Let me start by saying, in case my mom is reading this, everything is fine and no one got hurt. I did have some excitement at my house last night, including a visit from the Glendale Fire Department.

The whole thing started when I decided to bake a pork chop for dinner. I preheated the oven, got out my box of "Shake and Bake," picked out a nice wine, decided on green beans...and then I started to smell something odd. I opened the oven and flames shot out. I could see the vague outline of a pile of something inside my oven that was on fire. So, I called 911, tried to remain calm, turned off the oven and turned on the range fan, and got the dogs into the backyard. Within about five minutes the big fire truck screamed out in front of my house, and four firefighters in full gear came into the house and shooed me outside with the dogs. Fortunately, the fire had mostly burnt itself out and there was no further damage. They did drag the stove out into the back yard just to be safe and tested the wall and areas around the stove to make sure there was no remaining fire. Then they took a giant fan and tried to blow all of the smoke out of my house, which was at least partially successful.

When they opened the oven door, we discovered that my beloved dog-sitter had left a large bag of tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa in the oven. Apparently, she decided to store her late-night snack in the oven so my dogs wouldn't help themselves to the chips. Unfortunately, she forgot them the next morning, and I didn't check the oven before I turned it on to preheat it for my pork chop. So, long story short, no injuries and I just need to buy a new oven. In the meantime, the old oven makes for a lovely conversation piece in my backyard!

What most impressed me about this entire episode was the professionalism of the Glendale Fire Department. They were quick, respectful, and thorough. This also leads to the MWU connection to this story. Last spring, we established a partnership with the Glendale Fire Department and their Medic 155 program. We built an ambulance bay at our MWU Clinic to house this truck and to provide enhanced hands-on experiences for our students who have an interest in emergency medicine (or, really, any kind of medicine).

Photo: The Medic 155 leaves the ambulance bay at MWU's Clinic during the ribbon-cutting ceremony

Students from any of our programs are able to sign up for "ride-a-longs" with the EMTs and paramedics who work on Medic 155. They are called for all kinds of medical and emergency situations in the area surrounding the university, and they have a much faster response time since they work in tandem with the fire department. Our students are able to observe a variety of emergency calls and evaluate if emergency medicine is the right career for them. They also are able to gain hands-on experience and help people in the community during times of crisis and trauma.

Fortunately, neither the dogs nor I required any medical attention last night. And, to be honest, I am looking forward to buying myself a much nicer stove. The lessons I learned are: 1) never store food or pans or anything in the oven (DUH!); and 2) open the oven door to check to make sure it is empty before turning it on, just in case your roommate or dog-sitter violates rule #1. Mostly, my appreciation and respect for fireman was further enhanced because I was able to experience their services first-hand. So, here's my shout-out to the GFD and my sincere thanks for their quick response to my kitchen fire emergency.