Poughkeepsie Firefighters Find Terrifying Conditions During Fire

Firefighters in the City of Poughkeepsie have put out a warning to homeowners after finding a potentially deadly situation during a fire call.

Being a firefighter is probably one of the bravest things a person could sign up to do. Imagine how terrifying it must be to arrive at a home completely engulfed in flames and be tasked with going inside. Putting your own life at risk so you can save someone else is the definition of selflessness and bravery.

Because firefighters put themselves in potentially fatal situations every day, I think we have a responsibility to make sure our homes don't become a death trap for first responders if the unthinkable were to happen.

The potential for careless homeowners to put firefighters' lives in jeopardy became evident this week when the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department posted photos on its Facebook page from a recent fire call.

The images show windows equipped with homemade security bars screwed into them. The heavy pieces of wood were affixed to the window frames of a building with long screws which made it almost impossible to access the windows. Luckily, the kitchen fire was easily extinguished, but crews were unable to easily vent the home because of the window coverings.

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What's worse is that if this was a fully engaged fire, residents and firefighters would not be able to escape through the window and, instead, be trapped inside the burning building.

Firefighters say that security measures like this pose a massive risk to everyone and could have "ended horribly".