Cause to Rethink Home Safety

I'm sorry to hear about this tragedy, edgar. I'm not sorry that you're taking it to heart in a positive, preventative manner.

we got struck by lightning many years ago and that made us re do our entire lightning rod system (We live on a hilltop). Since then weve been struck several times and only laugh at the bolts (even though we lose a well pump every so often).

GFI's , they detect any faults quickly and shut down a cirdcuit before trouble.

Of course, having several easily accessible fire extinguishe stations is always a good thing.


OH yeh, my sister in law had a fire at their clothing dryer. I think it was from the filter being clogged up with fuzz. Ive also heard of electric refrigerators causing fires from being all impacted with dust at the fan . We clean appliance fans (and computer fans) at least once a year because we own a cat.

inspect the connections on your fuse box.

carefullly look for loose wires or blackened spots.

Good to see you included computers. My sons computer caught fire once because of excessive cat fuzz. Fortunately the only thing that was lost was the motherboard.

Rap

Create a special space away from your house for flammable materials and combustable liquids.

Dispose of old oil based paints and paint thinners--check the bathroom and under the kitchen sink for presssurized spray bottles of combustable materials---even WD40 burns in the right conditions.

Paper, if loose is an amazing accelerant. Dust in general creates hazards it might be a good idea to have any ductwork cleaned.

Rap

We got struck by lightning at our last residence. It was a house constructed in 1908. It had a corrugated metal roof, and a big metal antenna pole that was fastened to the roof metal and went two feet into the ground. In front, there grew a magnificent tree that resembled the sycamores I grew up with in California. The bolt actually hit the tree first, then traveled across the roof. Perhaps the antenna pole provided enough ground to save the house. It did create a surge that ruined most of our appliances. My wife saw the fiery blast out the front door and ran down the central hall to get to the rear of the building. My daughter saw the flash out of the window at the pole's location and began running toward the front. The tree was cut down a few years later and the landlord converted the house into a combined antique store and Sammich Shop (that's what the sign says). We started buying this mobile piece of censored home about eight months or so after the lightning.

Overlooked GFIs. Thanks.

Doing that, rock.

My storage building is thirty feet from the house.
I don't doubt that WD 40 burns, since it is primarily fish oil.

I have fire extinguishers in my house. You can check with your homeowners insurance and they may give a discount in your rate, mine does. Same goes for if you have a fire alarm system that is monitored.

I have a couple of fire extinguishers - Just thinking about upgrading them, as they are getting a bit old. They need to be recharged or replaced periodically. The cheap ones, with plastic tops, are best discarded rather than filled again.

Edgar, why are there no fire hydrants? Where is the closest one? Are there no fire regulations in regards to this kind of thing?

Here, a hydrant must "X" amount of feet to a unit. I lived in a mobile home park for a few years some time back, and in the park, I can remember a number of hydrants everywhere.

This place was built in an unincorporated area. Apparently there were no restrictions. I have pointed out the folly to the neighborhood committee, but nothing happens. The only thing I know for sure our monthly neighborhood association fee gets used for, they mow the grass along the entrance once a week. The trucks have tanks of water but if the fire is big enough it's quite a strain.

You have gotten some good suggestions, but I am going to jump in here.

Speaking as a firefighter, there are several simple things you can do.

Remove any flammable cleaners or solvents you have, put them in a storage area.Have at least 2 fire extinguishers handy, but make sure they are accessible easily.
Have more then one way out of your trailer so that you cant get trapped.

BUT, the best thing I can say is that if your trailer catches fire...GET OUT!!!!!
Most trailers are built with so much flammable material that if it catches fire, the local FD wont be able to do much more then put out the embers.
Most trailers will burn down inside 10 minutes and there is little that can be done.

As for the lack of hydrants, find out if the land is on county property or not.
If it is, you might be able to get th county to install hydrants, but it would be expensive.

Thanks, MM. Prevention with early detection and a safe way out. That's what I am aiming for.

http://www.click2houston.com/video/19618695/index.html
Here is the newscast covering the fire, on video.

Ah, I see. Now I understand.

Sounds nerve-wracking.

One man bought the entire parcel of ground and then began selling it with mobile homes on the lots. He died a few years ago, and his son recently sold out to somebody new. The new man says he wants to upgrade the neighborhood, but I have just heard talk to date.

Do you have smoke detectors edgar?

I have no idea how big your home is but i cant imagine you would need more than 2 or 3. dont buy cheap ones though. We used to have one that went off when i mowed the lawn. but that was mostly the old **** box mower.