Napa is about to get its first five-story building and there may be seven-story buildings at Napa Pipe. Does the fire department have ladders tall enough to handle this?

Fee! Fie! Fo! Fum! I smell the smoke of a fire, man.

Should I be scared that I’m on the seventh story?

No, of course not, don’t even worry!

City of Napa Fire Marshal Darren Drake assured me that the department has us doused, er, covered. He said that when a call is placed to 911 in response to a fire, an aerial ladder truck — the proper term, as opposed to my layman’s “fire engine” — is sent out. Each truck has two paramedics and a fire captain on board.

“The guys on the truck call themselves ‘truckies,’” Drake said. Cute.

Aside from rescue personnel and the crucial fire hose, these trucks also carry another important piece of equipment — a large ladder. This ladder is 110 feet long and capable of reaching multi-story buildings, even those seven stories high, depending on the configuration of the building. For example, if each story of a building is 10 feet tall from ceiling to floor, then the ladder can reach all the way up to 11 stories.

Luckily there aren’t many buildings in Napa that are several stories high. Nor do they have those menacing gargoyles to impede firemen from rescuing you.

So what about those taller buildings in, say, San Francisco? First, for a building to be considered a high-rise, it must be greater than 75 feet in height, said Drake. He also said that construction in these buildings is more fire-resistant than smaller buildings and fire systems are enhanced, including alarms and sprinklers in case of an emergency arising.

Well, holy smokes, I feel better.

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Glad You Asked attempts to answer readers’ questions. Burning for an answer? Send me your questions at dmon tanez@napanews.com or call me at 256-2224.