We are fast approaching the anniversary of my brother and nephew's deaths.

So I am going to take this moment to ask you all if you have planned your escape route from your house in case of fire. Do the kids know the plan?

Is the battery working in your smoke alarm? Is there even a battery in your smoke alarm, or did the beeping annoy you?

What will you do if your stairs are alight?
If the grandkids are staying over, do they know the plan? Which adult is getting which child?

Where do you keep your house keys at night? Could you find them if there was smoke and fire?

Do you shut the kitchen door when you go to bed? That was what the fire brigade said would have made most difference for my family.

Do you turn electrical appliances off at the wall, especially the ones you bought from somewhere online?

Have you walked through your escape plan? You need muscle memory to kick in when the panic of an emergency situation hits.

Please, if you could think about these things and make changes if you need to it would mean that something good has come from our tragedy. I never want anyone else to have to go through this.

#Fire #FireSafety #Emergency

@PetraPhoenix I'm so sorry for your loss. And it is tragic to see afterwards what small improvements would have made a difference.

Why is shutting the kitchen door good? Did the fire start in the kitchen?

We live in a wooden house, atm on the ground floor. We can go out pretty much everywhere. No "trap rooms". We are working on the second floor and absolutely plan an escape ladder for the front side of the house, because one of the rooms could become a trap in a fire.

@sibylle

The fire started in the kitchen, not having a kitchen door meant that the air was pulled through more quickly, giving the fire more oxygen and consequently causing a flashover.

@PetraPhoenix I understand.

@sibylle

Thank you for thinking about it. It helps me to know I may have made someone else just a little bit safer