Quick ThinkerTiffany Saves the Day
Heroine TiffanyGlatz and her dog, Roxie.
A recent fire at Ocean Point Villas wasextinguished before major damage occurred, thanks to the quickthinking of 13-year-old Tiffany Glatz.
Tiffany returned home from school to findher second-floor apartment "foggy" and "smellingweird." "I heard a beeping noise, but at first I didn'trealise what it was," she explained. It turned out to bethe smoke detector in the apartment immediately below the Glatzes'.
Young Tiffany had the presence of mind tocall her mother, who notified the Fire Department, and then takeher dog and a cell phone outside. There she located a neighbour,who alerted one of the Ocean Point groundsmen. The groundman enteredthe empty apartment and quickly extinguished the blaze with afire extinguisher kept in the complex's office.
A candle left burning unattended on theside of a fibreglass bathtub caused the fire, noted Fire OfficerDoorly McLaughlin. It burned down to its base and because it wasnot in a candleholder, the tub caught fire.
Officer McLaughlin was impressed with Tiffany'spresence of mind. "So often there are cases of fires burningout of control because people ignore warning signs and don't haveproper fire detection measures in place," he said. "Inthis case, Tiffany did the right thing by keeping calm, callingan adult and following instructions. The whole place could haveburnt down, otherwise."
He adds that the smoke detector and fireextinguisher also helped prevent a catastrophe.
"The only thing that should have beendone differently was the burning of the candle," he said."It burning unattended, particularly without a holder."
Mr. McLaughlin stressed the importance ofteaching children what to do in the case of a fire or other emergency:"Make sure you discuss with your kids what to do in suchsituations, and review emergency plans regularly," he said."Often a disaster can be prevented with a little planningand common sense."
For more information on fire safety in thehome, contact the Fire Department on 949-2276.