[stylist] Christmas submission - Christmas fire safety

Thu Dec 15 19:55:47 UTC 2011

A nice awareness piece. Made me think about fire 
safety. Glad your experience wasn't worse  and no one was seriously injured.

Brad

On 12/15/2011  12:41 PM Brenda said...
>Hi List
>     Below is my submission for this list and 
> for my company newsletter.  I feel it is an 
> important topic.  It is an article rather than 
> a story so there isn't dialogue.  Thunderbird 
> keeps crashing so hopefully the spaces after 
> periods will stay put.  I have also attached it as a word     2003 document.
>Brenda
>
>Christmas Fire Safety
>
>The holiday season is upon us, and church bells 
>and carolers can be heard.The TV news reports 
>mall Santas and good Samaritans spreading good 
>cheer.If you listen closely, you can also hear 
>the sound of sirens as fire trucks head to a 
>house fire.Often it is a Christmas tree or space 
>heater that has caused the fire.The fire could 
>also be caused by a cooking mishap.
>
>A little over a year ago we were eating at Pizza 
>hut.As we were leaving, we saw thick black smoke 
>filling the sky and screaming sirens filled the 
>air.We learned later a lady was preparing 
>something on the stove.She left the room to help 
>her granddaughter with some homework.When she 
>returned to the kitchen, it was engulfed in 
>flames.No human life was lost, but they lost the 
>house and one cat.How could this woman be so careless?
>
>It is easy to say never leave a skillet 
>unattended, but it can happen.A year after the 
>grandmother lost her home, it happened to me.
>
>Two weeks before Thanksgiving this year, I was 
>cooking dinner for my husband who would be home 
>within an hour.The plates were on the counter, 
>and mayo was spread on his bun.The tomato, 
>lettuce, cheese and bacon were lined up ready to 
>put on the chicken sandwiches.Checking the time, 
>I started heating the grease for the French 
>fries. As the grease was heating up on the 
>stove, I went to the restroom, put hand lotion on my hands ...
>
>When I finally remembered the grease was 
>heating, I ran to the kitchen to see flames 
>lunging toward the hood above the burner.Placing 
>a lid on the fire might extinguish it, but the 
>lids were in the cupboard under the burners, and 
>I was afraid to get close enough to retrieve 
>one.The fire extinguisher was on a shelf across 
>the room but I didn't know how to use it.Baking 
>soda, flour and salt were other options, but I 
>couldn't remember which would put the fire out 
>and which would make it worse.I decided to put 
>the flaming skillet in the sink and hoped that 
>being away from the heat and other flammable 
>objects the fire would subside.If it didn't, I could always turn on the water.
>
>Smoke filled the room and the bleating of the 
>smoke detectors pierced my ears.The phone rang 
>and as the man from our security company 
>identified himself I yelled that I had a kitchen fire and needed help.
>
>Flames started to lick the cupboards around the 
>window.The tension curtain rod slid down and the 
>ruffled curtain burst into flames making it 
>impossible to reach the faucet.I did not hear 
>any sirens and knew if they didn't arrive soon 
>it would be too late.Water is not a good choice 
>for putting out a grease fire, but I was not 
>going to let my home burn down without a 
>fight.Fumbling in a cupboard I grabbed the 
>biggest pot I could find and ran upstairs to the 
>bathroom sink.Returning with a filled pot of 
>water, I threw it on the fire and ran upstairs 
>for more water.After several trips, the flames 
>disappeared leaving a house filled with smoke and still no fire trucks.
>
>The firemen finally arrived, treated my burned 
>hands and sucked the smoke out with their 
>industrial fan.They warned me they might have to 
>chop wholes in the walls to make sure there was 
>no fire, but that was not necessary.Shortly 
>after they left, my husband came home from 
>work.The whole thing took maybe 30 minutes.
>
>Along with the arrival of the fireman came the 
>neighbors.The lady next door remarked "The fire 
>wasn't because you are almost blind, you were 
>just stupid."She proceeded to tell me about how 
>her daughter who is a nurse put freshly starched 
>jeans in the oven to dry them.When the jeans 
>burst into flames, the daughter tried to carry 
>them outside setting her son's pajamas on fire 
>and destroying her kitchen floor.She was able to 
>rip the PJ's off her son before he was seriously 
>burned.Three days after my fire, another 
>neighbor's nephew lost his home as a result of 
>his son lighting something on fire in the 
>garage.Thinking he had put the fire out, the 
>little boy threw the charred paper in the trash 
>and went in the house.It wasn't long before the 
>family dog alerted everyone to the smoke, and 
>they escaped before the house burned to the 
>ground.Another neighbor reminded me of a 
>Christmas fire a few years ago where the family 
>cat had knocked over a grow light.The family 
>lost everything shortly before Christmas.
>
>When the team from the fire restoration company 
>saw my kitchen, they told me I was very 
>lucky.God was surely looking out for me.I did 
>have minor burns on my hands, and we had to stay 
>in a hotel for 10 days while the smoke damage 
>was repaired, but we were home before Thanksgiving.
>
>This Christmas season, take a few minutes to 
>think about fire safety.You may be the most 
>careful person in the world, but fires can still 
>happen.Pay attention and don't leave a room with 
>something on the stove. Consider how easily pets 
>can knock over lights and candles.Never leave 
>matches or igniters where a child can find 
>them.Finally, wrap up two fire extinguishers and 
>put them under the tree.Practice putting out a 
>controlled fire with one and put the other one 
>where it is easily reachable in case it is needed to put out a fire.
>
>
>
>
>
>
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Brad Dunsé

"Music is the only language in which you cannot 
say a mean or sarcastic thing." --Unknown

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