Think About it -- That They Won’t Have Died in Vain
I have never identified as a “victim” or experienced PTSD, and hope I never do. That said, a lump fills my throat and a quiver takes over my voice every time I read of innocent people (especially children) killed in some action that could have been avoided.
Those of us serving in the field of security often state, “No child has died in a school fire in America since 1958.” We reference that in our question, “why are we not paying more attention to how our children are dying?” More are dying by violence than by fire now by far. This week, however, I wanted to learn more about that fire.
It was awful. 92 children and 3 nuns (teachers) died in that Catholic School (Our Lady of the Angels or “OLA”) fire. Many have lived since, however, due to that horrible experience.
There are two primary websites to capture details of that incident.
Website dedicated to survivors and the story: https://olafire.com/Home.asp
WTTW (Window to the World) website that tracks Chicago history: https://www.wttw.com/chicago-stories/angels-too-soon
If you can read through (or watch videos about) that incident without being moved to your core, you’ve lost touch with why we do what we do.
The OLA fire happened after 6 fire evacuation drills had been done that year. One survivor later said (about the drills) that they, “seemed so simple. So easy. Until it really mattered.”
Like any other training or drills, you can’t do them feeling like it will never happen anyway. While there is no way except the real thing to experience the real thing, one must be convinced they are drilling or training for a real situation coming in your future.
My friend Greg Stevens (who stopped the first ISIS attack in America) says we should, “train like your life depends on it.” I would say, “…our life or the life of others…”
Think About it
Among all the other training you do, don’t stop training for fire too. While the OLA fire cause was never solved, the feeling is that it was arson (so, potentially a mass murder). But the prime suspect denied it until his death in 2004. We may never know.
We do know, however, that “ those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Don’t let the Our lady of the Angels children die in vain.
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