[Neil Williams]

I think if everyone was honest we would all admit to the odd 'ooops' moment, this one was mega 'ooops' today.

The scene was set for us to turn up to deal with a matter of carpet moth throughout the upper landing of a country cottage, well that's what she called it on her e-mail from Switzerland, and she couldn't afford new carpets. The 'cottage' turned out to have 6 bedrooms upstairs and an indoor swimming pool on the ground floor.....not quite my idea of a cottage but anyway.

The landing problem which the grounds keeper told me had been an untreated  problem for 2 years, turned out on inspection to have migrated to the 6 bedrooms.  So the owner had to be texted (phones weren't working in that area and is relevant to what happens shortly) to comfirm satisfied with the price. "Yes" came the reply and "Oh can you do the annex too." So much for this being a quick job then.

So vacuuming commenced to see what was left of some areas of the carpets. Sprayed all the carpets with attention to the edges behind units etc, and moved onto the next part of my master plan which was to smoke fog all the upper floors areas. The groundsman was warned to stay out of the house for at least 2 hours and off I set with a pocket full of foggers.

Setting them off from the furthest point was going well (one per 30m/s) with number 6 set off at the top of the stairs (that's how big the 'cottage' was), giving enough time to get down the stairs, out the door before the smoke got me. Looking back to check, I looked up and saw the smoke detector almost pin point above the fogger which was chucking out it poison quite nicely thankyou.....but all too late to go back and move it.

Safely outside all sounded quiet.........for about 2 minutes.....then I heard an alarm from inside. Ah not a problem I thought but best let the groundsman know.
This is when it all started to go pear shaped.........because the alarm is connected to the fire station, the landline for whatever reason wasn't working and mobile network was limited to texts only......so we couldn't even call the relevant people to let them know.

The groundsman decides now's a good time to get the flock out of there (maybe he's a wanted person) and disappears with the dogs in his pickup, under the pretense it's lunchtime.

About 7 minutes later I hear the distant sound of two tone sirens. Oooops
3 minutes after that 2 large shiney red fire engines, blue lights going come shooting down the gravel drive.

The guys jump out of their trucks but before they start kicking down doors and pumping 40,000 litres of water around I make my appearence. "Oooops sorry I've cocked up with these" as I had over the MDS sheets for inspection. As they want to check indoors I made the suggestion that it might be a good idea to wear breathing apparatus. What happened next even amazed me as 3 of them opened the front door and walked straight in WITHOUT BREATHING GEAR.

There's oooops and then there's Oooops

[mike ross]

Nightmare! Did it sort out the moth situation or are three of our finest in hospital.

[Neil Williams]

Nightmare! Did it sort out the moth situation or are three of our finest in hospital.

Well it should be sorted, albeit the place would no doubt benefit from a vacuum more often than once a year.
As for the firemen, I was gobsmacked that 'professionals' in a potentially toxic situation would just walk straight in without protection. Buy hey what do I know.....I'm only a carpet cleaner 
But a couple of them used their time wisely by jumping around on the trampoline, whilst a couple more had a look around the lake.

[happy mondays]

You are wasted as a cc'er Neil, you should maybe start writing books for a living.

I bet this was the worst and most dangerous job these guys have ever turned out to, lol  

I have done a similar thing but not quite on your scale, I got a bit of a telling off, took it on the chin, didnt boast about it and make/made sure it never happens again, use an overshoe to cover the smoke alarm/s, inform the manager of the building to de-activate the alarm.

If what you say is true, your foolisness could have cost a life by tieing up valuable resources paid for by the tax payer.

Yes Neil you are just a carpet cleaner, and lucky your business has not been charged for your mistake

 

[Steve. Taylor]

We did a thermal fogging in a house once and a passer by phoned the fire brigade.

Just as well we had phoned fire control to tell them the address and time of fogging

The cost to call out a fire engine with crew per hour is a four figured sum or fine be warned.

As Paul said overshoe/ masking tape on alarm. 

[wynne jones]

I hope you told them to take their boots off Neil. 

[happy mondays]

I hope you told them to take their boots off Neil. 

Think he may have done, but the reply was "f##k #f# you silly little incompetent p##k" 

[Andrew Briscoe]

I did similar at a country medical practice, i set alarm off from
dry steaming the curtains around each bed.
20 mins later, fire brigade arrived, chief officer was going to give me a bollocking,
when head doctor stepped in and asked why it had taken them so long, even tho it was a false alarm.

Finished the job by placing medical gloves stretched over alarms.
A couple of hours later i finished and went to pull one of the gloves off,
the powder only puffed into alarm and set the bloody thing off again.

Andrew

[Steve. Taylor]

A couple of hours later i finished and went to pull one of

Andrew
[/quote]

I would keep that to your self mate

[happy mondays]

I did similar at a country medical practice, i set alarm off from
dry steaming the curtains around each bed.
20 mins later, fire brigade arrived, chief officer was going to give me a bollocking,
when head doctor stepped in and asked why it had taken them so long, even tho it was a false alarm.

Finished the job by placing medical gloves stretched over alarms.
A couple of hours later i finished and went to pull one of the gloves off,
the powder only puffed into alarm and set the bloody thing off again.

Andrew

Maybe the 20 mins wait could have been cut down, they may have been delayed on another call caused by some other stupid dim wit wasting tax payers money telling them how to do the job they are trained for 

 

[Andrew Briscoe]

A lot of our fireman are part time/on call.
However we are getting a shiney new station and full time again.

Andrew

[mathewl]

Yeah buddy thats some crazy poop you had gone through. Are you kicking after that.

[robert meldrum]

A lot of firemen are part time carpet cleaners 

[John Kelly]

You always ring the fire brigade to advise them you are fogging then again when the fog has cleared. They may still turn up if a passerby rings but thats not a problem if you have already advised them.

[M.Acorn]

Guilty of something similar in my chefs days,working at a language school in Norwich,set the alarm off sautéing liver and bacon.2 engines turned up,felt a right twerp explaining what happened

[Helen]

Guilty of something similar in my chefs days,working at a language school in Norwich,set the alarm off sautéing liver and bacon.2 engines turned up,felt a right twerp explaining what happened

did you let them have a taste of your fine cooking though

[wynne jones]

A lot of firemen are part time carpet cleaners 

So are a lot of people who should be retired but it's a free country.

A lot of cleaners are subsidised by their other halves too, so where do you draw the line?

[jasonl]

i have always called fire control before fogging . Once set off smoke alarms in an old folks home . . All the staff followed procedure and left the old people where they were and got themselves out. my cousin is a fireman and carpet cleaner he pays tax  on earnings what is the problem with that ?