Firefighters and PTO's Team Up to Prevent Tragedy

When Firefighter Glenn Dube heard about the injuries suffered by Erik Kastner as he entered his burning Lombardo Court home to rescue his family, only to learn they’d already escaped, his heart sank.

Dube, who works with the Southington Fire Department, said cases like these are far too common an occurrence and many times end with the death of a loved one, although Kastner should recover from his injuries. That’s why he is speaking out in an effort to educate the public on the best way to respond to a fire.

Dube will present a town-wide presentation geared to adults Wednesday evening in an effort to improve emergency planning and reduce the potential for tragedy in the event of a house fire.

“This is something that has long been a problem nationwide and with the recent fire on Lombardo Court, it really hits close to home,” Dube said. “One of our main goals is to urge residents to have a planned meeting place outside the home.”

During the past several months, PTO’s at each of Southington’s schools have hosted a similar program to bring awareness to fire safety but Southington High School PTO Co-President John Moise said there is a need to reach a larger audience.

“When Firefighter Dube came to the Southington High School PTO to present this
important information it was clear we needed to assist in anyway we could to
educate the public,” Moise said. “The story told and the 911 tapes we heard are very powerful. What we hard hit home just two weeks later with the Lombard Court fire on March 31.”

This one piece of communication - knowing where to meet - can be the difference between life and death, Moise said.

“The timing of this unfortunate event could save lives in Southington through Firefighter Glenn Dube’s presentation. We are urging residents to become informed and attend this important presentation.”

The presentation will take place at DePaolo Middle School, 385 Pleasant St.,  at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.

The program is graphic, however, and is not recommended for young children.