It’s Fire Prevention Week – and yes, I know every week should be Fire Prevention Week, but let’s get real. THIS is the week we focus our attention on a single key message, and this year’s focus is smoke alarms. Yes, those nuisance smoke alarms – but not a nuisance in the sense that most of you probably think.
We know from experience that most smoke alarm runs are the result of an accidental alert or a battery that’s been chirping since 1985. We respond, make sure everything is OK, and we return to quarters. And to be clear, on occasion, there are fires – that’s why we respond. But on those occasions when nothing is on fire, our response can have implications elsewhere, like being delayed to another call or even being involved in an apparatus crash. That is not the smoke alarm nuisance I am talking about today, though.
I am talking about the “nuisance” that some people feel about having to maintain a working smoke alarm – changing batteries, testing them to ensure they work, and cleaning out the dust. A “nuisance” that causes some people – maybe even YOU – to skip the simple steps to ensure that you, your loved ones and your guests have some level of protection.
Trust us, you will love this vacation home
Consider the avoidable deaths of Lindsay Wiener, 19, and her older sister, Jillian Wiener, 21, who died in the early hours of Aug. 3, 2022, after a fire broke out in a rental home where they were staying with other members of their family – a $1.9 million 1,600-square-foot home.
The homeowners pleaded guilty recently to charges related to the deaths. Peter Miller pleaded guilty to two counts of criminally negligent homicide, and his wife, Pamela Miller, pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless endangerment in the deaths of Lindsay and Jillian. (A full list of charges and code violations is shared below.) The Millers are scheduled to be back in court on Nov. 7 for sentencing.
The fatal fire was started by an outdoor kitchen the Millers had constructed without proper permits or electrical inspections. The family had attempted to use a charcoal grill in the outdoor kitchen earlier in the evening, but when the food didn’t cook, they finished inside.
Hours later, the fire started, trapping the sisters in the bedrooms on the second floor. Despite attempts from their mom, dad and brother to save them, the sisters were overcome by fire conditions. Responding Sag Harbor firefighters arrived, got into the home, and found the lifeless bodies on the second floor. The two women died at the hospital.
Family members and firefighters stated that no smoke alarms were heard at any time during the fire or suppression activities. Investigators found that the fire detection systems in the home were either improperly installed or non-functional. According to reports, numerous other factors contributed to the fast-moving fatal fire.
Rules and responsibilities
It feels like many people just don’t care or choose to follow rules anymore. And then some of the same people blame others and take zero responsibility when something goes awry. I am sure we are all guilty to some extent, but where do we draw the line? How about when it can hurt or kill someone else when it is assumed YOU are taking care of them?
The Wieners booked the home on a website that lets people rent residential properties. All indications were that the house was safe with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, a fire extinguisher and related safety features. No doubt the Weiner family assumed the homeowners had followed all the rules. But that wasn’t the case. And the sisters paid with their lives. The apparent nuisance of doing what is required overrode the need to do the right thing, not to mention doing what the law requires.
Don’t trust or assume – verify
Many years ago, I was going through a rough patch and did what I usually do when I want to chill – head to the beach. As I walked along a boat dock, I saw two boats right next to each other and I will never forget their names:
- “It’s A Matter of Trust”
- “Trust Know One”
The second one really stuck.
Be it a personal issue, business related or, in this case, a matter of safety, there aren’t many people in life whom we can fully trust. It’s one of those things where I love being proven wrong. But it was the case with the rental homeowners. They could not be trusted, and the results changed lives forever.
Where does this leave us? It seems that in the world of irresponsibility we live in, we are forced to not trust and to absolutely verify.
As this relates to our Fire Prevention Week 2024 theme – “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” – we need to make sure that no matter where we are (home, hotels, friends’ houses, sleepovers for the kids), working smoke alarms are present. No longer can we trust that a business, a homeowner or even a neighbor will make sure conditions are safe. It may be simple forgetfulness or it may be greed-driven on the part of the home or businessowner. It doesn’t matter. Take the few minutes to make sure the smoke alarms work.
Take action
So while trust might feel a little less trustworthy these days, there are proactive steps we can take today to feel safer and more secure. For one, we as firefighters can make sure that we take our inspection duties seriously and perform thorough smoke alarm checks. We can urge the public to make sure their home fire safety equipment is working, and not just once – always and forever. A constant message.
Lastly, in memory of the sisters who lost their lives, we as firefighters and department leadership must start pushing the message of fire safety wherever possible. Staying at a B&B? Test the system. Maybe even pack a smoke alarm. Silly? Stupid? I don’t think so. Sending the kids to a neighbor’s house? Check (or ask them to check) the smoke alarms. Embarrassed? Not comfortable doing that?
It’s a matter of trust, and I urge you to trust no one.
Charges/allegations against the Millers
- The Millers allegedly constructed the outdoor kitchen without a permit and without an electrical inspection.
- The outdoor kitchen was mostly made of wood with low-hanging wood ceilings that sat above the charcoal grill and gas stove.
- The bottom grill vents of the charcoal grill were blocked by an attached counter.
- The electrical circuits that the outdoor kitchen shared with the indoor kitchen were overloaded and improperly wired.
In addition to the criminal charges, the Millers were also prosecuted by Southampton Town for numerous code violations related to the construction and rental of the home. According to authorities, these violations included:
- Failing to apply for and obtain a rental permit prior to renting.
- Having a transient rental when prohibited by law.
- Having a transient rental with tenants contrary to the certificate of occupancy in place.
- Constructing an outdoor kitchen without a building permit.
- Occupying/allowing a deck/pool without a certificate of occupancy.
- Failing to assure single/multi station smoke detectors on the wall outside of the second-floor bedrooms.
- Failing to assure the smoke alarm in the second-floor east bedroom was connected properly.
- Failing to assure that the smoke detector in the second-floor east bedroom had a battery back-up.
- Failing to assure that the smoke alarm in the hallway outside of the first-floor bedroom was connected properly.
- Failing to assure that the smoke alarm in the hallway outside of the first-floor bedroom had a battery back-up.
- Failing to assure that the smoke alarm in the garage was properly connected to a power source.
- Failing to assure a carbon monoxide detector was installed outside of the second-floor bedrooms.
- Failing to assure a carbon monoxide detector was installed outside of the first-floor bedroom.
- Installing an electrical outlet without a proper electrical box, creating an electrical shock/fire hazard as it was directly on siding.
- Installing an electrical outlet on a counter in the outdoor kitchen without a proper electrical box, creating a shock/fire hazard, as it was directly on siding.
