FIREPROOF YOUR HOME

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The electrical and telephone entry panels and much of the cellar wiring needed replacing-but we had electricity within a week thanks to Ellie and her fire relief association. They had provided us with emergency funds, as did the town fire officials and building-contractor neighbors who convinced an electrical contractor and local building inspector to provide emergency service. (I sincerely hope you never need the tip, but most building codes have a provision exempting an older home from a full-house inspection if a partial rewiring or replumbing or rebuilding is required after a fire; otherwise, if you replace the main electric panel, pipes, or structural timbers, your whole house must be "brought up to code," which can be extremely costly.)

Damage was slight considering that the house is a wood-frame antique and a potential tinderbox. Debra and the kids suffered no lasting physical effects; my hand healed quickly, but six months later, after taking in all that smoke, I still tire and cough easily. The psychological effects are more subtle but not severe and will pass. To this day I have recurring fire dreams.

Lucky in the End

But we are fortunate to be alive. Our fire chief, Greg, said that char thickness in the wall indicated that the fire had been going for at least a half hour before we knew it. If Debra hadn't chanced to be awake, if the kitten hadn't been in the house-there are a lot of "ifs:" As Greg put it: "It's a good thing you held the fire in check. Yours is the first house we've been able to save this year." This is because country distances can be great, and volunteers are at home or work when the call goes out. Often, a country fire is beyond control by the time fire fighters arrive—unless home owners can prevent the fire from spreading early.

Debra and I don't pretend to be heroes. That honor is reserved for the cat that alerted us. We had done some things right and some wrong; I'd like to share with you what we learned about being prepared for country fires. You can do a great deal to ensure that luck is on your side.

Fire Alarms in the Home

Your first question will be: "But didn't you have one of those little electronic fire alarms?" Yes, we did-it was placed in the hall under the stairs, on a wall beside the cellar door and stairwell. It was less than two years old with a fresh battery. I habitually pushed the little button to test it once a week. When we checked the alarm after the fire, the button did sound the alarm; but when I ran a smoking match under it, the darned thing failed to go off. Moral: Test an alarm by exposing it to smoke.

Also, install more than one alarm-at least one on each floor and/or each distinct living area, including the cellar (where your furnace and electric panel is located) and the attic (where lightning-—caused fires might start). Locate one on top of each stairwell leading to sleeping areas. If I'd put an alarm in the basement (one of those things I never got around to), the fire would never have gotten as far as it did. Be sure to test frequently with a smoking stick and to replace batteries annually.

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