A Central Ohio Firefighter’s Journey to Home and Essential Fire Safety Tips

This week marks Fire Prevention Week (October 5th–11th), a time dedicated to raising awareness and promoting life-saving fire safety practices. At Wayne Homes, we are honored to celebrate this important observance by featuring a family whose commitment to safety is a daily calling: the Trimmer family.

Brock, a dedicated firefighter with a central Ohio fire department, and his wife, Sydney, a Physician Assistant, recently built their beautiful Annapolis Craftsman with us in Delaware County, Ohio. Their story is one of finding the perfect balance — a beautiful custom home in a growing, family-friendly community, paired with the peace of mind that comes from Brock’s professional focus on home safety.

A Perfect Fit in a Growing Columbus Community

Like many young professionals in Central Ohio, Brock and Sydney were looking for a location that offered the tranquility of a spacious community without sacrificing access to the city of Columbus. Delaware County, just north of the city, provided the ideal backdrop.

“We moved to the Columbus area because I got hired at a central Ohio fire department,” Brock said. “Then Sydney eventually got hired at the hospital system here in Columbus. And our whole time living near Columbus in central Ohio, we had been looking for this little piece of property that basically made us feel like we were home back in the country. But we also needed to be close enough to the city for work – and this location was perfect for us to make that all work.”

For Brock, the move to a custom home was a practical decision, as well as an emotional one. After years of responding to emergencies, he understood the value of high-quality construction and having a home designed exactly to their needs. Wayne Homes welcomes homeowners to be present during the construction process, providing valuable insights. Brock explains, “We got to come and watch our house be built. We’ll know where things are and what’s inside the walls. We just loved watching the whole thing get built from the ground up.” This level of involvement creates confidence in your home from framing to finishes.

The Annapolis Craftsman: Designed for Life

After exploring Wayne Homes’ extensive floor plans, the Trimmers chose the Annapolis Craftsman elevation. This plan provided them with the spacious, open concept living area they desired, complete with a gorgeous kitchen and a layout perfectly suited for hosting family and friends.

“One of the big reasons why we liked this floor plan was because we could get the big living room, we could get the big kitchen and the big dining room because we both have big families – that was very important to us.” The Annapolis also has another must-have feature: a first-floor owner’s suite. Thankfully, the Wayne Homes team was able to come in and help customize the Annapolis to perfectly fit the Trimmers’ needs. “They flipped the kitchen and the living room and vaulted the ceilings in the great room and we were like, wow, this is amazing! We love the space.”  

All Wayne Homes floor plans can be customized so you get exactly what you want. “What makes it feel special to us is that it’s personalized for us, not the exact design that is on the website. I think Wayne Homes does a great job of helping you to make it yours.”

The Trimmers loved how the Wayne Homes team was there to help every step of the way. “Our New Home Consultant and Design Consultant were very helpful in making our dreams come together for our home. When things came up during the build, Butch took care of them, most of the time without us even knowing! He made it right so the house is built well to be here forever,” Brock said.

Firefighter’s Insight: Essential Home Fire Prevention Tips

Given Brock’s profession, this time of year takes on extra significance. Fire Prevention Week is a crucial opportunity to educate homeowners on simple, proactive steps that can save lives. Brock was kind enough to share his top recommendations for new and existing homeowners alike:

1. Make Your Smoke Alarms Work for You (Test and Maintain!)

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week stresses the importance of working smoke alarms.

• Install Correctly: Put smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside every sleeping area, and outside each separate sleeping area.
• Test Monthly: Push the test button once a month to ensure the alarm is working.
• Replace on Schedule: Smoke alarms don’t last forever. Replace the entire unit every 10 years, and be sure to change batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Maintain Your Heating and Gas Appliances

According to Brock, a crucial step in home fire prevention is ensuring that all gas-fueled appliances, including your furnace, water heater, and fireplace, are working efficiently and burning correctly. Schedule annual inspections and cleanings by a qualified professional for your furnace and chimney. Proper operation not only prevents fires but also helps guard against dangerous carbon monoxide leaks. If you notice an unusual smell or malfunction, have the unit serviced immediately.

3. Prioritize Safety: Sleep with Doors Closed

While not a prevention tip against a fire starting, closing bedroom doors before going to sleep can be a critical life-saving action. A closed door acts as a vital barrier, slowing the spread of fire and smoke into your bedroom, which buys you precious time to escape. This small, nightly habit significantly increases your chances of surviving a home fire.

This influenced Brock’s choice of doors when building his Wayne home. “It was important to me to have solid core doors on the bedrooms, on the laundry room, and for the basement door. If there ever would be a fire, you can close those doors and hopefully keep the fire at bay before the fire department arrives or you can get out of the house.”

The Trimmers’ journey with Wayne Homes is a reminder that a custom home is about more than just square footage and finishes; it’s about establishing a secure foundation for your future. We are incredibly proud of Brock and Sydney and appreciate Brock sharing his invaluable expertise.

See the Trimmers’ Annapolis Craftsman!

One thing that really helped Sydney when planning their home was all the images on Flickr and our virtual walk-through videos. “I literally spent so many hours on there. We were sending them to our friends and family. We also spent a lot of time watching the walk-through videos of homes. That really helped us out, even though we didn’t get to walk through a lot of Annapolis plans in person. But even if it was a different floor plan, we were able to get ideas for what we wanted to build and how we wanted to customize the Annapolis.”  

Want to take a closer look at the Trimmer family’s beautiful home in Delaware County? Take advantage of our online tools, and join us for an up-close look at their custom Annapolis Craftsman:

• Walk-Through Video: Watch their stunning home tour that will be going up on our social media tomorrow!
• Flickr Features: We’ll be sharing more photos of their home to our Flickr page in the next couple of weeks.

About Wayne Homes

Wayne Homes is a custom homebuilder in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia (see all Model Home Centers). We offer more than 50 fully customizable floorplans and a team dedicated to providing the best experience in the home building industry. For more information, Ask Julie by Live Chat or call us at (866) 253-6807.

Disclaimer: The details of this blog are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change.