Now and then, you might read an article online or in the newspaper about how members of a volunteer fire department had to respond to the same structure fire scene more than once.
Such an announcement might be a few paragraphs long or only a few sentences, but almost invariably includes the word “rekindle.”
When someone meets up with that three-syllable term while routinely scanning articles and stories on virtual auto-pilot, it’s easy to quickly jump to the negative side of the fence and figure “those lousy firefighters did a lousy job again.”
But hold on there – there’s a lot more to this subject that meets the eye.
Before I continue, let me clearly state that nobody put me up to writing this – from formulation to fruition, it was entirely my idea. Basically, I’ve been around volunteer firefighters enough to know better, and I have zero doubt that they’re not out there “doing a lousy job.”
On the contrary, volunteer firefighters – and let’s focus on Houston and Texas County here – don’t respond to structure fires in Tonka trucks and they’re not spraying water at buildings with toy squirt guns. No, in most cases they arrive in worthy, even state-of-the-art vehicles and employ the best equipment available.
They dress out in top-notch safety gear and have trained for dozens and dozens of hours to know how to handle pretty much any scenario they might encounter. It’s not a game, and there’s no one on the roster of any fire department around here who treats it that way.
So how does a fire “rekindle?”
Here’s the deal: Firefighters aren’t in the habit of leaving a structure fire scene until they’re 100-percent sure the fire is out. By the time they consider their job done, foam fire retardants have coated almost everything in sight, and water has drenched every inch of what’s left of the structure (be that a lot or a little).
In many instances, thermal imaging technology is employed and the fire is tended to until not a single “hot spot” remains – not even a luke-warm spot, for that matter.
Believe me, when these people wrap up their hoses and drive away, whatever fire was there has been completely and utterly snuffed, and every bit of potential fuel at the scene is “as cold as a cucumber.”
So again, how is a “rekindle” possible? I’m of the opinion that in many (maybe most) cases, they shouldn’t be. The whole “rekindle” concept simply defies common sense, logic and even science.
That said, it’s up to each individual answer to the question themselves.
Of course, the answer couldn’t possibly be related to anything dishonest or illegal. There’s nobody in this area who would even consider committing an act of insurance fraud and creating a “rekindle,” and then sleeping soundly that night (and maybe even occupying a church pew the following Sunday).
That’s just not American, and there’s no way that could happen here, right?
So the only conclusion is, “rekindles” are a supernatural phenomenon with no rational explanation, right?
Fire just spontaneously combusts from out of a bog of foam, water and soaked material, right?
Or…(your chance to fill in the blank).
To reiterate, this is my opinion and nobody put me up to this. I just don’t like seeing folks getting unfairly judged who provide such a valuable service and do such a good job for nothing but the satisfaction of doing it.
Just something to consider the next time you feel the urge to think, “what good are my dues, anyway?
Get it? Got it? Good.