In the Nick of time
Ron Nick and his wife are safe, thanks to the quick action of neighbor Chris Albers. On the night of August 31st, around 10pm Chris noticed the flames from next door and rushed over to alert the Nicks. He saved their lives just before the fire and resulting explosion got much worse. Long-time homeowners Ron Nick and Rebecca Holland’s house on north Vancouver Avenue was destroyed. Ron and Rebecca had just returned from an extended trip and were only in the house for a few hours. Too late and too tired to unpack they had gone to sleep. The next thing they knew, they were awakened by neighbor Chris Albers pounding on their door and windows. He got them out of the house barely in time. The smoke alarms did not go off.
The Fire Department arrived three minutes after the first call. No less than seven fire trucks were sent to protect any other homes and the forest that might also catch on fire.
Good neighbors Woody and Melinda provided them a place to stay that night and until other arrangements could be made.
Back when the Nicks were looking for a home, they saw an ad for an Open House in Gilcrease Hills and that you could “call for directions.” But Ron was confident that wouldn’t be necessary, so they just drove to this neighborhood - not realizing that Gilcrease Hills wasn’t laid out like any regular neighborhood. There are cul-de-sacs everywhere and if you don’t know what street you need to turn on to get to the street you want you may never find it. And they didn’t. This was before google maps, etc.
The next time they saw the Open House ad, Ron called for directions and this time they drove right to the address and found their future home – where they have lived for 23 years. They do hope to rebuild here.
Meanwhile, seeing the twenty-foot flames from across the forest, Cynthia Rollins and Travis Bearden were worried—what if the forest caught on fire? Only the night before the Landscaping & Sustainability committee had just heard from an Oklahoma State Forester about the Firewise program, designed to help homeowners protect their property from wildfires.
Here’s news you can use: The Tulsa Fire Department received a grant from FEMA to replace smoke detectors and other safety items in homes. The grant provides enough equipment to revamp 420 homes. Firefighters said they are only about one third of the way and need more people to apply.
Tulsa Firefighters said home fire safety is too often an oversight.
"Fires are the number one cause of home fatalities in a house. If you don’t have a working smoke detector in your home, the fire is not what kills you. It's the smoke," firefighter Chris Whittington said. That's why the fire department wants to make sure you are safe by surveying homes that may have expired smoke detectors -- or no detectors at all. "What we can do is go check their smoke detectors. If they need a new smoke detector we can install one. If they need a battery replacement we can do that as well," Whittington said.
The fire department will also help residents develop home safety plans so you know what to do if your home catches fire. "I've never thought about that before," homeowner Trina Bommer said. Trina Bommer said as a fitness instructor, she always considers her health and safety, even for changing a lightbulb. "I don’t want to stand on any chairs or ladders any more and worry about falling because once you get hurt, it's hard to heal," Bommer said. She said having firefighters replace safety equipment and get rid of trip hazards gives her a worry-free home. "I just feel so much safer since they've come and done this to my house and everybody should try to get it done," Bommer said.
The grant requires the department to meet their 420 homes goal before the end of September.
Tulsa firefighters said they are prioritizing those who are over the age of 65, but said anyone can apply by sending their name, address, and phone number to FireMarshal@CityofTulsa.org