George,
I agree with all you've said, and would like to add one more thing. If you
are renting, it is up to your landlord to provide such things as a fire escape
(if there are two floors and you are on the second floor), and a fire
extinguisher. My first landlord did not provide any of these for me, and I
didn't know the law at that time, so I paid for these myself. So, please
remind your landlord that these are needed or that they need repaired (for
example, if you've discharged the fire extinguisher, it may need recharged),
and that he is responsible for them.
We just went through flooding and tornadoes here, and I had everything packed
up and ready in my safe place when they were needed. Fortunately, we had
enough warning with the tornadoes that I could move the stuff to safety. Trish
