Originally Posted by RICK FITZPATRICK
You're joking of course? Imagine curtains catching fire. Which will burn off quick. However, imagine another scenario.
You have 12 fabric covered panels on the walls, and 2 fabric covered clouds on the ceiling.
Like most HR enthusiasts, you also have designed your room for recording, not safety. You also didn't get a permit/inspection when installing the electrical. Not being an electrician, you inadvertantly place two out of phase circuits in the same room. One of these is a 15 amp lighting circuit fed from an adjacent room outlet, tied with an outlet in the studio to feed the musicians equipment. You also didn't use a lever latchset on the door, but managed to put a double keyed deadbolt which you lock when recording, but do not think ahead and remove the key.
You have 4 people, a set of drums, 3 amps, your recording gear and various other things in a small room. Unaware that the circuit you tied into for the lights is also feeding a freezer in the next room which was installed by the previous owner also without permit. However, he tied in the circuit with a j'box and a 14 gauge extension cord. You must pass through this room, which the previous owner added to the house, to get into the studio.
The musicians are playing, you are recording, and the freezer compressor kicks on. Unbeknownst to you, the circuit is holding, but the 14 ga wire is overheating at a cable clamp in the J box. At some point, the extention cord vinyl jacket melts, and the conductors short together and arc...oops, the previous owner didn't put a cover on the J box either, which allows the arc ignite the adjacent wood chips from drilling a hole in a stud for the wire. Now, when the wires shorted, it throws the circuit breaker that feeds your lights as well as the musicians equipment too. The music stops as does the light. Well, this is a studio, and you have no windows, but you do have total darkness now. Hmmm, whats going on.
You tell the musicians to hold on while you check the breaker. You fumble around looking for the key to the deadbolt. Hmmm, its not in your pocket. Now what did you do with that key. Hmmm, 5 minutes pass while you fumble around in the dark trying to feel for the key you set someplace. Wait,. what is that? You smell something...Meanwhile..
the fire easily climbs the stud, as he also didn't bother to nail in a fireblock in the wall. Nor did he use drywall as a shiething. Since this was "only" a utility room, he used 1/8 ply with a vinyl coating. Ahhhh, but you used 2 layers 1/2" drywall with a 45 minute fire rating each on your side of the wall. Now the fire easily burns through the ply and spreads. The whole wall in the adjacent room is now on fire, as the vinyl melts filling the room with viscious hot smoke which is now spreading to other areas of the house. Now it burns through the 1/8 ply ceiling, and fills the attic smoke, and the structural framing catches fire now.
Meanwhile the musicians are smelling smoke and begin to yell and panic, as they are in the dark and get disoriented. One finds his way to the door and grasps the knob which is now 400 degrees, blistering his hand. He screams in pain, turns and trips over a cord and falls, blocking the small aisle between the drums and an amp. The rest of the musicians are totally panicing as are you. Now you find the key, but are unaware of the fire burning through the wall at the joints in the drywall, which were not even taped. Simply covered with mud. The fire now reaches a nylon fabric covered absorber panel. It burst into flames, lighting the room, while all the musicians are beginning to cough and scream, which no one hears because of sound Transmission loss construction. Now the fire jumps to the ceiling panels which allow melting nylon to drip on the people below, lighting their clothing on fire, and sticking to skin. Screams fill the air while you try to get to the door..which is blocked by the others...you scream to get out of the way to unlock the door, which you are unaware is engulfed in flames on the opposite side. You make it to the door and try to insert the key, only to burn your hand on the deadbolt housing...you scream as you try to insert the key without touching the housing again....luck is with you, and the key turns...but now you have to grab the latch handle and turn it..without thinking you grab it.......screaming again...if only you had used a LEVER latch set..........you now are being overwhelmed by the others, who are clamboring over you to get out, one who is now screaming from the clothing on fire..wrestling on the floor to put it out...total panic...you grab the handle again from total fear regardless of the heated latch..it instantly burns your hand but you quickly turn it, only to have the backdraft of the fire blow the door open and knocks everyone back....there is no escape...the room is totally engulfed in flames.........
Improbable if not mpossible you say....think again.. people die every year from Murphy induced scenarios mostly caused by non inspection of electrical and ignored building code construction. Add flamable materials on walls and ceilings and you add to the probability that someone may get hurt, especially in closed off spaces with only a door for egress, such as a studio. No wonder you have to get a special permit for NO WINDOW construction.
Murphy is ALWAYS around, just waiting for the slightest lack of forethought,
laziness, or just plain stupidity. Just ask those who buried their loved ones because of it.
fitZ
