Don't heistate with fire protection

[JoeRaisin <joeraisin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

About four years ago my boys became close friends with a kid they met at
their tea kwon do school.  They all enjoyed snowboarding (winter) and
skateboarding (summer).  he even became a black belt at the same time as
my younger boy (15yo).

We have a very large driveway and he has some nice hills behind his
house so it quickley became the norm for them to spend most of the
summer at our house and most of the winter at his.

His parents are very nice folks and we visited their house along with
our kids many time and vice-versa.

I noticed they had no fire protection in their very old house.  I had
commented to Doug many times that I could easily throw together a simple
fire system from stuff I had salvaged during takeovers and tear downs
but we would have to buy a few wireless smokes (four would have done it).

We both agreed it would be a good idea and I even started throwing some
stuf in a box but I never got around to doing it.  I had everything
together and could have easily gotten a few smokes from our service
department at reduced cost - but agan, I never could seem to find the time.

Saturday morning at around 4 am the house burned to the ground and my 18
year old son was the only one who didn't get out.

The other two boys in the home at the time said that when they woke up
they couldn't get through the house to the room my son had gone to sleep
in.  It wouldn't have mattered as the investigator (who at this time is
leaning towards electrical in the kitchen ceiling) believes (based on
the descriptions from the those two) that since my son had his bedroom
door open he was most likely already gone (from the smoke) by the time
the other two woke up at the other end of the house.

Had I not screwed around and done what I knew needed doing they would
have at least had a chance of waking up before it was too late and my
son would still be teaching tae kwon do and going to school.

I wouldn't be sitting here waiting until Monday so they can take his
body down state to be identified (he was the only other one who could
have been in the house).  We don't know when we will be getting him back.

If you have any family or friends who are not adequately or even
rudimentarily protected don't wait.  Do it today.

Don't let a loved one die because you procrastinate.  Everyone is aying
it was an accident and that these things happen.  I know better.  He is
dead because I saw something that needed to be done and I simply didn't
do it.  It is a father's duty to protect his children.