(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/900rider/2011-01-16_20-50-50_315.jpg)
If you do not have a fire extinguisher and know how to use it
Get one and learn.
I was moving my car off the street and heard one of them yelling about fire.
They were throwing shovel fulls of snow on it in the kitchen and it was less than effective.
I asked if everyone was out and they said yes.
Just as im starting to think "we need a fire extinguisher" they asked me if I had one.
I was already turned toward my house. I bolted in and grabbed one of ours and bolted back across the street and handed it off.
They got it out. I don't know how much worse it would have been without it.
The FD is over there tearing out the kitchen ceiling. Im hearing it was electrical in nature.
Im urging you all to have a plan and be able to act without hesitation.
My neighbors got lucky. Everything they own could have been gone in twenty minutes.
Stay safe everyone.
yup, keep it somewhere you can get to it when the fire is going
my neighbors had a kitchen fire and dumbasses had the fire extinguisher in the cabinet next to the oven. which did not do any good when grease set the cabinet on fire.
For what they cost vs what they can save, they're cheap "insurance."
You should have a couple of "ABC" class fire extinguishers stashed around the house. One is, well, not enough. :-\
In addition, you should have a small Halon fire extinguisher somewhere in the kitchen, but not on/next to the stove. On top of the fridge is a good place. You want it someplace where you can see your stove on fire, turn and grab it without burning yourself, turn back and spray.
Also: smoke detectors. Check the batteries. G'head. I'll wait.
Do it again this time next year.
Also, glad they all got out okay, and props to you for your speedy response. [beer]
Thanks. I was clearing snow off my car and moving it off the street so I wouldn't have to do it in the morning. That's when I heard them yelling. Right place at the right time I guess.
I moved my truck off the street as well. I knew the FD would want to park there.
We swap batteries in the smoke detectors everytime daylight savings time hits.
My wife's supervisor at the local church's pre-school/Mom's day out where they both work had their house burn to the ground right before Christmas. It was on the night of the lunar eclipse. A friend of their young teenage son called him late at night and woke him. He called to tell him to go outside and check out the eclipse. Their son blew it off and tried to go back to sleep. He looked at the wall socket in his room half asleep and wondered why it was glowing red and smoking. Bad wiring. [bang] He woke his parents and siblings but by then his room was engulfed in flames. His friend's late night phone call saved their lives!
It was amazing how that church's community responded to their needs. They had a place to stay instantly, had clothing and gift cards out the wazzo, tons of donated furniture... enough furniture to equip two houses, nice stuff at that! And they got more Christmas presents under their new tree than they had before the fire. They said it was the best Christmas ever. And I am sure that it was a great Christmas for those that gave. It's not what's under your tree that counts when you have friends in need who have lost everything. It was the best Christmas I have ever had... ever. Sometimes out of total diaster comes miracles. Keep the faith! [thumbsup] It's not all bad. There is a lot of good out there.
So...
offering to fan the flames, or provide a #10 can of beans would have been the wrong thing to do? :P
Just kidding.
Nice goin' ML.
The kicker to my story is these folks were a little down on their luck due to the bad economy. Lost their home in foreclosure, were renting the home they were in but couldn't afford renter's insurance. So none of their belongings were insured. They lost it all in a heart beat and had zero insurance coverage. Makes the feel good part of the story even better. [clap] [thumbsup] Again, bless all those who came to their aid. They are a really great family who got the assistance they needed at a really bad time. Nice ending. :)
Quote from: humorless dp on January 16, 2011, 07:19:45 PM
So...
offering to fan the flames, or provide a #10 can of beans would have been the wrong thing to do? :P
Just kidding.
Nice goin' ML.
[laugh]
Thanks hdp
Glad you were able to help. I need a fire extinguisher under the kitchen sink, with the grill and one on each side of the bed.
So sorry, ugh...we have 3 old ones sitting outside, need to get new ones
I can see it now. Tried to sell the house to move anywhere but PA, and to get away from certain neighbors. They finally figured out a plan and then the same neighbor comes over and puts it out!
I had two.
Kept my losses to a minimum...
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2591420323_299a182a24_z.jpg?zz=1)
your neighbors are indeed lucky [thumbsup]
we have 2 fire extinguishers, one in the garage
and the other under the kitchen sink
the wall socket post makes me think we should get a third
...for the bedroom
Just another reason why ML should get the suit.
Nice job [thumbsup]
(With the suit he can tell is neighbors that he's a retired power ranger, fighting fires was basic training for him.)
[laugh]
Keep one in the kitchen and one in the garage.
The place I work does something pretty cool. Every year they have a fire extinguisher service(r?)/guy/something....company. THERE! come out and check the 20 or so we have on site. They have everyone bring in their personal extinguishers and pay to have them checked out/recharged if needed. Kind of a cool thing to do for your employees [thumbsup]
(though, they also don't give christmas bonuses >:()
Quote from: Buckethead on January 16, 2011, 06:37:09 PM
For what they cost vs what they can save, they're cheap "insurance."
You should have a couple of "ABC" class fire extinguishers stashed around the house. One is, well, not enough. :-\
In addition, you should have a small Halon fire extinguisher somewhere in the kitchen, but not on/next to the stove. On top of the fridge is a good place. You want it someplace where you can see your stove on fire, turn and grab it without burning yourself, turn back and spray.
Also: smoke detectors. Check the batteries. G'head. I'll wait.
Do it again this time next year.
Very good advice. Especially checking smoke detectors. A house fire can be fully involved inside of 10 minutes depending on the structure and fuel load.
Another good fire prevention tool is arc fault circuit breakers...
Good reminder ML to check out our dwellings.
mitt
About a week ago I realized that I only have one extinguisher on the property. I made a mental note to score a couple more, but have not heeded said mental note.
Thanks for the timely reminder.....
Quote from: mitt on January 17, 2011, 07:26:53 AM
Another good fire prevention tool is arc fault circuit breakers...
Good reminder ML to check out our dwellings.
mitt
What's an arc fault breaker?
Side note: pa building codes have changed this year to include sprinkler systems in all new residential home construction. Cost is 5-10k extra.
Quote from: Monsterlover on January 17, 2011, 09:29:10 AM
What's an arc fault breaker?
Side note: pa building codes have changed this year to include sprinkler systems in all new residential home construction. Cost is 5-10k extra.
interesting. shouldn't be that much more expensive, but i don't know the specifics of the law.
just to reinforce what has already been stated. GET some fire extinguishers. and LEARN how to use them. its not enough to simply shoot the extinguisher in the general direction of the fire.
Quote from: Monsterlover on January 17, 2011, 09:29:10 AM
What's an arc fault breaker?
AFCI breakers are designed to reduce/eliminate the chance of a non working arc occurring. here in Maine they are required by code for all "living space" rooms.
from wikipedia-
An Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) is a circuit breaker designed to prevent fires by detecting a non-working (i.e., non-intended/non-useful) electrical arc and disconnecting the power before the arc starts a fire. An AFCI should, but may not always, distinguish between a working arc that may occur in the brushes of a vacuum cleaner, on operation of a light switch, on insertion / removal of a plug into an electrical receptacle, or during the operation of other household devices and a non-working arc that can occur â€" for example a lamp cord that has a broken conductor in the cord from overuse. Arc faults in a home are one of the leading causes for household fires.they are twice as expensive, and there is an ongoing debate as to whether they actually do anything beneficial.
Quote from: Monsterlover on January 17, 2011, 09:29:10 AM
What's an arc fault breaker?
Side note: pa building codes have changed this year to include sprinkler systems in all new residential home construction. Cost is 5-10k extra.
Think of an arc fault breaker as a smart circuit breaker. A conventional circuit breaker only senses excessive amperage draw in the circuit. An arc fault breaker has a logic circuit that will pick up arcing, but is (allegedly) smart enough to distinguish between the harmless arc that happens when you turn on your vacuum cleaner and the arc from the broken wire you were silly enough to run under your highly flammable rug.
Ah, Herm beat me to it :P
What is the definition of 'living space'?
There is a reason there is a provision in the code to eliminate refrigerator dedicated circuits from the gfci requirement in a kitchen.
Let's hope they see the folly of installing a device that may or may not see the starting of a fan or compressor on a refrigerator or freezer for what it is.
Quote from: humorless dp on January 17, 2011, 10:19:02 AM
What is the definition of 'living space'?
There is a reason there is a provision in the code to eliminate refrigerator dedicated circuits from the gfci requirement in a kitchen.
Let's hope they see the folly of installing a device that may or may not see the starting of a fan or compressor on a refrigerator or freezer for what it is.
The NEC 2008 (or 2011, I can't remember) now doesn't differentiate fridge in other parts of the house. The idea is the technology has gotten robust enough to eliminate nuissance tripping. Which is true 99.9% of the time, but if your fridge is that 0.1% that is slightly different than what has been designed and tested to, you are going to be a unhappy camper. This would go for in the garage or the basement.
A couple links:
definition of spaces
http://www.afcisafety.org/codes.html (http://www.afcisafety.org/codes.html)
state by state NEC code adoption
http://www.afcisafety.org/codeMap.html (http://www.afcisafety.org/codeMap.html)
mitt
Quote from: herm on January 17, 2011, 10:09:54 AM
just to reinforce what has already been stated. GET some fire extinguishers. and LEARN how to use them. its not enough to simply shoot the extinguisher in the general direction of the fire.
+1
Aim for the base of the flame! [thumbsup]
Years ago I went through a company-sponsored fire training course for the workplace at the time. They started out small, a grease fire in a pan on a stovetop, gradually moving up in size and severity with an extinguisher to match.
Final test was a pool of water about 8' or so across, onto which they poured gasoline. That one actually got a little scary with wind, and the fact that you had to get close enough to feel the heat. It was a great learning experience.
Quote from: herm on January 17, 2011, 10:09:54 AM
and there is an ongoing debate as to whether they actually do anything beneficial.
Got any material to support that or is it just opinion and hear say? The technology and science is pretty sound, and I would rather have them in my house than not.
mitt
Quote from: mitt on January 17, 2011, 10:44:46 AM
The NEC 2008 (or 2011, I can't remember) now doesn't differentiate fridge in other parts of the house. The idea is the technology has gotten robust enough to eliminate nuissance tripping. Which is true 99.9% of the time, but if your fridge is that 0.1% that is slightly different than what has been designed and tested to, you are going to be a unhappy camper. This would go for in the garage or the basement.
A couple links:
definition of spaces
http://www.afcisafety.org/codes.html (http://www.afcisafety.org/codes.html)
state by state NEC code adoption
http://www.afcisafety.org/codeMap.html (http://www.afcisafety.org/codeMap.html)
mitt
Still looks like the kitchen is not required for afci's, and up until when I stopped being a wire monkey there was still language in the code that exempted dedicated single receptacle circuits, like for a fridge or freezer, in the kitchen or basement from gfci's.
They may have changed it, but I'll ask the inspector. He's the only one that matters. ;)
or you can have a house like mine made from some wood from hell that termites die if they try to eat it, gives me a headache if I cut it and probably doesn't burn too well.
Nate's house is probably made of the same stuff and it will kill us all when we burn it.
Quote from: lethe on January 17, 2011, 03:40:07 PM
or you can have a house like mine made from some wood from hell that termites die if they try to eat it, gives me a headache if I cut it and probably doesn't burn too well.
Nate's house is probably made of the same stuff and it will kill us all when we burn it.
Nah...
I had to cure the barn of powder post beetles...
and what I trimmed out burned great.
We'll not be burning the house. :'(
Quote from: humorless dp on January 17, 2011, 03:28:15 PM
Still looks like the kitchen is not required for afci's, and up until when I stopped being a wire monkey there was still language in the code that exempted dedicated single receptacle circuits, like for a fridge or freezer, in the kitchen or basement from gfci's.
They may have changed it, but I'll ask the inspector. He's the only one that matters. ;)
I didn't word my post very well. The fridge in the Kitchen can be on a dedicated non gfci non afci circuit. A fridge or freezer in the basement or garage is now technically supposed to be on gfci.
Soon, mfg's will create dual mode breakers with both afci and gfci function and every 120V outlet in the house will have them, we are just not there yet since the two detection methods use different means.
mitt
Quote from: mitt on January 17, 2011, 04:08:04 PM
I didn't word my post very well. The fridge in the Kitchen can be on a dedicated non gfci non afci circuit. A fridge or freezer in the basement or garage is now technically supposed to be on gfci.
Soon, mfg's will create dual mode breakers with both afci and gfci function and every 120V outlet in the house will have them, we are just not there yet since the two detection methods use different means.
mitt
It will be a long time before they convince electricians judging from the thoughts of the ones I know.
The fact that the exemption still exists in the kitchen validates those thoughts IMO.
As far as I remember here in Washington its basically AFCI in all Bedrooms, and GFCI in all kitchen circuits except dedicated circuits (fridge, disposal) and GFCI in all bathroom plugs in a bathroom (it might be within 6 feet of a sink or tub, but most bathrooms are small enough that it ends up being all of them anyways). I'm too lazy to check right now.
The Doc
I got a ~ 600 sq ft, 1/2 br place and have 4 extinguishers (and am well versed on their use). One in the bedroom closet (I've kept one in every bedroom closet of every house I've lived in. Good, easy reference point), one under the bathroom sink, one under the kitchen sink, and one next to the fireplace. Oddly enough, in this house, that means I can reach one within 20 paces of wherever I'm standing and from each other. Likely a bit overkill. But, I had a couple extra from the last house in Japan.
I just need one for the jeep. But, needs to be non-corrosive enough to sit outside all the time and deal with salt air.
I'm still in the process of swapping out the bathroom and kitchen receptacles with approved ones.