October 28, 1998
'Great Escape' planning works: Family is safe
By Jacquie Thomas
Herald Editor
Plan your work and work your plan.
If there has been a mantra for the 90's, this has to be considered as one of the top contenders.
For the family of Paul and Margaret Thomas, formerly housed at South Airport Road and Townline Road, the phrase has new meaning; life saving meaning. They had a plan. Even though the plan didn't work perfectly, having a plan gave them the confidence to proceed and to save themselves.
Three of the family's four children attend Oak Park Elementary School and participated in the "Great Escape", a national program that the local fire department and nine elementary schools held in Traverse City during fire prevention week.
The Thomas's children, Nicholas, first grade, Cassandra, fourth grade, and Angela, fifth grade made a "home escape plan" with their family as part of a school assignment. The next day, the plan was 'graded' by a member of the Traverse City Fire Department and suggestions for changes were made.
On October 7, the Thomas family, along with the entire community, participated in the "Great Escape". With sirens wailing, an emergency was simulated and the escape plans they had designed could be practiced.
The Thomas family participated. They changed the batteries in the four smoke detectors the rental house in which they lived contained. They established a designated meeting place so family members would know if they had all escaped safely. They practiced the escape plan. They were good to go--they just never dreamed they would need to be.
At 10:45 p.m. on October 12, the Thomas's oldest child, Jennifer, a sophomore at TC Central High School, heard the smoke detector in the living room go off. When she opened her bedroom door, she found the room on fire and the front entrance (the first escape choice) blocked.
"I wasn't worried about me, but about getting the rest of the family out. We had family plans--and that helped us stay calm," said Jennifer.
She woke the rest of her family, and they escaped, without the panic and life-threatening indecision they might have experienced only five days before.
"It made me feel calm and not scared to have a plan and to know what to do," shared Cassandra.
"The kids acted instinctively--they didn't panic--they just took care of business," explained Paul Thomas. "The fire flashed and there was no time to think--just to act."
"When we got out of the house, we started to look for the kids and there they were--right where they were supposed to be--by the telephone pole, our designated meeting place."
"We have to thank the good people of Traverse City," added Paul. "The support has been very encouraging, especially Dale Cobb of the Red Cross, he's been super."
"We basically got ourselves out and nothing else. We are glad to be out and to be safe--the rest will take care of itself.
According to Cobb, housing is the most critical need now. "They are in need of housing adequate for six people for $400-700 per month," he said. Any leads on housing can be directed to Cobb at 947-7286 or to the Thomas family at the Goodwill Inn.
"As a fire department employee that conducts training continuously, it is very rewarding to see such dramatic results of a training exercise," explained Lt. Tim Geis of the TC Fire Department.
"It worked--it's just that simple. We went through the process and five days later, it worked--it doesn't get any clearer than that."