Partially paralyzed woman rescued by neighbor from high rise fire

Fire safety focuses on the disabled
Recent blaze at high-rise indicates challenges faced during evacuation
By ALLAN TURNER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Aug. 24, 2008, 11:24PM

From her 25th floor apartment in the Greenway Condominiums, Pam Singer had a killer view. Downtown's spires, the Galleria, Allen Parkway and the meandering bayou — all formed the backdrop for the life the retired clothing boutique owner serenely shared with her golden retriever, Louie.

Singer's serenity recently was shattered, though, when a fire alarm sounded on the building's upper floors, warning residents to get ready to evacuate. For frantic minutes, the partially paralyzed Singer, who relies on a motorized wheelchair, wondered if she would die.

"I grabbed my dog and went into the hallway and yelled, 'Help!' " she recalled. Within minutes, her plea was answered by her neighbor, TC LeNormand, who carried her down the stairs to the lobby.

"He just picked me up and took me," the 49-year-old Singer said. "I was so afraid he was going to hurt himself."

Singer's story had a happy ending.

The fire, confined to a clothes dryer, was extinguished before firefighters arrived. And the City Council honored LeNormand, 52, a hypnotherapist, for his actions.

For advocates for the disabled, however, the recent Greenway fire underscored the challenges emergencies pose to disabled residents of high-rise buildings.

"I'm very concerned about this issue," said Michelle Colvard, director of the mayor's office for people with disabilities. "It's important to raise people's awareness. They need to think about what they would do to evacuate way ahead of time. They should practice with friends and family."
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