02/07/2006: "Smoke Detector & Firefighter Avert Disaster"

What could have been a deadly tragedy was prevented last Friday by a combination of a functioning smoke detector, and the quick action of a voluntary firefighter. According to a press release by Asst. Chief Bradford Creesy of the San Juan Island Fire Department, At nine forty-five that evening the smoke detector mounted in the hallway of a small home on San Juan island alerted a family to an electrical fire in the home's heating system that was adjacent to a child's bedroom. The mother, father and young child, along with the family pets were able to evacuate the home and avoid harm.

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Tad Lean, the first firefighter on scene, and neighbor of the young couple, entered the burning home and quickly assessed the situation. He was able to make his way down the hallway and into the child's room to turn off the electrical power to the furnace and then extinguish the actively burning fire with a fire extinguisher. Without his quick action the fire would have quickly spread through the home. The next arriving firefighters set up fans to remove smoke and toxins from the house and reconfirmed that Lean's immediate actions had indeed extinguished all of the bunging material. The fire department and the Red Cross have arranged for accommodations for the family until a professional may address the problems with their furnace.

Lean, a Lieutenant at the Roche Harbor fire station, has been a volunteer with the San Juan Island Fire Department for over thirteen years. This outstanding personal commitment to our community enabled him to go into a building on fire and do what needed to be done to protect not only the structure but also all of the personal, irreplaceable belongings of this young family.

Assistant Chief Cheesy reminds the public that "Smoke Detectors Save Lives, is not just a slogan." And asks "Have you checked the batteries in your smoke detector recently"?