I have more than a few Safety Defining moments from my military days, but several years ago, I experienced what I consider a pretty good reminder of how fast things can go south…

I was burning brush in my yard with the help of some of my extended family members. Early in the process, my father-in-law voiced a concern that the fire might be too close to some of the trees in the back of my yard, but all of us felt that we were far enough away.

Lo and behold, a 40-foot cherry tree caught on fire. We later discovered that it was rotted in the middle, so the fire moved through the tree quickly. To make matters worse, the wind chose that moment to pick up – and the embers were starting to blow toward the forest behind the house.

From there, things only got more interesting. We all know how to use a chainsaw, but we’d never cut down a large rotted out tree that was on fire! We ended up dropping the cherry tree in the wrong spot, and it got stuck in the crook of a large oak tree, which started to burn as well. Fortunately, after some doing, we were able to use chains and my truck to pull the cherry tree down and douse the blaze with a hose.

We had ourselves a laugh about what happened afterward, but it didn’t escape any of us how serious this incident could have been.

Two big lessons…

1. When it comes to fire, things can go south pretty quickly. So, always make sure you have MORE space than you think you need.
2. When someone voices a concern about a situation, take the time to evaluate the concern – even if it’s your father-in-law!

Thanks for reading my story, and please share yours. (Submission form is to the right.)  YOUR story might just be the reminder that prevents a serious incident – and keeps someone safe.