Should I tell the Fire Department where my guns and reloading equipment is located?

[WoodyTX]

The title says it all, really. New house, new safe, new reloading setup. Should I tell the local FD where my firearms and reloading components are?

Plus side - If they ever have to put out a fire, they'll know to throw some foam in that area. They'll also know which side of the house to stay away from.

Negative side - I'm telling someone else where all my valuables are!

Thoughts? Feedback? I'd especially like to hear from any firefighters, to see if this is useful information or not.

 

[russ69]

No.

 

[General Geoff]

Unless you have a large stockpile of black powder, there's no explosion hazard.

 

[NavyLCDR]

How would you expect them to remember the information once you gave it to them?

 

[Tim the student]

Only if your house is actually on fire.

This is the only time I would do it.

 

[ghostwriter]

OK, go ahead and tell them... and in say... oh about 8 years you have a fire. Do you think ANYONE at the firedept would even know you had a reloading space? I would think they really don't care, but an unscrupulous employee might sell that info to someone else who would break in and take a closer look... without the fire.

My answer. Keep your mouth shut about it to anyone... especially the gov't agencies.

 

[788Ham]

Sure you tell them where everything is....... they're sworn in as officers of society, their uncle is the Pope! Give them the combo to the safe while you're at it. D'oh !

 

[grumpy66]

My local fire chief is friends with my sister and BIL.
They were at my house for beer and barbeque one weekend, and got to talking guns.
The fire chief said he would leave town if my house ever lit up.

 

[InkEd]

To answer your question... NO.

 

[twofifty]

SAAMI guidelines

Just follow the SAAMI components storage guidelines:

"Sporting Ammunition Primers: Properties, Handling, and Storage For Handloading".

Putting your faith in the competency and logic of a public agency rather than your own common sense can lead to disappointment.

 

[JTHunter]

Woody - "grilledcheese" and "ghostwriter" were absolutely correct. Don't go "asking" for trouble!

 

[Gromky]

Agreed, no reason to contact them. They aren't keeping records of every house they may visit in an emergency, much less consulting said list when the alarm starts blaring.

Now, if there is a fire...that should probably be the second information out of your mouth, behind the location of trapped family members. Honestly, the powder may not be any worse than the stack of volatile and flammable chemicals almost everyone has stored somewhere.

 

[Kendal Black]

There was an NRA report on this. Anyone have a reference?

Unconfined, not in a chamber and barrel, cartridges just cook off, not developing significant velocity, and smokeless powder containers (by design) just rupture and the powder incinerates.

This was put to rest 20-30 years ago.

What you are going to get, if you tell the firemen you have a reloading setup, is a lot of requests for cartridges. "My grandpa left me a German 7.62x51 Rimmed and I can't find cartridges anywhere..."

 

[doc2rn]

At most I would put a copy of the national safety and transport of hazardous materials sticker on the window for the product being stored there in. They know what those signs mean, and how to read and react to them. Plus they can never say it wasnt posted, which covers you.

 

[merlinfire]

There's very little danger with modern powders, I'm told.

But the danger of the Fire Department refusing to go within a quarter mile of your residence while on fire is definitely there.

 

[mljdeckard]

Yes, if you deliberately torch smokeless powder, it is quite disappointing. Primers go like firecrackers.

 

[deacon8]

As a necessity, no; as a principle, no.

First, what's it even going to prevent.

And second, I don't want anyone knowing where my guns are, especially people with "authority." I guess I just know too much about history, and how it has a funny way of repeating itself.

 

[Mt Shooter]

Unless you have a large stockpile of black powder, there's no explosion hazard.

define large +/- one keg?

 

[mljdeckard]

It's mostly whether or not it's confined.

 

[MtnCreek]

SAAMI has a publication on a test that was performed on burning structures with hugh quantities of small arms munitions. You can find it on their website. It's a really handy thing to have for anyone that wants to get a firearms business zoned for their home as well.

 

[grubbylabs]

Having worked for a fire department I can tell you that sometimes they do take notes about what is in a residence.

I would not worry about most folks at a fire station coming to search your house or rob you blind.

After all these are folks we pay to risk their lives to save ours. And for over 70% of our country they don't get paid, they are volunteers.

I would and did go find the station that is first in for your residence and talk to a captain on duty and see what they want to know. You don't have to tell them where it is, but it can dictate how they attack the house fire, if they at least know you have powder and primers in large quantities.

And yes they will respond, they have too.

 

[geekWithA.45]

While I would never hide a bona fide danger from the FD, I have encountered enough anecdotal information over the years to make me deeply suspicious that some fire officials are sufficiently ignorant so as to be demotivated to extinguish fires in the presence of more than trivial amounts of ammo.

 

[JoeMal]

No; this is why I insure my guns. They don't even need to know where I keep them

 

[CraigC]

Absolutely not, under any circumstances.

 

[content]

Hello friends and neighbors // If there were firefighters saving my house.

First: I would tell them the location of any firearms with a round in the chamber and the direction the muzzle is pointing. (muzzle down in my house)

Second: The location of gun powder, propane tanks for camping and ammo.
These are stored in ammo cans inside a locked metal trunk/box.