The HVAC industry is important in so many ways. There are the obvious reasons that pop into everyone’s head such as keeping people comfortable in their homes by providing heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer months. There are also aspects of the job HVAC contractors perform that does not immediately come to the average person’s mind, like making sure those who suffer from asthma can breath quality air and providing different temperatures in different rooms in the same house.

Further down that list still would be fighting crime. This is not the first item that comes to mind when thinking of the HVAC industry, but that is exactly what happened in Sydney, Australia, recently. Reuters News Service reported a woman was attempting to escape from jail and had to be rescued by police after she got stuck in the air conditioning duct. The criminal spent about an hour in the air vent before being rescued. I am sure the contractor that worked at that jail planned for this all along.

My esteemed colleague Mark Skaer has been writing extensively about wanting the HVAC industry to be highlighted in a television show in an effort to reach the younger generation. And although I believe it would be easier to find a three-legged ballerina than a glitzy Hollywood exec buying into such a concept, perhaps he is right.

All we need is a few more idiots like this woman in Sydney, and we can have an HVAC version of “Cops.”