Why are people so helpless? 😓

I made a post this morning about a gas leak. We fixed it so it's all fine, but I literally still get comments that fire departments need to be contacted and what not. I never thought about it when I lived in Denmark, because nothing ever broke lol. In Ukraine we live in old soviet buildings, so naturally, everything breaks all the time, so it's beyond ridiculous to call a fire department whenever someone has a gas leak. The valve was what was leaking, so we just needed to buy and install a new one. The reason we add a smell to gas is so that we notice it. When something explodes, it's usually because no one's home in the apartment for days. It's not hard to install a new valve, the fact that even men in modern countries panic and call authorities over something small like this baffles me. It literally takes 10 minutes to do, it's very easy, and I assume you people also have gas meters, so you can check if the leak has stopped or not. Everyone needs to calm down, and also maybe learn how to do basic repairs?

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MellyMel22 · F

I can show you exactly why privately! I know 2 families who lost their homes and almost their lives. A 5 year old boy has 50% of his body covered in burns. That was with a warning to get out.

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MellyMel22 · F

@SW-User That’s insane!

We don’t have gas meters where I am and generally it’s condos, it can travel a crazy amount if something blew. Whenever there’s a gas smell here or reason to believe a gas leak, the fire dept has to be here and if it is in the air, they seal it off and make the whole strip leave the home till it cleared and safe. Then they say only a licensed (plumber I think it is) can work on it. The gas leaks here are from the stoves. My place had one long ago and it was not fun 😂 I think it was the stove damaged though that might’ve caused it.

SW-User

@MellyMel22 I think it's weird that not all apartments or condos (not sure what the difference is) have gas meters. It kind of forces you to waste money on things you can easily do yourself, but then again I assume it's actually rare for you guys to have gas leaks in the first place.

I think what throws people off when they see my post, is that I challanged their belief in authority. They think that if the fire department has been called, an accident can't happen. They think if the plumber screws on the valve, it can't break. It's akin to how we think our parents can do anything while we're children, but as we grow up, we learn that they are not super humans. The plumber do in fact not cast a magic spell of eternal safety upon the valve when he screw it on. Perhaps it frightens people to realize that a mortal piece of metal is all which keeps the gas out of their homes. Perhaps it frightens people to realize that the illusion of safety, is just an illusion. By having a "qualified" person do something that everyone is actually qualified to do, they stay out of harms way within their imagination.

MellyMel22 · F

@SW-User I def get what you’re saying, but having children I feel safer having someone who does it often do it. So for me, I can deal with it.