Dear Editor,

I was struck by a recent TV news report in which a homeowner recounted how she and her family tried to save some of their belongings after their house caught fire.

She told how she remembered the money she had in the house and ran in to get it. When she grabbed the money and was heading out, she realised that her grandchild was asleep on the bed and she grabbed the child and ran out. I shudder to think what would have happened if the child did not happen to be sleeping in or near where she went to get the money. It seems as if in the mayhem, the child was an afterthought.

It is natural for us to try to save our belongings in the face of fire or other natural or man-made disasters. Things are hard to come by. People struggle all their lives at great sacrifices to own the stuff they have; perhaps those poor homeowners were still paying the furniture store for the items now destroyed in the blaze.

Our furniture, appliances and other valuables are the material trappings that give us comfort and make our homes feel homey, and for some folks, (they think) owning certain items gives them status. But no matter how valuable our stuff, they cannot equate to the value of one human life.

No matter how difficult or how great the financial or material loss, things are replaceable; but a human life is not.

Therefore, we must do all as a society to make sure that not one more life is lost in a fire, especially not one more child. I am concerned about the number of house fires in recent times, and more critically the number of children who have been burnt to death in these blazes. In some instances, children are left alone or in the care of adults. This is usually because parents have to work, have gone on an errand or, more carelessly, because parents want to have a good time unfettered by the responsibility of parenting.

To be clear, leaving a child alone, without adult supervision, is a violation of the Child Care and Protection Act, and so parents must be held accountable.

But beyond holding parents and adult caregivers accountable, more needs to be done to educate families on how to keep the home safe from fires and other hazards, and how to escape in the event of an unfortunate occurrence like a fire.

It is heartbreaking to hear that two children are now dead because of a mosquito destroyer not properly kept away from flammable material. It is sad to say, but some things that are a no-brainer to some of us have to actually be taught to some folks.

Therefore, just like how fire drills are carried out in offices, drills should be carried out in communities and homes as a matter of routine.

For example, people need to be made aware of the importance of accounting for every person in a household or building when a fire starts — are all the children and the adults accounted for, or are all the neighbours accounted for? Very often, when people realise that someone is trapped inside a burning building, it is generally too late to save them.

Also, do people know their escape route in case of a fire? Can they easily locate the keys to the door or grill in the dark? Do they have emergency supplies?

With the increased use of mosquito destroyers to keep disease -infested mosquitoes at bay in the face of ZikV and ChickV, there needs to be a commensurate awareness about the safe use of destroyers and other repellants. These seem simple enough, but they are simple steps that can save many lives.

These safety measures are matters to consider, whether we live in a downtown tenement or in an uptown high rise. Life is worth preserving, and so we have to commit to a lifestyle of safety in our homes and communities.

Above all else, we must do everything in our powers to safeguard the well-being of our children and view their lives as priceless.

Amiyah Prudence Barnes

Mona PO

amiyahmusic@gmail.com