10 January, 2012

Fire Safety

Over Christmas I was, and still am, very haunted by the tragic fire that happened in the next town over. At first I wouldn't allow Babe to relay the unfolding details and, eventually, he wouldn't allow me to read them myself. But, it wasn't long before the ex Volunteer Firefighter in me went into prevention mode. That is correct, chances are I owned one of thee only pair of Gucci loafers ever to reside part-time in a Firehouse locker...

Sadly, claustrophobia put an end to my active duty but, I can still dole out some learned wisdom like a gal who can rock Hermès just as easily as she can an oxygen tank...

  • Have your fireplace or wood stove cleaned professionally each year
  • Rule of thumb is 2-3 days before ashes can be safely removed and NEVER put them in plastic trashcans or bags. Metal bins ONLY and those are to be kept at a safe distance from anything combustible
  • Have working Fire/Carbon Monoxide detectors throughout the home and test them monthly


  • We had Child Locater stickers on all the kid's room windows growing up and I highly suggest getting some from your local Fire Dept and doing the same because every second counts. Ask one of the guys, or Gucci clad girls, on duty for their optimum placement recs
  • Of course, lest we forget the Pet Finder stickers found at your local ASPCA that alerts rescue that there are precious Ti-Babes in the home


  • Keep a fire extinguisher accessible and know ahead of need how to use it. If there's one thing I want to get across more than anything, it's that time is of the utmost essence cuz you won't have any!
  • Practice, practice, practice. Practice your escape, practice putting out a small kitchen fire, practice every one's roll in the event of an emergency. Practice til you feel like you can do it in your sleep cuz there's a possibility you will be doing it in your sleep

And, even this old dog is adding some new tricks to her fire safety routine. The Kidde Three-Story Fire Escape Ladder I ordered from G'wich Hardware should be in tomorrow. My plan was to outfit every room with one til I saw the $100 price tag. Pilgie and Lolly are just gonna have to be stuffed into their Sleepypod and travel in steerage; on Mama and Daddy's backs. Once they prove they're responsible enough use one on their own I'll consider forking over the dough for another...

I also bought a couple of the Nebo Redline Tactical Flashlights to keep on our nightstands. What most people don't realize, is that quite unlike the movies, smoke is black. Not white, BLACK. Black like you can't see your hand in front of your face. The best visibility, along with the best oxygen, is as close to the floor as possible. I'll be crawling with the US's most powerful flashlight clenched b/t my teeth. Annnd, the Ti-Babes on my back...

ps...Also got one of those snazzy flashlights for the whip's glove box cuz next on the escape/rescue planning docket is a whooole plethora of paranoia including what to do if driving in the Lincoln tunnel and it implodes and driving off a bridge. Ya can never be too prepared in my book...

Kindness of Babe for indulging my hyper anxiety and at least doing a bang up job of pretending to defer to my expertise. He did not, however, go for my "in case we're attacked by an intruder while sleeping" plan. I explained to him how, just like with fire drills, each person was to have a role and stick with it. One of us, moi, would have the job of keeping and handling the firearm while the other person, him, would have have the role of calling 911 or getting help even if it meant leaving me alone in our home with the intruder to do so. After I had laid out 'the plan' in bed one night he said, "Nooow let me get this straight. pause pause pause I leave you here wrestling a rapist with your gun while I run out in the street squealing, HEEELLLP...??? IDON'TTHINKSO! I tell ya Babe, YOOOUUU are SUMPTHIN else". Tee hee...XXOO

23 comments:

  1. Child locator stickers are great idea, I don't think we have them here oh and we don't have an extinguisher, every year I say " you know what we should buy, just in case and then forget all about it " hmm, ok it's going back on the list.

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  2. Thank you, Allie. I'm going to buy the flashlight and a fire
    extinguisher.
    BarbaraG

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  3. Babe married a "Jack of all trades!"
    I love your knowledge of safety and fire prevention.
    Smokey the bear would be proud of you!
    pve

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  4. I read about the fire. Unimaginable.

    Your suggestions could save a life.

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  5. Excellent post and so timely. I too live in the area and have children and the entire event is so sad. Thank you for the informed helpful post.

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  6. Babe lucked out bc you can’t fight fires in Loubs...although the red soles would match that fire escape ladder perfectly! haha

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  7. I too was a volunteer firefighter when I was in high school and college and more than once responded to a call in my gucci driving mocs

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  8. Well, I stand corrected! Maybe there is a whole underground order of preppy Volunteer Firefighters that I'm completely unaware of. I think someone needs to design a patch! A helmet, an ax and a pair Gooches :)

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  9. I knew I liked you more than for your wit and style! Being a FF was one of the most fun and rewarding things I've done in my life. I still love the shock though when i tell people about it (the questions are always "Did you get to hold the hose?" and "Did you get to wear one of those outfits?")

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  10. Re: the chimney/woodstove cleaning - even if you don't see smoke and flames, your chimney could be on fire.

    Thankfully, I caught ours early enough, but lesson WELL learned about cleaning!

    One last thing - if you call the non-emergency number at the fire department, make sure you give the address before you hang up. Or so I've heard..........

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  11. Very true about the fireplace Patsy. Although, I don't know a thang about call in protocol. I was too busy standing around trying to look important and cute as the only female at the station to pay attention to dispatch...XXOO

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  12. So great Alice..people think they know what to do until it happens!!!

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  13. An excellent post....we were in vermont when it happenmed so there was plenty of news about the tragedy....just beyond comprehension...

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  14. Alice, the house across the street from us burned down in November. I had the horrific task of calling my neighbor at her office and letting her know her home was ablaze. Their dog was home alone and died, even though I informed the firefighters of the dog's exact location in the home (downstairs, even). Sadly here is a FACT if you have a volunteer fire company: they WILL NOT go in solely for pets. Unless there is a human life at stake--and even then, it's not always possible. The best solution is prevention, as you say. If you're building a new home, install sprinklers. And if your home is older, make sure your electrical panel is upgraded and updated along with the times and your home's increasing electrical needs.

    XOXO

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  15. Good and important post. The grandparents who perished in the fire were from my hometown and friends of friends. Their memorial service was last Saturday at our cathedral. So very sad.

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  16. Thank you for the great reminders and the new safety items.

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  17. It was heart-breaking on so many levels. Thanks for all of the excellent advice.

    xo

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  18. My girl crush just got even bigger. Thank you for this thoughtful post.

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  19. Love this post Allie! You are a wealth of information and never cease to amaze. I kept my kayaking PFD in my car when I lived in DC because of all of the bridges and always tucked it in the back seat when heading over the Key Bridge. Scary pants to think about but we can never be too prepared.

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  20. Wonderful advice, Allie I never knew you were a volunteer firefighter...great for you! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and I wish you many blessings for this new year. Have a fantastic rest of the week!!
    Toodles,
    Twirling Clare
    twirlingclare.blogspot.com

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  21. Great post Alice. Fire is something I take very seriously. Our Newport home suffered a terrible fire when I was just 16. It was Christmas eve. We made it out. Alive. Unharmed. Our presents were lost but we realized how unimportant they actually were. I remember sitting in the gazebo on that cold dark night watching the house being consumed by flames. Neighbors came up to me offering blankets and whatnot. We stayed in a hotel that night and returned home as soon as we could the following morning. Some was salvageable much was unrecognizable. Somehow my favorite black Benetton sweater, in the bathroom behind the closed door escaped the flames. I don't remember how many trips it made to the dry cleaners and then the smell of fire never really left. We were lucky. We left Newport on Christmas day to our home in Manhattan. We had lost so very much but we still had so very much. I hadn't thought about the fire until I learned about the Badgers. I wept the morning of the funeral as I learned that the reason the ashes had been removed from the fireplace was because the little girls were worried about Santa burning his feet...

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  22. We were just talking yesterday about all things fire safety and I was also thinking about writing a blog post on it. Now I can just refer to yours. Thanks for all the info!!

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