Fire Safety!

[GrayBeard]

As a former Volunteer FireFighter I am conscious of this matter.

Do you keep all pressurized spray cans localized in a cabinet?
Are all 'flammables', ie, thinners, solvents, etc. stored in a metal locker?
Do you use a safety can for your wiping materials, rags, paper towels, etc.?

A friend and neighbor is on our local FireFighting service and he has even placed an 'Alert' in the system that shows I have flammables stored in my garage so the response team knows what they are facing if they have to come.

Please review your Fire Safety measures for the protection of you, your family and your FireFighters!

~~~GrayBeard~~~

[Joesawdust]

Great reminder GrayBeard and something a lot of us don't think enough about.
Greg

[cherie]

I never thought about the fire hazard thing.  Thanks for bringing it up.  Our workshop gets so hot, so I keep all cans of everything whether they be pressurized or not in the house tucked in a place where no kids, heat, or cold can get to them.  That would be bad to have one blow up

[jimbo]

A great topic and is often forgotten about, if you are using any finishing oils the cloths must be dried before disposing of, I put mine in a metal tin and when all the material is dry I dispose of it, dust is also another one, all dust should be cleaned up on a regular basis, I never work unless my garage door is open as the air is constantlly being circulated by the 2 extactor fans I have running while working, its cold in the winter but better than being burned to death, think about it members.
Jimbo

[Dragonlord85]

If you want to see what can happen when sawdust meets an ignition source go to the site posted below. Just imagine if this was inside of your shop.

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/12/Sawdust-Explosion-618630.html

[Rightarm]

    Being in the Fire Service for 29 years. I've seen alot of things. I've seen good situations turn really bad in an instant. Its always good to read about fire safety. I need a wake-up call every-so-often. Firefighters are not immune to these dangers. We are people like everybody else. All the posts above are excellent reminders of safety precautions that we all need to take. I would like to add. Keep a Fire Extigusher close. Water Extingusher, or P-Can as we call it for paper, wood only. C02 or Dry Chemical for electrical, flammible liquid etc. Also, My shop is in my garage and its attached to the house. Put in a battery operated smoke detector. And change the battery twice a year. Spring and fall. Stay Safe. Dave

[Marshall]

Heck of a video , thanks ................Marshall

[jimbo]

and another thing if you use a grinder to sharpen tools keep steel wool well away as that too catchs fire very easily.
I try to keep the dust down by putting my vaccume cleaner on blow to clean all the hard to reach ledges, I have my extractor fans on and all the doors open
Jimbo

[jowshu98]

In addition to fire safety many of us also work in our garages during the heating season. If no vehicles or lawn equipment are parked or stored there and you're burning fossil fuels a CO detector would be a good idea as well.