On Jun 10, 11:53*pm, "
wrote:
On Sun, 10 Jun 2012 20:02:35 -0700 (PDT), Evan
wrote:





On Jun 10, 11:52*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
Evan wrote:

Having a locked breaker box, and a secured lock-out box, might
discourage a/c compressor coil thieves.

A lock certainly won't hinder the fire department. They'll rip the
box off the wall in a nonce if they feel like it.

Actually they won't, they will wait safely outside the
building and watch it burn until someone comes with
the keys or the power company comes and disconnects
the circuit to that building from the street... *Which ever
comes first... *Fire departments don't mess with metal
tools near live electrical equipment... *Not when the
entire area and the personnel are wet from the fire fighting
operations on scene...

If that's the policy of YOUR fire department, it's time to move.

Our firefighters are trained to deal with electrical connections, hazardous
or poisonous materials, potential explosive chemicals, and virtually any
other obstacle or threat they could possibly encounter.

A responsible fire department certainly will not wait. For anything.

About three years ago, the apartment house across the street from my place
caught fire. The first piece of equipment was on the scene, so one of the
commanders told me, within three minutes of the dispatch. The fire
department, in short order, had FORTY-TWO pieces of equipment on the scene.
I'm talking vehicles painted red that said "Fire Department." There were
also unaccountably many cop cars, wreckers, and so forth. Moreover, there
were - and here I'm guessing - a half dozen or more pumper trucks attached
to fire plus up to seven or more blocks away awaiting the call for more
water.

A hundred and fifty firefighters are NOT going to be sitting around playing
Scrabble waiting for a Centerpoint Energy truck to meander by.

Umm... *Yeah they will, if the electrical connections
in question are before that means of disconnect...

Have you ever heard of a meter?

You can get a short circuit of tens of thousands of
amps if you have any sort of arc flash on the main
service feeder wires... *That sort of stuff kills...

Fire departments do not play hero with electrical
hazards... *If the main switch is locked or wet,
the power is cut off by calling the power company
to kill the street...

What if the main switch is in the (locked) basement?

Fire departments have to wait for the power company
all the time... *Especially when dealing with hazards
due to downed wires, they are NOT electricians and
NOT trained in how to wrestle live wires with hot sticks...

If there is a safety hazard which prevents fire fighters
from entering a structure to attack the flames directly
they are quite content to water it down from outside
the building to prevent the spread of fire to other
structures and let it burn itself out...

Try talking about something you know something about, if you can.

A friend had a bad home fire.

Firefiters cut the service drop lines at the side of the house with
something resembling a pole pruner. this report from my friends. who
had the fire