Pete Hypes
In the Blink of an Eye
By
Jun 18, 2008 - 9:34:48 AM

As you recall, last week’s article talked about a house fire in which all of the occupants were successfully rescued, without injury. I had no more sent that article when I received a phone call asking if I had heard about the fire where a retired member of our organization had lost a loved one in a house fire. Fire shows no favorites when it strikes; you may have just graduated from high school; you may have just gotten married; you may have just had a baby; or, you may have just celebrated your 50th wedding anniversary. Whatever the case, fires take the lives of young and old alike. In fact, those most vulnerable to fire are children and the elderly.

There is no way to explain the devastation that a fire can cause. I wish that I could take you on a tour of a home that has just been destroyed by a fire, and then take you to the burn unit at VCU Medical Center, and let you see the process from the moment that a person enters the burn unit until they are discharged, if that occurs. A picture truly would be worth a thousand words. Maybe if you could see things first-hand, then you would begin to understand that preventing a fire in your home is a must.

I had a tenth grader come to #14 the other day to do her community service for school. In light of these fires, I had her draw a home escape plan for her home and then instructed her to review it with her family when she got home. I also instructed her to ensure that all of the smoke alarms in the house were operating properly. Now you have to understand that this girl was a tenth-grader, so it was important for me to explain the why behind this assignment. I wish that I could give this assignment to every adult who owns or rents a home or apartment in Chesterfield County. In fact, why don’t I do just that? For every one of you that reads this article, draw a floor plan of your house. If your house is two stories, then draw a plan of each floor. Now, designate two ways out of every room in your house. If there are rooms on the second floor, what happens if you have to go out of the window? Put your outside meeting place on the drawing. Show the location of all smoke alarms, but most of all, check to see if they are in the best place to notify you the quickest in the event a fire, and test them to ensure that they are working. Now, review this plan with everyone in your home, and practice it.

I have tried to convey this message in as many ways as I know how. The problem is that I cannot make you listen, and I definitely cannot change a complacent attitude where fires are concerned. Preventing a fire is the best way to never have to experience a fire so hot that it makes you choose to jump from a 10th or a 100th story window.

My heart and my prayers go out to my brother firefighter and his family in the loss of their loved one. I tell this story in memory of their loved one, hoping that this article will cause someone to heed the warnings, and do whatever it takes to prevent a fire in their home. 

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