Dave [/quote]

These types of programs are a good effort. When I was with the fire dept, we encouraged residents to inform us (with great success) if there was anything special that we needed to know in advance about their house / outbuildings / property. This type of info can be crucial when lives may be at stake and the luxury of time is short...

[/quote]

I have had mixed feelings about these sorts of reports. I reflexively object to registration of what I might do on my land as long as it isn't an environmental or community hazard.

But I had to question my stand when I did some work on a house that included several 'secret', more hidden really, rooms. I could imagine the house on fire. A babysitter telling the firemen that the child is still inside and the firemen desperately searching in vain because the kid is in cleverly hidden room. Secrets could get someone, you care about or a fireman, killed.

An interior storm room may end up buried under the wreckage of the house. Unless the rescuers know where it is the occupants may remain trapped because everyone takes one look at the destroyed house and concludes that nobody could be alive inside.

If they know about the shelter they could make it a point to dig it out and look.

I'm still not enthusiastic about registering otherwise hidden locations with the local emergency services but I can see that it might be very wise to do so.