Well, I might need to use the term “fireworks” a little loosely. There was definitely fire, and excitement, that’s for sure. I’m not sure if I would say “works,” per se…
Last night around 10 as Roja and I are sitting in the living room and deliberating on the urgency of bedtime, there was a substantial explosion from just outside of the front door to the condo. The first “pop” was followed by a second and third and as I turned towards the (glass) door, there were sparks and fire shooting out of the electrical meter closet that services our’s and our neighbor’s condo units. Smoke and the smell of burning plastic filled the foyer and we immediately started shutting off lights and appliances thinking that something was draining too much power from the closet.
After a few more ”explosions” and the hiss and sizzle of an electrical fire, I called the DC Fire Department who came amazingly quickly. They came down, took a look at the closet and proceeded to tell me that “yup, it looks like an electrical fire. Something got burned up in there,” and that it was all up to Pepco at that point. Pepco’s emergency team arrived within 20 minutes and started poking around in the closet to confirm that “yup, it looks like an electrical fire. Something got burned up in there. Looks like your breakers are on fire.” “You mean, like, right now?” “Yup! Hey, if you wouldn’t mind, can I take a look at your fuse panel, you know, if its not too inconvenient.” Now, luckily I had just vacuumed and cleaned the other day and felt totally comfortable with some stranger walking into the house to prevent it from burning down. There’s nothing more embarrassing than someone coming to service your flaming breakers and to see tumbleweeds of cat hair rolling across the living room floor like it is a barren waste land.
The Pep(co) Boys determined that it wasn’t OUR breakers that were on fire, but our neighbors’ and that they would need to cut the power to service it. I’m guessing that they went up to tell our neighbors that before they cut their power and that the next explosion that followed (while I was staring at the box moving some of the more flammable items out of the vicinity, mind you) was the result of an angry consumer jumping out of bed and flipping on a light switch to yell at whatever creep was at his door at 12 at night.
Hi-jinks ensue as the Pep(co) Boys attempt to cut the power:
PB1: Did that do it?
PB2: Nope, not yet.
PB1: How ’bout now?
PB2: Well, it looks a little dimmer, but I think the line’s still hot.
PB1: ‘K, what happens if I throw this switch?
DCCT: Hey, uh, guys? Just so you know….the closet just exploded again.
PB2: It did? Huh. Well, okay, thanks. Hmm, didn’t think it would do that.
PB1: What’d he say?
PB2: He said the closet exploded, again.
Pb1: Hmm, I didn’t think it would do that.
PB2: Me neither.
PB1: Well, why don’t I just flip ‘em all off.
PB2: Yeah, I guess… Hey, that seemed to do it!
I only mention this little dialogue because it brings me back to a quandary about our current society and the level of expectation that we have as fairly connected people (and by that I mean being constantly “plugged in” by Blackberry, phone, Internet, google, etc. not in the “He’s got ‘connections’” kinda way). My paradigm is that when something is wrong with your computer, phone, etc. you simply call an expert that can plug in their little magic diagnostic tool and tell you exactly what’s wrong and how to fix it. I am constantly surprised by the level of improvisation that goes on in some of the oldest service industries. We’ve had electricity for a little while now, and yet we’re still relying on the old “how ’bout now” method of diagnosis. I’ve also noticed this to be true of a number of professions that I would like to have faith in when I call. Yet we’re still relegated to having the plumber come over at 5 in the morning to hear the pipes rattle or having an electrician sit at the dining room table for six hours sipping coffee and playing cards with the money that he is making off you for the hours he’s sitting there, just to have the lights NOT dim a bit for 5 minutes and come back on at normal for no explicable reason.
Perhaps this is simply my naivete, but I like to believe that when I drop my car off at the mechanic, he knows how to fix the problem that I tell him about, and isn’t driving my car around the city trying to hear the loud thumping noise that I hear when I step on the gas. And then I get to wondering – how many OTHER “professionals” are utilizing this “hey, how ’bout know” diagnostic technique and is it really so bad? Isn’t this the same as the old, “take two of these and call me in the morning” advice I get from my HMO doctor? Why are we calling the doc in the morning? Simple, so that he can ask “hey, how ’bout now? You feel any better?”. I’m starting to see a pattern here…
But we often don’t treat our car mechanics or plumbers or first responders or even the Pep(co) Boys like we do our doctors and IT technicians. Yet, they’re all working from the same basic blueprint – the time-tested, tried and true “how ’bout now” method of diagnosing the problems that effect our daily lives. After all, if it weren’t for the Pep(co) Boys coming out in the rain and the dead of night to work hard at figuring out the best way around our little exploding electrical panel issue, I wouldn’t be able to write this blog entry today.
So to all the DCFD folks, the Pep(co) Boys, my mechanic and plumber, I raise my coffee cup to you and say “Thank you!”
