It was sad to read about the young man in New York who died in the fire while trying to save his grandfather. When I worked as a nurse aide in a nursing home in Massachusetts, we were trained how to evacuate disabled patients in bed in case of fire or other emergency.

We were shown to wrap the patient in the bottom bed sheet, pull the patient off the bed, drag the patient (wrapped in bed sheet) down the hall to the exit door.

In my school days, firemen came to tell us kids safety things to do in case of fire and how to avoid spontaneous combustion and other safety things, such as:

Do not leave clothes dryers on if running errands, nor things cooking on the stove. A plugged in toaster can become stuck in the down position, overheat and cause a fire. Garbage left in plastic bags in hallways or porches can cause fires. Smoking while sitting on a couch or lying in bed can cause embers to fall and cause a fire. Throwing cigarettes out a window while driving can cause a neighbor’s house to burn down or a forest fire. Broken glass outside or glass left on a windowsill can cause a fire if the sun shines through the glass. Farmers should not put wet or damp hay in the barn as it can smolder and burn.

Everyone should have exit plans in the event of a fire.

Practice escaping.

It might save a life.

Gabrielle De Moras, Lewiston