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Concern glimmered in the boy’s eyes. “And the pets,” he insisted. “You can’t let their dogs die.”
“People and pets are first priority,” Noah assured. “You buy yourself time by controlling the flow of oxygen to the fire and, thus, controlling the fire.”
Drew frowned as he studied the dollhouse. “What if you keep all the windows shut?”
“Well, why don’t we see?”
Noah lit his propane torch and set the tinder in the burn room afire. For the next ten minutes, he showed his young trespasser how fire moved from room to room, how introducing oxygen gave it fuel, and how removing it killed the flames. While he hadn’t given a demonstration like this in forever, it came back to him easily. He talked about the science of fire behavior, smoke patterns, smoke colors, and air patterns.
The boy was captivated. And smart. He asked the right questions, but Noah realized he was missing an opportunity. He’d satisfied the boy’s interest in the dollhouses, but Drew Eldridge didn’t need to know about firefighting science. He needed safety knowledge. “Do you know how you would get out of your home in case of a fire, Drew?”
“We don’t really have a home right now,” the boy responded with a shrug. “We’re living in one of Nana’s cabins at the lodge until we decide where we want to live forever. We might go to Texas to be near my uncles and Aunt Brooke if we decide not to stay in Colorado.”
“Okay, then, do you know how you’d get out of your cabin?”
“From my bedroom?”
“From every room,” Noah said. “You need to know two ways out of every room in your house. Actually, every building you enter. You should make it a habit to take notice of exits every time you go somewhere new.”
“Like my nana’s house. I sleep over with her a lot.”
“You should definitely have an escape plan for everywhere you sleep.”
“We had one at our old house.” Excitement and pride gleamed in Drew’s eyes. “It was two stories, so we had ladders to hang from our windows. Mom even had us do fire drills like we did at school.”
“That’s good. Do it for your new place, too.” Noah closed the sliding doors on the dollhouse, leaving only the burn room window cracked. He nodded toward the boy. “Come here, Drew.”
He sprang from his seat on the log.
“Now, do what I do.” Noah placed his fingertips against the left top slide. Drew repeated the motion. One by one, they tested the slides. Noah lifted Drew to reach the attic and roof vents. He saved the burn room for last.
Drew touched it, then quickly yanked his hand away and backed up, putting distance between himself and the dollhouse. “It’s hot!”
“The fire behind it is actively burning. The lesson here is that if you’re ever in a burning building, before you opena closed door, touch it. If it’s hot, don’t open the door. Find another exit. Because remember—what happens if you open that door?” Judging the boy to be far enough away for safety’s sake, Noah slid the burn room door open.
“Kaboom!” Drew exclaimed when the flames flared.
“In a manner of speaking, yeah.” Noah opened all the dollhouse door slides. Soon, the house was ablaze.
“Wow. That’s really so cool. Thank you for showing me, Mr. Tannehill.”
“You’re welcome. So, tell me what you’ve learned.”
“Stay low to stay out of the smoke. Touch doors to see if they’re hot before you open them. Then, get out, stay out, meet up where planned.”
“That’s all good, but you left something out.”
“I did?”
“You did.”
Drew furrowed his brow. “I don’t—Oh! Two ways out! Always know two ways out!”
“There you go.” Noah picked up his fire extinguisher and asked Drew, “Have you ever used one of these?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, then.” He walked over to the boy and handed the extinguisher to him saying, “Lesson number two. With a fire extinguisher, you want to remember P.A.S.S.”
