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Fire officials share fire safety tips
Anatomy of a tragedy
LL FireSafety1
Liberty County Fire Coordinator James Ashdown and Riceboro Volunteer Fire and Rescue Capt. Dennis Fitzgerald sift through the remnants of a home that was the site of a fatal fire this past week. Two women, a mother and daughter, died as a result of the blaze. - photo by Photo by Lewis Levine
Liberty County Fire Coordinator James Ashdown sifted through the charred remains of a wooden deck at a mobile home on South Coastal Highway in Riceboro this past week hoping to find some clue as to the cause of a house fire that claimed the lives of Sylvania Sapp and her daughter, Sylvia Elaine Smith, earlier that morning.
Speaking to no one in particular, Ashdown looked at some electrical wiring that had been place into and below the deck of the home and said in a low voice, “This was a fire just waiting to happen.”
As Ashdown examined the wire, he told Riceboro Volunteer Fire and Rescue Capt. Dennis Fitzgerald, “This deck was not wired to code. It’s amazing this home didn’t catch fire sooner.”
As Ashdown further examined the deck, he found two space heaters plugged into the same circuit.
“It looks like this is what may have caused the fire,” he said. “It appears the space heaters may have caused the wires to overheat, eventually melting them and causing them to catch fire.”
Ashdown said the heaters were also to close to furniture which was combustible.
He theorized the fire may have been burning up to 30 minutes before the smoke alarms in the residence sounded.
“They had ionization sensors which came with the mobile home manufactured in 1986. It looks that by the time they (fire victims) were alerted, the home had already filled up with dark smoke making it difficult for Smith to see and find her way out.”
Ashdown said there are new, more sensitive detectors on the market that can alert a resident of smoke in the home within 30 seconds.
“They now sell photoelectric sensors which are more sensitive then the ionization sensors that are installed in most homes,” he said.
Ashdown is not recommending discarding the ionization sensors, but said it’s a good idea to place the photoelectric sensors next to them.
“A lot of the ionization sensors were hard wired with the homes. You can purchase one at a local department store and just stick it up next to the existing one,” he said.
Ashdown recommends installing one in each room of the house.
There were also several other factors that may have contributed in the deaths of the two women, he said.

Know your surroundings
Ashdown said it’s always important to be familiar with your surroundings.
“This may sound crazy, but where ever I go, to a restaurant or while visiting a friend’s home, I am always studying ways to escape in case of a fire.”
In a 9-1-1 call placed by Smith, she could told the operator she was trapped in the fire with no way out.
“The operator at one point asked her if she could get out through a window and Smith said no,” he said.
It was later learned Smith was at the home that weekend to take care of her 96-year-old mother while a sister, who lived in the home, house-sat for a couple during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Have an escape plan
“An escape plan is very important.” said Ashdown. “A few minutes studying your surroundings may make the difference between life and death. In this case, Smith was plunged into dark ness by the thick smoke and apparently became disoriented.”

Never block escape routes
Another factor that played prominently in the tragedy was the front door of the home was blocked by furniture.
According to Ashdown, Sapp, who lived in the home for more than 20 years, was afraid of intruders getting into the home through the front door.
“I was told she blocked this exit in the event anyone tried to break in. But unfortunately, it was the only exit to the home besides the windows and it was blocked.
“We know that Smith tried to open the door, but was unable to do so,” he said. “Never block an exit, all avenues of escape should be easily accessible in the event of an emergency.”

Hire a professional
Ashdown tackled the subject of having electrical work done.
“Get a licensed contractor to do any type of electrical work. In this case it is evident the wiring was not up to code,” he said.

Stay calm
Another factor that could make the difference between life and death is remaining calm during a crisis — something that is understandably difficult to do.
Smith placed a call to 911 shortly after 12:30 a.m. and tried to give the operator the address, but was unable to be understood because she was screaming.
The operator asked her to calm down and repeat the address so emergency personnel could be dispatched.

Use land line to call 911
It is not also uncertain whether Smith placed the call using a cell phone or land line, according to Liberty County Communications Director Tom Wahl.
 “The problem with using a cell (phone) to report something like a house fire is the information (such as the street address) is not displayed on the operator’s screen. It gives absolutely no information,” he said.
Wahl noted if a land line is used, basic information is available to the 9-1-1 operator.
 “We still need to verify the street address because we want to make sure the person didn’t move over the weekend and the records hadn’t been updated through the phone company, or in the case of a business which has several locations and one billing address,” he said.
Wahl reiterated the need to remain calm.
When speaking with the operator try to remain calm and bear with the questions the operator is asking, he said, noting, “All they are trying to do is get as much information for the emergency personnel who are being dispatched.”
He said the issue about the lack of information from cell-phone calls is being rectified, but is months away from being operational. When it does come on board, operators will be able to pinpoint a location on a map from their console.

Additional safety feature
Riceboro Volunteer Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Earl McGinley said an overlooked device that should be placed in the home is a carbon monoxide detector.
“If you have a home which is heated by propane gas or you use your fireplace for heating, I recommend you install this item in all your rooms. It is better to be safe than sorry,” he said.
Carbon monoxide gas is an odorless gas that claims lives every year.
McGinley also recommends contacting your local fire department and have an audit for fire safety conducted on your home.
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HPD Reports
crime scene

From Hinesville Police Department reports. Editor’s note: Due to computer issues at the city, reports have been unavailable in recent weeks. They are back. Our thanks to the HPD clerks who provide them. We’re catching up as quickly as possible.

Burglary, etc: A man called 911 on Feb. 27 because he was watching his White Circle home getting burglarized. The man said his alarm system had an app that showed live video on his phone, and he was “viewing three males inside his residence,” as he talked to 911.
Police responded, caught two of them inside the house and found the third guy “hiding behind a tree,” the report said.
Detectives are investigating.

Public indecency: An officer was sent to Lowes around 4:30 p.m. March 12 in reference to a disturbance involving a man and a woman.
The woman, a Lowe’s employee, said she had just got back from her lunch break when she saw the man “looking around at items on a shelf.”
The woman said she asked him if he needed help finding anything and he held up something, then said “I have found everything I need,” the report said. “(he) then placed his arms around (the employee) to hug her and then kissed (her) neck. (She) then moved away from (him) and told him to have a nice day and attempted to walk away from (the man). (He) then began to follow (her), stating ‘I would lick you up and down’ and ‘you better hide in an office.’ (She) then spoke with manager and called 911.’”
The man told police he thought he recognized the woman “and stated to me that he had previously had a relationship with her approximately two years ago. (He) was unable to recall (her) name while on scene.”
The woman told police “she has never seen, nor spoken to (the man) before today.”
The woman was given a case number and told what to do. The man was allowed to leave.

Indecent exposure: A Berkshire Terrace man reported he went outside his house around 6:40 a.m. and “observed a man who appeared to be intoxicated, peeing on his truck and trailer.”
The complainant said the man “fully exposed his penis while he was peeing. When (complainant) asked him to stop the man told him to ‘shut the (bleep) up.’ (Complainant) advised the man he would call police. (Complainant) advised his young son was standing outside during the incident. He said the man got into a 1996 black Buick and drove away, almost hitting cars that were parked in the driveway.”
The complainant said he did not want to press charges, “he said he wanted to report the incident because the man did not stop peeing when he asked him too.”
The complainant said he’d seen the man before “come and go” from a nearby apartment. The officer met with the resident of that apartment, who said the man was a cousin and did not pee on the complainant’s trailer.

Identity theft: A man went to HPD on March 21 to report that when he went to get a driver’s history for a commercial driver’s license, he found several citations on the history that weren’t his. “(He) stated he noticed someone was issued four citations in Arkansas and one citation in Jacksonville, Florida,” and during the time the Arkansas tickets were written he was in locked up in Georgia.
“(He) advised that he was not incarcerated when the citation in Jacksonville, Florida was issued but he was not in Florida at the time. (He) was unable to leave the state of Georgia due to being on felony probation.”
It gets worse.
“(He) told me that he attempted to file his income taxes for the first time ever and he was rejected due to owing the IRS money, $20,000. (He) stated he spoke to a representative for the IRS and he was informed that taxes were filed in his name in 2014 and the return was $1,3000. (He) advised he did not file taxes in 2013 and he was still incarcerated at the time.”
The man then told the officer he thinks his brother “got the citations and filed income taxes using his information. (He) believed his brother obtained his Social Security number and other demographics when he was incarcerated.”
The man said he talked to his brother, who said he paid all the tickets. “(His) brother also told him on a different occasion that he knew his date of birth and (SSN). (He) advised he told his brother that it was not OK to use his name due to him getting his life together and attempting to drive commercial vehicles.”
The guy said he didn’t have his brother’s address. He chose to fill out an identity theft packet.

Simple battery, theft by taking: An officer was sent around 2 a.m. March 20 to the Baymont Inn regarding a disturbance. There, a woman said she was being “grabbed and pulled” by a man when she told him to leave her motel room. She said they began arguing when he accused her of stealing $100.
The man claimed he met the woman on a dating website and when they “started having sex she informed him that it would cost $100.” He told her he wasn’t going to pay her, “got dressed and realized the five $20s in his pants pocket were missing. He accused (her) of stealing his money.”
The officer asked the woman if she stole the man’s money and she replied, “No, I work hard for my money.”
Both were given a case number and told how to get a warrant.

Robbery: A woman called HPD March 15 to report she was home when her estranged husband came to her apartment “and asked her to come outside to talk to him,” a report said.
“She stated that she stepped outside thinking that he was going to be civil, though she recently filed for divorce from him. As she stepped outside, he grabbed her necklace off her neck and then ran down the stairwell and out to the parking lot.”
The woman said he stood by his vehicle a minute, then drove off as police arrived. Officers checked the area but had no luck finding the man.

Burglary: Police were sent to a Malibu Drive address on March 13 regarding missing firearms and ransacked rooms. The homeowners were at work and got home to find handguns and rifles missing, as well as video games.
It appeared the home may have been broken into through the attic. Police found footprints and other evidence, and the case is under investigation.

Recovered stolen trailer: A U-Haul employee was inventorying equipment on March 14 when she discovered a trailer that had been reported stolen in Florida on Dec. 26. “She stated someone had backed the trailer into a parking stall along with the other trailers sometime during the night.”

Theft: In February, the maintenance man at Cypress Bend Mobile Home Park reported that “22 air conditioning unit disconnect boxes were stolen from various lots… He stated he began receiving calls from people that their air conditioning units were not working.”
The boxes contain small pieces of copper. He didn’t know who swiped them, but valued the total at about $341.

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