Too close for comfort

What's the correct term for fear of fire engines? There must be one - if the sight of anything is likely to strike fear into the hearts of the unwary, after all, it's a vision of a fire engine, lights flashing and klaxons clanging, zooming of in the direction of your worldly goods and loved ones.

I mention this for two reasons. Firstly because for a while, after moving into my flat, I did indeed develop something of a fire-engine phobia. It's remarkable how fragile even stone and mortar can appear when you've invested much of yourself in them.

Secondly, it's because I went outside to investigate something of a commotion just a short while earlier and found, not one, not two, but three fire engines parked just around the corner, flashing blue lights painting the scene with an eerie epileptic glow, and a considerable number of firemen scurrying about. There were no obvious signs of a blaze, which I hope means events aren't too dire, but I didn't stray to close, since I have a particular aversion for those who stand around and gawp and the scenes of an emergency or a disaster. Those best qualified to aid were already present, so I retreated to the relatively safety of my flat to ponder my own fragile fortunes and to double check my insurance forms (paperwork never being one of my strengths I have myself uninsured in the past in a time of need).

There but for the grace, after all...