This is Us – Lessons Learned on Fire Safety

By Karen Morrone, Marketing & Communications Manager

Several MAX team members watch the popular television show “This is Us” and after watching the last few episodes (spoiler alert – don’t read if you aren’t caught up on season 2), we couldn’t help but think of fire safety tips for our MAX members after learning how our most beloved character on the show, Jack, dies.

Here we go:

  1. Smoke alarms with batteries are life-saving!  Immediately when the camera panned to the ceiling and Rebecca was telling Jack she knows she forgot to buy something at the mall but couldn’t remember what, we knew the smoke alarm would play a part in the fire.  Not only must a smoke alarm have batteries, but they must be working batteries.  Test your smoke alarms at least twice a year (Daylight Saving Time is a great reminder) to check the batteries.  And, if you have wired smoke alarms, check the dates on them.  Both battery and wired smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years.  For more information, check out the NFPA’s smoke alarm tips here.Did you know there’s a smart alarm that can connect to your smoke detectors via Wi-Fi?  Of course this technology did not exist in the 90s when Jack lost his life, but it’s available to us now. The alarm will send notifications to your phone when the batteries run low or if your smoke alarms sounds and you’re not home.
  2. Unplug your electrical appliances. It’s not the Crock-Pot’s fault!  There have been several articles about slow cookers and this one provides fire safety tips about using a Crock-Pot.  The main takeaways are to unplug your electrical appliances when you are not using them and do not use appliances that are so old they would not pass safety regulations.  If this Crock-Pot was unplugged, it would not have sparked and caught the kitchen towel on fire.  Also, the Crock-Pot was given to the Pearsons seventeen years ago as a gift from a neighbor who had previously used it for probably several years before that – plus it had a known faulty switch.  We saw Rebecca tinkering with the switch in fact when she was preparing the Super Bowl feast.
  3. Let emergency responders save your pets. Jack being the ultimate father to his little girl would do anything to not disappoint her.  After the Pearsons escape from the upstairs bedroom window and make it safely to the ground, Kate hears her dog barking and screams his name trying to get the dog to escape.  Jack goes back into the house.  And for a minute I think he has perished in the fire as more things in the house blow up and the fire intensifies.  Then the front door opens and Jack walks out with the dog (and a bag of Pearson family treasures) in his arms.  Jack didn’t die in the home.  And neither did the dog.  However, Jack suffers from severe smoke inhalation and eventually does die from its effects on his lungs and heart.  Let emergency responders save your pets.  Your life is ever so more important than the pet, and your pet will need you alive to take care of him or her in the years to come.  You can read some pet fire safety tips here.

As we now prepare to see the Pearson family mourn the loss of Jack in the weeks ahead, it’s a good reminder to us all to remember these life-saving fire safety tips.  Be safe.


KarenKaren Morrone

Karen is the Marketing & Communications Manager for MAX where she manages content marketing and social media.  When she’s not at the office, Karen can be found transporting her children to soccer and other after-school activities.  In her “spare time”, you can find her volunteering at scouts, tending to her garden, or baking treats.