Scary Situation

We rent a very old duplex in the city. Because of it's age and because it's a rental, things are usually patched up instead of actually fixed. The living room floor slopes into the dining room, the cabinets don't stay closed in the kitchen and none of the doors are in good shape.

About 4-5 weeks ago, I had asked the maintenance guy to change Wes' door knob on his door because the knob on the inside was nothing but broken metal and would easily cut him if he tried to open the door. Tim even went out and bought a new knob himself. We figured it would be best if we had the maintenance guy come and fix it rather then ourselves in case something happened. It was working fine until yesterday. The knob was pretty loose and I had a hard time getting it to catch so it would open the door. Tim called to report the problem but Mr. Fix It couldn't come until today. I told him that it needed to be fixed ASAP. In the meantime he wanted me to put a hook and eye on the door to lock him in if need be. Uuhhhh WHAT!? I will not lock my son in his room like that. It's a safety issue as well as a fire issue. It's against the law in this state to lock someone into anywhere.

Wes had gone up for nap and shortly there after I brought Casey up. I noticed Wes' door was shut tight and I started to panic. I quickly changed and put Casey to bed and tried jimmying the door open. No luck. I tried opening the door with my shoulder and still no luck. I frantically called Tim at work who told me to call the non-emergency number for the fire department. Oddly enough, we live across the street from a station. I called telling them the situation, what had happened, and that Wes has autism and he's non-verbal. They promised me no lights or sirens because loud noises bother his ears. I ran outside and stood on our front stoop watching the men walk to our house.

Long story short, after climbing into his window, breaking the door down and damaging the door frame, they were able to get Wes out. All the while he was bouncing and giggling on his bed. I know he thought it was weird that someone would be climbing into his window. I'm just thankful that he is safe, and wasn't scared.

Now, the next hurdle is to make sure we aren't liable for any damages because of this. Mr. Fix It was the one to put the doorknob on and we called to say it was broken. The firemen said that if we have any problems with the landlord that we direct him to the chief who will explain that it was a fire hazard and safety hazard to not fix that doorknob the day it happened and if he charges us anything, then the landlord will be charged himself. What a bunch of great guys!