# Organization and fire prevention



## Glenmore (Sep 10, 2004)

A well organized shop is essential. Keeping area clean which I know I have a hard time doing. As I have about 1 1/2" of shavings tonight before I start it will be at least a floor clean up due to I have to sharpen my gouge to get turning. A spark can smolder for a long time even before it shows signs of smoke and of course FIRE this has to the scariest of all for all of us. I have a small fire extinguisher hanging right by the door but was thinking what good is it to me if the door is locked on the shop where it is hanging. So intend to get another and upgrade my little on to 2 at least lbs. One hanging on the outside and the other inside. Hope and pray it never happens considering my shop is right outside of my living room and front of the house which would be my escape route if it engulfs the downstairs. The boys window is the carport roof. Scaring me just typing this and thinking about it but a good point none the less.


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Good thinking Glenmore. One consideration to further reduce risk is to build a sharpening station on wheels that can be rolled outside the shop to actually do the sharpening. I know this is not fesible for everyone, but for those that it is, it certainly can add to the peace of mind. This is the way I have mine and I worry much less about Mr. spark hiding under the shavings like you described.


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## Glenmore (Sep 10, 2004)

Bob that is a great idea. It would give me more room in my shop just leave the stand outside and make so that I can remove the grinder when I'm finished. After all around here out of mind out of someone else's greedy little hands.


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## bob peach (Feb 3, 2009)

Fire has certainly been on my mind for the past few days. I`m looking into a couple large extinguishers for the shop and i need to get an unfrozen hose into the cellar to have hooked up in case of a fire. We had a car run into a tree in close proximity to the shop a few days ago. The car instantly burst into flames on impact.The fire department did not get here for almost 20 minutes..a few feet further and I might not have had a house or shop. All I have here are a couple small fire extinguishers which would not have helped at all. Scary situation , thankfully all that was lost was a car and the driver survived.


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Very important is to store all flammable in one location in a metel cabinet.

This not to help stop the the fire, though a nice fire proof case would be nice, it is so when the fireman arrive you can give them one location where all the flammables are grouped together.

When my home and shop burned it was amazing . You could here booms and rumbles like a football player running through the home knocking stuff over. As the fire spread and hit another flammable boom. The fire hit a drawer in the house where I had Roman candles another boom and all of a sudden roman candle balls were flying out the windows and you could hear the whistle. Than it stopped and on to the next boom and so on. 

If I had every flammable grouped together it is possible the house would not have been totally destroyed. It is worse because the house and shop were together, but I should of had the household flammables grouped and the shop flammables grouped.

The reason the grouping could have helped save the house is the fireman could have gone in a lot sooner instead of waiting the explosions out becasue I had everything spread out. If I could of told them everything flammable is in this corner for sure they could have gone in sooner and safer hitting that spot.

I had fire extinguishers all over it was no help at all. I can remember picking up a fire extinguisher and then hearing a boom and flying across the room, looking at the fire I instantly knew it was way beyond a fire extinguisher. I ran to get the kids and that was it.

Never open a door NOT EVEN a door to the outside unless checking for heat first. I opened an exterior door to the outside deck to check for fire and it blew me across the room. I had no idea that could happen when opening an exterior door. The fire came in from the deck right into the house and shop. The sound of that fire was like nothing I ever heard it was so powerful like Niagara falls is all I can think of to compare it to.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

That's an experience Nick that I wouldn't want even my worst enemy to go through.


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## opelblues (Aug 22, 2008)

fire safety is one very high on my list my workshop, i mite be little over the top but i all so make a list of the chemicals that i have down stairs, ie stains paint, poisons, glues - this one due to the type of componets that make up the glues, but the one thing that is on the top of the list is sawdust, and today had a reason why that is on the top of the list - termites - yep building a nest in the sawdust down behind the work bench with tracks running along the wall to the wood rack, we have had that much rain in the last couple of weeks it is perfect for the little buggers. lucky i found them in time or they could be every were in a month


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Nick - sorry to hear about your tragedy.

Fire safety is probably an area that most of us could improve within our shops (and, homes).


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI NIck

I have a bright yellow metal cabinet that I use in the shop but like most I get lazy and don't put the paint cans, etc.back in place when I done with them and I also have a rag can ( the bright red one that pops opens when you step on it ) but like most, all the rags don't get put in the can all the time..  I'm kind of a fire nut, I have fire extinguishers all over the place in side and out side of the shop...at last count 8 of them..  I know by the time the fire dept. gets to the door it will be gone...along with most of the shop... 

I have 10 welding tanks in the shop and they are always on my mine..most have caps but some don't...( gas tanks don't come with caps) so to say I have 10 bombs plus many spay paint cans/propane tanks,etc. in the shop that the fire dept would not like to see...if the shop was on fire.. but like they say we have we never lost a concrete pad.



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nickao65 said:


> Very important is to store all flammable in one location in a metel cabinet.
> 
> This not to help stop the the fire, though a nice fire proof case would be nice, it is so when the fireman arrive you can give them one location where all the flammables are grouped together.
> 
> ...


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## Ghidrah (Oct 21, 2008)

I have an older water extinguisher at one end and a small CO2 at the other plus a hard wired smoke alarm in the far corner of the shop. The smoke alarm is so sensitive that I have to cover it with plastic when I'm ripping on the TS or it'll go off.

I also use a small section of bench area in the shop to size and load shells. While I agree that it would be nice to have all your volatiles in one area, it makes more sense to keep them out of the house, (shed or garage) I know paint and primer doesn't do well after freezing, I move them into the basement during the winter. 

The thing is there are so many products that produce VOCs existing in everyone's home, oil, grease, glues, liquor, cleaners, air fresheners, nail polishes and remover. In the kitchen bathroom and bedrooms. The Ink in your printers.

The old adage, "An ounce of prevention" helps big-time, as important especially with elderly, children and pets in the home is to create and maintain exit routes and meeting spots incase their ever is a fire.


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## Ashore (Feb 26, 2008)

Unfortunately usually woodies are a funny lot , they will spend a fortune on tools or timber but wont outlay for safety gear .
Having been on ships over the years and experiancing several fires where only appliances and training saved us I have a healthy respect for fire
Every shop should have a dry powder extinguisher at *every * entry point and a fire blanket in each space 
Here in Australia a 1kg dry powder extinguisher costs about $20 and a blanket $15 , not much to save a fortune in timber?
Extinguishers should be removed from their holders every couple of months check the gauge is still in the green and shaken up side down to stop the powder packing ( more often in high wibration areas ) and every couple of years replaced ,
When you do replace them take the old extinguisher to a good open air area and set it off with your wife and kids so that they know how to operate the extinguisher and get a feel for it so as not to be frightened to use it and realize how long the charge lasts. And always replace if the extinguisher has been used .
Sweep the extinguisher in an arc at the base of the fire and then keep sweeping it up to extinguish the fire, when the fire is out put on good protective gloves and pull whatever was burning apart to make sure heat from the centre of what ever was burning does not cause re ignition 
This along with the other things mentioned here , good housekeeping , detectors, special cabinets for dangerous chemicals /paint etc , may not gurantee that you never have a fire but go a long way to stopping a small fire getting out of hand


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Yep you guys all have great ideas. 

The worst part of that day when the fire occurred is that my son Dominick was rushed to the hospital that morning and put on a ventilator, he was 9 months old at the time.

When the wife called I had to tell her the house was gone as she sat there watching her son fighting for his life.

Dominick was sick and diagnosed before he was born as they could see one kidney was not there and the other not working. Technology is awesome so they were ready when they took him and his twin out in a "C" section. After many operations and daily injections for a few years his one kidney is fine and he is doing well, but that was not one of our best days.

The cause of the fire was never officially determined, it could have been sparks of hot metal going in a bag of sawdust on the porch and smoldering overnight. But it is not definitive.

Here is Dominick earlier today doing well!


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Nick,

That is a fine looking boy for sure. You lost nothing compared to what you did not lose


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## Check twice! (Feb 11, 2008)

Hey Nick

The lose of all my personal property is not worth any life or injury. We can always replace possessions "but a life is priceless".

You have a fine looking son and in my warped thinking "you got the best of that situation".

I am glad your son is doing great and you are "moving forward with your whole family" by the way you have a fine looking family.  Yes sir!

We all get complacent at times and our shops are like a tinder box. I do not fear fire but "I sure do respect it" and forever looking over my shoulder wondering what devious plan it has in store for us. One can only do the best they can, and be prepared incase it sneaks up on you.

A very interesting thread.


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## Glenmore (Sep 10, 2004)

Nick god bless you and your family. That is what I always say things are replaceable people are not. He looks like a fine young man. Looks like you have some fine future woodworkers growing up.


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