Thursday, July 9, 2020

FIRE OF '91 - FIRE SAFETY

This story was written for the management of my condo, a 17 floor highrise, where violations were taking place on a daily basis.  I contacted the Fire Marshal office and we presented these issues to the management in order to control the problem of items left overnight in hallways during COVID months.  April 2020

It was a balmy November 1991, early evening, and close to Thanksgiving.   Everyone was home relaxing, thinking about the coming holiday.   All of a sudden the fire alarm went off.   So often that happens, you look out the door, there is nothing.  This was NOT one of those times.   The air outside my door near the end of the hallway was pitch black.  I mean black, you could not see your nose.It was frightening.   I grabbed my wallet, keys, and locked the door.  Thankfully I knew the fire door was the door next to mine because you could not see any doors, any walls, anything at all.  Just thick black smoke.   Down the fire stairwell everyone went, exiting the front of the building.   For those who did not live next to the fire stairs, it was much more scary.  Feeling your way...Imagine if there were items on the floor that would hamper your safe exit from the building.  Items that would cause you to trip, items that could be combustible as you feel your way down the wall to the nearest exit.

The first started in a unit down the hall from be, 2nd unit on the right from the center.   I can tell you it was horrible.  That unit and the one above it and below were totally obliterated.  Many of us walked around the back of the building to see the flames shooting up to the unit above, and the water damage was horrendous.   The smoke was all over the eighth floor, and above.   Our entire floor and the one above and below were a disaster.   Photos of that fire in the rear of the building hang on the walls of the Chevy Chase Fire Department.

They allowed us in only long enough to take some items with us but we were not allowed to stay here for three weeks.  The Red Cross found everyone a place to live.   I lived at the Pooks Hill Marriott for three weeks.  The doors on our floor were severely damaged because they axe them to make sure no one is trapped.   Due to the asbestos in the hallways, they were sealed and we were allowed in once every week to collect items we needed.   Most people had insurance, some did not.

My point in sharing this story is, with items being left in the hallways for fear of contamination, there are hazards.   Perhaps a fire safety letter/memo should be distributed to each resident. That was done many years ago, but not for years.  Reminders to know where the exits are, firewalls, stairwells.  And reminders that items cannot remain on the floors in the hallways.   All I can imagine is if such a fire happened again, and people were tripping on items in the halls as they felt their way to find an exit, it would be terrible.

Just my thoughts, as I see items every day as I walk the hallways. For example, one unit has had large empty water cooler bottles outside their door since the weekend and they are flammable and would cause a problem should there be a fire.   Of course I pray we never have another fire as bad as that one.   There was another fire on this floor above the office several years ago.  That one was white smoke and did not cause as much damage, as it was more localized, but the water damage was severe nonetheless, to every floor below.