Crime & Safety
Do You Live In That House?
Working smoke alarms could have prevented the deaths of 7 siblings who died in a Brooklyn house fire. It could happen in Haddam, too.
By Robert A. Norton, Jr.
Seven young lives – siblings from ages 5 to 16 – died in a fire that swept through a Brooklyn home on March 21. Listening to the audio of the father at the funeral recite the names of his kids, one can hear the pain and emotion in saying goodbye to the most precious things in his life.
“They were so pure,” Gabriel Sassoon said of his children during a eulogy he delivered through tears.
The family lived in a tight-knit community, supportive of their culture, their religion, and protective of their families. Yet, one of the simplest methods of protecting their loved ones appears to not have been in place – working smoke alarms.
What if it was a different address? How about a different town? What if it had been in another state? Could the headlines instead have read “Haddam Community Reeling After Tragic Blaze?” There isn’t a community in our nation exempt from this risk.
The FDNY is without question one of the finest fire departments in the world. However, the temperature of fire is the same in Brooklyn as it is in Haddam. Rooms fill up with heat and smoke, and then flashover into free burning of all the unburned particulate and off-gasses a little over 1,000 degrees. A firefighter in full protective gear and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) can withstand those temperatures for about 2 seconds before their masks fail.
In a perfect world, firefighters would never have to be put into those situations. Smoke alarms would go off long before the heat in the room was sufficient to hurt any living beings inside. Families and pets would be awoken, startled and scared, but they would be awoken. They would call 911 while the fire is still small and a quick rescue/fire attack would transpire prior to the box becoming heated and full of smoke. Sure, there would be smoke and perhaps a little water damage, but those are the good fires – no loss of life and the majority of personal property saved.
Smoke alarms can be hooked together and form fancy fire alarm systems that automatically alert the fire department or they can be stand-alone units that notify those at home of a smoke condition. A combination of both is best. How many alarm clocks do you use to make sure you are on time for work? How many smoke alarms do you have to make sure you wake you and your family in an emergency? Did you change the batteries when we set clocks ahead?
There should not be one house in the Town of Haddam without working smoke alarms. Through a grant, the Fire Company’s Auxiliary has made free smoke alarms available through the office of Public Health in Haddam, which you can call at (860) 345-4621.
Please do not put us in the position of having to write the press release that FDNY did last Saturday morning. The officers and members of Haddam Fire hope you do not live in that house.
Do You Have What It Takes? Find more information on the activities of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. and ways you can get involved at our website www.haddamfire.com, or connect with us on Facebook.
