Doug and Linda Turnbull National Launch of Campus Fire Safety Month Kent State University Ohio Fire Safety Coalition Doug and Linda Turnbull April 10th, 2005 was a beautiful spring Sunday. It was a month before our youngest daughter, Julie’s 22nd birthday which was going to be on Mother’s Day, along with her college graduation – which was all going to happen on the same day. Julie had just accepted a job after college in a field that she loved and her future was bright. That morning I was hanging curtains getting ready for the big graduation/birthday weekend when the police came to our door. They said there had been a fire at Miami University at an off-campus house and they couldn’t find our daughter, Julie. They had just taken three victims out of the house and at first we didn’t understand what they meant. I thought, “Those poor kids. But why are they telling us?” They the reality of what they were saying hit us. They had to use dental records to identify the body. SO we had the tiniest bit of hope until the next day when they confirmed what was one of our worst nightmares, that Julie was one of the victims. Sunday, April 10th, 2005 turned out to be the worst day of our lives. I used to always tell Julie that she led a charmed life and she would always agree with a big smile on her face. She was one of those people who could brighten a room just by entering it. Julie is/was a beautiful, fun-loving person with a big smile who lived life to the fullest. We were so proud of her and she brought so much joy and happiness into our lives. It is hard for me to talk about her in the past tense because she is still such a big part of our lives. We used to tease Julie and say “it’s not all about you” but for us it is still all about Julie. Her true gift in life was her amazing ability to make other people feel special and because of that she had hundreds of friends, she even made me feel special. We have a box of letters from people whose lives she touched, it weighs almost 40 lbs. She made an impact on peoples’ lives. The world was a better place when she was in it, but it is a better place because she was in it. If anyone could live their entire life in 22 years, it was Julie. We decided early on that we would try to be positive going forward after her death. It would break Julie’s heart if her happy little family she was so proud of wasn’t happy anymore. It is easier said than done. But we are focused on being thankful for the 22 years we did have with her. We spent the last two and a half years getting to know her friends, doing interviews to promote fire safety, and writing letters to other parents who have lost children. I know Julie, Steven Smith and Kate Welling would be alive today if there were sprinklers in the house. When the landlord rebuilt the house, he didn’t put sprinkler in it because he didn’t have to. And I was disappointed. I was angry. But he didn’t do it because he didn’t have to. But a house that rents for $64,000 a year, I would think the landlord could afford to put sprinklers in. I personally do not think that college kids can be safe unless they are sleeping under sprinklers, but until that happens, parents need to be involved. When your son or daughter calls and tells you about the cool house they want to live in next year and want you to pay for, take a look. Be involved in your children’s lives and decisions. Kids are thinking about location, close to campus, close to town. Parents should be thinking about whether the smoke alarms are working, are there two ways out? Is it a safe house? When ten kids plug in their microwaves, air conditioners, computers, hair dryers, TVs and all that stuff, is it going to cause a problem? If the only way out is the window, is it painted shut? I know every time we helped Julie move into her house because of the number of girls in the house we would always check to make sure she could jump out the window, in case of a fire. But we never spent much time discussing these things. They were things that we looked at but we really didn’t talk to her about them, because moving in was a happy time. The local fire departments will gladly come out and inspect but hey have to be asked. Give them a call and ask questions when they come. Most of this stuff is common sense but not on the radar screen of parents and students. And kids don’t always sleep in their rooms so it’s important to get them thinking about taking a look around no matter where they are; whether it is a movie theater, a restaurant or their friend’s house. Kids are smart, they pay attention, that is how they get into college and even when they are rolling their eyes when you are talking to them about something as mundane as fire safety, they are paying attention. What your kids learn in college about fire safety are lessons not lonely for their college years but throughout their life. We thought the bad things happen to other people. We never said it out loud it was just something that we knew. But they can happen to anybody. SO parents need to stay involved with the decisions that their kids make about where they are going to live when they go to college and when they are testing their independence. My family is so happy that the State of Ohio has passed the proclamation making September Campus Fire Safety month. It has made today an important, positive day for us. Not a day goes by that we don’t miss Julie, don’t think about what an extraordinary person she was and how her life was cut short. If we could help someone else from the same fate as Julie’s than we have helped to make a difference and made Julie proud of us.