The firefighters at Salem’s Station 3 in east Salem were alerted by a familiar tone that sounds like an elevator ding.
An automated voice then announced the address of an emergency.
Three firefighters climbed aboard a fire engine for the drive to a shopping plaza. There they found a 30-something man rocking back and forth, huffing a can of air duster and yelling at passing cars.
Pulling on gloves, the firefighters gather around the man, trying to determine if he needs medical attention. The man believes they are police officers and repeatedly puts his hands behind his back, waiting to be handcuffed.
Eventually, he refuses medical attention and walks away. The firefighters return to their engine and head back to the station.
The event lasted around 15 minutes, another in an ever-increasing number of calls that are taxing Salem fire services, putting lives at risk, and with no letup expected.