NAME:
David Vogel
DATE OF FIRE:
February 15, 2004
AGE AT TIME
OF FIRE:
47
LOCATION:
Cambridge, Mass.
INJURY:
Burned as the result of a candle
fire.
“Smoke alarms aren’t the complete solution – additional backup is necessary. If I had known about
home fire sprinklers even being an option as I rebuilt, my house would have them.”
Looking back, David Vogel knows that people make mistakes, and sometimes the size of the mistake isn’t
directly proportionate to the impact. It was a mistake by a family member who left a candle burning
unattended that led to a house fire in February 2004.
David was awakened at 5 a.m. by smoke and the sounds of yelling. After soaking the burning mattress in
the shower and thinking he had quenched the fire, he saw the bedroom was illuminated by growing
flames. The fire was now spreading quickly through the wood and plaster walls of the 1850s era house he
had renovated.
Once out of the house, he heard his stepson's screams and ran back through the fire to help the boy and
his friend escape. It was not until after everyone was safely out of the house that David noticed the bloody
footprints in the snow — his own footprints. He had been badly burned.
Emergency personnel responded quickly, as they were only a few blocks away. Paramedics laid David,
who was now in shock, on a metal table to maintain skin integrity. They gave him IV fluids and sedated
him. He was blacking out by the time they reached the hospital.
David awoke two months later – 40 pounds lighter and skin grafts covering approximately 25 percent of
his body. He spent another month in a rehabilitation hospital, received extensive out-patient therapy after
discharge and went through several successful skin grafts. Doctor's thought the emergency intubation the
paramedics performed on him the night of the fire may have permanently paralyzed his vocal cords. Yet
with determination and continual exercises, he beat the odds.
Today, David tries not to worry about the small stuff. For example, without many of his pores, he has to
take special care of his skin to regulate his body temperature. But he has tackled his dreams with a new
sense of wonder and passion for life.
www.firesprinklerinitiative.org/faces
He remembers being winded after walking just one mile during his initial recovery. Within a year, he was
hiking the Long Trail, a 272 mile long trail running the length of Vermont, from Canada to Massachusetts.
He knows he has come far and feels fortunate that his life is ―back to normal.‖
He wishes he had known about the availability and affordability of installing fire sprinklers in his home
when he rebuilt following the fire. His contractor never mentioned them.
ABOUT “FACES OF FIRE”
―Faces of Fire‖ is a project of the National Fire Protection Association funded by a Federal Emergency
Management Agency Fire Prevention and Safety Grant. The campaign is a tool to help people and
groups across the country promote the use of automatic fire sprinklers in one- and two-family homes. By
containing fires before they spread, home fire sprinklers protect lives and property. The personal stories
told through the Faces of Fire campaign show the experiences of those who escaped or lost loved ones
in home fires and those whose lives and property were protected by home fire sprinklers.
www.firesprinklerinitiative.org/faces