A fire evacuation plan is essential

Editor,

First and foremost, our family cannot express our gratitude enough to those of you who have come together to help us during our recent loss, and it seems like there isn't a single person who hasn't. It is amazing how unselfish, caring and supportive everyone has been. It has made us realize that we do not do enough for our community, and we hope that somehow we will have the opportunity to repay everyone in some sort of way … all of you have made us want to be better people.

Our prayers go out to the Doss and Dupuis families who also have had recent fire losses and are displaced from their homes. When Misty and Randy Doss heard the news of our home, they were one of the first people calling to do whatever they could to help. I can't thank them enough for being so wonderful during their time of difficulty. That is the true spirit of coming together for those around you.

I would also like to remind everyone of the old saying about walking a mile in another person's shoes. It has been hard to hear people talk about how I handled myself on the night of our fire. I would ask you to always think about what you are saying and how it is going to affect another person's life.

Judging another person without knowing the facts is a common thing, so I am taking it with a grain of salt. It is very difficult to say what anyone would do in an emergency situation. I believe we all react differently.

I must say that on the night of our house fire, I did not think I had an emergency situation. I have learned some valuable lessons about fires and how dangerous smoke can be. As a parent we (or at least I) take for granted the importance of understanding and teaching children about fire safety.

When I was a third or fourth grader I remember Smokey the Bear and Sparky coming into the classroom teaching us what to do in a fire: Stay low, stop, drop and roll, where there is smoke there is fire, etc. However, when I was actually put into an environment that required me to recall these valuable lessons, I couldn't.

Our family has never had an evacuation plan. As a matter of fact, we had just moved into our new home and had not even gotten around to taking off the plastic wrapping on the smoke detectors. For those of you who are safety conscious and test your smoke alarms and have an evacuation plan, you probably think I am very stupid. I agree!

The really unfortunate thing is that I am not unlike a large number of residents in this Valley. So, with that being said, do whatever it is that you need to do in order to make your home safe for your family. Have your children talk about it, make them recall that important information they have learned — often.

Draw up an evacuation plan for everyone and memorize it. Educate yourself and those around you about fires so that if you are ever put into an emergency situation, you will be safe and you won't have to worry about others judging your actions.

Above all appreciate your smoke detectors … don't take the battery out because it goes off every time you cook a pizza. It really could save your life. Once again, thank you to everyone.

Cameron Vert

Polson