Grade school students Miles and Lauren Rounsaville and Miles Richards were playing in a park last spring when a smoke alarm began beeping at a home along Raven Ave SE.
Along with the alarm, the youths noticed signs of fire, which they recognized from a firefighter visit to their school during Fire Prevention Week. Wasting no time, the three ran home to alert their parents about the incident.
According to Interim Fire Chief Mike Bailey, the youths’ quick actions in alerting the Fire Department gave firefighters an opportunity to arrive on the scene while the fire was still confined to the room of origin.
Although the house suffered damage, it could have been much worse. If the fire, which took place on April 16, 2021, had continued unchecked (the homeowners were not there at the time), the loss to the home would likely have been complete, along with potentially spreading to neighboring homes or woods.
The three youths were honored for their quick thinking at a July 26 City Council meeting, where Interim Fire Chief Mike Bailey presented them with certificates of recognition along with a tour of the Fire Station with their families.
Watch the certificate presentation below at time stamp 3:05
The evening was capped off with on-duty firefighters sharing ice cream with the kids and their parents.
Congratulations to these outstanding young residents!
