Over time, your nose is going to become a very good source for telling you the situation you might encounter. In light of increasing cancer rates among firefighters, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Unfortunately, we are all going to get exposed to some type of smoke and fumes during our careers; it’s part of the job, and many times it’s going to be when we’re approaching the scene, walking up the stairs or down a hallway, or forcing open a door. Yes, we can protect ourselves by wearing our self-contained breathing apparatus; but, in many cases, it’s after we get our first breath of “it smells like ….” With today’s ever increasing use of electrical devices, we can expect to respond to more calls of an electrical odor.
Electrical Odor 1. Arriving at the apartment, we met a young couple out in the hallway complaining of a very bad electrical odor inside their residence. We entered and got a good whiff of that familiar odor. We asked them questions as we began our search: Were you using any electrical devices? Did you have any problem with one? Do you have compact fluorescent light bulbs? One firefighter proceeded to the circuit breaker box, and two others began searching the apartment. We closed some of the rooms’ doors so we could try to isolate the area or pick up a haze in the room if something was lightly smoking or off gassing.
Using the thermal imaging camera (TIC), we checked the ceiling light fixtures, circuit breakers, outlets, and light switches (many with dimmers) in the rooms and found nothing. Our noses became accustomed to the odor, so we walked out of the apartment, and other firefighters with fresh noses entered the apartment.
After getting some fresh air, we reentered and picked up the smell stronger in one room. There we found a surge protector that was tucked behind some furniture with a host of equipment plugged into it. We checked it with the TIC. The cable box and cords seemed normal, as did the cell phone and laptop chargers. However, the last cord we traced up onto an end table’s shelf and plugged into the device seemed to be our culprit: a rechargeable battery pack. The TIC’s temperature gauge immediately shot upward when the crosshairs were aligned with the tubular battery. When we picked it up, its guts fell out like pieces of charcoal, and we felt confident that we had solved the problem.
Electrical Odor 2. While walking up the stairs to the apartment, one member said, “It smells like plastic,” while another said, “It smells electrical.” Even though we were responding to a kitchen fire, it wasn’t the typical smell of food on the stove. Someone stated it could always be plastic in the oven (tenants with small kitchens often store pots, pans, and containers in the oven).
Entering the kitchen, we saw an unplugged surge protector lying on the floor; it had melted and was smoldering in the tight wall space between the refrigerator and stove. In addition, we saw a glow of orange running up the wall behind the stove. We pulled the stove away from the wall and found that the gas supply flex line had been compromised by the surge protector’s burning electrical cord. It looked as if it had shorted out on the flex line and burned a hole through it, causing the gas to ignite.
Luckily, the shutoff valve was right beneath it, and we turned it off to stop the gas-fed fire. The fire’s cause was a defective surge protector that had the refrigerator, stove, and a few other kitchen appliances plugged into it.
Electrical Odor 3. Arriving on scene, we had a tenant meet us outside his apartment. He was complaining of a strong electrical odor out in the hallway. We immediately checked the overhead fluorescent light fixture and didn’t pick up anything with the TIC. Flexing in the upper portion of the adjoining apartment doors with a halligan tool and sniffing the gap with our noses, we picked up a strong electrical odor in a neighboring apartment. The tenants were a little leery of letting us in since we startled them while they were sleeping.
As we entered the apartment, the odor was prevalent and had to be coming from there. We walked through the apartment and noticed all the lights were on; it was like being in Times Square at midnight! When we asked the tenant, he said if the lights are on there’s less of a likelihood of a break-in. We agreed, but as we got closer to the light fixtures, we were amazed at the size of the light bulbs in the ceiling fixtures.
Holding the TIC up to the bulbs showed more heat than a regular bulb; tracing the oversized bulbs, we came across the one that was melting inside the fixture. We removed the bulb and noticed its base was melting; ash-like material fell out of its open portals. The tenant informed us that these bulbs were nothing but the finest and used on Broadway without any problems. We gave him our thoughts on the bulbs, their wattage, and their usage, but that didn’t matter to him.
Investigative Thoughts
- These types of runs may require a thorough investigation using a few units; it may take time and a painstakingly long search to find the source.
- Today’s gadgets require constant recharging to keep in service and keep their owners connected to the world.
- Your nose is a great detector; if you encounter a heavy odor, smoke, dust, and grime at a run, flush your nose and clean it when you get back to quarters.
Who knows when your next electrical encounter will be. Be ready: Maybe you’ll be able to sniff it out.
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 31-year veteran of the fire service and a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously, he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is the lead instructor for the FDIC International Truck Essentials H.O.T. program. He wrote the Ladders and Ventilation chapters for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II (Fire Engineering, 2009) and the Bread and Butter Portable Ladders DVD and is featured in “Training Minutes” truck company videos on www.FireEngineering.com.
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