Dear Lee,

We have written about how to protect antiques when there are floods and storms and other disasters. But this is for a minor problem that can still cause stress, hard physical work, and much expense — a kitchen fire. Smoke alarms saved us, but follow-up was worse than we expected.

1) Thursday morning. The security system alarm said, “Low battery fire alarm” so I called for service. They promised to fix it on Monday. I insisted on immediately, so Friday at 3 a service man came and replaced the battery.

2) Later Friday morning. First tip: Insist on immediate security alarm repairs or rush out, buy and install the needed battery. Looking back, I wonder why I was so adamant. I had never had a fire.

3) Saturday afternoon. A predicted major snow storm had started. Decided to make chili, put the ground beef in a heavy pan on a low setting to brown, and went back to work on the newsletter in my home office. Suddenly sirens were screaming all over the house and I remembered — cooking! — I rushed to the smoke-filled kitchen, put the lid on the flaming pot and turned on the fan. Second tip: Put out the fire if possible, call the alarm or fire department, and then leave the area. The fire might spread, and the smoke is unhealthy. The alarms kept screaming and an alarm system strobe light on the front porch was showing the way for the firemen. I called the alarm again to turn off the alarms. They explained the alarms wouldn’t go off until the smoke cleared. Since I live on a main street, I called the local fire and police departments to say I didn’t need help. But I was told the fire department had to come to be sure the fire was out. I opened the office door to the blowing snow, turned on the fan, ran around the house closing inside doors and turning on bathroom fans, and braved the smoke to turn the kitchen fan up to high.

A few minutes later, three firemen were at my door. “We see you have smoke and we can help clear the house.” They had a huge fan and a very long electric cord that could reach every room in the house from the fire engine. I learned I really did need the help. They went to every room in the house and opened a window or door. Their huge fan was able to clear the light smoke in the front rooms of the house and most of the kitchen smoke in about an hour. Then to my surprise, they mopped my front hall (wet from snowy boots) and made sure they moved everything back in place. They waited about 30 minutes, then closed and locked every exterior door and window, turned off every fan, and made sure I could walk upstairs with no trouble.

To be continued . . . The Clean Up
Terry Kovel