NFPA Journal - Fall 2022 - 11

Dispatches Oddities
HUH?
RECENT HEAD-SCRATCHERS
FROM THE WORLD OF FIRE
AND LIFE SAFETY
depicting a sweet-toothed Augustus
Gloop falling face first into a chocolate
river.
In all seriousness, being trapped
in confined spaces-and the rescues
required to free the people who are
trapped-can be some of the most
dangerous and challenging scenarios
for responders and victims alike. Fortunately
for the two chocolate-coated
workers, the rescue was carried out
successfully. " We can confirm both
people have been taken offsite for further
evaluation, " a spokesperson for
the candy company told the New York
Post. " We're extremely grateful for the
quick work of first responders. "
'STICKY SITUATION'
Two men stuck in a chocolate
tank? Somebody call in the
Oompa-Loompas.
In June, a couple of workers became
trapped in what was reported as
" waist-deep chocolate " while they
were performing maintenance inside
a tank at the Mars-Wrigley candy factory
in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
Firefighters had to rescue the men.
Not surprisingly, social media users
found the story quite amusing.
" Talk about a sticky situation! "
one person wrote on Twitter. " This is
how I want to leave this world, "
quipped another. Many commenters
referenced the
famous Willy Wonka &
the Chocolate Factory
scene
TORTOISE TROUBLES
You've heard the one about the firefighter
rescuing the cat from a tree.
But what about the one about the
firefighter rescuing the puppy from a
tortoise den?
In June, firefighters with the San
Bernardino County Fire Protection
District in California were called
to a property in the desert town of
Yucca Valley, where two puppies had
somehow gotten trapped inside the
underground den of a 100-pound
tortoise.
Plan A was to first lure the tortoise
out, then try and get to the pups. " Let's
see if we can find some food for it and
let's see if we can coax it out of this
hole, " a firefighter is heard saying in a
video posted on the fire department's
Facebook page. But when the tortoise
didn't take the bait, firefighters had to
resort to plan B: start digging to break
through the den.
Eventually, the two puppies, Peo and
Finn, found their way out. So did the
tortoise, whose name, according to the
dogs' owner, is Oscar- " cuz he used to
live in the trash can, " the woman says
at the end of the video.
SESAME (ON THE) STREET
No, nobody was attempting to whip
up the world's largest serving of baba
ghanoush. It was purely an accident
when 150 gallons of tahini spilled onto
a roadway in the small northern New
Jersey town of Newton in June.
According to a post from the
Newton Fire Department's Facebook
page, the spill resulted from a leak in
a truck that was carrying the Middle
Eastern condiment, made from sesame
seeds and olive oil. Members of the
Newton Police Department, public
works, and even the county's hazardous
materials squad responded
alongside firefighters. It took
several hours for officials to
clean up the scene.
The incident made
headlines worldwide.
" A road full of tahini
sesame oil! " the
Jordan-based
news website
Al Bawaba
reported.
" What is
happening? "
NFPA
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NFPA Journal - Fall 2022

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