If that's the policy of YOUR fire department, it's time to move.
Our firefighters are trained to deal with electrical connections, hazardous or poisonous materials, potential explosive chemicals, and virtually any other obstacle or threat they could possibly encounter.
A responsible fire department certainly will not wait. For anything.
About three years ago, the apartment house across the street from my place caught fire. The first piece of equipment was on the scene, so one of the commanders told me, within three minutes of the dispatch. The fire department, in short order, had FORTY-TWO pieces of equipment on the scene. I'm talking vehicles painted red that said "Fire Department." There were also unaccountably many cop cars, wreckers, and so forth. Moreover, there were - and here I'm guessing - a half dozen or more pumper trucks attached to fire plus up to seven or more blocks away awaiting the call for more water.
A hundred and fifty firefighters are NOT going to be sitting around playing Scrabble waiting for a Centerpoint Energy truck to meander by.