Wilson's fire safety house combines fun and life lessons
WILSON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Okay, I know many people think I have a cool job. And I do love my work but - truth be told - some assignments are better than others. Wednesday I had an awesome assignment. I was asked to represent ABC11 and Eyewitness News by traveling to Wilson to speak to a conference of public information officers (we call them PIO's) from regional fire departments.
The gig was being held at the main fire station in Wilson. Right next door is an old house the City of Wilson bought years ago when it fell into disrepair. The first thought that came to mind for many officials was let firefighters burn it down for practice and then use the property for a fire training area. But a forward thinking fire official and a school teacher had a better idea. What about a rescuing the old home and turning it into a fire safety education center?
As I toured the Fire and Life Safety Adventure House Wednesday, I was truly impressed. And, after nearly 40 years in the news biz, impressing me isn't easy. This house is so cool, so interactive, so fascinating.
As you can see in the interior still picture I took (accompanying this story) a class of second graders was also visiting the house. The Adventure House instructor, Ben Huston, is the former school teacher I referred to earlier. He is unbelievably good with children and his interactive Power Point presentation allows the kids to use a remote to answer safety questions. And those quizzes aren't just about fire safety.
I'm proud to say that the house's "weather window" demonstration is sponsored by ABC11. The window realistically demonstrates a thunder storm as Eyewitness News Chief Meteorologist Chris Hohmann narrates a "weather alert" on a screen below the window. Chris warns of the possibility of a tornado in Wilson County. As he wraps up a funnel cloud appears in the weather window and visitors to the house are taught how and where to take cover inside.
There's so much going inside this relatively small house demonstrating possible safety violations, from the kitchen through the living and bedrooms all the way to the 'too full' lint filter on the dryer in the laundry room, that I can't enumerate them all. But the coolest thing to me was the very realistic bedroom fire demonstration where smoke (water vapor) is pumped in through a vent and kids learn how to crawl to safety.
As you can see from video I shot, part of the demonstration involves feeling the bedroom door to see if it can be used as an escape route. The hollow door is wired with a heating element and when kids touch it they realize it's warm and that indicates the fire is raging outside the door. They then crawl to window and escape.
If you get a chance, urge your kids' school to send them to Wilson on the best field trip ever - a field trip that could actually save their lives and the lives of all their family members. And, while I'm at it, let me say this place can teach adults a thing or two. I certainly learned something today - something the firefighter PIO's I'm speaking to encouraged me to share with our viewers and readers.
Did you know that the cost of residential sprinkler systems for new construction is now in the $2,000 to $4,000 range depending on the size of your house? Even at the high end that's an extra $20 a month on a 30 year mortgage, less than $250 a year. Firefighters tell me your chances of dying in a fire inside a house equipped with a sprinkler system are almost nil. I know one thing - if I ever build a new house it WILL have a sprinkler system. I can't quote you the value of human life, but I know it's certainly way more valuable than $10-$20 a month!
