Why we all need smoke detectors!

fisher · Post by **fisher** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:47 pm

Yesterday not far from my community there was a very bad house fire. I was out fishing at the time and herd it on the radio. When I got home later that day I herd the details of the fire and it broke my heart. I guess what happen was the father was working in the basement and his six year old son was playing upstairs. The son started a fire in one of the closets. By the time the father smelled the smoke the fire was going pretty bad. He ran upstairs and started looking for his son. He ran through the house yelling his sons name but could not find him. After the fire was extinguished the firemen found him in the attic hiding under a pile of blankets. He died from smoke inhalation.They figured he got scared and went to hide. I can not imagine what was going through the fathers mind while he was looking for his son. This is a very sad story and what make it worst is that a simple smoke detector would of saved the little boys life. My heart goes out to this family and I hope that who ever reads this story will know the importance of having smoke detectors in there home.

Belladonna · Post by **Belladonna** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:55 pm

How horrible! Very, very sad!!!

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:00 pm

I used to do fire restoration. Its devastating the damage that can be done. Obviously smoke detectors are essential, shouldnt even have to question it.

fisher · Post by **fisher** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:09 pm

Nomad;508720 wrote: I used to do fire restoration. Its devastating the damage that can be done. Obviously smoke detectors are essential, shouldnt even have to question it.

I agree. You would think in this day and age that every house would have a smoke detector but sadly that is not the case.

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:07 pm

My husbands so use to the smoke detector going off - that he says

Honey, is dinner ready. I have to wave a towel in front of it to shut it up.

Patsy

fisher · Post by **fisher** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:28 pm

Patsy Warnick;508802 wrote: My husbands so use to the smoke detector going off - that he says

Honey, is dinner ready. I have to wave a towel in front of it to shut it up.

Patsy

So are you saying that you always burn the supper?

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:38 pm

They save lives for sure and should be in every home in several spot the kitchen, hall ways by bedrooms, over the bathroom, garage, and any where someone need to hear them go off.

fisher · Post by **fisher** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:44 pm

CARLA;508816 wrote: They save lives for sure and should be in every home in several spot the kitchen, hall ways by bedrooms, over the bathroom, garage, and any where someone need to hear them go off.
Yes for sure. This is something every house should have. They are no very expensive either. A rather inexpensive way to save your life.

K.Snyder · Post by **K.Snyder** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:05 pm

A horrible tragedy to say the least, but while we're on the subject of preventing lives with smoke detectors(and believe me, I myself think it should be a law to have a smoke detector in every house--At least when there are kids in it), I can't get passed how a kid supposedly being too young to know what a fire is could have gotten ahold of anything that would have started a fire to begin with...By the age of about 7 my nephews knew not to mess with anything involving fire, let alone them being able to get their hands on anything capable of it...

I understand it's a horrible tragedy, but my concern goes out to add to the prevention of such unwanted events, and it shouldn't only be smoke detectors emphasized, it should be responsibility 101.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:13 pm

Excellent point KS children should be supervised at all times. This was a 6 year old who seemed to know how to start a fire. My guess matches or a lighter were involved. Once it started he paniced tragic and very sad. :-1

[QUOTE]I understand it's a horrible tragedy, but my concern goes out to add to the prevention of such unwanted events, and it shouldn't only be smoke detectors emphasized, it should be responsibility 101.[/QUOTE]

fisher · Post by **fisher** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:25 pm

CARLA;508828 wrote: Excellent point KS children should be supervised at all times. This was a 6 year old who seemed to know how to start a fire. My guess matches or a lighter were involved. Once it started he paniced tragic and very sad. :-1

Yes I also agree with KS. This was a tragedy that could of easily been prevented. This 6 year old should of been in the basement with the father not upstairs by himself. Very sad indeed.

Amie · Post by **Amie** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:41 pm

We currently rent a house. It's gorgeous, but we noticed a week after moving in there are NO smoke detectors at all. Here in Queensland it's actually illegal to rent any property out without them. We asked our landlord to install them and pointed out how illegal it was his response "yeah I don't have time, you guys get them installed and take it off your rent." So i went into this long discussion with him about how we don't actually have all that much time either but we weren't the ones breaking the law. In the end, he just said I can't be bothered, if you want them, do it.

WTF?!!

So anyway, we did. Bought FIVE of THE most expensive smoke detectors known to man as well.

:wah:

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:56 pm

I'm a good cook really

We have several smoke alarms - one dead center in the kitchen, very sensitive to heat & smoke, so it really is a running joke around here. "Dinner is Ready"

The toaster sets it off.

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:58 pm

Amie

Get a smoke detector and fight with the landlord and the laws later.

Patsy

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:02 pm

Fisher

Your thread is similar to my experience - my brother hid in the closet, lit matches and - - mother climbs the steps looking for her 5 children - very close.

Unfortunate

Patsy

woppy71 · Post by **woppy71** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:25 pm

Absolutely agree with you, KS. Smoke detectors should be installed in every house by law, regardless wether it is rented or private accomodation.

It seems these days that so many tragedies involving children happen due to oversight or carelessness on the part of the responsible adult. I do think that a lot more could be done by making people accountable for safety in there own homes by creating a set of laws which require certain criteria to be met by responsible adults, such as the safe and secure storage of fire lighting equipment and other dangerous things under lock and key, in such a way as to minimize the chances of any child getting hold of such items.

Also, the firebrigade in this country actively encourage people to create and practice a fire plan, just incase the worst happens. This is not compulsory in this country, allthough I think it definately should be.

Just a few thoughts there

K.Snyder · Post by **K.Snyder** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:20 pm

Amie;508840 wrote: We currently rent a house. It's gorgeous, but we noticed a week after moving in there are NO smoke detectors at all. Here in Queensland it's actually illegal to rent any property out without them. We asked our landlord to install them and pointed out how illegal it was his response "yeah I don't have time, you guys get them installed and take it off your rent." So i went into this long discussion with him about how we don't actually have all that much time either but we weren't the ones breaking the law. In the end, he just said I can't be bothered, if you want them, do it.

WTF?!!

So anyway, we did. Bought FIVE of THE most expensive smoke detectors known to man as well.

:wah:

Don't have time?

His entire job is to provide whats necessary in the houses he's renting out...Wow, I would have been pi$$ed off,..come to think of it, I would have looked for another house to rent(you probably had a lease or something, I understand, but I would have either cracked his jaw, or picked up and left...I'm that stubborn)

K.Snyder · Post by **K.Snyder** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:33 pm

I just don't see a six year old being able to light matches...My first guess would be a Zippo...A six year old would not have the common knowledge it takes to take a single match and to know to strike it on the rough surface of safety matches...That would take an extreme amount of first hand witnessing, and to add to that the strength to do it...As for a store bought bic lighter, I don't believe a six year old would be able to hold down the lever while at the same time igniting anything, and that is even if they would have the strength to do that as well...

Had to have been a Zippo...or at least an imitation Zippo,..as imitations are a little easier to strike I do believe, and their continuous burn would have undoubtedly set something ablaze,..it was what they were practically meant for.

Peg · Post by **Peg** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:40 pm

When my kids were that age, we practiced fire escape routes. Another important thing is carbon monoxide alarms.

woppy71 · Post by **woppy71** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:15 am

Peg;508876 wrote: When my kids were that age, we practiced fire escape routes. Another important thing is carbon monoxide alarms.

Yes, couldn't agree with you more there

Amie · Post by **Amie** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:19 am

K.Snyder;508871 wrote: Don't have time?

His entire job is to provide whats necessary in the houses he's renting out...Wow, I would have been pi$$ed off,..come to think of it, I would have looked for another house to rent(you probably had a lease or something, I understand, but I would have either cracked his jaw, or picked up and left...I'm that stubborn)

I know!

I was pi$$ed off too, but after all that time trying to convince him to get off his arse, I just thought to myself... fine, screw you buddy. Instead of 3 x $15 smoke detector's I'll go out and get them specially fitted and the most expensive ones I can find. So I did, basically it ended up costing him a mint for being so lazy! :wah: We ended up getting 3 weeks rent free coz it cost him so much. :wah:

K.Snyder · Post by **K.Snyder** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:08 am

Amie;508883 wrote: I know!

I was pi$$ed off too, but after all that time trying to convince him to get off his arse, I just thought to myself... fine, screw you buddy. Instead of 3 x $15 smoke detector's I'll go out and get them specially fitted and the most expensive ones I can find. So I did, basically it ended up costing him a mint for being so lazy! :wah: We ended up getting 3 weeks rent free coz it cost him so much. :wah:

Well, there you go...beat them with your whit and not your mitt.

fisher · Post by **fisher** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:34 am

Peg;508876 wrote: When my kids were that age, we practiced fire escape routes. Another important thing is carbon monoxide alarms.

Yes! I have them in my house as well.