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If you didn’t read my last post, you might not know about the devastating fire that struck the nursing home where I volunteer. You can learn more details in this news report.
In the days following the fire, I’ve been thinking about all the fire training and drills we went through when I worked at the nursing home several years ago.
When the fire alarm sounded back in those days, I’ll admit that I rarely took it too seriously. That’s because it usually meant someone either burned toast in the coffee shop or microwave popcorn in the employee lounge.
At other times, the alarm turned out to be one of our monthly mandatory fire drills. Sometimes I felt a bit annoyed when I heard it was a drill, especially when the alarm went off at a busy time of day.
Yes, I responded and followed the procedures they taught us. But I never imagined that I would need to do this during an actual fire.
Besides, I thought if there ever were a real fire, it would most likely be something minor. Perhaps a cigarette butt tossed in a wastebasket or a little fire in the kitchen.
I also believed the staff or fire department could extinguish a fire quickly. The building had a sprinkler system, fire extinguishers in every hallway, smoke barrier doors, and a fire station just minutes away.
Besides, it didn’t seem likely that anything would ever malfunction and cause a fire. After all, we regulate and inspect nursing homes more than almost any other business in the country. This includes inspections by the city and state fire marshals, plus the state health department. What could go wrong?
But here we are. The nursing home now stands empty because of a 4-alarm fire resulting in extensive damage to the building. I’ll never look at a fire drill the same way again.
As of this writing, the cause of the fire remains undetermined. Whatever the cause, I give the staff an enormous amount of credit. They quickly and efficiently evacuated all 111 residents, and not a single person sustained any injuries. That’s amazing!
I also give a lot of credit to the environmental services director at the nursing home. She taught the staff well, even though fire safety training often seems very dull.
Here’s my point. Next time you hear a fire alarm, take it seriously. Assume it’s an actual fire. And the next time you attend a fire safety training class, pay attention. Listen carefully and note exactly what you need to do in the event of a fire.
I hope and pray that this never happens to anyone else. But remember that next time, it could be your nursing home that’s on fire. And your residents will depend on you to save their lives.
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