RE: How Vermonters make sure their chimneys are really, really clean . . . ???

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firefighterjake

firefighterjake

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Jul 22, 2008
19,588
Unity/Bangor, Maine
From CBSNEWS.com

Vt. Firefighters Rescue Man Stuck Inside Chimney
Vermont Firefighters Forced To Disassemble Part Of A Chimney To Rescue Man Stuck Inside

BURLINGTON, Vt., Feb. 2, 2009

(AP) Firefighters had to get creative when faced with a man stuck inside a chimney. Assistant Fire Marshal Thomas Middleton said police were called early Sunday by a woman who said she heard someone yelling for help near 144 Church Street.

They followed the voice _ and footprints on a snowy roof _ to find the unidentified man in a chimney. He told them he didn't know how he got there. He was stuck in the chimney for about four hours.

First, they tried to pull him out with a rope, but it didn't work.

Then they had to disassemble part of the chimney to get to the man, whose name isn't being released.

He was taken to Fletcher Allen Health Care for evaluation.

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FFJake's Take . . . The guy said he didn't know how he ended up in a chimney . . . either a) This is the work of the Vermont Mob, b) The guy was one of those legendary dumb thieves who thought this would be a great way to break into a house, c) The guy thinks he is Santa Claus and is only a month or so late or d) This is most obviously a new method of insuring your chimneys are truly clean and clear of creosote . . . I mean why bother with a camera when you can shimmy into the chimney yourself and eyeball things from 2 inches away? ;) :)
 
From wptz.com :
Burlington police received a report of a man crying for help in the downtown area early Sunday morning and went to the scene to investigate. When police arrived in the area, they heard the man's cries for help and followed the sound until they found footprints in the snow on the roof of a building located at 184 Main St.

The footprints led to a chimney where officers found a man stuck inside. The man did not live in the building. He was conscious and told police he had been stuck for several hours. The man told police he had no idea how he got there.

Kathryn Rohrer, in an apartment across the alley, saw rescuers pull the man out.

"You couldn't help but watch to make sure he was OK," she said.

Earlier that night, she heard muffled shouting.

"I really didn't think anything of it until I literally heard someone responding back, and then, you turn off the TV and realize there is someone saying help," Rohrer said. "When firefighters got to the roof, they say they could see the man's arm sticking out of the chimney. They said they tried to get him out with a rope but that didn't work. So, they had to take this thing apart brick by brick, and even a day later, you still can see there's quite a bit of damage here to the roof."

"He said he'd been drinking with his brother and didn't know how he got on to the roof, didn't know how he got in the chimney."
- Michael Woodhouse,
Witness
Three teams of firefighters responded to the scene and secured a rope to the man's outstretched arm, according to Burlington fire officials. Firefighters tried to pull him out of the chimney, but were unsuccessful.

Firefighters eventually had to disassemble the chimney and were able to free the man at about 6:45 a.m.

"They smashed it and then took a ladder up the side and had to break in through the side of the building," said Michael Woodhouse, a witness. "The whole time, they were screaming to get the furnace turned off."

Witnesses said the man was covered in soot when they finally pulled him free. The man was transported to Fletcher Allen Health Care for evaluation and treatment for his injuries, fire officials said.

"He said he'd been drinking with his brother and didn't know how he got on to the roof," Woodhouse said.

"They didn't seem to necessarily believe his story, you know, that he just happened to blindly end up in a chimney. You know, they thought maybe he was up to no good, you know?" Woodhouse said.

Fire officials did not release the man's name or any information on his condition.

The man has not been charged with a crime.
Click to expand...

"He said he'd been drinking with his brother and didn't know how he got on to the roof" I believe is the key line.

I can see it now, MADS (Mothers against drunk sweeps).
 
Invisible option M. He is from planet K-PAX, and was hitching a ride on a light beam to do some research here on Earth. Wearing his sunglasses as he's a bit sensitive to light(much darker on K-PAX), he didn't notice that he was slightly off the mark. As he slowed to more manageable speed, gravity took over, and he plummeted straight down into the unwitting chimney. With no way out, he began shouting for help. Having spent the greater portion of his last visit to this planet in a psychiatric facility due to his explanation of his origins, he opted for a simpler explanation of "I don't know", since that seems to work with most of our public figures when caught in a less than desirable light.
 
Best to swear off the firewater in the future, methinks.
 
No name, but his initials are S. C. and he lives a long ways from there.
 
Seems to me to be a really good argument to put a liner and cap on your chimney eh? hate to wake up and find him in mine! :-)
 
I think it was "Tommy Boy" who said "I could get a good look at a ribeye by stickin' my head up a bulls a$$, but I'll just take the butchers word for it.
 
Wow what a great and funny story! Thanks for sharing that with us Jake. lol
 
They should have turned their heads and let natural selection take its place.
 
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