I recently heard that Nature's Specialties, a great manufacturer of all natural grooming products had a fire and their manufacturing facility was damaged. Luckily no one was injured and they are going to rebuild. This immediately took me back to a year ago when my husband and I lost our barn to a fire. We also were blessed that none of our horses were killed and we had insurance.  Today, a year later, we have a brand new barn, healthy horses, happy barn cats and a new "man cave" in the barn where we can watch our horses and entertain friends.

 Remember a fire can wipe out a lifetime of work in a matter of minutes! As I reflected on what Mary Grossman from Nature's Specialties is going through, my prayers go out to her and I know she will come back better and stronger than before.  As a business owner and more importantly as a grooming salon owner I can't stress strongly enough how important it is for everyone to make sure that both their home and business are "fireproofed" as much as possible. Here are some key points that I suggest you follow in making sure that you are operating a safe salon environment. Check with your insurance agent and local fire department for fire safety information and free safety inspection services that they will do for you! 

• Read your insurance policy.  Set an appointment with your agent and make sure you have coverage that protects all of your assets and the contents of all buildings.
• Keep a list in a separate location of all the items that are in your salon. One of the simplest ways to maintain current record of what is in your salon (or your home,  your business or your barn) is walk through with a video camera and record the entire room, opening up closets and cabinets as you go. 
• Make sure you have enough fire extinguishers available and that they are rated for the type of fire that would be typical in your situation.
• Make sure that all electrical outlets are working properly and that your breaker box is not being overloaded by the amount of power used by all the electrical equipment in a typical grooming facility.
• Keep all the vents and any electrical equipment free of dog hair. This would include many of the typical things you find in grooming salons; furnaces, hot water heaters, pet dryers and clothes dryers -- anything with a motor or that involves heat.

A fire can change your life and put you out of business in a matter of minutes, be safe, make sure that you have good equipment, smoke detectors and an alarm system! Call your insurance agent today.

Happy Trimming!

Melissa