Janette Washington and her son were in church on Sunday when
a message stuck with them. Not just a message of faith, but one of
preparedness. Firefighters from the Georgetown County Fire Department spoke to
the congregation about the importance of having working smoke alarms in their
homes. The firefighters said they had free alarms to install from the Palmetto
SC Region of the American Red Cross.
“I noticed there was just one in my house, so I decided we
needed more,” Janette said.
Educating Georgetown residents about home fire safety is a
goal of the Georgetown County Fire Department.
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| Janette Washington and her son, Timothy, are the 52nd and 53rd lives the Red Cross and its partners have saved through the Home Fire Campaign. |
“Anytime we can get to a community event and talk about fire
safety and smoke detectors, we’re there,” said Chief Mack Reed.
A few days later, the firefighters installed several alarms
and discussed with Janette ways to escape from her home should a fire break
out. She remembered filing away that conversation, never thinking she’d need to
use it.
However, in April, as she was falling back asleep after
severe weather woke her up, she heard the screeching sound coming from one of
the newly installed smoke alarms.
“When I looked down the hall, all I could was the fire
coming from the ceiling,” she remembered.
The mother quickly jumped into action to save herself and
her 28-year-old son.
“She calls me, and she bangs on the wall: Timothy, wake up!
The house is on fire,” said Timothy.
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| A melted phone and burned calendar are all that remains inside the Washington's kitchen. |
Within just a few minutes, the mother and son said the smoke
began choking them. In that moment, however, Janette remembered: two ways to
escape from every room in the house. She remembered they could escape from the
back door.
The mother and son are alive today, thanks to the smoke
alarms and knowing what to do when a fire occurs.
“It was very scary, but I know for a fact, if it hadn’t been
for those fire alarms, I was going back to sleep,” Janette said. “They saved
our life. We would have been gone, honestly.”
In the days following the fire, the Red Cross helped in another way. Volunteers helped the family by providing financial assistance for their immediate needs, replacing necessary medications that burned and providing referrals for other agencies that could help in their recovery.
In the days following the fire, the Red Cross helped in another way. Volunteers helped the family by providing financial assistance for their immediate needs, replacing necessary medications that burned and providing referrals for other agencies that could help in their recovery.
“For me and my son, [the assistance] was a blessing because
we didn’t have nothing at the time,” said the thankful mother.
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| Ernestine, a Red Cross volunteer, helps Janette in the days after the home fire. |
While much of her home is destroyed, what was not damaged
was Janette’s sense of gratitude for the Georgetown County Fire Department, the
Red Cross and the working smoke alarms.
“I’ve told a lot of people, if you don’t have one, don’t let
a day go by because it’s true: they will save your life,” Janette said.
The Red Cross wants to thank all of the local fire
departments, Fire Safe SC and Red Cross volunteers for helping save lives
throughout South Carolina.
