We had just moved into our current house in our new neighborhood and getting to know our neighbors. We had settled in and gotten all our belongings moved in and placed. Our new house was beginning to feel like home. Then we had the fire.
It started in the basement when an old wire had shorted out behind our water heater. The previous owners had left stacks of old newspapers, boxes of rags and assorted other trash down there and it caught flame. Before we even smelled smoke, the entire basement was inflamed and threatening the rest of the house. We had just bedded down for the night when our newly installed fire alarm sounded. Was a bit of luck that saved our house but it could have easily been much worse. One cool head in the family was able to put out the large fire but the rest of us were shocked into confusion and disarray.
We had a large fish tank that we had decided would look perfect in the center of the den rather than near a window. We pulled the water hose in through a window and filled the tank with water. By the time we had finished the project it was late and we simply closed the window on the hose before bed. The hose was what saved us. When we were alerted of the fire in the basement we simply turned on the hose outside and sprayed the fire until it was extinguished. We were lucky to have survived and save our home. Although we could have placed a smoke sensor in the basement, our alarms did warn us with plenty of time to act. What we were most aware of was that we had no plan in the event of fire.
The Route
At the time, we were a family of five. My mom, dad and us three brothers. After the near tragedy, we developed our fire plan. We designated a meeting place outside where we would go if we had to escape the house quickly. Along our route from our bedrooms, we would gather up someone on our way making as much noise as possible and yelling, "Fire!, Fire!, Fire!" The new rule was that anything left in the hallway along our fire route would be confiscated to the garage for a month. The fire route was to remain clear at all times. We moved small tables and stands to the rooms.
The Windows
Same as the route, the windows had to be left unobstructed. No dressers or cabinets or tables could block access to them. We ensured they were easily opened with a simple flick of the lock and wide enough for us to crawl through should we become cut off from our route.
Drills and Maintenance
We were young so these were always fun. We never knew when our parents were going to call an unexpected drill but we grew to expect one at times we were all together and during the night just before bed on weekends. The more time that went by between drills we began to anticipate them.
Oddly, we didn't realize we were actually remaining vigilant. When we cut the grass or raked leaves we also checked the batteries in flashlights, and tested the fire alarms. A checklist was kept on the refrigerator door we marked off after doing our part to keep the system up and running. After our drills we were each assigned a fire alarm and we would press the test button and call out, "Bedroom checked!, Kitchen checked!, Hallway checked!"
Looking back, that fire brought us closer as a family and provided us with something we used as an activity to do together. But it was not our family's last encounter with fire. My dad's home caught fire with four in his home and we lost him and my elder brother's small son. My elder brother was the one to take action. He alone had used what we were taught and was able to save two in the home. Although it was a tragedy, had he not remembered the plan we could have lost them all.
Sources/Resources
Previously Posted on FullofKnowlege.com
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