Gas Grill Propane Tank Explodes on a Deck, Resulting Fire Burns Everything

Once again tragedy strikes when attempting to cook with a grill on a deck...

From South Washington County Bulletin- "Two Woodbury senior citizens lost their home and they're lucky to be alive after the propane tank on their grill exploded on the deck last Wednesday. 
Robert Hamer and his wife, Katherine, escaped via the front door of their home in the 5700 block of Fawn Trail Circle, spending the night at a neighbor's house after a shocking accident on their backyard deck turned the $340,000 home into an inferno."

Read the rest by clicking here-http://www.swcbulletin.com/news/crime-and-courts/3754029-update-massive-fire-couple-loses-house-cars-lifetime-valued-items

Grills and decks don't mix, Cook away from your house!

"Extinguished" Cigar in Potting Soil Ignites, Causing ONE MILLION in Damage!

Yeah, you read that right...the estimate is One Million dollars plus contents when an unidentified man placed a cigar into a potted plant to put it out. Most potting soil contains a lot of organic matter that can ignite, and this cigar ignited the soil in the pot, bursting into flame and causing enormous damage.

SIOUX FALLS, SD - 

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue is ruling an apartment building fire accidental, and officials don't plan on filing charges.  A cigar sparked the flames, which led to more about $1 million in fire damage. The fire started on a deck of the third floor of a building at Penbrooke Place. Insurance adjusters are still trying to determine whether the owners can save the building.

READ THE REST HERE   http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/cigar-potting-soil-spark-1-million-fire/?id=180756

Free wildfire safety webinar slated for November On-line presentation features Firewise principles, information and resources for people in the wildland-urban interface

10/11/2011

Free wildfire safety webinar slated for November

On-line presentation features Firewise principles, information and resources for people in the wildland-urban interface 

With the 2011 wildfire season on its way to becoming one of the worst on record, the Firewise staff knows how important it is for residents living and working in wildfire high-risk areas to get the information they need to mitigate their wildfire risk and reduce losses.

Please join me, Michele Steinberg, program manager of NFPA’s Firewise Communities Program, at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, November 8, for an online wildfire safety presentation featuring the Firewise program. Learn how wildfires behave and homes ignite. We will also review Firewise resources and materials available to help homeowners and neighbors work together to design a safe community.

Have questions for me? This is the perfect way to share your thoughts with others who face the same challenges in their own communities.  I encourage you to submit your questions through November 7^th.   And don’t forget to register for the free wildfire safety webinar! 

Like social media? We’ll also live Tweet via Twitter. Mark it in your calendar and tweet the webinar using hashtage #Firewise or submit your question to @Firewise.

In the meantime, our online newsletters, “The How To” and “Fire Break” are a great source for the latest news and information about NFPA’s Wildland Fire Operations Division, our Firewise Communities/USA Recognition Program and other wildland fire resources to help you get started. Subscriptions to both newsletters are free. Why not sign up today?

We look forward to having you join us on November 8!

-Michele

From ABC in Philly-Developer of Unsafe Building Arrested-Fire Code Violations and other defects

The developer of a failed condominium was arrested this morning and charged with numerous offenses including endangering the lives of the people who once lived here. The Rittenhouse Club has been called a disaster. From structural defects, fire stairs made of wood instead of metal, to nonworking sprinklers, all of these combined to create an unsafe building.
Robert Bruce Fazio was arrested and charged with offenses including risking a catastrophe, recklessly endangering, fraud, and theft by deception.

Read The Rest By Clicking Here

It's Fire Season-Wildfire safety Tips From FEMA-Please Read and Prepare Accordingly!

We bring you these safety tips and information from FEMA's website.

In California and other states out west, it's not a question of if a fire strikes your community and home, but when...

Prepare for a Wildfire

• Find Out What Your Fire Risk Is
• Create Safety Zones Around Your Home
• Protect Your Home

Listed here are several suggestions that you can implement immediately. Others need to be considered at the time of construction or remodeling. You should also contact your local fire department, forestry office, emergency management office or building department for information about local fire laws, building codes and protection measures. Obtain local building codes and weed abatement ordinances for structures built near wooded areas.

Find Out What Your Fire Risk Is

Learn about the history of wildfire in your area. Be aware of recent weather. A long period without rain increases the risk of wildfire. Consider having a professional inspect your property and offer recommendations for reducing the wildfire risk. Determine your community's ability to respond to wildfire. Are roads leading to your property clearly marked? Are the roads wide enough to allow firefighting equipment to get through? Is your house number visible from the roadside?
Learn and teach safe fire practices.

• Build fires away from nearby trees or bushes.
• Always have a way to extinguish the fire quickly and completely.
• Install smoke detectors on every level of your home and near sleeping areas.
• Never leave a fire--even a cigarette--burning unattended.
• Avoid open burning completely, and especially during dry season.

Always be ready for an emergency evacuation.
Evacuation may be the only way to protect your family in a wildfire. Know where to go and what to bring with you. You should plan several escape routes in case roads are blocked by a wildfire.
Back To Top

Create Safety Zones Around Your Home

All vegetation is fuel for a wildfire, though some trees and shrubs are more flammable than others. To reduce the risk, you will need to modify or eliminate brush, trees and other vegetation near your home. The greater the distance is between your home and the vegetation, the greater the protection.
Create a 30-foot safety zone around the house.
Keep the volume of vegetation in this zone to a minimum. If you live on a hill, extend the zone on the downhill side. Fire spreads rapidly uphill. The steeper the slope, the more open space you will need to protect your home. Swimming pools and patios can be a safety zone and stone walls can act as heat shields and deflect flames.  In this zone, you should also do the following:

• Remove vines from the walls of the house.
• Move shrubs and other landscaping away from the sides of the house.
• Prune branches and shrubs within 15 feet of chimneys and stove pipes.
• Remove tree limbs within 15 feet of the ground.
• Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns.
• Replace highly flammable vegetation such as pine, eucalyptus, junipers and fir trees with lower growing, less flammable species. Check with your local fire department or garden store for suggestions.
• Replace vegetation that has living or dead branches from the ground-level up (these act as ladder fuels for the approaching fire).
• Cut the lawn often keeping the grass at a maximum of 2 inches. Watch grass and other vegetation near the driveway, a source of ignition from automobile exhaust systems.
• Clear the area of leaves, brush, evergreen cones, dead limbs and fallen trees.

Create a second zone at least 100 feet around the house.
This zone should begin about 30 feet from the house and extend to at least 100 feet. In this zone, reduce or replace as much of the most flammable vegetation as possible. If you live on a hill, you may need to extend the zone for several hundred feet to provide the desired level of safety.
Clear all combustibles within 30 feet of any structure.

• Install electrical lines underground, if possible
• Ask the power company to clear branches from power lines.
• Avoid using bark and wood chip mulch
• Stack firewood 100 feet away and uphill from any structure.
• Store combustible or flammable materials in approved safety containers and keep them away from the house.
• Keep the gas grill and propane tank at least 15 feet from any structure. Clear an area 15 feet around the grill. Place a 1/4 inch mesh screen over the grill. Always use the grill cautiously but refrain from using it all during high risk times.

Back To Top

Protect Your Home

Remove debris from under sun decks and porches.
Any porch, balcony or overhang with exposed space underneath is fuel for an approaching fire. Overhangs ignite easily by flying embers and by the heat and fire that get trapped underneath. If vegetation is allowed to grow underneath or if the space is used for storage, the hazard is increased significantly. Clear leaves, trash and other combustible materials away from underneath sun decks and porches. Extend 1/2-inch mesh screen from all overhangs down to the ground. Enclose wooden stilts with non-combustible material such as concrete, brick, rock, stucco or metal. Use non-combustible patio furniture and covers. If you're planning a porch or sun deck, use non-combustible or fire-resistant materials. If possible, build the structure to the ground so that there is no space underneath.
Enclose eaves and overhangs.
Like porches and balconies, eaves trap the heat rising along the exterior siding. Enclose all eaves to reduce the hazard.
Cover house vents with wire mesh.
Any attic vent, soffit vent, louver or other opening can allow embers and flaming debris to enter a home and ignite it. Cover all openings with 1/4 inch or smaller corrosion-resistant wire mesh. If you're designing louvers, place them in the vertical wall rather than the soffit of the overhang.
Install spark arrestors in chimneys and stovepipes.
Chimneys create a hazard when embers escape through the top. To prevent this, install spark arrestors on all chimneys, stovepipes and vents for fuel-burning heaters. Use spark arrestors made of 12-gauge welded or woven wire mesh screen with openings 1/2 inch across. Ask your fire department for exact specifications. If you're building a chimney, use non-combustible materials and make sure the top of the chimney is at least two feet higher than any obstruction within 10 feet of the chimney. Keep the chimney clean.
Use fire resistant siding.
Use fire resistant materials in the siding of your home, such as stucco, metal, brick, cement shingles, concrete and rock. You can treat wood siding with UL-approved fire retardant chemicals, but the treatment and protection are not permanent.
Choose safety glass for windows and sliding glass doors.
Windows allow radiated heat to pass through and ignite combustible materials inside. The larger the pane of glass, the more vulnerable it is to fire. Dual- or triple-pane thermal glass, and fire resistant shutters or drapes, help reduce the wildfire risk. You can also install non-combustible awnings to shield windows and use shatter-resistant glazing such as tempered or wireglass.
Prepare for water storage; develop an external water supply such as a small pond, well or pool.
Other safety measures to consider at the time of construction or remodeling.

• Choose locations wisely; canyon and slope locations increase the risk of exposure to wildland fires.
• Use fire-resistant materials when building, renovating, or retrofitting structures.
• Avoid designs that include wooden decks and patios.
• Use non-combustible materials for the roof.
• The roof is especially vulnerable in a wildfire. Embers and flaming debris can travel great distances, land on your roof and start a new fire. Avoid flammable roofing materials such as wood, shake and shingle. Materials that are more fire resistant include single ply membranes, fiberglass shingles, slate, metal, clay and concrete tile. Clear gutters of leaves and debris.

Back To Top

Download Plug-in

Some of the links on this page require a plug-in to view them. Links to the plug-ins are available below.
Adobe Acrobat (PDF)

From the Co-operators-Potting soil emerging as a fire hazard

Found this and I think it's something to pay attention to!

 

UELPH, ON, July 21 /CNW/ - In March, a massive fire destroyed a Calgary condominium complex, leaving at least 250 occupants homeless. The combustive culprit was a cigarette in a planter outside the complex. Recently there has been a spike in fires sparked by smoking materials in potting soil. The Co-operators is urging Canadians to be aware of the danger associated with disposing cigarettes in potted plants. There has recently been a noticeable increase of incidents of fires caused by dry peat moss in potting soil. Problems are also related to fertilizers in the soil, which can act as oxidizers that accelerate fires. Many potting soils on the market today contain less dirt and more organic substances that are flammable, such as shredded wood, bark, peat moss, Styrofoam, and vermiculite.
"People should remember to be prudent when disposing their cigarettes," said Glen Oxford, claims manager for The Co-operators. "You might think you are safely extinguishing it in dirt and not realize the soil is actually flammable. The reality is that homes have burned to the ground because of careless cigarette disposal."
In light of this, The Co-operators offers the following tips to reduce potted planter fires:

-   Do not use potted plants as an ashtray.
    -   Provide an appropriate ashtray/smoker's receptacle wherever people
        are smoking.
    -   Always keep potted plants well watered and maintained.
    -   Do not keep potted plants near combustible materials.
    -   Unused potting soil should be spread in your yard or garden.
    -   Use clay planter pots whenever possible, as they may keep potting
        soil fires better contained.

Due to smoking by-laws and changes in habits, more smokers are lighting up outside than in the past and when ashtrays are not available, smokers often use outdoor pots to extinguish their cigarettes. A preventative measure to reduce the risk of potting soil fires is to make ashtrays more readily accessible for outdoor smokers.

About The Co-operators:

The Co-operators Group Limited is a 100 per cent Canadian-owned co-operative with more than $36.9 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies, it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products.
The Co-operators is owned by 47 Canadian co-operatives, credit union centrals and like-minded organizations. It is well known for its community involvement, and is listed among the 50 Best Employers in Canada.

For further information: Leonard Sharman, The Co-operators, 1-877-795-7272, ext. 2707

Just because you can use a gas or propane grill on an apartment or condo deck, doesn't mean you should.

From ABC 

 

By James Swierzbin, ABC 5 News Reporter

Easy Grill Tips to Help Prevent Fires

The majority of grill fires aren't the result of a mechanical malfunction, they're caused by human error. Thankfully just a few simple steps could help protect yourself and property from dangerous flames.

Even before a grill is ignited there are a few things you can do, to lessen the chance of a fire. According to Urbandale Fire Chief Jerry Holt, you should "Make sure you've moved (the grill) away from anything combustible...and one of the things you can do, is at least once a year, is to make sure that all your connections are tight, and there's not gas leaks."

You can also use what's called the "Soapy Bubble Test" All you have to do is take a spray bottle, fill it up with a mixture of soap and water, and spray it on anything that connects a propane tank to a gas grill. If you see bubbles start to form, in the areas you sprayed, then you know that you have a potentially dangerous leak.

If you do discover that your propane tank or gas line is compromised it's best to shut it off immediately, and take the problem, to someone who knows how to repair what's broken, rather than trying to fix it yourself.

And perhaps more important than anything else is exercising caution and good judgement.
Just because you can use a gas or propane grill on an apartment or condo deck, doesn't mean you should. Because if a fire breaks out in such an enclosed space, it has the potential to spread, very quickly.

FROM FireEngineering.com-Article- Construction Concerns: Combustible Metal Deck Roofs

For decades, builders have been using metal roof decking supported by bar joists, covered with combustible insulation board and a roof membrane that is often topped with gravel. The earliest of these roofs had melted asphalt mopped onto the steel roof deck to hold down the insulation board with additional melted asphalt mopped between and on top of the layers of roofing felt. This was known as a “built-up” roof and was inexpensive when compared with other types of roofs.

(1)
A potential problem with this type of roof was recognized more than 50 years ago: If a fire heated the underside of the roof deck, it could melt, vaporize, and ignite the asphalt on top of the deck, starting another fire in addition to the original one inside the building (see Brannigan’s Building Construction for the Fire Service 4^th Edition, 213-214). This roof fire could spread far ahead of the original fire and ignite other fires when burning asphalt found its way through the steel deck.

Roofs of these types are sometimes inaccurately advertised as “fire-rated.” They do not have a “fire rating” from testing under National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 251, Standard Method of Tests of Fire Endurance of Building Construction and Materials (ASTM E119) like a wall or a floor-ceiling assembly. Rather, they have been tested under NFPA 256, Standard Method of Fire Tests of Roof Coverings (UL 790; ASTM E-108) for exposure to fires originating outside the building. They are rated Class A (severe), B (moderate), or C (light), based on the severity of fire exposure they can withstand. Tests for the rating include ignition from flaming brands, intermittent flame exposure, rain, weathering, and flame spread.

READ THE REST BY CLICKING HERE!

100 Firefighters Battle Apartment Fire in LA-Check Out This Unbelievable Picture

If ever there is a reason to make sure decks have FIRE RATED deck coatings on them, this is it. The whole deck looks like it has ignited!

READ THE STORY AT LA TIMES BY CLICKING HERE

Condo Without Fire Walls In Attics Burns Out Residents

While not deck related, this condo in Florida, built before code required fire walls between attics of the individual units, burned through the roof and attics very quickly. The result, many people homeless. The moral...installing fire walls post construction would probably have helped confine the fire to one/two units. Sprinklers are expensive too, but probably would have helped.

Read about it by clicking here

Lack of Fire Resistant Stairways Leads to Condo Condemnation in PA

Condemned Condos Leaving Residents Homeless

The 4-year-old building has exposed wires, unsafe walls and poor fire suppression, officials say

By VINCE LATTANZIO

Updated 11:45 PM EDT, Thu, May 6, 2010

The City of Norristown is investigating how a newly constructed condo building that was condemned for code violations was ever able to open.

Residents of the 770 Sandy Street Condos have made several calls to officials about a slew of shoddy and unsafe conditions within the building.

Exposed wires, wooden stairs in a fire tower, inadequate fire suppression systems and poor wall integrity are just some of the concerns levied by residents and inspectors.

"There were a number of things that we felt necessitated us to take such a drastic action," Norristown Administrator David Forrest said.

Matt Dieckhaus and Megan Peterson say the condemnation of the 26-unit building leaves them homeless three weeks before their wedding.

"I literally woke up yesterday and opened my door and a letter fell out saying the building was condemned and I had not idea," Dieckhaus said Thursday.

Developer Bruce Fazio defends the 4-year-old building saying it is safe and that he's working with his bank to bring it up to code. He went on to say the condemnation was illegal because he wasn't given time to fix the issues.

Forrest says his office will be researching the original inspection approval to find out how the building was allowed pass.

First Published: May 6, 2010 10:26 PM ED

HUNDREDS HOMELESS DUE TO FIRE ON BALCONY THAT DESTROY'S CALGARY CONDO COMPLEX

Massive blaze in Calgary leaves hundreds homeless
Firefighter injured in condominum inferno
By The Canadian Press
Fri. Mar 19 - 7:12 AMCALGARY — Hundreds of people are homeless after a massive fire destroyed much of a four-story condominium complex in southwest Calgary.
The blaze at a 159-unit building on Millrise Drive, sent massive, dark grey clouds of smoke into the sky Thursday.
One firefighter was injured and taken to Rockyview Hospital, where he was in stable condition.
Deputy Fire Chief Len McCharles said the fire appears to have started on a balcony and when crews arrived about 12:15 p.m., it had spread into two suites, crawling its way up into the attic space where it quickly spread.
McCharles said it's too early to tell the extent of the damage, which appeared to be mainly confined to the top floor, noting water damage to some suites untouched by fire may be extensive.

READ THE REST OF THIS STORY BY CLICKING HERE

Errant Welding Sparks Condo Disaster-Entire Complex Burn Down, Suit Filed

Suit blames welders for Galveston condo fire
10/6/2009 10:52 AM By John Suayan, Galveston Bureau

GALVESTON - A Galveston homeowners' association blames two businesses for a fire that destroyed its condominium complex in June, recent court documents say.

Maravilla Homeowners' Association claims the misconduct and overall negligence of Adam's Welders and Hudak & Dawson Construction Co. led to a four-alarm fire within the Maravilla Resort Condominiums on Galveston's West End the afternoon of June 3.

"The defendants owed a legal duty to the plaintiff to exercise ordinary care," the lawsuit, filed Oct. 1 in Galveston County District Court, says.

According to the original petition, the defendants were performing construction work at the property.

It adds workers were welding handrails connected to the building, which had been almost fully rebuilt after Hurricane Ike, when some wayward sparks ignited the inferno.

A Galveston County Daily News article on June 4 reported that the blaze spread between the upper floors.

"Fire units from across Galveston County responded to the fire," the suit says

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE TO GO TO The Southeast Record's website

CA Firefighters Mourn Loss of Two Men Fighting the Station Fire and 18 Homes Are Burned Down

This is a very sad day for California and our Firefighters, with 2 men lost in an accident while driving down a windy, narrow road. With 18 homes lost and a fire that is nearly out of control due to wind, steep terrain and dry vegetation, more homes could be lost.

Please say a prayer for the families and friends of our 2 lost firemen, may they rest in peace.

Read more at the LA Times by clicking here...

Defects in Fire Resistant Construction Cause Hotel/Casino to Close

Fire resistant construction...so important that this Casino made a decision to close the building rather than risk exposure to liability.

By Dana M. Nichols

Record Staff Writer

June 26, 2009 6:00 AM

JACKSON - Newly discovered construction defects are putting a stop to the music at Jackson Rancheria Casino.

Casino management announced Thursday that it is had closed 45 of the casino's 67 hotel rooms, a restaurant and a conference center. A ballroom in the same building will close after a July 9 performance by Robin Trower.

"deficiencies in the construction mean some walls in the hotel don't meet fire resistance standards"

This week's announcement is the latest construction-defect trouble for the casino. The Jackson Rancheria Band of Mi-Wuk Indians has been waging a legal battle since 2007 with a number of contractors on the project. The tribe's lawsuit alleges a long list of construction defects that allowed water to penetrate various buildings and mold to grow inside the structure.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE

Why California should consider Australia's 'Prepare, stay and defend' wildfire policy

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? No, it's not the Clash singing punk anthems...


Why California should consider Australia's 'Prepare, stay and defend' wildfire policy

By Sarah Yang, Media Relations | 26 February 2009

BERKELEY — Even as debate rages over the safety of Australia's "Prepare, stay and defend, or leave early" policy of wildfire defense, fire researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and in Australia say that the strategy is worth consideration in California and other regions in the United States.

Questions about the policy, which encourages able residents to stay home and actively defend their property from wildfires, are being renewed in the wake of Australia's devastating fires, which began on Feb. 7 and killed 210 people, burned down 1,800 homes and scorched 1,500 square miles of land.

READ THE REST OF Sarah's OPINION PIECE BY CLICKING OUR HEADLINE!

WHY USE PLYWOOD WHEN OSB IS CHEAPER? Read this piece and you'll see why Fire Rated Construction maybe uses plywood for a reason...

Hey, I always want plywood on my decks for sheathing...and a lot of guys bitch about it, cause plywood costs more. But deck coating manufacturers stipulate plywood for a reason, and here's a good enough one for me...

when it comes to fire, using the best fire resistant materials I can is my goal.

Click the headline to read about other construction methods and materials that may cause fire to spread or make it more difficult to fight.

They All Fall Down

Critical Fireground Factors for New Residential Construction

by John Brunacini

The majority of all new residential construction uses lightweight construction materials. Let’s take a look at the different features of this construction type that directly effect the decision making process of firefighting strategy and tactics at these structures.

Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is now the construction industry’s predominate sheeting material; it has replaced plywood for roof decking, flooring decks and siding. OSB is assembled by gluing together small pieces of wood and wood chips at extreme pressures. After curing, they are cut into shapes (usually 4' x 8' sheets measuring 3/8" to ½" thick). OSB is structurally sound, cheaper and more readily available than plywood. But like a lightweight truss, it also fails much faster under fire conditions. The glues and resins that hold OSB together start to decompose rapidly at relatively low temperatures (+300°F). These moderate temperatures will decompose the adhesives holding the wood chips together, and the sheet will quickly delaminate (fall apart). The released glue and resin vapors are also very flammable and contribute to the combustion process. This phenomenon is causing faster attic flash-over times and quicker roof failure times once the fire has entered into the truss space.

Waterproofers torch results in burned down building, millions in lawsuits, and all because of violations of the Building Safety Code that were let by?

From Calgary Canada comes this huge lawsuit involving a waterproofer's employee on their second day of employment, burning down a condo project...

It is alleged that the City is liable too, as they initially rejected the building as being in violation of safety codes, but eventually accepted the project, contrary to the building safety code.

I would take that to mean if there is a violation of an ICC approved product or assembly that was installed, and it doesn't meet the building safety code, the City will take liability on for the damages that occurred by allowing it to go by without ordering the problem corrected.

by Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald

Published: Friday, January 16, 2009

A condo complex in Erlton was a "five-storey pile of kindling" ignited by a worker using a propane torch on his second day on the job, court heard during the opening address of a 16-week civil trial.

Lawyers Jim Rose and Donald Chernichen, representing the owners who lost their homes and belongings in the city's largest fire, are seeking $21.7 million in damages. The massive May 30, 2002, blaze left 300 Calgarians temporarily homeless.

According to court documents, it was Karl Swan, an employee of Cactus Waterproofing and Roofing, who started the fire while working in the southwest corner of the Waterford D building that afternoon.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON OUR HEADLINE

November Marks Anniversary of My First Office in SLO Burning Down

November 11th, 2002, I'm enjoying a couple of Corona's in Mexico "Dos mas, por favor" I say to the bartender...

Meanwhile, back in San Luis Obispo, the fire department is at the office building we had our office located at.

Railroad Square, a historic building in the Railroad District, is burning down, as a result of a homeless person who found an unlocked door, got in, then light a fire to warm up.

Man oh man, I forget how many offices and companies burned up that day, but I didn't know anything until I got back home and caught my voice mail messages, with 2 messages saying Welcome back, your office burned down while you were away...thankfully, although the computer was melted and damaged, I managed to recover the hardrive and was able to get the data recovered from it...whew. Many were not so lucky...they lost a lot of data! Hint, offsite Internet data storage...

What a mess...anyway, Fire Saftey Month is every month, and this fire is another example of what sprinklers could have done if they were in...

Happy Anniversary I guess...

REMINDER-OCTOBER IS FIRE SAFETY MONTH!

Earlier this week I was in So Cal, watching fires seemingly burst out of no where in the San Fernando Valley-the Porter Ranch area in particular. A business acquaintance was telling me yesterday how the fires reached his yard before being turned away. His only loss, a wheelbarrow.

For many others, they lost a lot more...homes, possessions, the memories those homes held inside...

Click our headline to go to the non-profit Home Safety Council's website to find out how you can help protect your property, and more importantly you and your family's lives, in the event of a house or wild fire.

For us here at Deck Expert Central, we recommend that you check your decks and adjacent areas for leaves, dead plants, flammable items such as lighter fluid (never ever ever store gasoline on your deck!)

Deck coatings (most anyway) are designed with fire resistance in mind; indeed the only types of coatings I'll use are Class A and One Hour Fire Rated Assemblies. My favorites to use are Desert Crete, Dex-O-Tex, Pli-Dek and Mer-Kote. See ICC's website for fire rated decking systems,

So many times I go onto decks and find large piles of dried leaves on them; an ember blowing over the hill from a fire nearby would easily ignite such a pile, and the leaves give the flames time to find other flammable items to burn. Clear out gutters of leaves/debris too!

The few minutes spent doing this and other fire clearance prevention measures may help save your home next!