I have never been the kind of person who over reacts to situations. It's possible that I don't react enough. If I'm sick I rarely go to the doctor. I have a hard time deciding if something is really urgent or an emergency. This morning I woke up to our smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector going off. Brad was up and had just gotten out of the shower. I jumped out of bed to find him trying to reach the smoke alarm to turn it off. Then we realized the carbon monoxide detector was going off too. It was telling us to get fresh air. Hmmm...is this a real emergency? Surprisingly, our kids hadn't made a peep through all of that. I went to check on them. Micah was half awake and said that he had covered his ears. I told him it was ok and left him in bed. Then I checked on Caleb who was also half asleep. I covered him back up and left the room. Brad and I weren't sure how react. We didn't want to drag everyone outside for a non-emergency but also didn't want to put our kids in danger by letting them sleep if it was an actual emergency. First, Brad called the non-emergency number and told them what was going on. They said they were going to send the fire dept. over and that we should leave the house. So I threw on some clothes and we got the kids up. I grabbed jackets and shoes and decided we'd sit in the car. As I walked out side the house I could hear the sirens headed our direction. It didn't feel like an emergency but emergency action was being taken. Within minutes the fire trucks were in front of our house and fire fighters inspecting the inside. Our neighbor came out to see what was going on and invited us inside. After a few more minutes the fire fighter told us that everything was fine and it was most likely humidity from the bathroom because Brad had just taken a shower! I felt very silly but they assured us that this happened a lot.
There are some positive things to take away from this event though. First of all, we are so thankful that it wasn't a real emergency. Real emergencies mean dangerous situations and I am so grateful that my kids were not in any real danger. Also, our neighbors are great! They not only gave us a place to wait it out but also offered us drinks and helped to entertain/distract our kids. They were very hospitable and it's great to know that in the case of a real emergency there are people around we can turn to for help. Another positive is that I feel this helps opens up communication in our family for a fire safety plan. You always hear that you should have one and often I think it's a good idea but we have never put one in place. I think this situation is a good opportunity to talk with Micah about what to do in an emergency. Both of the kids did well in this situation. Micah was a little confused and scared but he knows that he is safe and that everything is alright.
I still feel a little silly over all the fuss that was made but I'm glad it was over quickly and that no real emergency actually occurred. If you don't have a safety plan in place at your home now might be a great time to get one! I know we will!
There are some positive things to take away from this event though. First of all, we are so thankful that it wasn't a real emergency. Real emergencies mean dangerous situations and I am so grateful that my kids were not in any real danger. Also, our neighbors are great! They not only gave us a place to wait it out but also offered us drinks and helped to entertain/distract our kids. They were very hospitable and it's great to know that in the case of a real emergency there are people around we can turn to for help. Another positive is that I feel this helps opens up communication in our family for a fire safety plan. You always hear that you should have one and often I think it's a good idea but we have never put one in place. I think this situation is a good opportunity to talk with Micah about what to do in an emergency. Both of the kids did well in this situation. Micah was a little confused and scared but he knows that he is safe and that everything is alright.
I still feel a little silly over all the fuss that was made but I'm glad it was over quickly and that no real emergency actually occurred. If you don't have a safety plan in place at your home now might be a great time to get one! I know we will!
Comments
Post a Comment