Our Story

Forty-eight years of stuff married forty-one years of stuff, and it all fit nicely into an eighty year old, quaint New England Colonial, nestled into a quiet neighborhood, with homes tucked onto long narrow lots, putting houses about twenty feet apart, in a delightful bedroom community. We were tired from too many time zones in too few days, a hectic work schedule, late days, and not enough sleep. We just wanted to sleep until noon the next morning. Our home, however, had other ideas. At 3:10 AM our world changed forever.

I just kept recognizing how overwhelmed I felt. By dawn, the fire was under control. The roof was gone; the third floor fully exposed. The fire gutted half of the second floor and half of the first floor, but the worst of the fire was over. Friends of ours began to gather, wanting to help. They waited to see what form that should take. By noon, my daughter had found basic clothing for us. We had showered and were looking at a possible rental our realtor friend located. We had food arriving, and our friend with the fire restoration company was gathering supplies so that we could go safely into the house to begin the process of recovery. So much kindness, so much compassion, I was overwhelmed.

It wasn’t until three weeks later that my pity party and sense of total confusion about what to do ended. I awoke that particular morning in our still foreign rental house, in a rented bed, and turned on our rented television. There was a story on the news about a house fire that occurred the night before in a neighboring town. This time it was a two family home. Two young children had perished. A single mother was sobbing, and the authorities were taking her nine-year-old child into protective custody. It appeared that the children had been left home unattended and this oldest child had started the fire. I began to reflect. I was overwhelmed, yet I had lost only possessions. Things. This woman on the news had truly lost all her possessions; her two young children had lost their lives; and now the authorities had taken her oldest child because he was somehow the cause of this devastation. Who was I to be overwhelmed? Look at all I had. What I lost was just stuff. I still had my husband and my family. I still had our life together and our beautiful, loving friends. I still had my memories. What more did I need?

As you read this book, know that in the scheme of life, this was a major event. But even more amazing is that now, six years later; it feels more like a lesson than a life-changing event. Perspective is an amazing thing.

I decided that day to chronicle the lessons I learned, and to document for others the discoveries I was making as I searched for information on building a fire-safe home. This book is the result of lessons learned, observations made, research conducted, advice received, and the desire to pass along the information everyone -- renter, homeowner, boarder-- needs to know: how to prepare to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your belongings from devastation. You can take precautions, make enhancements, store, stash, and file things differently. You can plan, practice, and protect yourself and your family. So read, learn, and take action.

Prevention

Safety

Protection

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"This near tragedy will help prevent others in the future. The lessons that Candace Quinn has laid out here are intended to save others the grief she has suffered, and will save lives if people heed her well documented advice. Sprinkler! Sprinkler! Sprinkler! "
-- Chief John Norman,
Operations Division, FDNY