Fire Extinguishers

[Keggy]

Please make sure you have one. We just had a small electrical fire in our house last night. I realized as the refrigerator was on fire and I was on the phone with 911 that we did not have one. Frankly, it is stupid on my part as my mother and step father were both volunteer fire fighters for many years. So, I should know better.

Regardless, please make it a priority to go and get one.

I am thankful all we lost was our refrigerator and of course we just went to Sam's Club last night. But, it could have been much,much worse. I am very thankful. Our fire department responded very quickly although it seemed like hours, it was only several minutes. The fire chief said we were lucky that a few more minutes it would have spread to the cabinets. Thankfully our smoke dectectors woke us up and we were able to see the smoke and the flames coming from underneath our refrigerator.

The worst part of the whole thing was that I was trying to get my cats and one ran out the front door and got up underneath my neighbor's truck. Thankfully, she was safe at least and she is now out and safe back in the house. It just took some coaxing to get her out. I was scared about not being able to get to her as she is an indoor cat.

Does anyone know how to get the smell of burnt plastic out of the house? I have all of the windows open to get some cross ventilation going, but I was wondering if anyone knew of any tricks.


Thanks,
Kelly

 

[MushyMushy]

That must have been so scary! I'm glad everyone was okay.

That reminds me, we didn't check our smoke alarm batteries during the last daylight savings time. We do have two extinguishers -- one upstairs and one in the kitchen.

 

[Andy B]

A fire extinguisher can be a double edged sword, you have to make sure that you are using the correct one, ie CO2, water, halon, foam, all of which would apply to different types of fires and they can also give a false sense of security when people think they can deal with a fire when they can't and thus they put themselves in peril.

 

[Keggy]

MushyMushy - thank you! It is a priority today to go out and buy a couple!

Andy - I didn't realize there were all different kinds - that is how clueless I am. I am just thankful for the firemen that came and took care of everything!

We are thankful that our smoke detectors worked and woke us up!

 

[budbeerlady]

Also make sure everyone knows how to use it! I actually know someone who didnt know how to use it here at work one day when the wood chips caught fire. You need to pull the pin and they had no idea how to use it when the time came.

 

[minnieandme]

I have one but you just reminded my to go home and check it since it's been a few years since I bought it.

 

[mtdevine615]

They do make many different types of extinguishers, but for your need a general purpose A,B,C one should be fine. The other you need to do after you get one is know how to use it. No time to be reading the directions when your kitchen is on fire. And the first thing you always want to do is call 911.

 

[SamRoc]

My dh and I own a fire extinguisher company here in Brooklyn, its been in his family for 50 years. And 3 of my brother in laws are NYC firemen. In addition to the right type and amount of fire extinguishers you need in your home, its also so important to have carbon monoxide detectors. Stay safe everyone!

 

[mylilnikita]

Glad everyone is all right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A few years ago shortly after my DF passed away, I was cooking on the stove top which is in the counter top and the oven is in the wall. He always told me to make sure that the drip pans and underneath them are kept clean. Well so much had happened, I forgot and I was cooking and there was a small flame that jumped from the coil to the pot, burned the pot and was a ring of fire around the coil.
This is going to sound stupid, but I wasn't thinking in the mist of telling my DM and DD to get out, I was going to throw water on it, yes stupid, but something told me don't do that, I went to the pantry and whipped out the kitchen fire extinguisher as my DD was outside on the phone with 911. And it got the fire out.
Not even 3 minutes later, we live near a fire department they came. I was telling them about the extinguisher how it was several years old and actually was told I was lucky it worked. We have always had them in the house since we moved here. 1 in the garage for a garage, 1 for the kitchen, 2 more in the rest of the house near the bedrooms.
I had learned how to use a fire extinguisher years before at work and can't believe how fast it came back to me even though the extinguishers are checked monthly with that little pop up tester.
And yes, I now am very dilgent about the stove.