# Was this a good time to call 911? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 10, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094 "2009-11-10T21:22:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/21 "2009-11-11T00:32:47Z")
Your neighbor’s situation is unfortunate, but not your fault. She forgot a pan on the stove. While everyone forgets things sometimes, there are consequences to that, and in this case, instead of facing the consequence of having lost all of her belongings and perhaps killing someone when the fire went out of control, she’s only facing a potential fine (recompense for the damaged door and smoke, no doubt) from the landlord. That’ll sting, but it’s much, much lighter than what could have occurred. Good looking out and no worries about what you did. It was the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/22 "2009-11-11T00:37:48Z")
Mythbusters did a bit on grease fires last week. Yeah, you did very well to call. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/23 "2009-11-11T00:40:05Z")
Right off the top of my head I can’t think of a _better_ time to call 911. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/24 "2009-11-11T01:42:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Possibly not within the next sixty seconds, but apartment fires spread very, very quickly. You are correct, probably not 60 seconds. [Think less than half that amount of time](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyrbiU0sB4s). ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/25 "2009-11-11T01:51:41Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > The apartment next door to mine had its smoke detector going off and smoke was billowing out the windows. Didn’t even get past this before I thought “yes!!” Sucks for your neighbor to have to go through all of that, but it’s better than having the whole complex burn down (which means leaving a bunch of people, including you, homeless). And I don’t really understand how it was “ONLY something left on the stove,” since I can’t think of a more common reason house fires start in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/26 "2009-11-11T02:36:37Z")
IAAF. Hell yes. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/27 "2009-11-11T02:59:29Z")
Yes you made the right call. It was an unfortunate outcome for your neighbor, but not because of anything you did. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/28 "2009-11-11T04:09:28Z")
No, the delay while your roommate checked things out could have killed someone. The call should have been made sooner. And in the 20/20 hindsight side of things it would have been a good idea to call the apartment manager in an attempt to get the door open with office keys. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/29 "2009-11-11T11:10:34Z")
IAA 911 dispatcher. Hell yeah, call if you see smoke! We’d much rather dispatch units to a call that turns out to be minor than not receive a call on something that may be major. ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/30 "2009-11-11T12:24:37Z")
Good to hear all the positive responses. I once made a similar call (though not to the emergency number) and a couple of fire engines showed up (and some police) only to find out that some people had fallen asleep while stuff was cooking. I always wondered whether I was a bit hasty with my call… ---
**Author:** ![ILovCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@ILovCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ILovCoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/31 "2009-11-11T13:37:23Z")
We have had two apartment complexes burn up here in Orlando recently. Many people inconvenienced , at least one person injured. Much water damage. The United Way and other charities helping folks out. Some unhappy folks. If you see smoke—\>Call 9-1-1. If it turns out that you over-reacted then apologize. I do not believe that is the case here. What if the building had burned? ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/32 "2009-11-11T13:59:43Z")
Yeah, just to throw my voice into the chorus, where there’s smoke, it’s never bad to assume there’s fire if you can’t be certain, especially if it’s a situation where every second can count, and _doubly_ so if other people could be at risk. Maybe it turned out to be nothing serious, but you didn’t and couldn’t know that, and it’s _never_ a bad time to err on the side of caution where fire is concerned. Your neighbor made a mistake and that’s unfortunate; we all make mistakes like that sometimes – and we all have to face the consequences of them too, even if they’re minor. She should realize if nothing else that it could have turned out _much_ worse for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/33 "2009-11-11T18:54:52Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > Thank you all so much for your reassurances. > > Yeah, they said something along the lines of, “It’s probably a pot left on the stove. It doesn’t seem too serious,” and then they broke open the door and stormed inside. No one chastised anyone for anything. > > I guess I’m just concerned about my neighbor’s new situation, but a bad situation is still much better than a catastrophe. > > There’s a ground floor patio with big patio doors in the back. I was thinking that maybe I should have snuck around the hedge. Although not at the time. IF a fire alarm is blasting, and smoke is pouring out from beneath a closed door, it is stupid for a layman to open it himself to ‘check out’ what the danger is. Opening a door invites backdraft, I believe, and can easily turn superdeadly. hh ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/34 "2009-11-11T18:59:09Z")
> [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](#): > > Good to hear all the positive responses. I once made a similar call (though not to the emergency number) and a couple of fire engines showed up (and some police) only to find out that some people had fallen asleep while stuff was cooking. I always wondered whether I was a bit hasty with my call… What do you think would have happened to those sleeping people if that fire had spread? Seriously, if you don’t call 911 for a fire, when on earth do you call? And your neighbor WAS negligent. Would you feel sorry for her if the whole place had gone up, yours too? She _should_ get in trouble for it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/35 "2009-11-11T19:07:38Z")
Yeah, add my voice to the chorus - you did just right. I also find the attitude strange - “just” left something on the stove and went out?!? No no no no no. You just can’t do that. On a somewhat-related note, we discussed this a few years ago, and the general consensus was to not leave your dryer running while you’re out, either. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/36 "2009-11-11T19:09:16Z")
Hell yes. In my previous apartment complex, some asshole left something cooking and burned not only their apartment down but TWO other apartments, one on either side. I never found out what happened to those poor people and I would be pissed enough to murder someone if their negligence caused all my stuff to go up in flames after I am always so careful. Your neighbor, quite frankly, is not a “nice, poor, sick mom” - she’s a complete and utter jerk for putting you at risk like that. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094/37 "2009-11-11T20:33:54Z")
If you hadn’t called 911 when you did, [something like this](http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/stove-fire-caused-800000-in-damages-at-trotwood-apartments-356402.html) could have happened. Or [this](http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=11336561). A firefighter in the first article was quoted as saying “It appeared the fire had a head start on us before we got the 9-1-1 call”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-good-time-to-call-911/517094.md?page=1)