Fire extinguishers

[Glennbear]

Today BryanS posted pics of a fire near his home:
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/f...59/#post159020

That got me to thinking since I spent some time in the fire service, we should all ask ourselves 2 questions:

1) Do I have extinguishers in the shop/garage/shed/barn etc. ?
2) Have I checked them recently ?

Evacuation and calling 911 are of course first priority but a handy working extinguisher can sometimes make the crucial difference when fire strikes.

[rsitzejr]

Since I used to do lots of welding, I have 2 in the shop, ones in the garage part I weld in, another is back in the woodshop. There's also one in the kitchen. I keep one in the jeep, and one in the truck.

Yeah, I'm scared of fire. I went through several fire fighting schools in the Navy and fought two ship board fires.

[ebarr]

Funny,

Hasn't cross my mind to put one in the shop. But, I wouldn't go anywhere in my old '62 VW Bug without one. I think I still have it in a box in my garage, I'll carry it to the shop tonight.

[Bas]

I have one in the workshop, and one in the hallway between the kitchen and the garage. That covers 95% of the places for domestic fires. Fortunately, I've never had to use one. With a $10 off Lowe's coupon, you can get a good fire extinguisher for $16. Hard to justify not buying one. I check them with every time change.

In 10 years, I plan to build a little fire out on the driveway and actually try putting it out, when the fire extinguisher is at end of life. I mean, we've all seen them used on TV, but that's not the same as actually practicing.

Plus, it's fun to set stuff on fire

Shop owners - here's a chance to set a good example for the next crawl!

[toolferone]

One in the kitchen, one in the back of my ruck and one pretty good size on in the shop by the door. I have had them for years and get them check out every couple of years.

[Bryan S]

Glenn I have 2 10# bottles in my shop in my shop one hanging by each door.

I am also responsible for conducting fire drills and monthly inspection of the extinguishers at Cone Hospital. The hospital saftey staff teaches and I stress this during the drills is to

first

Activate the Alarm !!!!


Then and only then try to contain and extinguish. Fortunately my neighbor did call 911 first or he may have lost his whole house. I wish so bad I would have seen or smelled the smoke even 2 minutes sooner, if I could have got there with those 2 extra bottles we might have stopped it.

[LeftyTom]

I have always kept a fire extinguisher in the house. Now that I have a bsement, I should put one down there also. Thanks for reminding me!

[McRabbet]

I have an ABC extinguisher in our kitchen and one at my shop door. Probably should add another at my shop door to the outside, too.

[NC Scroller]

Two in the shop and one in the kitchen. ALSO you should have a CO2 and a smoke detector in the shop. One should never cut corners on safety.

[Charles Lent]

I was fire marshal for a large corporation for 10 years and have been a volunteer since I was 18. In my experience training people to use fire extinguishers I've found that those who have no experience using one tend to stand too close to the fire and shoot the extinguisher at the middle of the flames. The best way to use an extinguisher is to start at a distance of 8-10 feet from the fire and aim the extinguisher at the base of the flames, move slowly forward and move the spray slowly back and forth in a sweeping motion to sweep the fire back and away from the source. If the source is burning liquid then you need to expect that the fire may try to circle back on one side or the other, so don't get yourself into the liquid while trying to put it out. The other mistake that is frequently made is over estimating how much fire can be put out by an extinguisher. A 2 pound dry chemical extinguisher in untrained hands will have difficulty putting out a trash can sized fire. I keep two 10 pound ABC and one 20 pound CO2 extinguisher in my shop.

If you haven't ever used a fire extinguisher it would be a good idea to get some training before trying it. Many volunteer fire companies are willing to train people who live in their districts. Some will even supply hands on training if the person supplies his own extinguishers.

Charley

[toolferone]

Charley, Thanks so much for the tutorial! I learned!!

[JackLeg]

As some of you know, I am blessed to have a nice sized shop,
30' X 40'. A while back, I had this "fire" thing brought home to me in a way I won't forget! I had a riding lawnmower in one end of the shop and due to my stupidity I had a gasoline fed fire.

Had I not had an extinguisher on hand, things could have gotten really ugly. As it was, the 10lb ABC knocked the fire down quickly.

I have one in each end of the shop (in case there's fire between me and the extinguisher) and two in the house.

I'm a believer!!

[TracyP]

You are not gonna believe this, but as an "x" fireman, my shop has no extinguisher in it. You would think that I would be the first one to have one. That will all change this weekend though. I will purchase one this weekend and place it in my little shop. Thank you for the reminder.

[Ozzie-x]

I have personal experience with 3 shop fires. 2 were caused by the sparks from grinding metal, and apparently some of the sparks landed in or near sawdust and "caught up" long after the owners had both left the shop, and they looked out to see the shop on fire. So some of the discussions on here regarding caution in grinding metal in the shop are very prudent - I take mine outside. The other fire (mine) years ago was in a two story wood structure with farm equipment below and the wood shop upstairs. My Dad used the diesel tractor to put out some hay, and brought it back and parked it. It was a very raw day about 15 degrees with 25-30 mph wind, crystal clear blue skies, and less than 10% relative humidity (bone dry). After my Dad parked the tractor and left, apparently a spark from the hot tractor engine fell down into loose hay on the ground, and the rest is history. The rough sawed white pine building burned fast & hot, gone in maybe 30 minutes along with a 4000 Ford tractor, rotary hay mower, a round bailer, and all of my woodworking tools and stuff upstairs. The good news was there was farm insurance that covered some of the loses, but that's another bad story that I won't get into, just be sure you know your agent and exactly what you're buying, down to the most minute detail of the policy.

Anyway, lesson learned is to be careful with heat sources, sparks and combustibles. I don't allow gasoline, weed eaters, or lawn mowers to be stored in my shop, primarily because of the users (or supposed users?). We all have combustible chemicals in the shop, and I store mine away from the equipment and work area, make sure the containers are sealed tightly and in good condition. A metal chemical cabinet isn't a bad idea.

As the point of this thread, make sure you have a good fire extinguisher in the shop. Make sure it is a class ABC combination extinguisher. Class A is for general fires with wood, cloth, paper and such. Class B is for chemical type fires, and Class C is for electrical fires. Any of these type fires are likely in a wood shop, so make sure your extinguisher is Class ABC. Someone mentioned CO2 extinguishers and they're great, just a little pricey. No one is more frugal than me, but spend the money to buy a good fire extinguisher, when you need it you want it to work. Get a good high quality, heavy made, metal tank, rechargeable model with a pressure/fill gauge. Off the top of my head, some of the good manufacturer's are Amerex and Kidde, and there's other good ones. You're probably looking at close to $100 for a good 20# one. The better ones can be tested and recertified, which is a big plus because you now it will work when you need it. Many of the el cheapo versions cannot be refilled or serviced. Most towns/cities/areas have fire safety companies that do testing and certification of fire extinguishers, and it only costs maybe $10 or a little more per extinguisher. This is a small investment compared to what we spend on our wood working tools, not to mention having a tool handy that could also save someone from getting hurt.

Jackleg mentioned smoke detectors in the shop. This is a good idea but can be a maintenance problem and there's some things to be aware of. Most common residential smoke detectors are photoelectric type that, simply put, have an optical reader inside that measures the density of the air. In a dusty environment like a wood shop, the optical chamber will become dirty and obscured with dust, just like being full of smoke, and will cause nuisance alarms. It's no big deal, you just have to remember to carefully clean it periodically. I often times have no choice but to design heat detectors for dirty environments, but would probably just recommend a good photoelectric detector for a home woodshop, in spite of the dust problems. If your fire alarm is connected to a home security system that automatically calls, I might go with the heat detector because some places charge you every time you roll the fire trucks (DAMHIKT). For heat detectors, get a type that is 135 degree fixed temperature and also has rate-of-rise features. (They make 165 degree heat detectors, but in most of these shop environments, by the time the qambient air reaches 165 degress, the shop will be toast.) Most heat detectors don't mind dusty environments.

If you implement a good fire extinguisher and fire alarm program in your home and shop, make sure you notify your home owners insurance since it can save signifigant dollars on your premium. It's been mentioned in threads before, but make sure you have a fairly detailed list of all your tools, value, etc. Pictures and videos are great for this. File all of this with your home owners insurance and make sure things are insured and insured properly. Some insurance poicies may require a separate rider policy for an extensive amount of tools, guns, jewelry, etc. My shop, tools and antique tool collection are a separate listing.

Sorry this got so windy and I apologize, but maybe it will help somebody.
My Best
Randy O

[Robert Arrowood]

I know this is a touchie subject but. But for those of us that smoke we need too be mindful of that also. A pile of sawdust can smolder and flame up after we've left the shop. I watched a guy service the extinguishers where I used to work. Now I check the guage and then flip it upside down and pop it with a rubber mallet. The reason for that is the powder will settle and stop up the feed tube.