The call was for a water leak in an apart-ment on the second floor of a four-story apartment building. It had been raining heavily for the past three days and the ladder company had responded to numerous water leak calls during the deluge. Typically, these calls were the result of a leaky roof, a porous wall, or a window that needed caulking.

Usually, there was not much that the firefighters could do to stop the leak, except check to see if the leak had affected the building's electrical system and if so, shut down that portion of the system. If the ceiling was saturated and in danger of falling, they could poke a hole in it and allow the excess water to drain out. They would use the back end of the pike pole so they would not pull down a large section of the ceiling as they withdrew the pole. If necessary, they might pull down additional portions of the saturated plaster or gypsum board so that they would not fall and injure the occupants after the firefighters left. They could also place salvage covers to protect furniture and to channel the water into a sink or bucket.

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