SAN ANTONIO — When Abby Ekmark talks about the importance of knowing what to do in a fire - she speaks passionately from the heart. Her young son, Rudy Alejos, passed away in a huge blaze on August 16, 2011.
Ekmark and her husband, Dr. David Ekmark, a physician in Floresville, are helping to sponsor a program called "Rudy's Legacy - the ABC's of Safety" through Any Baby Can that is bringing attention to how to be prepared ahead of a fire emergency.
Rudy, who had autism, died in the fire despite his mother's best attempts to save his life. Ekmark, who suffered severe burns to her body, is urging families to take time to create a safety plan that's specific to their own homes – by creating a map of how they would escape and meet up at a safe spot.
"When I think about fire safety and why it's important – I think about myself 10 years ago," Ekmark said in a video posted on Facebook. "I was like a lot of people who sat home and watched the news and saw stories, horrible stories, of fires or emergency situations and thought, 'Well, that's them - and I don't think that's going to happen to me' – and it did."
Ekmark said the fire took her by surprise and she hopes sharing her story will get others to put a plan in action.
"When the fire happened, I had no plan. I couldn't even tell you how to work a fire extinguisher... And one moment I had my son – and the next moment I didn't," she said.
Any Baby Can, a non-profit organization that helps families with children with special needs in the San Antonio area, has resources to make it easy to map out a route and it is also holding a contest for families to share their plans. To learn more, click here.
The top 50 families chosen as winners will receive a fire safety tool kit along with a fire extinguisher and will be invited to a dinner in the fall to bring more awareness to the campaign. The deadline has been extended through Friday, August 20 at noon. There is no fee to participate and there are multiple ways for families to enter and share their safety plan and map.