Like this:

As part of the fire prevention program the Stratford fire department spent a day at a school teaching “stop drop and roll”, the importance of testing smoke detectors, and how to escape a fire. That evening Emily, five, was quiet when her father tucked her in bed.

…When he inquired as to her silence she started explaining her day at school and the conversation developed. “Daddy, do we have smoke detectors?” she asked. “We do,” he said. “We need to test them. The firemen said so,” Emily said. “We’ll do it in the morning,” he said. “It’s time to go to sleep.” “No, Daddy, now. Please?” she pleaded. “We have to.” So holding her in his arm he carried her into the hall way and tested the first detector: he pushed the test button and nothing happened. Tried again… nothing. The other new batteries that they had in the house and while Emily was watching change the batteries of the smoke detectors. Emily and her big dog Jack went to sleep peacefully. That night the family and the animals fled the fiercely burning house, having been awakened by shrill siren sound of the smoke detector. It was only two weeks later that Fire Marshall Tom Velky learned about Emily’s role in the family’s survival. “Her persistence undoubtedly saved her family from probable, serious burn injury and possibly death. She’s a hero. In a surprise award ceremony Emily received a “State of Connecticut Honorary Service” medal from the Stratford fire Department. It’s only the second time ever that such a metal had been given to a nonmember of the fire department.

Advertisement