Smoke detectors

 There is a LOT of talk in model railroading about fire safety these days. So I’m installing more smoke detectors in the layout room. This is old news. I’m building a great deal of my scenery with foam. This, too, is old news. But let me tell you a story.

As most of you know, because I go to great lengths to tell EVERYONE about it,  I worked in the movie industry building scenery. I worked on the movie “Grinch”. 

I worked on the post office for Whoville (Stage 16), the mountain the Grinch lived on (Stage 27),  and I did a great deal of work on the Main Street in Whoville (Stage 12). When measured by floor space Stage 12 at Universal is the largest stage in Hollywood. Everyone thinks it’s 16 at Warner Bros., but that’s because 16 is SO TALL.

ANYWAY, a huge percentage of the scenery on the Grinch was built with foam. 

Now I know the perception of time is always skewed in your mine, especially in an emergency, but when I first saw the flames on the Grinch, when the fire started on Stage 12, those flames were maybe 2” tall. A strong cigarette lighter in size. I turned away to get an extinguisher and when I got back in 20-30 SECONDS, those flames had grown to 33’ tall, and were releasing smoke the consistency of chocolate syrup. The smoke was black, dense, heavy, choking, and all the way down to the floor. 

DO NOT MESS AROUND WITH FIRE IN YOUR HOME.

You will, in all likelihood never have any trouble. So just to ensure that you don’t, have smoke detectors in the train room. Place several fire extinguishers around the layout room. Before each session, take fifteen seconds and go over their location. 

A safety talk before each session is not over-reacting, or needless. It is one of those fundamentals I think you should go over before every session.

Like the rule for the day. Today’s rule is 108, “Always choose the safe course of action”. 

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