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
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