Do It Now

[Farmer Dean]

I along with the rest of the board was sorry to hear of Matt's loss. I'm not trying to be insensitive here, but everyone should take pause right now and make sure you: either have insurance; or it's up to date with TODAY'S replacement cost. If you haven't updated your policy for a few years, call your agent and change the value of your house. If you own something that's worth something - insure it. If you're a renter - get renters insurance. No, I don't sell insurance for a living, but my bet is that that annual premium would look pretty reasonable to Matt right now.

Do it tomorrow. If you can't afford it, put off buying that 2nd cannon for a while.

[Double D]

Also invest in smoke alarms!!!

[Graybeard]

Also invest in smoke alarms!!!

Matt had smoke detectors/alarms. NONE went off in a timely manner. By the time the first went off it was way too late to have saved them. Had they been asleep rather than still awake it's unlikely any of them would have survived and for sure our new grandson Wyatt would not have as he was in the living room where he had gone to sleep and they didn't want to wake him by moving him so just set the baby monitor and went downstairs to bed. Luckily tho they had not yet gone to sleep. The explosion that shook the house was really the thing that saved them and especially Wyatt as it sent Matt looking to see what the heck happened and on his way back from the other boy's room he heard the sounds of the fire upstairs. His quick action then to run up to get Wyatt while he could made the difference as there was precious little time left at that point to save anything or anyone upstairs.

[Double D]

Matt had smoke detectors/alarms. NONE went off in a timely manner. By the time the first went off it was way too late to have saved them.

This is scary as we tend to depend on them.

[Graybeard]

Yes we do and I think that's a very unsafe thing to do to be honest. I know ours has NEVER gone off and Faye is really good at smoking up the house while cooking. No one is better at it than her.  Now maybe it's not supposed to with that kinda smoke but it bothers me greatly that it doesn't. We have no gas or open flames of any kinda as we're all electric. But then they are blaming Matt's fire on an electrical problem whether rightly or wrongly.

The lack of advance warning from the multiple detector/alarms does bother me tho. His burglar alarm system likely had some kinda heat/smoke detector built in as well. It went off as far as I know for the first time while we were there in the afternoon at least 12 hours after the fire. At least he didn't mention it doing so sooner.

[Santa Dave]

A smoke alarm is only the beginning!
If You do NOT have A CO (Carbon Monoxide) Alarm, Skip dinner and spend the money on a CO alarm! (you'll only be hungry 'till breakfast but dead (or worse!) is forever!)
I speak from experience!(IT AIN'T fun!)
We have Two smoke alarms, the one that came with the house (Hard Wired) Never makes a sound! The one I bought goes off over hot stuff in the oven (gas) but never for stuff on the stove (Smooth top, electric)
The  CO alarm goes off with the smallest electrical disturbance!
Santa Dave

WARNING!!! 79 DAYS 'TIL CHRISTMAS!!! BOOK YOUR SANTA NOW!  [move]