Brian Ash's life ended far too early. He was a healthy, happy boy, and he had so many more things to learn, places to see, and people to love.
Yet, when he went over to a friend's house for a sleepover, as kids so often do, it ended up being the last time that he would say goodbye to his mother and father.
His friend's mother had fallen asleep while smoking, starting a house fire. None of the smoke detectors in the house were functioning, and the small fire spread to engulf the entire home.
No one in that house made it out alive on that night in 1983. Not the mother, not her two children, and not Brian Ash.
The importance of basic fire safety is so clearly evident from this story.
Roberta Ash's life was turned upside down when her only son was taken away from this life all too soon. That's why, 33 years later, she's still trying to save others from the same fate as her son's.
Brian shouldn't have died such a horrible death on that night. House fires are entirely preventable with smoke detectors, proper knowledge on how to react, and fire extinguishers. Yet, the circumstances were less than ideal when this house burned to the ground.
A family was entirely shattered as the healthy young boy was taken away too soon. That's why Roberta Ash has been fundraising for 30 years in order to raise awareness for the importance of smoke detectors in the home.
All it takes is a simple installation, and you can save lives; young lives, wise lives, family member's lives. This was one of the final moments in Brian's life that his mother was able to capture before the tragic night.
The Brian David Ash Memorial Fire Safety Fund has been run by his mother for 30 years now. Money raised goes towards fire safety education in the community of Meriden, CT.
However, Roberta Ash hopes that this message will reach much father beyond her own community, and that everyone makes sure that they have a working smoke detector in their homes.
This is such a tragic story that could have easily been prevented. There's always rooms to repeat "could, have, would have, should have," over and over again, but it's much better to look toward a brighter future, rather that dwell on the sad reality of the past. That is exactly what Ash is trying to accomplish with this important fundraiser.
You can see the full story in the video below.
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