Thread: Fire extinguishers

Originally Posted by Xavie

What size should I be considering? Should I go for 2 rather then one?

Xav

Mate - I have 3 in my truck. 1 by the feet of driver and 1 by the feet of the passanger and one in the rear near the door. I also take them out every so often and bounce them so they dont compact. - Size???? well the bigger the better - so 1kg or 1.5 at a minimum. Dont worry about get one with the hose IMHO as the nozzle is good enough. All of mine are the 1kg size.

I've extinguished a fully involved car with a 1.5kg DCP.

I think this quote is a little ambitious, as has been said once the fire has a hold on plastics/rubber etc then there is no way you are going to 'extinguish' it with a couple of 1.5kg DCPs.

Martyn

I carry two 1Kg, like Blknight. Only coz they came as a special in a 2 pack from Bunnings.
I have one mounted on the rear door, and the other in the rear cargo area. Ideally i'd like to put one up near the driver but never found a practical way to do it in a Disco. I want to cover the possible fires from camping stoves as well as the car.

Stopped at a car fire on the freeway one day. Was some sort of European sports car. Flames well underway under the bonnet. I offered my extinguisher but the guy said he had already tried 2 or 3 offered by other passers by, to no effect. Spraying the top of the bonnet was pointless and there was no way to safely open the bonnet, so we let it burn.

Fireys arrived 10 min later and doused it with POW*

Car was a total write off by that time.

So I am aware now the small extinguishers are limited in their use, although better than nothing I suppose.

(*plain old water- lots of it )

We saw a Nissan Navara type ute thing and camper burnt right out end to end a couple of years ago on the Kalumbaru Road.
I wouldn't have known what sort of vehicle it was if the people at Drysdale River Station hadn't told me.
Not sure if a small extinguisher would have made much difference to that fire as it was just so intense even part of the engine looked as if it'd melted. The only really recogniseable items were the gas bottles still sitting on the A frame.
I carry a 1kg and this thread has reminded me to give it a good shake up every now and again.
Hope never to be involved in a vehicle fire as once they take hold they're very difficult to stop and having seen a bloke who I'd known at school after he, or rather his body, had been tipped out of a burnt out car one night, I truly hope I never am. Horrible sight.
Alan.

Originally Posted by Bushie

I think this quote is a little ambitious, as has been said once the fire has a hold on plastics/rubber etc then there is no way you are going to 'extinguish' it with a couple of 1.5kg DCPs.

Martyn

Thanks Martyn, I wasn't aware that 14yrs of experience as an Urban Firefighter also made me a liar.....

I have put one out with a 9kg that my ESC at the time thought there was no hope of putting out with an extinguisher. Tecnique and a lot of luck helped.
I would probablly use the word contain rather than extinguish though because of the risk of reignition.
As I said it can be done with a 1kg 1.5kg if intervention is early enough. Generally though by the time we get to car fires they have been burning 5-10 minutes sometimes longer and as the car is gone is more about containment than extinguishment at this point.
I also advise people to do a fire extinguisher course if possible and learn how to use one. If anyone in my area wants to I can run these.
Cheers
CraigE

on almost any vehicle a strategically applied dry chem 1kg extinguisher can beat out a fully engulfed engine compartment. (providing it hasnt defeated the firewall or consumed the fuel lines)

IF youve got a cab fire and everyone is out and the glass is still in tact your in with a fighting chance of beating one of them as well.

but most of the times Ive seen them applied they get shot at the flames that are licking out and not where it counts.

Originally Posted by Treads

Thanks Martyn, I wasn't aware that 14yrs of experience as an Urban Firefighter also made me a liar.....

I wasn't aware I was calling you a liar, it certainly wasn't my intention. I suspect our interpretations of "fully involved car" may be different.


Martyn