By Nanah Kiambati, Northwest Region

It was a cold, rainy Thursday evening when my 10-year-old daughter and I were driving home. Just a few houses away from ours, we noticed thick smoke rising from a neighbor’s home. It was dark, the rain was steady, and it was hard to tell exactly what we were seeing. For a moment, I froze. Was it smoke? Was it steam? Was someone inside and in danger?

In that moment of uncertainty, one question came to mind:

What do I want my daughter to see me do right now?

I wanted her to learn that when something doesn’t feel right, you don’t ignore it. You don’t keep driving and hope someone else will handle it. You pause, assess, and act.

So, I pulled over and walked up to the house. I knocked on the door. No answer. I rang the doorbell, but it wasn’t working. I knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing. The house stayed quiet, and the smoke, or what looked like smoke, continued to rise. I hesitated, wondering if I might be overreacting. That familiar doubt crept in: What if it’s nothing? What if I’m wrong?

But my instincts told me otherwise.

So, I called 911.

I explained to the dispatcher exactly what I was seeing and told them I had already knocked and tried the doorbell. The dispatcher stayed calm and reassuring and asked me to remain on the line until help arrived. We are fortunate to live just a few minutes from the fire station. Within moments, flashing lights cut through the rain and darkness.

The firefighters arrived quickly. They knocked and announced themselves. My daughter and I watched quietly from our upstairs window as they worked with focused urgency. After a short while, the door opened. The homeowner stepped out and explained that he had been doing laundry, the “smoke” we saw was actually steam coming from the laundry room.

Even then, the firefighters didn’t leave right away. They went inside to make sure everything was truly safe. I stepped outside near the fire engines because I wanted to understand what had happened. When they came back out, one of them looked at me and said something I won’t forget, did you call 911? I said yes.

“You did the right thing.”

He explained that they would always rather respond to something that turns out to be harmless than arrive too late to a real emergency. In that moment, the guilt I had been carrying, wondering if I had wasted their time, disappeared. I realized that doing the right thing doesn’t always mean being right. It means caring enough to act.

The next day, I shared this experience with my colleagues at the American Red Cross. Several colleagues, especially Gordon (RIP), encouraged me to write about it because so many people hesitate to call 911 when they’re unsure. They worry about bothering emergency responders or feeling embarrassed if it turns out to be nothing. But hesitation can cost precious time, and in real emergencies, time saves lives.

As a Red Cross volunteer who writes about preparedness and safety, this experience reinforced an important truth: preparedness isn’t just about plans, kits, and checklists. It’s about trusting your instincts, looking out for your neighbors, and acting when something doesn’t feel right.

When the fire trucks left and the street grew quiet again, my daughter looked at me and said, “Mom, I’m proud you called 911. I’m going to tell my friends at school about this.”

That meant everything to me. Because that night, I didn’t just teach her about emergency response, I taught her about compassion, courage, and community responsibility.

The American Red Cross encourages everyone to prioritize safety in their homes and neighborhoods. Check your smoke alarms, review emergency plans with your family, and don’t hesitate to call 911 if something seems wrong. Whether it’s smoke, fire, or someone in danger, your quick action could protect lives and help keep your community safe.

When in doubt, don’t be afraid to call 911. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.