The 243 Foundation was established on January 30, 2008 as a response to the sudden and tragic death of our brother, Seth Dembowitz, at the age of 28. Seth died in a fire inside his apartment building in the early morning hours of January 29, 2008. His apartment didn’t have sprinklers and his smoke detector was not connected to the local fire department.
The purpose of The 243 Foundation is to further Seth’s gift to this world and to honor his memory.
To that end, the primary goal of The 243 Foundation will be the promotion of fire safety and awareness.
That starts with you. Check your smoke detectors monthly. If you don’t have smoke detectors, go to Home Depot, Lowe’s, or any hardware store. If you’re unable to do so, ask someone for help.
Make sure your smoke detectors are connected to your local fire department or to a monitoring company.
Have a fire plan to safely get out of your home and place of business in case of an emergency. This is of heightened importance if you live and/or work above ground level. Most importantly, practice your fire plans!
Purchase a carbon monoxide detector (or several) and test monthly as well. Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. So, you won’t know it’s in your house until it’s too late.
Take all fire alarms seriously. Sometimes you might get a false alarm, but you never know.