Heroes on Thanksgiving
By: J. David Chapman/December 2, 2021
Watching heroes! In the last few weeks, I have had the pleasure of hosting three researchers from Coventry University in the United Kingdom. Dr. David McIlhatton, Dr. Bianca Slocombe, and Kristen Kuhn have joined Dr. Justin Olmstead, from UCO, and myself to kick off a new research project – this time protecting people in places of worship.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, my three friends from the U.K. and I had just finished breakfast and they were allowing me to run a few errands around Ward 1 in the city of Edmond. As we drove down Boulevard near E. 12th Street, Kristen Kuhn said from the back seat of the car that she saw smoke coming from a small home. My first thought was that she had seen smoke coming from a chimney of one of the small, wood-frame homes in the area. However, after further thought, we turned around to investigate. As we drove up to the home on E. 12th and Boulevard, we saw a significant amount of smoke coming from the eaves of the home and it was obvious that the home was indeed on fire. We called 911 to report the fire and began banging on the doors and windows trying to ascertain if anyone was in the home. We heard barking dogs in the home, as the Edmond Fire Department arrived on scene, but saw no evidence of people in the home.
As they fought the fire, Firefighter Clayton Wilsey found two unresponsive dogs and one cat on the floor of the home, confirming what the neighbor had told me that she believed pets might be in the home. As one crew fought the fire, other firefighters began an hourlong effort to revive the pets. Sometime ago, the citizens of Edmond purchased special pet-adapted medical equipment and Edmond firefighters were trained on the equipment. With the use of these high-flow oxygen masks and tanks, all three pets were saved and, to our pleasure and surprise, tails were wagging as the homeowner arrived back to their house. Edmond Deputy Fire Chief Chris Denton was on the scene and able to give me a detailed explanation of the events transpiring as his crews preformed their mission flawlessly. My international visitors were very impressed with the response of the Edmond Fire and Police departments, EMSA, and Edmond Animal Control. This Edmond Ward 1 City Councilman left thankful for their efforts!
J. David Chapman is professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).