What metaphors are used in The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket?

The reference to fires in the name of the VFD is probably not literal. To put out a fire can also be a figurative phrase that means to stop some potentially dangerous situation from getting worse. Fire is also used as an image in the figurative phrase to "fight fire with fire," which means that when a person is attacked, he uses the same attack methods on his attacker.