I smell gas!

That is how it all started. I was walking through the house on the weekend and I had a headache from the smell. The only gas using items we have in our house are the fire place, the heat and the water heater. For some reason I smelled gas in the stairwell.

My father called and while chatting with him on the phone I casually mentioned I smelled gas. He said call the gas company and tell them and they will come out. Made sense so as soon as I got off the phone I called the local gas company.

Well let me tell you, the gas company could care less if you smell gas. They like to sell it to you and make sure you pay your bill but if you blow up it is not their responsibility. They told me to call the fire department.

Stupidly....I said stupidly....I looked up the NON-emergency number for the fire department. I did not know that everything is an emergency to our local fire department. A nice fireman answered the phone. I explained to him that I was a little concerned as I smelled gas and I had called our gas company and they advised me to call them. Maybe if they wouldn't mind, they could come over with a gas meter and just let me know if we have a gas leak or not. All of a sudden I hear a loud bell ringing. He said we will be right over. I said WAIT! This is NOT an emergency, so I just need you to come in your regular NON-emergency vehicle and check. OH NO he says, we have to bring it all, this is VERY SERIOUS. I repeated, NO as I started to hear sirens, it really isn't necessary. He says, mam, I need you to gather everyone in the house and any pets and wait on the front lawn for us. Again I said, seriously! You don't have to send out ladder truck or anything it is NOT AN EMERGENCY. He said it is OUR PLEASURE, now please evacuate the house.

In the few seconds I got off the phone I wondered how I was going to tell DH what I had done. I told him to get his shoes on and get the dog we had to go outside. I grabbed DD. As we walked out the front door I could already hear the sirens. I was SO embarrassed. What will the neighbors think? My next door neighbor was out in the driveway as he see us walk out of the house. He says do you hear all those sirens? I said yes. He said wow, some one must have had a terrible accident. I said I think they are coming here. He laughed. I said no I am serious I called the fire department and I think they are coming here. He still thought I was joking.

The next thing I knew 2 fire trucks were on our small cul-de-sac along with a ambulance and the fire chiefs truck. I said we don't need an ambulance. It is protocol mam they tell me. They are in their full suits, hats, fireproof jackets, oxygen etc., entering our house. I wanted, at this point, to dig a hole in the front yard and bury myself in it. All of our neighbors were outside staring at us.

Then another fire truck from the town next to us pulls up on the side street leading to our cul-de-sac. You think I had called and told them I had a 5 alarm fire raging in my attic.

The fire chief came out and asked if everyone had evacuated the house? I said yes! He said I only see one child. How many children do you have? I said I only have one. Are you sure? Ok, well I don't know what this is supposed to mean but I am positive that I personally have only birthed one child. I said yes, I only have one. Oh, he says, from all the toys in the house, I thought you had more. Hmmm...don't know what that was supposed to mean.

After they thoroughly checked the house and one fireman agreed with me that he smelled gas as well, they found that DH had too many electronic items plugged into one outlet and that was causing a burning smell as the wall was red at that outlet. Ok then, we unplugged everything and DH fixed that in the next couple of days.

Then they all came out of my house and started passing out stickers and hats to all the kids in the neighborhood that had come out to look with their parents. It ended being an experience I will never forget.

I did learn one important thing. If you want the kids to ever have a party with stickers and fire hats and tours of the fire engines, just call the non-emergency number and say, "I smell gas". It makes nice eye candy for the women as well!

Hoping only to see firemen at the fire station,