Good intent, great lesson, says TLVFD chief
TUPPER LAKE — Despite more than 25 years in the fire service, Thursday night’s call was a first for Tupper Lake Volunteer Fire Chief Royce Cole. Fortunately, it was for all the right reasons.
Around 7:40 p.m., there was a call to 911 about a puddle of water on the sidewalk that appeared to be dripping outward from 105 Park St, the Perk and Pine coffee shop. TLVFD and the Tupper Lake Municipal Water Department responded to the scene for a possible water pipe leak.
Far from a catastrophe, the puddle was actually water from a dog bowl. It had been dumped outside earlier when the shop closed for the day. Cole said it was mostly evaporated by the time firefighters arrived. As TLVFD does with each of its calls, the department posted a brief report on its Facebook page.
That elicited a variety of responses, from likes to mild exasperation, as some remarked that they felt bad the fire department had to respond to what ended up being a false alarm. Cole said not only was there no need to feel bad for the responders, but calling 911 was exactly the right thing to do in this case: someone saw a potential problem, and they said something.
“We were not annoyed — in any way, shape or form,” he said. “We’re there for the community, no matter what the call is. And we don’t even know what the call may be.”
Cole added that in today’s world, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If someone sees something, they should say something. Though it might just be something as simple as determining that there’s no issue, he said it could just as well be a situation that seems minor at first, but could balloon into a major fire, leak or emergency if left untreated.
“This is just the life that we’re in now, the time that we’re in — and no matter when, how or what the call may be, we’re always, as a volunteer fire department, going to respond,” he said. “If somebody calls 911, they think that there may be something wrong.”
The type of potential emergency shouldn’t deter anyone from making the call, Cole added, nor should be they be surprised if the fire department arrives at an incident that doesn’t involve flames. He said firefighters train for and respond to far more than just fighting fires. This is especially important in rural communities, where emergency response resources are fewer and further between.
“We’re just not fighting fires anymore,” he said. “We’re a multipurpose department and, if we can help in any way, that’s what we’re here to do.”