrive after she called 911. Who the heck was she expecting? And what the heck was she still doing in the house???
Me: "Ma'am, did you call 911 about a fire?"
Elderly Lady: "Yes."
::smoke now filling the hallway, coming from back of house::
Me: "You need to step outside. Now."
::Extending my arms out to escort her out::
After we escorted her out of the house, we made our way thru to the kitchen in the back of the house to find our fire. The cause of the fire was an overheated extension cord. Being that it was an older home, I only noticed one outlet over the counter and she had every single appliance from her coffee pot... to her mixer... to a clock... to a radio... to a fan... plugged into a standard extension cord.
She informed us later that when the extension cord started to spark and caught on fire, she panicked and threw some tea towels over the chord thinking that she would smother the fire.
WRONG!
It didn't take us long to attack and knock down this small but rapidly growing kitchen fire.
This was a first for me. 
NEVER before have I ever been asked for I.D. when responding to either a fire or a medical assist call.
Safety is as simple as ABC – Always Be Careful. Test your 'kitchen safety skills' by finding all 9 hidden dangers in the picture below.
