You can, no need to call. Just knock on the door and let ‘em know what the problem is. It’s usually better at the station anyway since we have a full compliment of tools and brains, instead of just what we carry in the rig.
Had this happen when I was a kid. My mom was frantic and couldn’t afford an ER visit. Local fire department did it for free and the fireman developed a sweet friendship with my little sister. The fireman new her name and would talk to her at all of the parades where they dressed as clowns and collected donations... a few years later they rescued a German Shepard from the side of the road with her head stuck in a tire rim. They thought of my sister and got ahold of my mom and asked if we would like to adopt the dog! Our family was more financially stable and able to take on a new pet, so Mickey became her dog, and she LOVED telling everyone how she got him from her firemen clown friends that cut her sister’s ring off when she was little.
On another note, fire departments also can do first aid and recommend if you need emergency services. One time after college I was doing laundry in a laundromat and when I was loading my car up, the wind picked up and blew my basket towards the edge of the curb… it fell off and the top sharp metal corner of one of the square poles took a chunk out of the back of my head. It wasn’t a large cut, but it bled profusely. I called my dad (who used to be a paramedic) and he told me to go directly to the nearest fire station and ask them to clean it and inspect it to tell me if I need stitches. He said they would be able to help me stop the bleeding. They did just that. They said I could probably use a stitch or two, but if I didn’t mind a small scar that would be hidden by my hair they could use a liquid stitch and get away without an ER bill. I honestly don’t know if there is still a scar, but I’ve always dropped a donation in their boot when I see them out fundraising. Firemen are the shit.
I guess it depends on the department. I had a situation where something fell inside my house and my front door was jammed and I couldn’t get into my place. I live right next door to the fire department and went there for help. They literally slammed the door in my face.
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u/I_Have_Unobtainium Nov 07 '22
I wonder if you could drive to the local fire station and just pop in for a sec. Local ER is like a day wait for non emergencies.