Burglar bars = death?

[johnmeeks1974]

I heard on WJXT about a retired Edward Waters instructor perishing in a house fire. From what I heard, the burglar bars made egress impossible and also hindered efforts by JFRD to save her.

It's a shame that people need to put up burglar bars to protect themselves and then such devices are the cause of their demise...

Her body was found near the front door of her own home. She was 'this close' to being rescued... I don't blame her, though. I blame the creeps that put her in such a state of siege to begin with...

That is definitely no way to go...

[jbm32206]

One of our autistic students was critically injured in a fire this past weekend. There were bars on some of their windows also...I agree that it's a real shame that people feel they have to have them on their homes to protect themselves, but all too often, they end up contributing to their death.

[Jim]

Oklahoma City passed a law that banned the installation of burglar bars without a quick release mechanism because of two incidents whereby a total of 12 people were trapped in their own homes during a fire and died.

[Claude91098]

Oklahoma City passed a law that banned the installation of burglar bars without a quick release mechanism because of two incidents whereby a total of 12 people were trapped in their own homes during a fire and died.

That should be a requirement for all installations. It cold be made in such a way as to prevent intruders from opening them from the outside regardless of what tools they may employ.:)

Fire departments have the power saws with metal cutting blades...I've seen these babies in action and they could remove a set of burglar bars in about 30 seconds.....granted ANY time wasted could be fatal....but what is the answer if you live in a high crime area?:confused:

[Chrissy]

Have you ever seen that video of the christmas tree going up in flames, then engulfing the entire room in something like 2 minutes? I would venture to say that 30 sec. is too long.

Firefighters need jedi swords or lasers. :)

[OceanCowboy]

Fire is scary stuff. it is always wise to have an escape plan.. i hope everybody here will take this as a warning and put one in place if they dont... for yoru children ESPECIALLY!

[Mr. Oscar]

FFs have an air chisel to get through the burglar bars. However, part of the problem is the time of the night. Fire always gets a good head start after everyone has gotten to bed. It takes a little longer for someone to notice and by that time, the fire is going good.

[Claude91098]

Additionally on the fore warned note:

ALMOST EVERY fatal fire has a sad footnote: NO OPERATING SMOKE DETECTORS!!!!:(

Tell your friends, especially the poorer ones: MOST fire departments will give, AND INSTALL, smoke detectors FREE to the elderly and others!:)

The fatality rate would drop DRASTICALLY if people HAD these simple and CHEAP devices...AND KEEP THE BATTERIES CHANGED ANNUALLY!!!:)

[jbm32206]

Additionally on the fore warned note:

ALMOST EVERY fatal fire has a sad footnote: NO OPERATING SMOKE DETECTORS!!!!:(

Tell your friends, especially the poorer ones: MOST fire departments will give, AND INSTALL, smoke detectors FREE to the elderly and others!:)

The fatality rate would drop DRASTICALLY if people HAD these simple and CHEAP devices...AND KEEP THE BATTERIES CHANGED ANNUALLY!!!:)

I agree and all you have to do is contact the fire department and you'll get a free detector...and more than likely have it installed too. The problem remains, and even with the constant reminders on the news, etc. people just don't respond...and then when they get them, they don't replace the batteries on a regular basis. So they end up having detectors that aren't worth anything because they're not working. You simply can't force people to use common sense...no matter how hard we try!

[Claude91098]

When they do that jbm....Darwin takes over!

[johnmeeks1974]

free smoke detectors? why don't more people take advantage of this? a quick trip to the fire station can literally save a life! if someone is too old or infirm to make the visit, a loved one or friend should be proactive and do it for them!

[Keith726]

Its just like a Hurricane or Tornado,most people dont think it will happen to them,how many people on this board actually have,food,water,and batteries put away in the event of a emergency.

[jbm32206]

free smoke detectors? why don't more people take advantage of this? a quick trip to the fire station can literally save a life! if someone is too old or infirm to make the visit, a loved one or friend should be proactive and do it for them!

John, the fire department will come out to install them for the elderly and disabled...so there's just no excuse for not having one. Like I said before though, even when they have one, many people don't bother to change out the batteries.

[johnmeeks1974]

John, the fire department will come out to install them for the elderly and disabled...so there's just no excuse for not having one. Like I said before though, even when they have one, many people don't bother to change out the batteries.

Damn! I'm just plain speechless about that! How lazy can a person be?!

[OceanCowboy]

i am going to install a CO detector too. i ahve the smoke ones.. but CO is just as bad if not worse!

[jbm32206]

As I said in an earlier post, one of our autistic students was injured in a fire...that sweet little 9 year old has since died. Although the fire happened during the day, it's reported that there were NO working smoke detecters in the house! They're free and there's just no excuse for anyone not having them.

So now I'm going to be attending a funeral for a child....and it angers me that they didn't have working smoke detecters...and he died as a result of smoke inhalation. He wasn't burned as some tv stations are reporting.

[don'tknowmuch]

I have thought about this incident a great deal since it's happening. My first ...and still my reaction is that it is a shame good people have to go to such lengths to protect themselves from the scum of the earth. The majority of all that is good is so tainted by the criminal element. We are looking over our shoulders at all times to make sure there is no evil hiding in the dark. We tie things down so it is not stolen. We have to lock and double lock our doors. We have to teach our children not to return a smile or talk to anyone. Why should one have to purchase burglar bars anyway? Why is it that the bad seed seems to be in control. Why doesn't someone smarter than me change the laws that allows the criminals to go in and out of jail because someone forgot to say please let me put these handcuffs on you. It is truly the "CRIMINAL (S) justice system because the innocents are the ones paying the price. No one should have to huddle in their home behind bars....let alone die in it.

[johnmeeks1974]

it's a tragedy that people are growing up in and living in areas that look like jails. i drive through sections of jacksonville that look like armed camps. the people are prisoners in their own homes and the wrong elements run the streets. i wish that it would be as simple as people getting involved and starting a neighborhood watch. i just am slap out of ideas or solutions for them...

[don'tknowmuch]

I am not concerned for just the areas with burglar bars....the bad guys are threats in 98% of the neighborhoods. Unless you live in a gated community???, you too pay mental homage to the bad ones. We pay, they stay. I would like to see less political correctness and more muscle in the enforcement of laws.

[johnmeeks1974]

i am concerned for law-abiding citizens in the entire city. i am especially worried about neighborhood where the bad guys rule the roost because they can hector others into silence. i pay no tribute to the scum that runs the mean streets of jacksonville.
political correctness? that's our first mistake, don'tknowmuch... i think that there is a place for politics and a place for law enforcement. we all see the results of judges who 'feel sorry' for criminals. we all see the results when such monsters roam the streets to commit more crimes. as for police shootings, i wouldn't trade places with police officers. they deal with making such split-second decisions as they try to make our streets safer. if someone aims a gun at a police officer - game over.

[jbm32206]

I agree with all of you, in that it's such a shame that society is forced to hide behind bars in an effort to protect themselves and their property. I also agree that the laws need to be more strictly upheld by the courts. I'd rather pay higher taxes, if it meant these thugs were kept behind the right kind of bars!

[pearlstone]

I have thought about this incident a great deal since it's happening. My first ...and still my reaction is that it is a shame good people have to go to such lengths to protect themselves from the scum of the earth. The majority of all that is good is so tainted by the criminal element. We are looking over our shoulders at all times to make sure there is no evil hiding in the dark. We tie things down so it is not stolen. We have to lock and double lock our doors. We have to teach our children not to return a smile or talk to anyone. Why should one have to purchase burglar bars anyway? Why is it that the bad seed seems to be in control. Why doesn't someone smarter than me change the laws that allows the criminals to go in and out of jail because someone forgot to say please let me put these handcuffs on you. It is truly the "CRIMINAL (S) justice system because the innocents are the ones paying the price. No one should have to huddle in their home behind bars....let alone die in it.

You know, for one who chose 'don't know much' for a username, you make alot of sense to me. :)

[Claude91098]

Why should one have to purchase burglar bars anyway?

I advocate NO burglar bars! I also advocate LEGAL GUN PURCHASES and then learning how and when to USE THEM! :mad:

A pump shotgun will never keep you trapped in your house to burn to death!:p

[johnmeeks1974]

The NRA should have an experimental program in cooperation with the inner cities of this nation...

1.) Assist low-income people in those areas with affordable ways to purchase firearms to defend their homes.
2.) Of course, such residents should be legally capable of owning firearms.
3.) NRA could sponsor classes for inner-city homeowners and their families to learn firearm safety.
4.) NRA could sponsor and certify neighborhood watch programs that post signs and placards that proudly proclaim, 'This is an NRA Neighborhood Safety Area - Criminals, Proceed at your own risk!'

Such a deal could: a.) Help inner-city areas learn to defend themselves against the scumbags who do not value life or property; b.) Educate the general public about the NRA and Second Amendment; c.) Make inroads for the NRA in areas not traditionally known for being associated with the NRA.

[Claude91098]

Good suggestions John! :-)

[johnmeeks1974]

Thanks, Claude!

I think that my proposal would make a crackhead think twice before busting in someone's house at three in the morning! :D

[don'tknowmuch]

Here it goes again......why do we need to be going through all of these hoops. There was a point in time when a bad guy was dealt with harshly which set examples of what was going to happen to you if you didn't play nice. We should not have to be the ones who needs to be thinking on defensive measures. The police needs to get the bad seed off the street and the courts needs to keep them off the streets......period and end of story.

[jbm32206]

Here it goes again......why do we need to be going through all of these hoops. There was a point in time when a bad guy was dealt with harshly which set examples of what was going to happen to you if you didn't play nice. We should not have to be the ones who needs to be thinking on defensive measures. The police needs to get the bad seed off the street and the courts needs to keep them off the streets......period and end of story.

If it were only that simple...and in a perfect world it would be. The problem is you lock one up, two take his place...it's a vicious and endless cycle, and there's plenty more thugs to take his place. Until we can convince these parents to teach their kids respect for themselves and others...teach them morals...the list goes on...but the sad truth is, we, the innocent are held prisoners in our own homes by thugs.

The laws we have are sufficient, we just need to do away with early release and judges that don't dish out the maximum punishment.

[Claude91098]

The focus of our angst needs to be the court system. They feel that they are "untouchable" so they do what they damned well please within the law.

Judges are just lawyers in robes my friends...and lawyers, while a necessary evil sometimes, are NOT your "friends"!

DOn't take MY word for it...just live and learn! ;-)