Be Safe.....

[Kip Powick]

I want to take for granted that all readers of this forum are not only safety conscientious with respect to aviation but also safety conscientious with respect to their family. I mean no disrespect to the intelligence of any reader but thought this might be the time of the year to post a friendly reminder.

It would seem that within a distance of 300km from "Dotville" we have had some deadly house fires, a couple of real heart-breakers. The reasons for the tragic fires is not, in my mind, as important as the reasons so many people died......needlessly.

Please ensure you have working smoke alarms in your house and just as important........ESCAPE PLANS that every member of your family knows.

As an ex Mil guy we had to teach our kids a new plan every time we were moved to a new locale and almost once a month we would ask the kids what the drill was and made sure it was ingrained in their little minds......perhaps a bit of an overkill but we had smoke detectors in every bedroom as well as all hallways. Each bedroom had electrical, with battery back-up, carbon monoxide detectors. Bedrooms on second floors had throw-out ladders at each bedroom window......too-much??? perhaps but there is nothing more precious than your family's life.Happy to say my kids, all married, have the same mindset at their houses.

[Seeker]

I thought I was the only guy who was O-C about this stuff.  I don't have detectors in every bedroom but I have AC powered and DC powered detectors in multiple places on each floor.  The AC powered ones are required by code but the DC are extra and I specifically chose both ionizing and photoelectric types since each type reacts faster to different types of fires.  Also have CO detectors on each floor.  No second floor so no need for escape ladders.  I made sure the kids understood how to open the windows and that I expected them to simply jump through the screen.  Three fire extinguishers at strategic locations and family training on how to use them.  You're right Kip - overkill - until the day you need it.