A Fire Point Neighbour

FIRE POINT NEIGHBOUR

Tragedies don’t happen daily in our lives although they occur at times. Be it a landslide, a terrorists attack, a flood or worst a fire breakout. These are just a few examples that can cause massive losses to any society but there are many others.

A fire breakout can catch people by surprise. It can spread within a short time as everyone runs round in panic especially if they were not prepared for it. And before they organize themselves to confront it, the damage would be so huge that it would take them months or years to recover. It is always important to have a fire point in the neighbourhood for a start. A good fire point should have the basic items like serviceable fire extinguishers and sand buckets.

Anytime you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Visualize this example of a fire incident I had an opportunity to witness as I try to illustrate my point.

One night on a new year’s eve, some children used fire crackers to celebrate. As they lit them and run around the estate screaming ‘happy new year!’ the fireworks flew all over with loud bangs. Unfortunately, one of them went through an open window and landed on a bed in one of the houses. The mattress caught fire immediately. It spread to the curtains and before anyone could detect the smoke, every combustible thing in the room was aflame. The children were long gone to notice anything.

The people in the main house hurriedly exited and the traditional ‘Fire! Fire!’ shout rented the air. No one had a fire extinguisher in the whole apartment block. So the first step they took was to run out of their houses and find out what was happening. Some ran to the burning house but could not get into it as the fire was already at the sitting room. The smoke was unbearable. Others called the police and the fire brigade.

The owner of the house hysterically screamed for help as he struggled to grab anything he could. There was very little he could do: the heat, the smoke and finally explosions forced him out to the road outside. The fire spread to the other houses one at a time as the owners risked their lives to salvage valuables. When the fire engine wailed through the gate, four houses were burning.

A candle, as small as it is, can reduce a whole slum into ashes. A small flame on a carpet or bed sheet can be put off if a person is prepared for it. But the same can quickly grow into a disastrous inferno that consumes property.

Setting up a simple fire point, practicing the basic fire fighting drills is all you need to get prepared. Carry a fire extinguisher in your car, have another one in your kitchen and talk to your neighbours to construct a fire point in the middle of the estate. No one has the courage to watch his properties go up in smoke. But if you have a fire point as a neighbour then you can fight the fire when it breaks out and stop it before it overwhelms you or at least control it before the experts arrive.

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