Firebase query not being fired - swift

Question

I set breakpoints all throughout this query to Firebase, and all that's happening is the breakpoint for the following line gets hit (which is the very first line), and then no others.
_CHAT_REF.observeEventType(.Value, withBlock: { snapshot in
Any idea why this would be happening? Even if there is no data, the breakpoints inside the query block should be still be getting hit, but they aren't. What I've done: I've uninstalled and reinstalled Firebase at least 10 times, using both CocoaPods and not CocoaPods, following directions to the T. I'm not getting any kind of compile error, and I'm running FIRApp.configure() in my app delegate.
Full Code (breakpoints on each line, none called only _CHAT_REF.observe line):
private var _CHAT_REF = FIRDatabase.database().reference().child("chats")
_CHAT_REF.observeEventType(.Value, withBlock: { snapshot in
self.individualMessages = []
if snapshot.hasChildren() {
// Found chats
for snap in snapshot.children {
let theChat = Chat(snapshot: snap as! FIRDataSnapshot)
// The current user belongs to this chat, so add it to individual messages.
if theChat.sender_id == GlobalEnv.currentUser.id || theChat.receiver_id == GlobalEnv.currentUser.id {
self.individualMessages.append(theChat)
}
}
} else {
// No Children
print("No children found.")
}
self.tvContacts.reloadData()
})
DB Structure:
DB Structure on Firebase

Answer 1

I ran into a similar problem. It turned out that I wasn't able to read/write the database from behind my organization's proxy server. I built to a device using open wifi, and it worked.

Answer 2

Try this and let me know if it makes a difference. It's very simplified but the variable assignments are handled differently.
assume you are in a ViewController class...
class ViewController: UIViewController {
var ref: FIRDatabaseReference!
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
ref = FIRDatabase.database().reference()
}
func clickAction() { //just tied to an action in the UI
let chatsRef = ref.child("chats")
chatsRef.observeEventType(.Value, withBlock: { snapshot in
print("Hello, World")
})
}
}