Wildernesstech
12-08-2013, 10:53 AM
9682
Obviously, I am new here. But I am going to do something I hesitate to do, just in case it may help someone avoid some of what we have been through!
In January of 2004, my family had EVERYTHING that we ever wanted to secure our future. We were happy. I had employment. and we were ready(or so we thought) for about anything. As I prepared for work early that morning, our youngest son, 3 years of age, tugged on my pantsleg asking "Daddy, Do you have to go to work today? Can't you stay home and play with me?" I knelt down and aksed him; "Dalton, If your mommy or your brother got hurt today, and you dialed 911, wouldn't you want someone to come help them?" He responded with, "I guess that you better not be late!" You see, I was a rural Paramedic. Working an ambulance covering MY community and large surrounding areas. Our son knew that I needed to go to work. But what none of us knew was just how much our world was going to change that day!
After an eventful and long day we crept into the night (We worked 24 hour shifts). I was working with a trusted Paramedic partner who was lead that shift. Late in the evening we took a psych' call and determined that it was in the patient's best interest to be transfered to a facility some 40 miles away for specific care. As we neared our destination a call came across the radio for a house fire... Yes, it was MY address! I immediately tried to dial home and was met with no answer. This terrified me, because we provided our own power which had never failed, so at least the machine should have picked up! Quickly we processed our patient and then ran code back to my place. I remember hearing my supervisor ask dispatch for ambulances to cover our area as everyone of my fellow EMS personnel converged on what was left of our home. During the drive I received a call from my wife who had finally been handed a cell phone. Unfortunately, she was nearly killed in the fire while trying to get to our two sleeping boys, 3 and 13 years of age!
No cause for the fire was ever determined. Believe me when I say that all investigative options were exhausted. And it has been ten years this January, but sometimes it seems like yesterday. This is certainly not my favorite story to tell. If I told you my eyes were dry right now I would be lying! But I feel a need to warn others that "It can happen to you!" We had plenty of smoke detectors, they woke my wife, and she still hears them in her dreams. But our home was made of natural woods, as many of yours are. It was designed for maximum air flow to combat the warm Missouri summers, and that allowed it to act like a fireplace and efficiently burn fast! I have been safety conscious all my life, but I wasn't as prepared for this one as I needed to be! The boys had been through fire drills, but were in their room on the second floor and quickly overcome by the smoke. My wife did all in her power but the fire was hot, and between her and the children. She suffered burns to include her airway.
And we all should truly think about the hard times ahead... As people who prepare, there will always be those that are envious, fire is a tool that has been used for centuries by terrorists and the sort. It is doubtful that our fire departments will be able to answer every call. Let's never have all of our eggs in one basket. Let's do all that we can to protect our homes and families. If this doesn't get you thinking of ways to keep us protected from ALL threats, then I don't know what will!
I challenge each and everyone of you to give this thought and post every little idea that comes to mind here. Share feasable safety options with each other. I really thought that I was as ready as I could be! ARE YOU?
Obviously, I am new here. But I am going to do something I hesitate to do, just in case it may help someone avoid some of what we have been through!
In January of 2004, my family had EVERYTHING that we ever wanted to secure our future. We were happy. I had employment. and we were ready(or so we thought) for about anything. As I prepared for work early that morning, our youngest son, 3 years of age, tugged on my pantsleg asking "Daddy, Do you have to go to work today? Can't you stay home and play with me?" I knelt down and aksed him; "Dalton, If your mommy or your brother got hurt today, and you dialed 911, wouldn't you want someone to come help them?" He responded with, "I guess that you better not be late!" You see, I was a rural Paramedic. Working an ambulance covering MY community and large surrounding areas. Our son knew that I needed to go to work. But what none of us knew was just how much our world was going to change that day!
After an eventful and long day we crept into the night (We worked 24 hour shifts). I was working with a trusted Paramedic partner who was lead that shift. Late in the evening we took a psych' call and determined that it was in the patient's best interest to be transfered to a facility some 40 miles away for specific care. As we neared our destination a call came across the radio for a house fire... Yes, it was MY address! I immediately tried to dial home and was met with no answer. This terrified me, because we provided our own power which had never failed, so at least the machine should have picked up! Quickly we processed our patient and then ran code back to my place. I remember hearing my supervisor ask dispatch for ambulances to cover our area as everyone of my fellow EMS personnel converged on what was left of our home. During the drive I received a call from my wife who had finally been handed a cell phone. Unfortunately, she was nearly killed in the fire while trying to get to our two sleeping boys, 3 and 13 years of age!
No cause for the fire was ever determined. Believe me when I say that all investigative options were exhausted. And it has been ten years this January, but sometimes it seems like yesterday. This is certainly not my favorite story to tell. If I told you my eyes were dry right now I would be lying! But I feel a need to warn others that "It can happen to you!" We had plenty of smoke detectors, they woke my wife, and she still hears them in her dreams. But our home was made of natural woods, as many of yours are. It was designed for maximum air flow to combat the warm Missouri summers, and that allowed it to act like a fireplace and efficiently burn fast! I have been safety conscious all my life, but I wasn't as prepared for this one as I needed to be! The boys had been through fire drills, but were in their room on the second floor and quickly overcome by the smoke. My wife did all in her power but the fire was hot, and between her and the children. She suffered burns to include her airway.
And we all should truly think about the hard times ahead... As people who prepare, there will always be those that are envious, fire is a tool that has been used for centuries by terrorists and the sort. It is doubtful that our fire departments will be able to answer every call. Let's never have all of our eggs in one basket. Let's do all that we can to protect our homes and families. If this doesn't get you thinking of ways to keep us protected from ALL threats, then I don't know what will!
I challenge each and everyone of you to give this thought and post every little idea that comes to mind here. Share feasable safety options with each other. I really thought that I was as ready as I could be! ARE YOU?