FIRE, FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by LSIModeler

What happens if you live (temp) on the third story of an apartment?

Got any big trees you could use as an alternate route out? I know that there are some companies that make special ladders for two story applications, but I don't know about three stories. I'd at least look into it, and even if it's not the way you want to go, figure out something for a plan.

[krump]

Wow!
Glad that things turned out well. Thanks for the smoke alarm reminder (and about Fire Extinguishers). You certainly had a quick response with the right decisions. God Blessed you with safety today.

- call Sunbeam and see if there is a recall or something - just b/c then you will know. The company needs to know how their products do (field research) and we're had a Sunbeam Blender (circa 1970-75) that was great. Just replaced it 6 months ago. -okay, that one was a 20 yr hand-me-down-from-mommy, that we used daily for the past 10 yrs (... and for the rivet counters out there : I have no idea when mom bought it - heavy pink thing, 25, 30 yrs ago - who cares?)[:D][X-)][swg][(-D][(-D][(-D]

- then join us in the CS - I've got your tab (Happy New Year!)

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by krump

Wow!
Glad that things turned out well. Thanks for the smoke alarm reminder (and about Fire Extinguishers). You certainly had a quick response with the right decisions. God Blessed you with safety today.

- call Sunbeam and see if there is a recall or something - just b/c then you will know. The company needs to know how their products do (field research) and we're had a Sunbeam Blender (circa 1970-75) that was great. Just replaced it 6 months ago. -okay, that one was a 20 yr hand-me-down-from-mommy, that we used daily for the past 10 yrs (... and for the rivet counters out there : I have no idea when mom bought it - heavy pink thing, 25, 30 yrs ago - who cares?)[:D][X-)][swg][(-D][(-D][(-D]

- then join us in the CS - I've got your tab (Happy New Year!)

Pink? PINK?!? Oh man, I think I might have burned that thing on purpose, lol![:p]

[Anonymous]

Hmmmm. My coffee maker will get un-plugged from NOW on. Thanks for the heads up. Glad all turned out ok!

[krump]

QUOTE: Originally posted by pcarrell

QUOTE: Originally posted by krump

Wow!
Glad that things turned out well. Thanks for the smoke alarm reminder (and about Fire Extinguishers). You certainly had a quick response with the right decisions. God Blessed you with safety today.

- call Sunbeam and see if there is a recall or something - just b/c then you will know. The company needs to know how their products do (field research) and we're had a Sunbeam Blender (circa 1970-75) that was great. Just replaced it 6 months ago. -okay, that one was a 20 yr hand-me-down-from-mommy, that we used daily for the past 10 yrs (... and for the rivet counters out there : I have no idea when mom bought it - heavy pink thing, 25, 30 yrs ago - who cares?)[:D][X-)][swg][(-D][(-D][(-D]

- then join us in the CS - I've got your tab (Happy New Year!)

Pink? PINK?!? Oh man, I think I might have burned that thing on purpose, lol![:p]

well, technically it might have been what my wife calls "dusty rose" colour (ie still pink) - best part was that it stayed unseed in the cupboard when not in use. It made a mean iced mocha though. [^]

[trainboyH16-44]

Glad to know you're okay, and yes, smoke detectors are very valuable..test mine every couple months.
But PINK??? If I were you I'd sell some of my athearns to finance a new one!

[howmus]

Glad that you, the family, and the trains are safe!

I've had a couple of close calls last year due to some stupid mistakes on my part. Last fall I had a frying pan on the stove that had bacon grease in it from breakfast that I turned on low to warm up so I could pour the grease into a tin can for disposal. Totally forgot it was on and went outside to do some work for about 2 hours. I went down cellar for a tool I needed and noticed a funny smell and heard a beeping (The smoke alarm upstairs). Almost immediately realized what I had done. The house was comepletely filled with acrid smoke, so I took a deep breath, ran to the stove, shut it off and moved the pan to cold burner, then ran outside to take another breath. Came in, opened all the windows, turned on some fans, ran back outside to get air. Luckily nothing, including the grease had actually caught fire. My cats, the fish, and I were all OK, but the cats and I were real scared (Cats went into hiding, took about 10 minutes to find all of them.). I am very much more careful now....... A couple of weeks ago one of my HEPA air filters motor burned out and tripped a circuit breaker. I think that is what is supposed to happen! I wonder why your can opener didn't do that?

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by krump

QUOTE: Originally posted by pcarrell

QUOTE: Originally posted by krump

Wow!
Glad that things turned out well. Thanks for the smoke alarm reminder (and about Fire Extinguishers). You certainly had a quick response with the right decisions. God Blessed you with safety today.

- call Sunbeam and see if there is a recall or something - just b/c then you will know. The company needs to know how their products do (field research) and we're had a Sunbeam Blender (circa 1970-75) that was great. Just replaced it 6 months ago. -okay, that one was a 20 yr hand-me-down-from-mommy, that we used daily for the past 10 yrs (... and for the rivet counters out there : I have no idea when mom bought it - heavy pink thing, 25, 30 yrs ago - who cares?)[:D][X-)][swg][(-D][(-D][(-D]

- then join us in the CS - I've got your tab (Happy New Year!)

Pink? PINK?!? Oh man, I think I might have burned that thing on purpose, lol![:p]

well, technically it might have been what my wife calls "dusty rose" colour (ie still pink) - best part was that it stayed unseed in the cupboard when not in use. It made a mean iced mocha though. [^]

[(-D][(-D][(-D] Stop it man, you're killin' me![(-D][(-D][(-D]

[Anonymous]

Glad everything is OK. I have a question now, is what I'm hearing that everything in a home should be unplugged when not in use and being watched? Youv'e really got me wondering.

[Anonymous]

Glad everything is OK. I have a question now, is what I'm hearing that everything in a home should be unplugged when not in use and being watched? Youv'e really got me wondering.

[jeffshultz]

Another party that would probably be interested in this is UL - Underwriters Laboratory.

That can opener probably had their sigil on it as well.

[grayfox1119]

My CFO has been unplugging all our kitchen appliances for years, thank you for your post to warn all the others who think that this is not very probable.....it is and you proved it, thank God you and your family were not hurt. Yes, the UL needs to hear about this also as well as Sunbeam.

One more thing that I want to point out to forum members...The National Electrical Code requires that all Kitchen outlets be GFCI protected. As soon as a short was detected in your appliance, the GFCI would have tripped removing the source of ignition.

[FCnota]

As a full time Firefighter/Paramedic, I cannot stress how important those smoke detectors really are!!!! You should see how many are in my house! The fire extinguisher is a great idea, but ONLY after you call for help and get the family OUT! I am glad to see you are all safe! Remember, things can be replaced, but loved ones are a gift you only get once.

Have a safe & Happy New Year (the rest!!)

[Anonymous]

Wowwwww .Glad and thank God all is well.Thats why i have a self shut off the coffe pot and everything in the train room is wired to the light switch so nothing is on when I leave the room.

[Anonymous]

"I got my mom one of those openers that "runs" around
the can... if nothing else, it's really cool to watch! "

that could entertain me for hours espically if it had a blinking light or made noise or something..........

anywayse pcarrell, im glad you and your layout suffered no damage. concider the Old Skool way to open a can-- the P-38 standard issue military can opener.

GEARHEAD426
[8]

[Anonymous]

Thank the Lord you and the family are ok. I just replaced my smoke detectors a few months ago. Phil

[BurlingtonJohn]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FCnota

...As a full time Firefighter/Paramedic, I cannot stress how important those smoke detectors really are!!!! You should see how many are in my house! The fire extinguisher is a great idea, but ONLY after you call for help and get the family OUT! I am glad to see you are all safe! Remember, things can be replaced, but loved ones are a gift you only get once....

As a volunteer firefighter, please allow me to second FCnota’s comments and add a few of my own.

* When you hear a smoke alarm go off, do not delay in getting you or your family out FIRST and then calling for help. If you live alone, put into motion your exit plan. If you live with others, have one person designated to call 911. Only after everyone is safe and you have called 911 should you even consider trying to put the fire out yourself. If in doubt, stay out.
* Again, when you hear that alarm, put your exit plan into motion. Makes no difference if you live in a high-rise or a single story ranch, alone or with others. Have a plan and practice it, especially if you have small children or folks who have trouble getting around on their own. Can't stress this enough.
* You will be tempted to stop and try and save a favorite heirloom, photo album, or the like. Don’t. You would be surprised at how fast a fire can move.
* Replace the batteries in your smoke alarms (and here is hoping you have them … if you don’t, get them) every time the time change is made in the spring in the fall. Doesn’t matter if the batteries need replacement or not, replace them anyway.
* Test your alarms frequently. If one doesn’t work, replace the battery. If it still doesn’t work, get rid of the alarm and buy a new one.
* Check your fire extinguishers regularly. If they are out of date, replace them.
* Even if you think the fire is out, it might not be. Hot spots can linger in the strangest of places … go ahead and call 911 and explain to them what has happened. Let the fire department check for hot spots or hidden fire.
* I’m not sure about large cities or towns (I live in a small town, so I can’t speak for the large areas), but I am willing to bet that in most places, your local fire department would be happy to come out and take a look at your house/residence and/or place of business and offer tips on how you can better protect yourself.

Be careful out there,

Regards,
Burlington John

[pcarrell]

See, here's the thing. I have three smoke detectors in a ranch style house with 1400 square feet. One of the detectors was in the kitchen. I tested them all about 8 or 9 months ago and they all worked. Two are battery operated and one is hard wired. Not one of them went off due to the fire. One went off as I was going to work three hours later though.

My wife woke up and heard the crackling and poping and smelled smoke. Thats how we knew. While I don't really recommend this method of fire detection, I'm certainly glad it worked this time!

Again, thanks for all the support and the tips. I'll be even happier if, as I do them, so do you!

[pcarrell]

Oh, and by the way,....

MY HOUSE REALLY STNKS RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!

I'm keeping the Fabreeze people in business!

I think I'm cornering the market on the stuff![:o)]

[BurlingtonJohn]

One more thought on your can opener .... I am not an electrician and will never claim to be.

As I read through the list of comments, one thing comes to mind. Perhaps you had a fault in your electrical wiring somewhere in the house (an outlet overloaded, a short somewhere, etc) and the can opener just happened to be what melted.

Regards,
Burlington John

[Chris_S68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by pcarrell

See, here's the thing. I have three smoke detectors in a ranch style house with 1400 square feet. One of the detectors was in the kitchen. I tested them all about 8 or 9 months ago and they all worked. Two are battery operated and one is hard wired. Not one of them went off due to the fire. One went off as I was going to work three hours later though.

My wife woke up and heard the crackling and poping and smelled smoke. Thats how we knew. While I don't really recommend this method of fire detection, I'm certainly glad it worked this time!

Again, thanks for all the support and the tips. I'll be even happier if, as I do them, so do you!

That's pretty scary. I'm no expert on the subject - maybe some of the resident firefighters know more - but I believe that it's been found (some argue ignored) that the traditional "smoke detector" is very bad at detecting a smoldering, or otherwise heavy smoke-producing fire, which are the most common in residential situations (and the most deadly). Sounds like that may have been your situation. My understanding is that the newer photoelectric smoke detectors are better for home use than the traditional ionization detectors.
I'm really glad everybody's ok.
Again, I'm no expert, so please don't take this as gospel - it's just what I've heard.

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Chris_S68

QUOTE: Originally posted by pcarrell

See, here's the thing. I have three smoke detectors in a ranch style house with 1400 square feet. One of the detectors was in the kitchen. I tested them all about 8 or 9 months ago and they all worked. Two are battery operated and one is hard wired. Not one of them went off due to the fire. One went off as I was going to work three hours later though.

My wife woke up and heard the crackling and poping and smelled smoke. Thats how we knew. While I don't really recommend this method of fire detection, I'm certainly glad it worked this time!

Again, thanks for all the support and the tips. I'll be even happier if, as I do them, so do you!

That's pretty scary. I'm no expert on the subject - maybe some of the resident firefighters know more - but I believe that it's been found (some argue ignored) that the traditional "smoke detector" is very bad at detecting a smoldering, or otherwise heavy smoke-producing fire, which are the most common in residential situations (and the most deadly). Sounds like that may have been your situation. My understanding is that the newer photoelectric smoke detectors are better for home use than the traditional ionization detectors.
I'm really glad everybody's ok.
Again, I'm no expert, so please don't take this as gospel - it's just what I've heard.

Good to know, as obviously I'll be buying new ones today. I didn't worry about it yesterday as I knew I wouldn't sleep last night anyways. But I'm getting pretty tired now and after working all day today I think I'll be ready for bed. A good smoke detector would help me get a good nights sleep.[8D]

[jondrd]

Phillip,
[wow] What a wake up call!!
Ambulance chasers will be contacting you shortly! Keep those phone lines open! You know of course that as a red blooded American it is your obligation to file suit against the manufacturer.
Years ago a colleague from work woke up to a smoldering electric blanket(hers). I thought that was a close call, your can opener experience tops that!
Hmmm, must be something to this guardian angel thing.

Glad to hear this harrowing experience had a positive outcome for you and yours.

Jon

[jondrd]

Phillip,
Your attorney would advise against sending the can opener remains to Subeam. Not kidding, don't be too hasty being a good guy; you and your loved ones came very close to waking up dead. Don't be concerned if you don't have GFI's, Sunbeam markets to everyone in America not just households with GFI's.

Re: one year warranty. Think family that sued Ford over Pinto fire was within warranty period? Nope.

Seconding "Mister Beasley"'s comment re warranty.

Jon

[pcarrell]

No, I don't have GFI's in most of my house since parts of it date back to the 1880's. I guess it won't matter much soon as we will be moving (not because of the fire, we were planning this before).

[palallin]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NOSPACEORECASHRR

Glad everything is OK. I have a question now, is what I'm hearing that everything in a home should be unplugged when not in use and being watched? Youv'e really got me wondering.

The only way to effectvely do that is to disconnect your house from the utility pole. You may not think about it, but you are surrounded by electrical connections in the wiring, in the heavy appliances, the HVAC, the lighting. You cannot prevent them all and have no reasonable way of knowing which one to worry about.

And if you DID disconnect fromt he power, your gas lines will leak and explode.

Keep your emergency plans in practice and those detectors in operation, but you cannot live in fear of every appliance.

[jondrd]

...but you cannot live in fear of every appliance.

Oh yeah? What if you know they're out to get you. I've heard my appliances colluding with the utility's electrons.

[:D] It's not paranoia when they really are out to get you. [:D]

Jon [:D]

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by palallin

QUOTE: Originally posted by NOSPACEORECASHRR

Glad everything is OK. I have a question now, is what I'm hearing that everything in a home should be unplugged when not in use and being watched? Youv'e really got me wondering.

The only way to effectvely do that is to disconnect your house from the utility pole. You may not think about it, but you are surrounded by electrical connections in the wiring, in the heavy appliances, the HVAC, the lighting. You cannot prevent them all and have no reasonable way of knowing which one to worry about.

And if you DID disconnect fromt he power, your gas lines will leak and explode.

Keep your emergency plans in practice and those detectors in operation, but you cannot live in fear of every appliance.

This is all true, but you can do some things like unplugging the toaster and can opener and stuff when not in use to cut down on the chances of a problem. BELIEVE ME, I would love to go back in time and unplug that can opener before all this happened. I can say that with assurance! I just don't want you to be able say the same thing with that same assurance! [;)]

[FCnota]

Several questions come to mind about your detectors.

1-Are they on the wall or ceiling?
2- Are they at LEAST 10" from a corner?
3- How old are they? More then 7-10 years?
4- Was there more smoke then flame?

Again, the most important thing is you are all safe. Keep these things in mind for the new house. There are combination detectors that use current technology to give you both Ionization and photoelectric detection.
I have a 2 floor house with a basement. In the basement I have a heat detector in the furnace room as well as 2 detectors in the open space or the basement, one on each end (if you will). One detector and the heat detector are wired to the home alarm system. On the first floor (1300 square feet), I have a heat detector in the cooking area of the kitchen, a smoke detector in the eating area of the kitchen, a smoke detector in the guest bedroom and another smoke detector in the dining/living room. The heat detector and one smoke detector are wired to the home alarm system. On the second floor, one smoke detector in eachj bedroom (4) one on each end of the hallway, and one in the laundry room. Again 2 detectors are wired to the home alarm system. Any detector that isn't wired to the alarm system are wired together. Not only will every detector in thew house sound if one goes off, the outside alarm siren will sound, and 911 is automatically called. That totals 14. Excessive? Not if it gets my 7year old son and wife out if I'm at work. I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS, AND IT AIN'T PRETTY.
Prevention is cheap. Don't be.

[icmr]

That is really good advice FCnota. Im glad you and your family are safe.



Victor

Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]