I suffer enough angst over my garage—it’s a mess, the car won’t fit, there’s tons of stuff to sort through, I need a garage sale and an organization system. But, a recent Money Pit article really gives me pause: I didn’t think about the impact of all that junk on my home’s fire safety. Think about it—all those paints, chemicals, toys and stored goods sitting together, getting jostled, bumped, and shoved around to make room for bikes and sports equipment? I really need to get everything flammable into its own metal storage closet. That’s a goal I can achieve. Then I need to make sure that the firewall between my garage and my house is intact. Like may garages, ours has been modified to include storage. That’s only a problem if the fire retardant barrier between the house and garage has been disrupted. Drywall that is removed and stairs cut into the attic open the way for fire to travel between the garage and house. Code specifies that there be protection between the two spaces because storing a car is already a risk. So please, look at your garage and think about safety. We need to be more aware of what we’re storing and how we protect our homes and families from fire.
Fire Safety for the Garage
