Switch to Safety !
Now most ham gear is run from 12 Volts internally but it's still a good idea to switch off before taking off the covers and working on a rig.
But that isn't what this post is about.
I've lived on Washington Island, WI for over 25 years now. In my memory there have been two serious fires, both in unoccupied buildings. The first fire was a summer home - the cause was attributed to a television set. The second fire was at the local bakery, after hours. The cause there was attributed to a credit card reader. Both fires were total losses.
Maybe the 21st century version of "Switch to Safety !" should involve turning off unused electrical stuff, especially when no one is there to mind it. Modern appliances often do not have "real" power switches, they just get switched from a high level of power usage to a low level . This is for the convenience of the user, however I see nothing convenient about a total loss due to a fire !
Now maybe it's because I'm careful with my money :) but I always turn off my various electrical gizmos when they are not in use. I used to use power strips for this but lately I've added another method of switching, the Leviton 1470-I:
There are some exceptions to "turn it off when not in use" in my house, the telephone answering machine is always on as is the cordless phone. I need to think about that, maybe another power strip is in order ? :)
I haven't investigated Arc Fault Current Interrupters which are supposed to sense faults below the rated current of a normal circuit breaker and prevent bad things from happening.
But for me it's hard to beat a mechanical switch: turn everything off when not in use !
Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY