Sir, - In the wake of the deaths of the three little brothers in Ballymoney, it grieves me greatly to think that their lives could have been saved in spite of the mindless act of barbarism which caused the fire. The parents were saved by jumping out the window but the little boys were trapped in their bedroom, afraid to jump, presumably, and unable to find their way to the stairs.
Several other people have been burned to death in similar circumstances or marred for life.
Why is it not compulsory to have fire escapes, such as rope ladders, in every upstairs bedroom? A simple piece of equipment attached to the bottom of a window which could be thrown out in an emergency, such as fire?
If safety belts in cars and helmets for motorcyclists can be insisted upon by law to save the lives of passengers, I see no reason why the same logic cannot be applied to fire-escapes in bedrooms to save people from the most horrific death imaginable. How many more lives must be lost in this way before someone in authority does something about it? - Yours, etc., Anna B. McCabe,
Cahanagh,
Longford.