[TenTec] equipment storage?

[Stuart Rohre]

As an long time fireman, I will mention something to hams needing to 
store things, or to display things.

Heaven forbid you ever have a fire, but hot smoke and gases collect near 
the ceiling, and affect anything stored high, first.  Awards on walls, 
cards, gear stored on upper shelf of a closet may be exposed to products 
of combustion, and even flames.

I have seen clothes survive in a closet, which had its door tightly 
closed, even when most of the room was totally destroyed.  This 
particular house fire was in the home of a retired military man, who was 
very strict with his children, on keeping their closets closed at all 
times.  But, the least affected area of the closet re smoke was down 
low, near the floor, under the hanging clothes.

We found all the closets and clothes intact, even in a bedroom that was 
so hot that decorative candles melted on cabinet tops.
That saved most of their clothing when all but one wing of three burned.

Sheet rock used in home construction can be a very good insulator, for a 
time.  Of course, it can be weakened by water, when firefighting streams 
are used.  Good fire training has us direct our water as a fog upward 
into the ceiling area of an involved room; hopefully with a dramatic 
stopping of the fire when steam snuffs it out, by reducing the 
concentration of oxygen in the room.  That one fire taught our 
department to be aware of closets so as to lessen damage to their fire 
resistance.

There is a risk in all things, and even my idea of insulating by 
styrofoam cooler, has the risk of how the styrofoam reacts to a fire.

It may be worth it to rent a fire resistant storage closet in one of the 
commercial storage locations that has everything from garage sized 
storage to narrow closet like compartments.

Safety to all, and check your smoke detectors on some easy to remember 
schedule like a holiday.

Stuart Rohre
K5KVH