Do you think that it will be "the other guy" who will have a fire? Or by not thinking about it, it won't happen to you? Little did I ever think that after 30+ years in public safety, I would end up at a fire involving the home of one of my kids.

My daughter was at work and my son-in-law was running errands. When he returned, he heard the smoke alarm inside and was met with fire and a house full of smoke which would turn into a two-alarm blaze that could be seen for five miles away. The Greenville (OH) Fire Department did a fantastic knock-down and, aided by departments from New Madison, Union City, and Ansonia, were able to save over half of the house. But even with the heroic effort, most of the contents were destroyed or too heavily damaged to be salvaged.

Most people don't realize what happens in a fire... As you look at these photos, please take a moment and think about installing smoke detectors and how you can make your home more fire-safe.