ConstructionDeal.com Update

Don’t let this happen to you this summer as you enjoy grilling with friends and family. Our graphic artist at ConstructionDeal.com has a devastating version of a BBQ she doesn’t wish on anyone.

Last summer, Heidi and her roommate invited a few friends over to their condo for a late-afternoon BBQ. At one point, the men were outside grilling and smoking cigars on the deck while the women were inside making the salads. While the meat and portobellos finished grilling, everyone headed inside to prepare plates and start feasting. About 4 minutes later, they heard fire truck sirens and realized they could smell smoke but didn’t concern themselves with it. As the sirens got progressively louder, they all looked outside and saw that the deck was a huge orange fireball!

Everyone started yelling, someone grabbed a fire extinguisher... but even after 4 extinguishers and several attempts, the flames were unaffected. Seconds later, the firemen burst in and ran to the deck and quickly got the situation under control.

Later, the firefighters were able to figure out how the fire started. It appears that a cigar, which wasn't completely extinguished, rolled out of the ashtray and ignited a nearby, full charcoal bag - hence why the fire was so massive and escalated so quickly. The fire damage included half of the deck, part of the neighbor’s deck, as well as the awning and a portion of the roof. The firemen had to cut through the walls to make sure the fire wasn’t smoldering inside the structure.

Before they could begin the repairs, they needed to figure out if their insurance or Home Owner's Association would cover the damages. Their insurance believed it was the responsibility of the HOA but the HOA thought the opposite, so it took nearly a year to resolve the situation.

Once the insurance issues were resolved, they hired a contractor to handle all the repairs. Heidi learned much from the experience and now stresses the importance of knowing where your fire extinguishers are and making sure your smoke detectors are in working order.

She recommends knowing what your insurance will cover and if you have a Home Owner's Association, to know what they will cover so you're not in the dark about responsibility. Finally, please don’t put out cigars or cigarettes anywhere near a charcoal bag!

Have a happy, safe and fun Fourth of July!

Keep Us In Mind
If you have any... problems during your holiday celebrations, we can help you find quality fire and smoke damage repair pros. It's a free services - just tell us about your damage restoration project and we'll match you to local contractors. There's no obligation to hire anyone, but it's a fast and easy way to connect with service professionals in your area.

Labels: burned deck, Fire Safety

Whether you're building a new home, adding on to your existing home, or simply want to protect your family and your assets in your current house -- you need to consider residential fire sprinklers.

Fires in American homes killed more than 3000 people in 2006.

One would think that all the talk of fire safety, smoke alarms, and in-home fire extinguishers that the numbers might be going down.

What is the problem? According to a recent study provided by Underwriters Laboratories (the U.L. on nearly all electronic equipment) and The Fire Protection Research Foundation.

From their site:

The $700,000 joint study systematically investigated the characteristics of smoke and how materials used in modern residential settings have changed the way fires behave in homes. The year-long Smoke Characterization Project studied 27 synthetic and natural materials and various combinations of materials now more commonly found in homes.

Their study reveals that there are fewer natural materials in our homes today. We used to have furniture, window treatments, rugs, and other household items made from cotton, wool, silk, rubber, linen, etc. But now... homes are filled with plastics, polyester, rayon, and more.

In the study, they burned a lot of the synthetic materials found in a typical American home to see how they would react in a fire. Items were set aflame individually and together. Couches, mattresses, carpeting, even appliances were burned to test burn rates and smoke composition.

According to their study - fires in homes burned hotter and faster and smoldered longer because of the increase in synthetic materials:

The study also concluded that because fires could grow more rapidly, the time needed to escape some types of fires has been reduced from approximately 17 minutes to as little as three minutes in certain situations.Three minutes is not very long. In any situation.

A remedy for this could be the installation of a fire sprinkler system in new homes and a retrofit in existing homes.

• Fire sprinklers react quicker to a fire and usually have the blaze completely out in the time it would take for the fire department to arrive on scene.
• Sprinklers use less water (by as much as 80% in most cases) than the average fire department trying to put out your fire.
• Systems are not nearly as expensive to install as most think. In a new construction, it's usually around $1 per square foot. Retrofit costs can run from $2 to $5 per square foot and may go as high as $10 per if the work needed is more specialized and difficult.
• Homes with fire sprinklers installed generally pay a much lower insurance premium than those without, helping the system to pay for itself.
  
• All sprinkler heads do not come on at once. Usually one head comes on in the location of the fire and that is enough to put out the flames.
  

Adding a fire sprinkler system to your home appears to be a priority now more than ever. The U.L. study proves that fires are moving faster and burning hotter than ever before. It's important for you to protect your home and protect your family.

RELATED POSTS:
Cost of Fire Sprinkler Installations
Fire Sprinkler FAQs: Do they all come on at once?
Fire Sprinkler Water Damage?

If you'd like to talk with a fire sprinkler company to get an estimate on installing them in your home, we're here to help. You can post your request on ConstructionDeal.com for free. We'll connect you with local sprinkler system installers.

It's a fast, free, and easy way to find a local professional!

Labels: Fire Safety, Fire Sprinkler Systems

Do me a favor. This weekend, I want you to take some time and inspect your home to make sure you're ready in case of a fire emergency. It's long overdue and you know it. Protect yourself, your family, and your property.

FIRE SAFETY CHECKLIST:

- Get rid of all the oily rags in your garage. Now.

- Check the lamps in your home. Find the maximum wattage rating. Make sure the light bulb does not exceed that rating. If you can't find it, take the lamp to a lighting store for recommendations.

- Look for frayed, loose, worn, or old electrical or power cords on all electronic equipment. Replace as needed.

- When you're checking your power cords -- feel each cord by hand. Is it hot? Relatively warm to the touch? Not always a good sign. It could be that the cord is overloaded or just old. If it's overloaded and continues to overheat, it could lead to wire fatigue and, then... fire.

- Can you remember when the last time was that your replaced the batteries in your smoke detector? No? Replace 'em. Pronto. Wipe down or dust the detector to keep it free from contaminates (don't use any cleaning agents or solvents on it.)

- Wait -- you don't have smoke detectors? Get thee to a home improvement store post-haste... (that means NOW!) And get a CO (carbon monoxide) detector - put it on a wall near your master bedroom, from about 1 foot off the ground to about face level to make sure it works properly. I think they also have combo CO and smoke detectors.

- Don't smoke in bed. Don't smoke on the sofa, when you're tired... Um, don't smoke period.

- Get a new fire extinguisher from any home store. Have at least one for every 500 to 600 square feet in your home. If you've already got them, check them out and make sure they'll still charged.

If you think you might want to install fire sprinklers in your home, we've got your covered! Go to ConstructionDeal.com and submit a request - for free - and get 4 quotes from fire sprinkler installers.

It's a fast and easy way to find sprinkler companies. And there is no obligation to hire anyone from our service. And... sprinklers could save your life and your property.

Labels: Fire Safety, Fire Sprinkler Systems