Grandparents, Grandchildren and Fire Safety
Sad things happen in the world every day but when they happen during the holidays it seems even more tragic. By now you have probably heard of the tragic house fire in Ohio that killed a 60 year old grandmother and her 3 grandsons. The boys were ages, 14, 11 and 9. According to Fox News the boys spent the night with their grandmother that night because they didn’t want her to be alone on Christmas.
I can’t imagine the heart break that family must be experiencing.
My Fire Story
My dad sold farm equipment and had a shop where they did tractor repairs. We lived across the road from the store and one day during a thunderstorm lightning struck dad’s store roof. Because of the wind and air flow the fire was sucked through the building and within minutes the whole place was engulfed.
We were lucky. It happened during the day and all the people were able to evacuate the building. I can’t imagine waking up at night to a house fire and trying to think clearly enough to get everyone out safely.
If there is one thing I learned from watching dad’s store burn it’s how fast a fire can consume a building. According to the American Red Cross Fire Prevention and Safety website, in some cases you may only have 2 minutes to evacuate.
Just. 2. Minutes.
Smoke Alarms and a Safety Plan
We have working smoke alarms in our home and we check them regularly, but in the 5 years we have lived here I don’t remember us ever discussing what route we would take in case of fire. Our oldest granddaughter spends the night with us frequently and in light of the Ohio tragedy we will be discussing fire safety and what we would do should a fire occur. I’ll also be asking her about her house and if the smoke detectors work and if they have a plan there.
If you want to read more about fire safety and suggestions for how to make a safety plan, visit the National Fire Protection Association.
If you don’t have a fire safety plan or smoke detectors and your grandchildren spend the night with you, don’t let one more day go by before you discuss fire safety with them. Or, if you are a parent and your children spend the night with friends or relatives, don’t be afraid to ask the adults of the home about their plan. It’s simply too important to put off.
When is the last time you checked your smoke detectors? If it wasn’t recently, go check them now.
Thank you! And hat’s off to your dad! Blessings to you!
My father was a fireman so fire safety was drilled into our heads all of our lives. I also watched my brother loose everything in a house fire fortunately they all got out safely. It is so important to check those batteries and to have a plan! Great post!