Re: Don't heistate with fire protection

["Robert L Bass" <robertbass1@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Joe,

You and your family are in our prayers.  Please don't be too hard on yourself.  It will only lead you into depression and right now
your family needs you to be strong.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass


> 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.