Ethical dilemma time; was I wrong to call 911

[MuckFusk]

A huge bolt of lighting just struck very close to my house a few hours ago. The electrical went crazy and then I smelled a burned plastic smell at one of the light switches, like it would smell if the wiring was burned, which can easily start a fire. So I called an electrician and he advised me that it could be serious and to call my insurance company's emergency number so they could send somebody out. My insurance company told me to have the fire department check it out, so I did. There was no fire that I knew of, but burned wires can cause materials around them to smolder for quite some time before fire breaks out.

So several tall, good looking firefighters (funny the things you notice when you're scared😄) came in and tested for signs of heat anywhere it shouldn't be. Nothing. It turned out the lightning had travelled through the wires and fried the light bulbs in the room where I smelled burned plastic. The firefighters turned some tripped breakers back on and waited to see if anything happened. Then they tested my smoke alarms. They were very thorough and extremely polite.

My question is whether it was wrong to call them on a maybe, because it could potentially have diverted them from something more serious. They assured me that I did the right thing, that people should always call in situations like that, but maybe they were just being nice. Opinions? Was it legit to consider that an emergency just because my insurance company told me it was?
I know it's a goofy question, but I tend to obsess about doing the right thing. If I'm being annoying feel free to tell me. I won't be offended.

Tbh, your vote options are confusing. I voted you wbu, because you were worrying about it. Of course you were not unreasonable to call 911.

I had a bad scare when the lightning struck. No exaggeration- it sounded like a bomb hit the house. The storm was still raging away when I posted the thread. So I suppose I just needed a hand hold. Apologies for being a weirdo.

It's not OCD to follow the safety advice given to you by people trained to assess risk - wherever you live (as 999 is UK, 112 is Europe/other countries but they also put calls through if somebody dials 911 on a mobile) - whichever of the two circumstances you're thinking about.

You got it right. I should have clarified that I was asking if I was unreasonable to be concerned about it.

I meant obsessing over whether I did the right thing. That's my OCD.

I am a qualified electrician OP, I'm guessing you are in the US from saying 911 - you did absolutely the right thing calling the fire department.

Here in the UK I have seen burning caused to internal house wiring from lighting strikes, and a thatched cottage burned to the ground because of one.

I would strongly recommend you get your electrician to give the house wiring a good check over, inspect the wiring and terminations behind switch and receptacle plates and at the panel board (I'm using US terminology assuming you are in the US) and run insulation and earth loop tests and test your GFCI's for correct operation.

Your insurance company should still pay for the damage caused to your wiring. Even though it isn't in danger of causing a fire, it's still been affected by the lightning and the insurance should cover any damage caused as a result.

This is a UK based site - so people will have different experiences and thoughts around the use of blue light services.

maybe ask on an American site?

i was going to say yes of course it’s incorrect, you should have rung 999!

but you’re clearly not in the UK 😂

from my knowledge of firefighters here they’d rather be called out to possibly make something safe, than be called out to a raging house fire. Prevention is best.

however I don’t know how Fire departments work in the US and how they are funded. Is it like ambulance where you have to pay a shit ton of money?

You’re not in charge of logistics and dispatch ! They have a system for prioritising calls

Do you think if someone had called after you reporting an actual fire they would have had to wait as there was a team at your house? 🤣

Ok, alternative outcomes.

1. You didn't call and your house burned down whilst the call centre answered a call to somebody complaining that their pizza delivery was late due to a fire engine parked down the entrance of their cul de sac.
2. You didn't call and your house burned down whilst the fire engine was parked down the entrance of a cul de sac dealing with some idiot having a go at them about a late pizza.
3. You didn't call and your house burned down whilst the firemen were at the station eating pizza.
4. You didn't call, your house burned down and the firemen got hurt rescuing you because a full on fire where they need to enter to rescue somebody is far more dangerous for them than checking some lightbulbs.
5. You didn't call and your house didn't burn down. But you're constantly worrying about the smell whilst sat in darkness in a storm.
6. You did call and they came to the most urgent call first - you.
7. You did call and they started to come but got diverted to a more urgent call.
8. You did call and they went to the most urgent call first - somebody else.
9. You did call and now worry about whether you did the right thing with lights that work.

In the great scheme of things, they'd far rather go and check something that could have been very dangerous - then find out it can easily be made safe - than have to come to a raging inferno because somebody didn't call.

I'm glad my anxiety amuses you so much. I can laugh at it too, but not when lightning has just struck the ground right beside my house and run right through the wiring. Hard to think straight after that. It's amusing now that I've calmed down.

All true. I wasn't quite right in the head because I was scared from the lightning.

It's Canada and it's the same here. I won't have to pay anything.

Not an American. I'm a fellow Commonwealther so I don't imagine we think very differently about it.

No? I thought I was in charge of everything! I'm crushed to hear that, libraunited.

Thank you! It's Canada actually and I will call an electrician as soon as my insurer gives me to go ahead. The electrician I called said he would charge $750 an hour (for travel time as well) because it's the weekend.

I've had to do the same sort of call twice in the past - once when working in an office license in my late teens, when an electrical burning smell had intensified over a few hours and we couldn't identify the source. Was initially mortified when it turned out to be the starter in a fluorescent light fitting, but the fire brigade were great, although sending four engines felt like overkill. But alcohol plus fire is not a combination you'd risk, and the ceilings were too high to get to the fittings ourselves anyway.

Second time was in a flat above a shop - same weird smell, brought to my attention by my small DS who was being rather generous with air freshener in the loo. We were about to go out for the evening, but we cancelled, scoured the place from top to bottom, and eventually called the fire brigade. Turned out to be a fuse box smouldering away in the shop basement, and my ExDH had to eat humble pie as he thought I was being over cautious.

Anything involving potential conflagration is "better safe than sorry - call the professionals" in my book, and also said professionals.

But I can understand your anxiety completely, so I hope you can give yourself a break now x You did the right thing and nobody with half a brain should judge you for it. And have a hug. Close lightening strikes do sound like bombs and the adrenaline and fear takes a while to settle down x

Exactly. I appreciate your kindness and understanding. A few of the posters here were rather mean-spirited during a time when I was quite anxious, and not unreasonably so just as you say.

I like that your husband had to eat his words. I hope you used it whenever he tried to claim your were overreacting after that. 😁

The experts in the field have already told you YANU.

Crumbs, that's expensive, I charge £50 GBP an hour at weekends, I guess things are more expensive in Canada!!

Getting any work done on your house does cost a fortune here.

I work for the fire service. We would always send a crew out to check for a smell of burning. You never know when something could be smouldering behind a wall. You did the right thing

Where are you that you have tall, good looking firefighters and phone 911?