The Historic U.S. Coast Guard Chimney Rock Boathouse.

Chimney Rock is located at the eastern spur of the Point Reyes Headlands. The Chimney Rock area is a popular destination for visitors wishing to view elephant seals, birds, and wildflowers. The 1.75-mile (2.8-km) round-trip Chimney Rock Trail leads along the ridge crest of a narrow peninsula, offering spectacular views of Drakes Bay and the coastline stretching to the southeast. The historic Chimney Rock Lifeboat Station offers a glimpse into the harrowing jobs of rescuing crew and passengers from ships that ran aground along this rugged coastline.

Come Prepared

• Print out the Chimney Rock Area map. (125 KB PDF)
• Fuel: The closest gas station is 20 miles (32 km) away in Point Reyes Station. Be sure you have sufficient fuel in your vehicle for a minimum 40-mile (64 km) round-trip drive, not including side trips to other points of interest within the National Seashore.
• Weather: Visitors may experience stiff winds, cool temperatures, fog, and/or rain at Chimney Rock; so dress appropriately. Wear layered clothing.
  National Weather Service Forecast for the Chimney Rock area
• Water: Bring a water bottle. There are no potable sources of water at Chimney Rock. The nearest potable source of water is a water bottle filling station/water fountain located near the east end of the green garages that are located approximately 100 yards (100 meters) before one arrives at the Lighthouse Visitor Center or a water fountain located in the courtyard of the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center at Drakes Beach. Bottled water is not sold at Point Reyes National Seashore’s visitor centers or bookstores.
• Food: There are no food services west of Inverness, which is a thirty-five-minute drive from the Chimney Rock parking lot. Bring food from home or purchase food at one of the stores or restaurants in West Marin before heading out to Chimney Rock if it is close to mealtime.
• Restrooms: Restrooms are available at the Chimney Rock parking lot from 6 am to midnight. Be sure to use the restrooms before heading out on area trails.
• Phones: Cell phone reception is very minimal to nonexistent in the Chimney Rock area.

• Drones: Launching, landing, or operating a remotely operated aircraft (aka “remotely piloted aircraft,” “unmanned aircraft,” or “drone”) from or on lands and waters administered by the National Park Service within the boundaries of Point Reyes National Seashore is prohibited.

  If you observe drone use in Point Reyes National Seashore, please call park dispatch at 415-464-5170 or contact staff at the nearest Visitor Center as soon as possible. If you observe drone use in other National Park Service areas or if you find photographs or videos online or elsewhere that were illegally taken within National Park Service areas from drones, you can report the violation to the National Park Service tip line at 888-653-0009 or by email.

• Pets: Dogs may be walked in the parking lot and along Chimney Rock Road west of the parking lot (i.e., back toward Sir Francis Drake Boulevard); otherwise, dogs are prohibited. Please be aware that most visitors to Chimney Rock are away from their vehicle for an hour or longer. Please do not leave your dog unattended in your vehicle; leave your dog at home instead. This prohibition does not apply to working service dogs, which are allowed on trails and in public buildings. If you have a service dog, please inquire at a park visitor center for information before heading out to the Chimney Rock area. Visit our Pets page for more information about visiting Point Reyes National Seashore with your dog.

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Sir Francis Drake Boulevard passes through a number of ranches on its way to Chimney Rock and the Point Reyes Headlands.

The Drive

Chimney Rock is located at the eastern-most end of the Point Reyes Headlands. Drive west ~19 miles (~30 km) on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. After passing through the “A” Ranch, turn left at the Y signed for Chimney Rock and follow Chimney Rock Road ~0.9 miles (~1.5 km) to the Chimney Rock parking lot. Chimney Rock Road is only about ten feet (3 meters) wide, but serves as a two-way road. Please observe the speed limit and look ahead to keep watch for oncoming traffic. If you do notice a vehicle heading your way, pull into the next turnout until the other vehicle has had a chance to pass.

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is windy and slow-going, so allow forty-five minutes to drive the ~20 miles (~32 km) from the Bear Valley/Olema/Point Reyes Station area to the Chimney Rock parking lot (one hour and thirty minutes round-trip), not including any time you will spend in the area. Allow one hour and forty-five minutes for the drive (three hours and thirty minutes round-trip) from the Santa Rosa area, northwest San Francisco, or the northern East Bay. Many visitors spend at least an hour or two in the Chimney Rock area.
Directions to Chimney Rock from the Bear Valley Visitor Center.

RVs and Trailers

Recreational vehicles (RVs) and vehicles pulling trailers with a combined length in excess of 24 feet (7.3 meters) are prohibited on Chimney Rock Road. If you are traveling with a trailer or are driving an RV towing a passenger vehicle, consider unhitching at the bus/RV/trailer-only parking lot at Bear Valley and taking only the passenger vehicle for the drive out to the Chimney Rock area. Overnight parking/camping in RVs and trailers is prohibited throughout Point Reyes National Seashore.

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Parking

The parking lot at the Chimney Rock Trailhead can only accommodate twenty vehicles. As a result, parking space availability is very limited, particularly in the afternoon. Please observe all “No Parking” signs. Please refrain from parking along the shoulder of the road or off of the pavement. Doing so kills vegetation and increases erosion.

Parking Lot

Chimney Rock Parking Lot

• 
  
  20 total spaces
  

• 
  0 oversized spaces
  

• 
  37.995124821, -122.979734524
  

A small paved parking lot with space for 20 vehicles. Park here to hike the Chimney Rock Trail, walk to the Elephant Seal Overlook, or visit the Historic Point Reyes Lifeboat Station. A vault toilet is located at the southeast corner of the parking lot. The Chimney Rock Parking Lot is approximately 45 minutes by car from the Bear Valley Visitor Center via Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.

Parking Fee

No parking or entrance fees are charged at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Cost: $0.00

Closures & Seasonal Exceptions

Amenities

Accessible Lot
Yes
Number of ADA-designated spaces
1
Number of ADA van-accessible spaces
1
Number of ADA step-free spaces
0
Total number of spaces
20
Number of oversize vehicle spaces
0

Accessibility

The parking lot at Chimney Rock has one van accessible parking spot and is composed of asphalt. The path to the Elephant Seal Overlook involves a rather short but moderately steep descent along an asphalt driveway (which is degraded in places), and then a flat traverse along a rammed-earth 0.2 mile-long (0.3 kilometer) trail. Individuals in wheelchairs may need assistance with the descent and accent of the driveway.

Individuals with a Disabled Person parking placard or plate may drive their personal vehicle to the Lifeboat Station’s Boathouse parking area. Please drive slowly and carefully since this section of the one-lane access road doubles as the pedestrian path from the main Chimney Rock parking lot to the Boathouse. Volunteers sometimes staff the Boathouse on weekends and holidays from January through March. The Boathouse’s first floor and boat bay are wheelchair accessible. There is also an accessible restroom within the Boathouse. At other times, visitors may explore the Lifeboat Station grounds, where wayside exhibits provide information about the U.S. Lifesaving Service and U.S. Coast Guard history at Point Reyes.

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Stay on designated trails

The only official trails in the Chimney Rock area are shown in the map to the right.

Hiking along the bluff tops can be unsafe and is not recommended. Stay away from cliff edges. Loose soil and/or rock can give way suddenly and you may fall. Do not climb cliffs.

Visitors walking off of official trails and paths trample vegetation, which may lead to the death of the trampled plants. Over time, as more and more visitors use a route, it starts to look more and more like an official trail, and more and more visitors use it, resulting in a feedback loop that makes the “trail” look “official.” However, these “social paths” tend to exacerbate erosion and harm threatened and endangered species. These paths also can lead to locations where visitors may be more at risk to injury, endangering themselves and any potential rescuers.

Do not “hop” the fences to get a “better” photo or for any other reason. Fences and other barriers are there for your safety. The bluffs and cliffs in the Chimney Rock are prone to collapse with little warning. Stay well away from the bluff tops. Individuals who are found on the wrong side of fences will be cited for entering a closed area.

During the winter, hundreds of northern elephants seals can be seen from the Elephant Seal Overlook.

Elephant Seal Overlook

From the Chimney Rock parking lot, walk down the driveway 150 feet (~50 meters), bear left at the Y, and continue along the Fish Docks access road another 260 feet (~80 meters) to the trailhead for the Elephant Seal Overlook Trail. The relatively flat dirt trail leads 850 feet (~260 meters) northwest to the Elephant Seal Overlook. While it may be possible to view northern elephant seals from here on any given day of the year, December through March is the period during which visitors may view several hundred elephant seals hauled out at the southwest end of Drakes Beach as the seals return to give birth and to mate.

Please visit our Viewing Elephant Seals page for more information.

Chimney Rock Trail

This spectacular 1.75-mile (2.8 km) hike offers views of Drakes Bay and the Pacific Ocean and is renowned for great spring wildflowers. Rocky cliffs drop off steeply to the water, so there is no beach access. While it is possible to see a few whales any given day of the year, from March through May, dozens to hundreds of gray whales migrate north past Chimney Rock every day. Fog and wind can make this hike challenging. Start this hike from the southeast corner of the Chimney Rock parking lot.

Photo of a park employee standing over and pointing at a newly developed fissure along the Chimney Rock Trail on December 21, 2015.

Fissures Near the Chimney Rock Trail

Cracks were reported on a portion of the bluff near the Chimney Rock Trail on December 21, 2015. These fissures could indicate the possibility of a weakening cliff face in the area. The land may be unstable and a collapse or erosion could occur. Visitors are reminded to stay on designated trails.

Bluffs along the California coast are inherently unstable. They are prone to crumbling and sliding, especially in wet weather. It is very dangerous to climb or walk along the edge of cliffs. Be aware of falling rocks if walking near the base of a rock face.

View:
Close-up photograph of the fissure. (172 KB jpg)
Photograph of the area with the fissure from the southeast. (117 KB jpg)
Aerial photograph of the location of the fissure marked in yellow. (216 KB jpg)

The Historic U.S. Coast Guard Chimney Rock Boathouse.

Historic Lifeboat Station

Despite the efforts of the men and women who worked at the Point Reyes Lighthouse, which was constructed in 1870, ships continued to wreck on the rocks and beaches along the dangerous Point Reyes peninsula. In 1889, the U.S. Life-Saving Service opened a Life Saving Station on the Point Reyes Beach, the first of two built at Point Reyes. The U.S. Lifesaving Service was combined with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915. In 1927, the Coast Guard moved their operations moved from Point Reyes Beach to the protected waters at the southwest end of Drakes Beach near Chimney Rock. Eventually modern technologies eclipsed the need for the Lifeboat Station at Point Reyes. In 1969,the Point Reyes Lifeboat Station was closed and, shortly thereafter, was transferred to the National Park Service for preservation.
Visit our Lifeboat Station History at Point Reyes page for more information.

The Lifeboat Station buildings are visible from the Chimney Rock Trail and the station’s access road (which is open only to NPS and other authorized vehicles). Visitors may explore the Lifeboat Station grounds, where wayside exhibits provide information about the U.S. Lifesaving Service and U.S. Coast Guard history at Point Reyes.

Today, the Historic Lifeboat Station at Point Reyes National Seashore is primarily used as an educational facility for non-profit groups learning about the resources of the natural and cultural resources of Point Reyes. The Boathouse is sometimes open to the public from 11 am to 4 pm on weekends and federal holidays from January through March, if volunteer staff is available. The Boathouse contains the historic Coast Guard Motorized Lifeboat CG-36542 and has the last intact marine railway on the West Coast. Kids activities, a 10-minute video on elephant seals, and complimentary hot beverages (cocoa, tea, coffee) are available when the Boathouse is open, along with hands-on interactive activities allowing both children and adults to learn about seal and whale adaptations.

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California regulators are alleging a San Francisco robotaxi service owned by General Motors covered up the severity of an accident involving one of its driverless cars, raising the specter they may add a fine to the recent suspension of its California license.

The potential penalty facing GM’s Cruise service could be around $1.5 million, based on documents filed late last week by the California Public Utilities Commission.

The notice orders Cruise to appear at a Feb. 6 evidentiary hearing to determine whether the robotaxi service misled regulators about what happened after one of its driverless cars ran into a pedestrian who had already been struck by another vehicle driven by a human on the evening of Oct. 2 in San Francisco.

The February hearing comes just six months after the commission authorized Cruise’s robotaxi service to begin charging passengers for around-the-clock rides throughout San Francisco despite strident objections from city officials who warned the driverless cars malfunctioned.

Three weeks after Cruise’s Oct. 2 accident, the California Department of Motor Vehicles effectively shut down the robotaxi service by suspending its license to operate in the state.

The suspension was a major blow for Cruise and its corporate parent GM, which absorbed huge losses during the development of the driverless service that was supposed to generate $1 billion in revenue by 2025 as it expanded beyond San Francisco.

After losing nearly $6 billion since the end of 2019, Cruise has shifted into reverse as it scrambles to control the fallout from the Oct. 2 accident that critically injured the run-over pedestrian and led to the recent resignation of CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt.

Without directly addressing the potential fine, GM CEO Mary Barra said Monday that the October crash has helped the automaker learn more about the need for transparency and a better relationship with regulators.

“We’re very focused on righting the ship here because this is technology that can make the way we move from point A to point B safer,” Barra told a gathering of automotive media.

Barra also pointed to the overhaul of Cruise’s management that included a reorganization of its government-relations and legal teams as signs of progress. “We think we can do things more effectively,” she said.

Cruise issued its own statement pledging to respond “in a timely manner” to the Public Utilities Commission’s concerns. The company has already hired an outside law firm to scrutinize its response to the Oct. 2 accident.

The most serious questions about the incident concern Cruise’s handling of a video showing a robotaxi named “Panini” dragging the pedestrian 20 feet (6 meters) at a speed of seven miles per hour before coming to the stop.

In a Dec. 1 filing recounting how Cruise handled disclosures about the accident, the Public Utilities Commission asserted the company tried to conceal how its robotaxi reacted to the accident for more than two weeks.

The documents allege Cruise’s concealment started with an Oct. 3 phone call to a regulatory analyst who was told the robotaxi had come to an immediate stop upon impact with the pedestrian without mentioning the vehicle actually drove another 20 feet with the injured person still pinned down.

Cruise didn’t provide the video footage until Oct. 19, according to the regulatory filing. The cover-up spanned 15 days, according to the PUC, exposing Cruise and GM to potential fines of $100,000 per day, or $1.5 million.

The post GM’s Cruise robotaxi service faces fantastic in alleged cover-up of San Francisco accident’s severity | Autos appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated Press

42 mins ago

FILE – Associated Press reporter Michael Liedtke sits in the back of a Cruise driverless taxi that picked him up in San Francisco’s Mission District, Feb. 15, 2023. The California regulator that approved the expansion of the Cruise robotaxi fleet owned by automaker General Motors is now threatening to fine the driverless service for covering up the severity of an accident that triggered the suspension of its California license. The potential penalty could be in the range of $1.5 million, based on documents filed Friday, Dec. 1, by the California Public Utilities Commission. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)

California regulators say a San Francisco robotaxi service owned by General Motors covered up an accident involving one of its driverless cars, raising the specter they may add a fine to the recent the suspension of its California license.

The potential penalty facing GM’s Cruise service could be around $1.5 million, based on documents filed late last week by the California Public Utilities Commission.

The notice orders Cruise to appear at a Feb. 6 evidentiary hearing to determine whether the robotaxi service misled regulators about what happened after one of its driverless cars ran into a pedestrian who had already been struck by another vehicle driven by a human on the evening of Oct. 2 in San Francisco.

The February hearing comes just six months after the Public Utilities Commission authorized Cruise’s robotaxi service to begin charging passengers for around-the-clock rides throughout San Francisco despite strident objections from city officials who warned the driverless cars malfunctioned.

Three weeks after Cruise’s Oct. 2 accident, the California Department of Motor Vehicles effectively shut down robotaxi service by suspending its license to operate in the state.

The suspension was a major blow for Cruise and its corporate parent GM, which absorbed huge losses during the development of the driverless service that was supposed to generate $1 billion in revenue by 2025 as it expanded beyond San Francisco.

After losing nearly $6 billion since the end of 2019, Cruise has shifted into reverse as it scrambles to control the fallout from the Oct. 2 accident that critically injured the run-over pedestrian and led to the recent resignation of CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt.

“Cruise is committed to rebuilding trust with our regulators and will respond in a timely manner” to the Public Utilities Commission, the company said in a Monday statement. The San Francisco-based company has already hired an outside law firm to scrutinize its response to the Oct. 2 accident.

The most serious questions about the incident concern Cruise’s handling of a video showing a robotaxi named “Panini” dragging the pedestrian 20 feet before coming to the stop.

In a Dec. 1 filing recounting how Cruise handled disclosures about the accident, the Public Utilities Commission asserted the company tried to conceal how its robotaxi reacted to the accident for more than two weeks.

Cruise didn’t provide the video footage until Oct. 19, according to the regulatory filing. The cover-up spanned 15 days, according to the PUC, exposing Cruise and GM to potential fines of $100,000 per day, or $1.5 million.

The post GM’s Cruise robotaxi service faces potential positive in alleged cover-up of San Francisco accident appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

New investment is expected to help Apex continue its growth trajectory in recession-resistant, $100+ billion home services industry

SAN FRANCISCO, October 25, 2023–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Alpine Investors (“Alpine”), a Certified B Corp people-driven private equity firm committed to building enduring software and services companies, today announced the completion of a $3.4 billion single-asset secondary market transaction to continue its partnership with Apex Service Partners (“Apex”), an HVAC, plumbing and electrical services leader and a portfolio company of Alpine Investors VII and VII-A (“Fund VII”).

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231025759806/en/

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Apex is a residential HVAC, plumbing and electrical services platform that partners with leading providers across the country. With over 8,000 employees nationwide, Apex focuses on empowering its people to build a strong network of industry leaders who can share resources, best practices and expertise in order to deliver unparalleled service to customers.

The transaction is solely dedicated to the further expansion of Apex and underscores Alpine’s commitment to facilitating the next stage of growth for the services platform, as well as Alpine’s dedication to offering liquidity to its limited partners. The announcement follows the recent close of Alpine’s latest fund, Alpine Investors IX (“Fund IX”), which reached the fund’s hard cap of $4.5 billion of LP commitments. Fund IX invested $450 million in Apex alongside the continuation fund.

“Apex has a unique model that is built on combining leading brands with exceptional people,” said Graham Weaver, Founder and CEO of Alpine Investors. “The result is that Apex creates outstanding experiences for its customers and continues to experience explosive growth. We believe the extraordinary people at Apex have only begun to scratch the surface of the market opportunity ahead of them. We are excited to continue supporting their growth and to have given our investors the opportunity to participate in this collaborative secondary process.”

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Commitments for Apex include contributions from Blackstone Strategic Partners, HarbourVest Partners, Lexington Partners, and Pantheon, as well as commitments from Alpine’s Fund IX. Limited partners of Fund VII were able to receive liquidity for their 2019 investments or roll a portion of their investments into the continuation fund and remain stakeholders. In line with Alpine’s investor-friendly process, limited partners were also given opportunities to combine their liquidity and rollover options to varying degrees based on their preferences.

“In just four years, Apex Service Partners has built a leading national business by serving as a force multiplier for the incredible employees and leading local brands within our platform,” said AJ Brown, CEO of Apex Service Partners. “Alpine’s support through its industry experience, resources and focus on people supercharged our growth while helping us hire, train and retain exceptional talent. They’ve been a true thought partner for us at each step in our journey and we’re excited to continue to have them by our side as we seek to scale to new heights with the help of continued and new investors alike.”

AJ Brown was part of Alpine’s CEO-in-Residence program, and he previously served as CFO of construction software company Avitru, a former Alpine portfolio company. Apex President Will Matson is an additional example of recruiting through Alpine’s talent programs, having been hired through its CEO-in-Training program. Both are excited to continue leading Apex during its next phase of growth.

Evercore Inc. acted as the lead financial advisor along with J.P. Morgan and Cowen for the transaction and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel to Alpine. Morrison Foerster served as debt counsel.

About Apex Service Partners

Apex Service Partners is a residential HVAC, plumbing and electrical services group whose goal is to partner with world-class service providers to build an industry leading national platform. Apex focuses on leveraging the power of people to build a strong network of industry leaders who can share resources, best practices and expertise in order to deliver unparalleled service to customers and opportunities for employees. To learn more about Apex Service Partners, please visit www.apexservicepartners.com.

About Alpine Investors

Alpine Investors is a people-driven private equity firm committed to building enduring companies by working with, learning from, and developing exceptional people. Alpine specializes in investments in the software and services industries. Alpine’s PeopleFirst strategy includes a talent program that allows Alpine to bring leadership to situations where additional or new management is needed post-transaction. Alpine has $16 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2023, and has three offices in San Francisco, New York, and Salt Lake City.1 For more information, visit www.alpineinvestors.com and https://alpineinvestors.com/terms-conditions/ for full disclaimers including, but not limited to, third-party statements and certifications and Alpine Operations Group.

_____________________________
1 Inclusive of additional commitments to the continuation fund as of October 20, 2023 and fair market value as of June 30, 2023.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231025759806/en/

Contacts

Media
Audrey Harris
Head of Marketing
aharris@alpineinvestors.com

Sarah Braunstein
sbraunstein@sloanepr.com

The post Alpine Traders Closes $3.4 Billion Single-Asset Continuation Transaction to Help Continued Progress of Apex Service Companions appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Seattle, Aug. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Seattle, Washington –

Craftsman Plumbing introduces No Mansplaining Guarantee, ensuring respectful service for all clients. Empowers women in plumbing, offers expertise, quality service, and transparent pricing.

Craftsman Plumbing, a leading plumbing company known for its exceptional customer service and expertise, is proud to announce its groundbreaking No Mansplaining Guarantee and introduce their new CFOs, – Chief Feline Officers. In an industry where customers often face condescension and patronizing behavior, Craftsman Plumbing stands firmly against such practices and is committed to providing an inclusive and respectful experience to all clients. With this innovative initiative, Craftsman Plumbing aims to revolutionize the plumbing industry by promoting equality, respect, and top-notch service.

As the plumbing industry has historically been male-dominated, customers, especially women, have frequently faced the frustrating experience of “mansplaining.” This phenomenon occurs when a person, typically a man, explains something to someone, usually a woman, in a condescending or patronizing manner, assuming they have little knowledge of the subject. Craftsman Plumbing is determined to put an end to this practice and redefine the customer experience for everyone.

At Craftsman Plumbing, our mission is to ensure that all customers, regardless of gender or background, receive the same high-quality service and respect they deserve. Our No Mansplaining Guarantee is rooted in principles of equality, empathy, and expertise, and it reflects our commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive work environment for our team and a satisfying experience for our clients.

Here are some of the keypoints. Keypoint number 1 is Mansplaining Guarantee: Craftsman Plumbing promises that its team members will never engage in mansplaining behavior when interacting with customers. Every customer will be treated with the utmost respect and professionalism, and their questions and concerns will be addressed with empathy and understanding.

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Keypoint number 2 is Empowering Women in Plumbing: Craftsman Plumbing actively encourages gender diversity in the plumbing industry. The company’s mission is to enable women to pursue successful careers in plumbing and other fields related to the industry by providing them with equal opportunities and support.

Keypoint number 3 is Expertise and Quality Service: With a team of highly skilled and experienced plumbers, Craftsman Plumbing is well-equipped to handle a wide range of plumbing needs, from routine repairs to complex installations. Customers are able to rely on Craftsman Plumbing for first-rate service and long-term solutions to their plumbing problems.

Keypoint number 4 is A Customer-Centric Approach: Craftsman Plumbing takes great pride in the customer-centric approach it takes with its clients, which places the utmost importance on the requirements and preferences of the customers. The company collaborates closely with clients to gain an understanding of their requirements and to provide individualized solutions that are tailored to meet their plumbing requirements in an efficient manner.

And finally, keypoint number 5 is Transparent Pricing: Craftsman Plumbing believes in transparent pricing and ensures that customers receive upfront quotes with no hidden charges. This transparency helps to build trust with customers and ensures that they are aware of what to anticipate prior to any work being performed.

Despite the company’s ongoing expansion and transformation, Craftsman Plumbing is unwavering in its commitment to upholding the No Mansplaining Guarantee and fostering an inclusive environment within the plumbing industry. This dedication is reflected in the No Mansplaining Guarantee that is provided to all customers. Craftsman Plumbing hopes that by pioneering innovative approaches to customer service, it will encourage other businesses operating in the same industry to adopt equality and respect as central tenets of their operations.

To learn more about Craftsman Plumbing’s No Mansplaining Guarantee and the company’s wide range of plumbing services, please visit www.craftsman-plumbing.com. Be sure you jump over to their website and meet Oui Chef and Elvis Hank.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da_j12fPg34

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For more information about Craftsman Plumbing, contact the company here:

Craftsman Plumbing
Dusty Hoerler
206-855-6110
dusty@craftsman-plumbing.com
4776 Shilshole Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107, United States

CONTACT: Dusty Hoerler

The post Craftsman Plumbing Introduces No Mansplaining Assure, Setting New Requirements in Buyer Service and Inclusivity appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

AROUND THE FIRE SERVICE–1900-1909

Excerpts from Fire and Water and Fire and Water Engineering

FIRE AND WATER BECOMES FIRE AND WATER ENGINEERING

“The year of grace, 1903, introduces Fire and Water Engineering to the world–the same old friend, only in a new and improved form. We bespeak for it a hearty welcome and a patronage worthy of its contents.” (Jan. 3, 1903)

The years 1900 to 1909 constituted what may be termed “The Decade of Conflagrations.” Five of the most significant fires are presented here. These disasters brought renewed calls for action in those areas that had been contributing to the devastation and loss of lives and property caused by fire. Those areas included the fireproofing of buildings, especially theaters; the water supply; inspection of fire and life-saving equipment, particularly hoses, life boats, and life preservers on ships; fire drills for crew members of ships; the storage of combustible and flammable materials; and the establishment of an authority with jurisdiction for piers and wharfs.

THE HOBOKEN HOLOCAUST–June 23, 1900

Based on the published account of June 30, 1900.

Firemen of New York City, Jersey City, and Hoboken “fought against the heaviest of odds–odds to which they had no expectation of ever being exposed and which they should never have encountered.”

The Scope of the Fire

Fire desolated the Hoboken waterfront, making “a clean sweep of the piers, wharves, and freight sheds of the North German Lloyd, the Hamburg-American, and the Thingvalla lines, taking off in its course the Campbell stores, located immediately north of the offices of the Thingvalla line …. The southern end of the Campbell Storage Company`s building–consisting of five five-story buildings caught, and in a few minutes flames shot from every window. Four of the buildings were burned.”

Probably more than 200 lives were lost; the exact number will never be known. Many officers of the vessels were lost. More than 300 people were injured.

“The whole civilized world stands aghast at last Saturday`s awful sacrifice of life and property at Hoboken, when within a very few minutes many scores of human beings met their deaths by fire and water, and many more received injuries too frightful to think of.”

It is not known how the fire started. About 4:00 on Saturday afternoon, the fire started among a large pile of cotton bales on Pier No. 2 of the North German Lloyd Company. “It spread so rapidly that in 15 minutes three great piers, taking in over a third of a mile of waterfront, were one mass of flame. In the freight sheds the accumulation of cotton and other dust caught at once, developed great heat, and caused explosions which served to spread the flames farther.” The heat was so intense that the Hoboken and Jersey City firemen “were either disabled or driven back, leaving a hose reel, with horse, and hose to be destroyed by fire.”

The officials of the Hamburg-American line blew up one side of their dock in an attempt to save their pier. In the meantime, however, a number of barges moored alongside were burned. Blazing steamers and barges drifting downstream and across and close to the docks and piers endangered the New York side of the waterfront for some time. It was thought that at any moment the fire might spread to the Jersey City waterfront or that the sparks might set fire to some of the warehouses.

The fireboats New Yorker and Robert H. Van Wyck, which had been telegraphed for, helped to extinguish the fires on burning steamers and other craft and in saving lives.

Spreads to Steamships

The fire came to involve the Saale, a single-crew, 4,965-gross-ton, passenger steamship and the Main and the Bremen, twin-screw firefight and passenger steam-ships of 10,200 and 10,526 tons, respectively. The piers and ships were crowded with workmen, visitors, and people on business. “Those nearest the ends of the piers escaped, and others were forced to leap into the water, and in doing so many were drowned.”

The Saale and the Main caught fire with the piers. “The Bremen and Kaiser Wilhelm were moored at Pier No. 1. The Main, which had arrived only a few hours before and still had several passengers on board, burned so fiercely that no tug could approach her. “The Kaiser Wilhem was rescued, as was also the Phenicia of the Hamburg American line, a 6,761-ton twin-crew passenger vessel, on which the flames had got a good hold. She was towed out to midstream, where the flames were put out. The Bremen was also towed out, but, like the Main, sank all afire.”

“The passengers on board the Main were seen to jump off into the water–a few were rescued by tugs, but many were drowned, while several of the crew, the stewardess, and probably some passengers who could not escape, met an awful death on board the doomed ship. The same fate befell those on board the Saale; a few escaped with their lives by jumping overboard; those who did not perished miserably.”

The Bremen was reported to have 200 visitors, mostly women, on board when the fire reached it. “A boat was lowered from the Bremen shortly after the alarm had been given, but the craft capsized as it touched the water, and all hands were precipitated into the water, and none were saved by those remaining on the vessel.”

Eyewitnesses, such as Rear-Admiral Melville of the United States Navy, reported seeing numerous persons “trying to get through the miserable little air-ports or dead lights, no more than eight or nine inches in diameter.” The officers of the Robert H. Van Wyck fireboat, which pulled alongside the Saale, lamented that “every porthole had a face.” An explosion on board the Saale blew up the forward decks. Three hundred pounds of powder were in the forward part of the ship. Some believed that the men in the engine room were never told there was a fire until it was too late.

Melville reported: “Just forward of this seething furnace a man had thrust his head and arm through another of these miserable ports. The tug to the left of us had a stream already playing on his head. He began to strip himself of his clothing, and at times the crew of the tug put the nozzle of the hose through the air-port and poured water on his back to keep him cool, so near were they to him, and yet unable to extricate him from his horrible position.

“Below us were two German officers with a boat screw, and hammers and cold chisels, cutting away one of the cargo-ports on the port side. After more than a half hour`s work they managed to cut the port open. To the horror of everyone, they found it only opened into a coal bunker. The flap of the cargo-port was raised up, but nobody ventured inside of the vessel to find the opening between the cargo-port and the passenger space where the man was clinging. Shortly after, the man, from heat and exhaustion, fell back inside of the ship.”

THE PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, CONFLAGRATION–Feb. 9, 1902

Around midnight, the fire “swept through a large portion of the business part of the city …. and was checked only after a desperate fight that lasted until late in the afternoon …. A northerly gale gave the conflagration its impetus and carried its burning brands to kindle the blaze afresh at other points.”

“The firemen made stand after stand before the wall of fire, but were repeatedly driven back ….” Firemen and apparatus from every city and town within reach of Paterson responded to relieve Paterson firefighters.

Destroyed were scores of residences, five churches, the new $400,000 city hall, the old city hall, the library, five banks, clubs, seven large office buildings, two newspapers, the police station, a fire station, a theater, hotels, telegraph company buildings, all the principal stores, and some 500 dwelling and apartment houses. Approximately 25 city blocks covering 2,000 feet in length and varying from 400 to 800 feet in width were burned.

The fire de-partment`s equipment consisted of nine steamers, two chemical engines, two hook and ladder trucks, two combination chemical and hook and ladder trucks, one aerial truck, and 10 hose wagons. “There is always about 12,000 feet of good hose on hand and the fire pressure averages about 40 pounds.”

THE IROQUOIS THEATER FIRE– Dec. 30, 1903

The following is summarized from “Iroquois Theatre Fire and Its Lessons” by H. W. Bringhurst (a bulletin from the Executive Committee of the Pacific Coast Association of Fire Chiefs, March 12, 1904).

At about 3:30 p.m., during the second act of the matinee of Mr. Blue Beard, “sparks from an arc spotlight caught in the frayed edge of some drapery a foot away–high above the stage near the arch.” Despite efforts to “beat out” the fire, it spread. “Efforts were made to lower the asbestos curtain, but it caught on a border light when part way down.”

Members of the audience had “full confidence in the alleged fireproof character of the theatre” and did not become alarmed until they found themselves “actually scorching and suffocating” as a result of the flames and smoke caused by the burning of 180 inflammable drop scenes on the stage and other like combustibles. The flame and smoke “had no vent, except into the auditorium and up to the open ventilator over the gallery.” In the panic that ensued, 572 perished, about half of them in or near their seats. Most of the others were entangled together in the dark passages, stairways, and blind exits.

The first alarm was given by a man running down the alley to the station of Engine 13 on the next block. Although the department responded promptly to this and other calls, “an alarm from the theatre itself would have saved two or three minutes time and many precious lives.”

“Fireproof”: False Security

The L-shaped Iroquois Theater, completed on November 23, 1903, was of steel frame and tile construction and had brick walls. The popular fallacy was that a safe exterior shell in itself guarantees the security of a building. Neither the theater`s owners nor inspectors had followed the specific requirements of the city ordinance with regard to providing skylights over the stage and other recommendations such as fireproofing scenery and the installation of automatic sprinklers, an alarm box, and exits.

Although the house wiring was first class, the electrical equipment carried by the Blue Beard company was not up to standard. The permit allowed 1,602 seats, but 1,774 were in place. When the fire broke out, nearly 300 persons were standing behind the last rows. Although there were 22 exits, many were not available. The gallery was unusually close to the stage and so steeply pitched that handrails had to be erected between each row to keep people from falling forward.

Lessons Learned

After the disaster, it was learned that, technically, the fire department had some supervision over fire prevention matters. This fact had not been recognized for years, however, since the only inspectors were those in the building department. The fire force was barely sufficient for extinguishing fires.

After reviewing the details of this and other theatre fires–nearly all of which started on the stage and flashed up in light fabrics–many recommendations were proposed, including the following:

Skylights at least one-thirtieth the area of the stage should be provided to vent flames and smoke if a fire should occur; the skylights were to be opened by the action of heat.

Any high windows above the stage should open automatically. The main or drop curtain should be a fire screen. (The new Chicago ordinance, subsequently adopted, required that the curtain be made of steel, with asbestos on the stage side and an air-space between.) Next in efficiency is a thick curtain of real asbestos fiber.

Treat all hangings, drops, and cordage with cheap and nonpatented solutions of such chemicals as alum or tungstate of soda, and apply fireproof paints or heavy coats of whitewash to all woodwork on the stage. Nothing that can flash up in a quick fire should be behind the footlights.

Install a properly distributed and regularly inspected sprinkler system on every large stage and through all the dressing and storage rooms.

Use only the best electric wiring; protect lights. An accident involving the lighting system on the stage should never make it possible to put out the lights in the auditorium and at the exits.

If the city water pressure is good, standpipes and reels of first-class hose should be provided. If the pressure is weak, a stationary chemical tank should be substituted.

Even small playhouses should have “filled buckets, an ax, a long-handled pike pole, and an extinguisher available.”

Fire drills would be of great advantage.

Install a telegraphic connection to the fire department; test it regularly.

There should be as many exits as possible. They should be as large and as easily traversed as space will permit. Every exit ought to be marked in large letters “Exit” or “Way Out.”

THE BALTIMORE CONFLAGRATION–Feb. 7-9, 1904

This account is based on various reports and correspondence that appeared in the following issues of Fire and Water Engineering: Feb. 13, 1904; Feb. 20, 1904; and Feb 27, 1904.

A fire broke out at 10:45 a.m. Sunday morning in the wholesale dry goods store of John E. Hurst & Co., in the heart of the business district. “The building had a large floor area, with no fire walls, a large area of window openings, no automatic fire service, and was filled with inflammable materials–a condition favorable to the explosion that caused the building to collapse and scatter flaming debris all over the adjoining property before any fire apparatus could be brought into play.” The fire appeared to begin with a series of loud explosions, which were heard in remote parts of the city. It was stopped 28 hours later on Monday afternoon at Jones`s Falls, where some say it burned itself out at the harbor.

When the firefighters arrived, the building was a mass of flames, which spread rapidly as a result of high winds. A dozen big warehouses were burning within a half hour. The fire must have been underway for 15 minutes before the firemen received the alarm. The street box was pulled and was promptly followed by a third alarm and then by a general alarm. Forty-three alarms had been sent in during the course of the fire.

According to one correspondent, “A seven-or eight-story building was destroyed in about 30 minutes …. The iron fronts of buildings, as soon as they became heated, seemed to fall across the street, destroying those on the opposite side. This shows that some other material must be devised for the flooring of the so-called fireproof buildings, as the fire bricks seemed to disintegrate and fall apart almost as soon as the hot fire struck them ….”

The entire city fire department was called out but was powerless to check the spread of the flames, which were aided by high winds. By noon, there were savage fires in at least 30 big warehouses. The fire was steadily eating its way into successive blocks east, north, west and south. There appeared to be no check to the sweep of destruction. “The fire seemed to work its own sweet will until it reached Jones`s Falls.” There, at the harbor, the flames “practically burned themselves out….”

The district swept by the fire comprised 75 blocks and nearly 2,500 buildings–which included “residential, business, manufacturing, ecclesiastical, educational, public, and semi-public structures of wood, brick and stone, of from two to 16 stories, some with wooden roofs covered with tar.” The burned area covered about 140 acres. The loss was estimated to be from $100 to $125 million. A fire department steamer and an 85-foot Hayes truck were also lost.

About 50 persons were injured, including a dozen policemen and firefighters. Chief J. W. Horton was hurt by a live wire and bruised and cut. He had to leave the fight, which was resumed by Mayor McLane.

Fire Department Resources

The fire department had 32 steamers: 26 in commission and six in reserve; a fireboat; two water towers–one in reserve; six hook-and-ladder trucks; eight aerial trucks; 26 combination chemical and hose wagons; three chemical engines; 19 hose carriages, reels, and carts; 78,200 feet of hose (75,000 cotton, rubber-lined, good hose and 3,200 rubber, good); 61 chemical hand extinguishers; 199 horses; and a full-time force of 463 (38 fire companies). “The city was not properly equipped with a sufficient amount of apparatus; it is doubtful, however, if a greater number of engines would have stopped the conflagration after the headway it had gained.”

The hook and ladder and chemical companies took care of all fires in outlying districts; the engine companies fought the main fire (about 280 men, including district chiefs). The first outside company came in service about three hours after the fire started. At the height of the fire, the firefighting force and equipment were augmented by 793 men, 32 fire engines, four hose companies, and one hook and ladder truck from outside cities and towns.

As soon as the fire approached the wharves, the fireboat and the fire pump on the police boat were also brought into service, with a total capacity of about 5,000 gallons a minute. “It would seem that a force of about 1,093 men, with 57 fire engines and two fireboats, having a total capacity of very much over 50,000 gallons a minute keeping in continuous service over 100 fire streams, would have been sufficient, under ordinary conditions, to have brought under control a fire, with a front of not over five blocks at its worst, before it could burn itself out at the water`s edge.”

Water Supply

The total available capacity of water was about 1,240 billion gallons. About 300 hydrant connections were made during the fire. There were about 130 fire hydrants in the district, including five, with two steamer nozzles–about 14 hydrants to each mile of Main street. Eleven hydrants were within 200 feet of the Hurst building and 22 were within 400 feet of the building.

The area in which the fire had started had a normal pressure of from 55 to 65 pounds. When the fire progressed into a conflagration, the water department opened the connection to one of the high-service pumping stations, increasing the pressure to 70 or 80 pounds. As the fire progressed, water department employees went to all fire engines in service at fire hydrants to note the pressure and see if they were getting enough water. There were no complaints about a lack of supply. The total consumption of water in the city for the two days of the fire was 230 million gallons; the normal average for the same period was 126 million.

The capacity of fire engines varied from 500 to 1,000 gallons a minute. Total capacity per minute was around 25,000 gallons. The engines were not all pumping continuously, as they had to shift about as the fire progressed and did not at all times supply the same number of hoselines. The fire department estimated the average to be about two continuous fire streams to each engine, or 61 fire streams in constant service. The combined capacity of all companies (including outside companies) was equivalent to about 35,000 gallons a minute.

The loss of fire hose was estimated to be in excess of 6,000 feet. The constantly shifting of po-sitions by firemen in response to the excessive heat caused considerable water pressure to be lost from abandoning open hydrants. It had been reported that the Washington companies` couplings did not fit the hydrants and that the companies “procured barrels, which were kept filled from the hydrants and furnished suction for their engines.” The latter report was refuted by a correspondent, John H. Clay, of Philadelphia, who wrote the following in a letter in the February 23, 1904 edition: “Allow me to say that such was not the case, as the Philadelphia fire men went to Baltimore fully equipped to couple up to Baltimore fireplugs. Each engine carried fittings, one end of which was Clay-Jones and the other the Baltimore standard, and, therefore, had no difficulty in coupling up ….”

“Peculiar” Contributing Factors

Among the factors that contributed to the spread of this fire were the following:

Fireproofing. “The first impression on visiting Baltimore immediately after its disastrous fire was one of gazing on block upon block and acre upon acre of total ruin, and with nothing from which the advocate of tall fireproof buildings could derive any comfort in favor of his pet theories, that such structures were not only themselves safe from the action of fire, but were, also, capable of acting successfully as checks to the fury of the flames. On the 140 acres thus laid waste were many of these tall buildings, each one built according to the most approved principles that are today applied to those steel framed, brick or stone-veneered erections …. The fireproof buildings were considerably damaged externally by exposure to the flames raging round them. Internally they were absolutely gutted. The intense heat beating against the walls was communicated to their contents, which, in their turn, caught fire. The flames thus produced burst through the windows from round floor to skylight, and communicated to other buildings–thereby doing away with the buffer theory, and leaving its advocates more or less discomfited ….”

Electric wires. “The streets in the burned district presented a network of overhead wires all live …” They caused a loss of time. When the wires fell, “they came in contact with the firemen and their apparatus. They fell across the hose which became conductors of electricity to such an extent as to drive the firemen back, owing to the shocks they inflicted upon them.” Chief Horton was badly injured and could no longer command the fire.

Dynamiting. “The dynamiting was neither prompt enough nor plenty enough, as far as the visiting firemen could judge. The dynamitards seemed either to have lost their heads or to have been afraid to destroy the buildings without first asking and obtaining leave to do so. In one instance, although dynamite had been applied to one large building with the intention of razing it, a large building almost a block away received the shock, demolishing all the windows, and this might be said in other cases where the effort was made to use dynamite.

“It was unfortunate that during the great fire at Baltimore any of the steam fire engines should have been unable to work, either because they were not adapted for pumping salt water or because of the variation in their couplers and coupling threads, which prevented them from coupling on to the city`s hose or hydrants.”

THE GREAT CONFLAGRATION AT

SAN FRANCISCO–Apr. 18, 1906

Based on accounts published in the Apr. 28, 1906 and June 6, 1906 editions and a report by A. J. Coffee in the June 2, 1906 edition.

The terrible “double scourge” San Francisco disaster–earthquake and fire–presented “the kind of terror and torture wrought by … a fire … that creeps along and devours its wretched victims when they are powerless to escape from or resist its approach.” The incidents occurred on April 18, 1906. Statistics recorded in one resource reported that 674 people were killed, 3,500 injured and that 28,000 buildings (514 city blocks) were in ruins, costing more than $500 million in damages (Fire Engines, Firefighters: The Men, Equipment, and Machines, from Colonial Days to the Present, Paul C. Ditzel, Rutledge Books, New York, N. Y., 1976).

Eyewitness Account

A subscriber from Sacramento, California, provided the following account of events in the city that day: “When the first shock came, I dressed myself and went into the street. In about ten minutes fires seemed to break out in all the big buildings south of Market street, and at seven o`clock in the morning I saw that the city was doomed, as there was not a drop of water to be got at any of the fireplugs. The water mains were broken in all parts of the city, and the principal supply, which comes under the bay through two pipe lines, did not give a bit of water. We were without fresh water for over thirty hours, and, believe me, when I tell you that what little water we had to drink we scooped up from the gutters and seemed to be supplied by broken mains. One does not realise what it is to be where the ground was shaking every minute and surrounded by a heat from the fire that was unendurable–and without water at that. When I left San Francisco tonight not a house in the city was standing, except in a few cases. Possibly not fifty houses escaped the fire. There are possibly 450,000 people tonight in San Francisco without knowing where to lay their heads!”

The San Francisco Fire Department

The San Francisco Fire Department had 56 steamers, nine hook and ladder trucks, nine chemical engines, one combination chemical and hose wagon, four turret-batteries, some 120,000 feet of hose, and a force of 500 “brave and skilled men.” An account by A. J. Coffee in the June 2, 1906 edition, noted the following: “Approximately 38,000 feet of hose were burned. Engines valued at $13,500 were destroyed (including one that was in the repair shop and could not be hauled out since its wheels had been removed). Old No. 12 engine–Old Betsy–in use in the department for 30 years, was burned on the corner of Post and Kearny streets, where she was abandoned since she had no horses. Her remains stand there now among the ruins and tell the story more vividly than words can portray of the utter helplessness of the San Francisco firemen in this terrible calamity.” In addition, a hook and ladder and Engine No. 4 were burned.

“Too much praise cannot be given the fire department of the efficient manner in which it worked at the off-set, when the fire alarm service was immediately destroyed. The men went out bravely to fight a dozen or more fires, all of which took the proportions of conflagrations almost immediately, and the firemen succeeded in extinguishing several bad fires that were not in the burned district. After their work was finished at these fires, the firemen took up their hose and apparatus and went to work on large fires in the different parts of the city. They did splendid work, until the city water supply gave out, and there is no doubt that, if water had been plentiful, there would be a different story to tell of San Francisco today.”

Death of the Fire Chief

The tragedy was compounded by “a singular perversity of fate,” in which San Francisco`s Fire Chief Dennis Sullivan was “put out of the fight.” He and his wife occupied the upper story of the fire department house on Bush street. While putting on his turnouts in a room adjoining his wife`s, the chimney (15 or 20 feet) running up above the six-story, brick California Hotel on the side next to the three-story engine house came crashing down on the engine house. It carried with it a portion of the roof, which dropped down through the far side of Mrs. Sullivan`s room, taking the floor down with it. Mrs. Sullivan and the bed tumbled over into the hole in the floor created by the chimney. Fortunately, the mattress on which she was sleeping folded over her and protected her. Hearing the crash, Chief Sullivan ran into his wife`s room in the dark and fell through the same hole. He was seriously wounded, suffering three crushed ribs on his left side, “frightful gashes and cuts across the face,” and a fractured skull. He was taken to the Railroad Hospital; Mrs. Sullivan was carried into the California hotel, where she remained until she was taken to the hospital. Both had to be moved from their respective hospitals, “as the fire burned right up to that quarter.”

The chief died “about the forth day after he had sustained the injuries. Funeral services were held over the chief`s remains,” and he was “laid away temporarily until such time as the fire department can hold the proper ceremonies, and pay the last honors to their beloved chief.”

Dynamite Used Extensively

“During the fire at San Francisco extensive use was made of dynamite and black gunpowder and even of cannonading the buildings as yet unconsumed because there was no possibility of throwing water on the flames. Some question the propriety of having recourse to such extreme methods, especially to the employment of dynamite or other explosives, on the ground that the flying splinters are liable to intensify the evil. It may fairly be asked on the other side, however, in default of the possibility of obtaining or employing water and in the immediate presence and rapid progress of the flames, if any other means could have been adopted.”

Lessons Learned

The water mains “lay twisted, distorted, and broken by the violence of the shock that caused the earth to sink away from below and had thrown upon them a superincumbent mass of debris, tons upon tons of brick, iron, granite and marble” that ultimately caused the mains to rupture and the water “to flow away in torrents and deluge other towns, while in San Francisco there was not left a drop to throw upon the flames, save in the neighborhood of the water-front, where the fireboats and tugs could be placed in operation.”

“Chief Sullivan many times had brought to the attention of the authorities the fact that San Francisco would be in danger of being consumed should a great fire ever start.” He had proposed that a salt water system be developed and that additional apparatus be acquired. The prevailing opinion was that “there is no doubt that, if these had been given him, especially a salt water system–a different story would be told of San Francisco ….”

“The buildings in many sections of the city not only formed a most congested area, in which the exposure hazard reigned, but, also, being for the most part of wood, added more and more fuel to the flames.” Although the iron and steel-framed skyscrapers and taller buildings withstood the earthquake, they were no match for “the flames forming a seething mass round them” as a strong wind aided the spread of the conflagration and there was “nothing to oppose its onward mark.”

Chief Sullivan also had protested “over and over again when permission was given to build frame houses within the fire limits.” The underwriters a year before the earthquake/fire had pointed out how San Francisco “violated all underwriting traditions and precedent by not burning up….”

THE GENERAL SLOCUM DISASTER–June 15, 1904

At 9 a.m., the General Slocum, an excursion steamer left the pier at 13th Street and the East River in New York City, with 1,400 men, women, and children aboard. The passengers, members of the Sunday School of St. Mark`s Lutheran Church, were going on a picnic.. About a half hour after leaving the pier, a fire was discovered in the forward deck. The tragedy took the lives of 1,030 persons, who died by fire or drowning. (“Tragic Trip of the General Slocum,” Fire in America!; Paul Robert Lyons; National Fire Protection Association, 1976)

It was proved “that, although in outward seeming the letter of the law was complied with so far as providing the means of extinguishing fire and escaping death by drowning, yet the hose was either rotten or of the poorest quality, and some of the connections were clogged, hereby rendering the hose useless. The lifeboats and life-rafts were unavailable for use because of the crowd on and round them; the life-preservers and life-buoys stuffed with cork dust, and so manufactured as to destroy and not to save life; beside being placed in racks or under the seats in such a way as to be nearly impossible to get at or to fit in a moment to the panic-stricken and expectant wearers; and the life-lines were of a like character.”

This tragedy evoked many questions and comments. Typical of the questions asked were the following, posed by a firefighter in a letter to the editor: “Why was the 212-inch hose cotton instead of rubber-lined? How old was it? How often was it stretched to get the kinks out? Why wasn`t it ready for immediate action when the fire broke out? Was it used for flushing the decks? If so, it is no wonder if the sea water rotted it, so that it could not stand the pressure when the pumps began to act. If old, it had no business there. If new, what test if any had it been subjected to before being put in service? Was it inspected on the day of the catastrophe …?”

“An Interested New Yorker” related that “on board the General Slocum, the life-preservers, life-buoys and life-lines were simply shams, and destructive shams at that, inasmuch as they dragged the wearers down beneath the surface of the water, instead of buoying them up to safety.”

View of Hoboken fire from North River–the Saale on the left, Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse in the center, the Bremen on the right.

Map of Paterson, N.J., showing burned district.

Map of the burned section of Baltimore.

The post AROUND THE FIRE SERVICE-1900-1909 – Fireplace Engineering: Firefighter Coaching and Fireplace Service Information, Rescue appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Almost everyone on the stage outside San Francisco’s City Hall on Thursday afternoon was a woman: the vice president, the former speaker of the House, the city’s mayor and more.

It was a meaningful, and intentional, reminder of the glass ceilings that Senator Dianne Feinstein had broken again and again as the city’s first female mayor and California’s first female senator.

“Millions of girls my age and long after me have grown blissfully free of the yokes our grandmothers wore because Dianne Feinstein wrestled them off,” Mayor London Breed, 49, told the crowd who had gathered in her city under unusually hot temperatures to honor the late senator. “She showed the way.”

The memorial for Ms. Feinstein, who died on Sept. 29 at age 90, was by turns a celebration of her long and unwavering efforts around gun control and opposition to wartime torture, a deeply personal remembrance by her granddaughter, and a testament to her love of all things San Francisco.

The gold-domed City Hall proved an appropriate backdrop. It was where Ms. Feinstein, a Democrat and the Senate’s oldest member, once served as the first female president of the board of supervisors, before becoming mayor.

“Our country has come a long way. You helped move the ball forward, and our nation salutes you,” said Vice President Kamala Harris, who served with Ms. Feinstein in the Senate.Credit…Amy Osborne/The New York Times

Vice President Kamala Harris, whose presence prompted the blocks all around City Hall to be closed, recalled that when she was sworn in as the junior senator from California in 2017, Ms. Feinstein, the senior senator, pulled her into a private hideaway off the Senate floor and handed her a glass of California chardonnay and a binder full of draft bills.

“Dianne, the women of America have come a long way,” Ms. Harris, the first woman to serve as vice president, told the gathered group, which included some 40 current and former members of the Senate and House. “Our country has come a long way. You helped move the ball forward, and our nation salutes you.”

As the afternoon wore on, the speakers were repeatedly interrupted by the roar of the Blue Angels — blue and yellow military jets that rattle nerves and windows every October for Fleet Week, an air show and parade of ships celebrating the U.S. Navy, which this year was dedicated to Ms. Feinstein.

The persistent jets were one more reminder that while Ms. Feinstein had served in the Senate for more than 30 years, her ties to her hometown remained deep.

Her death prompted tributes from the 49ers football team and the Giants baseball team. The day before her memorial, thousands of people lined up to pay their respects in front of her coffin, draped in an American flag, in the City Hall rotunda.

Her memorial on Thursday was dotted with San Francisco songs. Beforehand, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” by Tony Bennett played over the loudspeakers. And the service ended with the San Francisco Girls Chorus performing “San Francisco,” with its famous lines, “Open your golden gate, you’ll let nobody wait outside your door.” The former is the city’s official ballad, and the latter its official song.

Many San Franciscans learned only over the past week that they owed many of their city’s trademarks to Ms. Feinstein — including the cable cars, the historic streetcars, and Pier 39, the tourist waterfront spot. Turns out, she started the city’s Fleet Week and the Blue Angels appearances, too — back in 1981.

Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, with Ms. Feinstein’s granddaughter, Eileen Mariano, on Thursday.Credit…Amy Osborne/The New York Times

Ms. Feinstein steered San Francisco through some of its darkest times after the 1978 assassination of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, events that propelled her into the mayor’s seat. She is credited with providing compassion and city dollars during the onset of the AIDS pandemic, which obliterated the city’s gay community. She fought to preserve Lake Tahoe and created Joshua Tree National Park.

The tributes came from far beyond California. President Biden, who provided a military plane to fly Ms. Feinstein’s body home from Washington, recorded video remarks that were played at the service, calling his longtime colleague during his years in the Senate “a reminder that our democracy depends on the constitution of our character as people.”

Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader and the only man in elected office to speak at Ms. Feinstein’s service, recalled her for her grit. He remembered a day when she had hobbled around on an injured ankle to continue her work, and her no-nonsense response when he asked her how she had persisted: “I just did.”

Among those in attendance were some of the people who are hoping to assume Ms. Feinstein’s place in the Senate: Representatives Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee, both Democrats. Laphonza Butler, whom Gov. Gavin Newsom has tapped to complete Ms. Feinstein’s current Senate term, also attended. Representative Katie Porter, another Democrat who has entered the race for Senate, did not attend, according to Ms. Feinstein’s office.

Eileen Mariano, Ms. Feinstein’s granddaughter, remembered her grandmother outside of a political sphere — as someone who always backed her up, picked flowers with her and played chess with her.

“To me, she will be remembered as the most incredible grandmother,” said Ms. Mariano, who works as a policy adviser to Ms. Breed.

Ms. Mariano, 31, recalled sleepovers at Ms. Feinstein’s home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, but also the crucial advice that her grandmother had left her with, pressing the value of hard work and doing something you love.

Her grandmother, she said, had urged her to find her life’s passion, to “earn your spurs” — and always, whatever trip you’re going on, “pack a black pantsuit.”

Emily Cochrane, Shawn Hubler and Colbi Edmonds contributed reporting.

The post Dianne Feinstein Honored at Memorial Service in San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

For four months last year, Jessica Hassen-Whitson, 45, was a prisoner in her home, a permanent supportive housing unit in a hotel on Turk Street in San Francisco assigned by the city’s homelessness department. The elevator and doorways were too narrow for her plus-size wheelchair and she couldn’t get over the unit’s front steps. Her partner, Jason Davis, 33, had broken his leg and could no longer carry her. 

During that time, she left the apartment only twice, for doctor’s appointments. Since she couldn’t step into the bathtub, she took sponge baths. As the weeks dragged on, Hassen-Whitson grew increasingly depressed. 

“It was a nightmare,” she said. “I was ready to have a nervous breakdown.” 

Hassen-Whitson needed a wheelchair-accessible unit. Instead, she twice got housing that was unusable for her, despite having a doctor’s letter on file and qualifying as a high priority candidate for support. 

She is one of many homeless San Francisco residents who can’t get the services they need — and are entitled to — because of breakdowns in the city’s system for allotting housing and other support services. 

Known as Coordinated Entry, the adult system was ushered in five years ago with a bold promise: to streamline the pathway to housing for those suffering the most on the street, and to tailor services to their needs. The program, which has served more than 49,000 unhoused people, has largely failed to deliver. 

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Rather than accelerate the process, it has added bureaucracy and reduced visibility, say homeless service providers, who described the program as a black box. Unhoused residents bear the consequences. Many find the process confusing and stressful. Others face long waits that, in extreme cases, last years. Limited housing stock and a disorganized database make bad housing matches commonplace. People involved with the system have known about these problems for years, but they remain unsolved. Most unhoused people who go through the system stay homeless. 

“Has it accomplished what it was supposed to? I would say resoundingly no,” said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness. “It did the opposite.” 

On average, it takes a homeless San Franciscan about 330 days to move into housing from the day the person applies, according to data from this fiscal year in the city’s homeless records system, provided to the Chronicle by a nonprofit service provider that contracts with the city. A spokesperson for the city’s Homelessness and Supportive Housing department said the agency calculates wait time as the period between being put on a wait-list and housing placement, which this fiscal year has averaged 154 days. 

Coordinated entry is mandated by the federal government, which provided the city’s homelessness agency more than $53 million in federal funds last fiscal year. However, San Francisco designs its own system within federal parameters. 

Some homeless service workers tempered their criticism with acknowledgement that the system is still young and that reforms are in the works. The city’s homelessness department has assembled a redesign working group that includes nonprofit homeless service workers, including system critics interviewed for this story. Still, they worry the problem is urgent and solutions are not coming fast enough. 

More than a half dozen others who spoke with the Chronicle requested anonymity because they feared endangering their organization’s working relationship with the city. 

Case workers say the new system, which uses an algorithm to calculate housing eligibility, is more complicated and impenetrable than the old one, where a referral was a matter of a phone call between people plugged into the ecosystem. 

Housing someone requires consideration of their needs, the providers say. Someone who uses a wheelchair will need a building with an elevator, for instance. But often, they don’t get one. 

Jessica Hassen-Whitson and her partner, Jason Davis, have fought to get housing that meets their basic needs through the city’s coordinated entry system. 

Courtesy of Jessica Hassen-Whitson

For Hassen-Whitson, it has happened repeatedly. She resisted moving into the Gotham Hotel apartment that couldn’t accommodate her wheelchair, but she said her housing navigator at the city-contracted nonprofit Episcopal Community Services pressured her to accept it. The shelter-in-place hotel she lived in was closing and there wasn’t other housing available. It was that unit, or a group shelter, she recalled the case worker telling her. 

According to city policy, coordinated entry applicants are entitled to three housing offers, but Hassen-Whitson only got one. She didn’t want to go to a shelter and she had received assurances that the city would relocate her to suitable housing, so she took it. 

“We don’t have enough resources for everybody, which is really heartbreaking,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “With something as basic as housing, we should be able to say to people who are homeless, ‘We may not have the resources you need right now, but we will have that for you, and we will be working with you on your housing plan all along on the way.’ And it hasn’t been like that in the past.” 

Episcopal Community Services declined to comment, citing client confidentiality. 

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Prior to coordinated entry, case workers drew on their nuanced knowledge of clients’ needs to match them with available units. Now two teams at the city’s homelessness department — coordinated entry and housing — handle that work without input from the case workers. The change was supposed to remove case workers’ personal opinions from the equation and distribute housing more equitably, according to the agency. 

But too often the department offers homeless applicants housing options that don’t meet their needs and more community input would in fact make for better matches, said a longtime service provider, who spoke anonymously out of fear of reprisal. 

Technology shortcomings worsen the problem. The city’s data system that keeps information about homeless people can’t pull health information from enough administrative systems. That means homelessness department workers can’t always see crucial information such as the need for a private bathroom due to sexual assault trauma or the need for wheelchair access that could help them allocate services. 

The city is aware of its data mismanagement, but it said sometimes a poor match is the only one available. 

“Mismatches happen, which is why we’re taking the time to really get the right people in the room to discuss how to have an inclusive system,” said McSpadden. “There’s an ebb and flow to this whole system and that’s what we have to work with.” 

Jessica Hassen-Whitson still does not live in an apartment where she can bathe herself without assistance because the bathtub is not wheelchair-accessible.

Courtesy of Jessica Hassen-Whitson

San Francisco is building a new records system, modeled off a pandemic pilot, to integrate cross-departmental health information. The upgrades will draw from state dollars and may launch in about a year, according to the city’s homelessness agency. The effort is part of a broader push to integrate the city’s many disparate databases. 

Improvements in technology and data systems are helpful, but they only work in conjunction with reducing documentation requirements, increases in affordable housing stock, incentives for landlord participation, and policy improvements, according to Gabi Remz, Assistant Director of Research and Writing at the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab. 

For now,  Hassen-Whitson has settled for getting most of her needs met. Last December, she finally moved to a newly-constructed apartment in Mission Bay. After going months without an update on her transfer date, she got a text message from her case worker the night of Dec. 29 notifying her the move would happen Dec. 31, according to a complaint she filed with the city. When she arrived at the new building, no one was aware she needed a wheelchair accessible unit and told her there were none left. 

Hassen-Whitson took an available unit anyway. It was comfortable enough. The doorways and elevators were wide enough for her wheelchair. She was also tired of fighting. She and Davis settled in, covering the fridge with anime stickers and hanging gothic decorations on the walls.

To this day, she still doesn’t live in an apartment where she can bathe herself. 

Reach Audrey Brown: audrey.brown@sfchronicle.com

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Uber is exploring the idea of launching a service similar to TaskRabbit where folks can call on someone to carry out everyday tasks that they themselves don’t want to do, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

Details of the possible service, which could be called “Chore,” were discovered by developer Steve Moser in code in Uber’s iPhone app.

It revealed that a user would be able to hire a “tasker” for a minimum of one hour after specifying a job that needs doing and when the hired person should arrive to start on it.

“Similar to a ride or a food delivery within Uber’s application, the code indicates the user will be asked to specify the address of the request, review their submission, and then press a button to request it,” Bloomberg says in its report, adding that Chore will then calculate the fee based on the time needed to complete the job.

Uber started out as a ridesharing service and the on-demand taxi service still drives most of its income. But it later moved into meal delivery as part of efforts to broaden its revenue stream. Launching a TaskRabbit-like service would mark another effort to improve its bottom line, though it should be stated that at the current time Uber has said nothing official about rolling out such a service. If it does proceed, the likelihood is that Chore would initially operate as a trial service in select locations before deciding whether to make it a permanent part of its platform. As it’s recently been spotted in code, such a test could be coming soon.

TaskRabbit launched in 2008 to offer people an easy way to hire people to do various jobs such as home repairs, cleaning, gardening, electrical help, plumbing and — perhaps no surprise considering it was acquired by IKEA in 2017 — furniture assembly.

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Entrepreneur asked Yelp to dig into its data, to reveal which ones America loved the most. Together we created America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops, a list of 150 local, independently owned and operated businesses across 10 categories — including, yes, home and local services.

To see every category, as well as the methodology behind the list, click here. Below are the 15 companies included in the home and local services category.

Note: Some businesses may have multiple locations. Only one location is listed for each.

1. Pink Plumbing & Sewer

Phoenix, AZ

Company website | Yelp page

This mobile business, owned by Chris Martin, can dispatch a repair crew to anywhere in the Phoenix Valley for both scheduled appointments as well as emergencies (to which they can respond 24/7). A particular plus is Martin’s insistence upon flat-rate pricing, with no extra work done without approval.

The best plumbing service out there!” reads one Yelp review. “I have always been very happy and totally satisfied… received super service from Pink along with peace of mind.” “I contacted them Easter Sunday evening,” reads another. “[They were] prompt, professional and installed our new water heater in no time.”

2. Lani’s Tailor & Atelier

Redmond, WA

Company website | Yelp page

Owner Andrea Kim’s atelier has been a Downtown staple for knocking on 40 years now, which is a soaring achievement for any independently owned small enterprise. A seasoned designer, Kim makes wedding dresses from scratch, which is why brides-to-be constitute a sizeable chunk of the clientele.

But that’s not all. She’ll also alter/restore existing dresses and gowns, as well as tailor men’s and women’s suits, shirts, jeans and jackets. “[They] worked me in last minute for a next day wedding,” offered on gent on Yelp. “Amazing service with a smile! Great, great value.”

3. Rain of Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV

Company website | Yelp page

There is arguably no urban population in the nation more acutely aware of the sustainability and efficiency of its water supply than Vegas. Since 1996, Michael Chuk’s company has made a mission of providing clean, safe and cutting-edge water quality systems, which can feature water conditioners, softeners and reverse osmosis filters.

Describing his hard water problem, one Yelp reviewer vividly described his dilemma: “Our water was essentially liquid rock, so we decided to get a water softener installed… Rain of Las Vegas [was] trustworthy, knowledgeable and professional… Our showers are awesome now.” An added bonus: All its systems are USA-made.

4. Hero Air

Chicago, IL

Company website | Yelp page

In June, Canadian wildfires caused air quality in the Windy City to hit 5 out of a possible 6 on the particulates meter — a mark classified as “very unhealthy.” The episode brought new focus on the need for indoor air quality systems, a service that this 10-year-plus business specializes in.

President Vladimir Yanev’s team services both the city and its suburbs, and can tackle boiler and furnace/installation and repair, as well as HVAC builds/service/repair and maintenance (including ductless mini splits for room-individualized temperature control). And if one Yelp review is any indication, there might also be an impromptu seminar offered in the bargain. “My granddaughter was very impressed with you taking time to help us understand the boiler,” it reads. “I am looking forward to you taking care of all our boiler and hot water tank needs.”

5. Texas Electrical Connect

Austin, TX

Company website | Yelp page

According to the National Fire Protection Association, wiring, lighting, cords and plugs cause approximately 35,000 home fires in the U.S. each year — which result in between one and two billion dollars in property damage. Owner Miguel Alonzo is here to save you from future calamity. His areas of expertise include lighting, electrical panel, doorbell and security system repair, as well as troubleshooting/addressing issues with generators and A/C systems and a variety of other challenges, both business and residential.

“Power in the bathroom was out,” recalled a Yelp reviewer. “They checked all the outlets and found the problem behind some DIY work that was done wrong. They fixed it and improved safety by moving the switch to a location that met code…all in the same day.”

Related: How This Home Care Service Makes Sure It’s Always Running on All Cylinders

6. 5 Points TV Installations

Hialeah, FL

Company website | Yelp page

How hard is it to mount a TV? Home renovation geeks might say it’s easy — but for everyone else, it’s fraught with embarrassment and actual peril, including wall damage (should you fail to find the studs and/or use the wrong anchors), injury/damage resulting from drops, electrical short issues and/or mounting at the wrong eye level (the results much more irritating than you might imagine).

In other words, it’s time to call a pro. Since 2010 this small operation, just outside of Miami, has been relieving home and business owners of those headaches, and can also handle the installation of speakers and sound bars, as well as shelves and stands.

7. A Few Good College Men

Gaithersburg, MD

Company website | Yelp page

Dany Afeni is the owner of this diversly-capable moving company, which not only serves the entirety of Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, but can also assist with further-flung jobs up and down the Eastern Seaboard and even cross-country. Services include simple deliveries (for stores that do not arrange for shipping) and traditional packing and moving, but also junk cleanouts, storage, furniture assembly and mattress removal.

“I had a move from MD to VA to MD in one day,” reads one Yelp review, “and I appreciated the status updates so I could notify the second party of when the team would arrive. They are so speedy and friendly!”

8. Bronco Pro Kleen Carpet Cleaning Denver

Denver, CO

Company website | Yelp page

Strategically-placed carpets can be a sanity restorer, especially for homeowners with large pets and/or kids. But there’s a problem: Those carpets are also magnets for allergens, bacteria, proteins and dust. If improperly or too seldom cleaned, they’ll contribute to indoor air pollution, and so exacerbate asthma and other breathing problems.

Bronco Pro Kleen is here to solve that problem. It’s based in Denver’s Applewood neighborhood, and uses eco-friendly gear that’s safe for pets and kids. It also includes a truck-mounted steam systems designed to apply extra cleaning and odor-removal power to carpets, yes, but also to home and car upholstery. The company will also repair carpets in a pinch, and emergency services are available.

9. Tony LaMartina Plumbing

St. Louis, MO

Company website | Yelp page

Though now in its 41st year of servicing “The Lou,” this small enterprise actually taps an even deeper lineage: The LaMartina family has master plumber-class expertise that goes back more than a hundred years. Those stripes show in LaMartina Plumbing being placed in Angie’s List Super Service Award ranks seven times now, as well as it’s A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau of St. Louis.

Tony and crew’s capabilities extend from bathroom upgrades to lawn irrigation services and water heater installation, and from kitchen sink to garbage disposal maintenance/repair. For larger jobs, financing is available, too, and an added plus is the ability to track service crews’ ETA via GPS.

10. MMPC

Long Island City, NY

Company website | Yelp page

MMPC was among the first companies in this sector to integrate the EPA’s Integrated Pest Management Practices into its services. With environmental awareness as a cornerstone, the resulting approach explores a variety of approaches to rodent and insect infestations “before pesticides are even considered.” It also partners with state and other entities such as the FDNY, New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the Department of Health and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York — with that same goal of effective but sustainable and careful application, keeping kids and pets particularly in mind.

Solutions could be hot- or cold temperature-based, for example, or emphasize exclusion (sealing pest entryways or exit paths). Beyond that, fumigation is always an option, along with natural and other pesticides.

Related: A Buzzing Business: How These Entrepreneurs Turned a Longtime Annoyance Into Successful Careers in Pest Control

11. Isle Locksmith

Honolulu, HI

Company website | Yelp page

Servicing Honolulu (and Oahu more broadly) and owned by Shai Rosen, this small business takes no small pride in its response times. “On a Saturday evening, my elderly relative found herself locked out of her apartment,” one Yelper wrote. “Shai arrived within 15 minutes…and our whole issue was resolved.” Another, locked out of his office, recounts a technician from Isle Locksmith arriving on site in 15 to 20 minutes.

Rosen and crew’s considerable list of capabilities includes lock installation and repair, keypad entry assistance, broken key extraction, car key duplication, lock changing (including electronic/smart variants) and safe lock service.

12. Auto Pro Detailing

Fremont, CA

Company website | Yelp page

With two locations (Fremont and Dublin), this company serves the entirety of the East San Francisco Bay community, including San Jose and Silicon Valley. Very much a family enterprise and founded in 1994, its owner, Marvin, has brought on his brothers, wife and daughter over the years, and offers a considerable range of services, from paint protection and correction to headlight restoration, full auto (including engine) detailing to tinting services.

Describing persistent scratches that had defied other treatment, one Yelper turned to Auto Pro Detailing and recalled: “[They] promised me 80% [scratch correction], but delivered 100%! The car looks new again!”

13. Kingdom Electric

Portland, OR

Company website | Yelp page

Among the qualities that a truly capable electrician should have (including expertise and good communication and time management skills), adaptability is too often overlooked, and is a highlight of this small Portland business. “[Owner] John understands that not everyone can afford to tackle massive projects all at once,” recalls one Yelper. “I greatly appreciate the guidance and patience… He is a skilled electrician, but even better, is a wealth of knowledge regarding home renovations in general.”

The company can take on a wide variety of issues, including AC installation, electrical panel repair and circuit breaker installation (among others), as well as a newer service of increasing importance and one that’s very much in demand: EV charging station builds.

14. Star Locksmith

Brighton, MA

Company website | Yelp page

Family owned and operated (with Bulent Hatipoglu as the principal), this company harnesses decades of experience in the field and serves the greater Boston metro area. Residential, auto and commercial services are on hand, whether the need is lock changing, new installation, electronic/smart lock repair, rekeying, vehicle lockouts or a variety of other issues, as well as the occasional and unexpected extra.

As one Yelper recounted, “After closing on our new home, everyone immediately said to change the locks. [Bulent did] the entire job (6 locks) done in about 30 minutes. Before leaving he noticed our main entrance had some wonky screws inserted which was hurting the doorframe… in the blink of an eye, [he] had new screws in and the door shuts perfectly.”

15. Residential Express Services Heating & Air Conditioning

Springfield, VA

Company website | Yelp page

This service and repair company tackles the vital task of making HVAC systems perform more efficiently, safely and reliably — all of which are vital for a home investment that can easily run tens of thousands of dollars. It does it so well that the years are flying by: It celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2023.

HVAC is a complex job; it also involves air duct cleaning and repair, duct sanitizing and lint screen cleaning. The crew here additionally specializes in gas/electric furnace and water heater installation and repair, as well maintaining/fixing thermostats and air conditioners, and offers an ongoing service plan designed to extend the life of home HVAC systems. The company is able to respond to the entirety of Northern Virginia.

Related: Why This Industry Is Experiencing Incredible Pandemic-Fueled Growth

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