Posted: 8/1/2010 8:56:53 PM EDT
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Question:
For towing, what size and type of fire extinguisher should I carry and where (locally) would I get it? Everett area. Backstory: So the family and I are driving home on 'the 5'  headed North and traffic starts to slow. We see a dust cloud or smoke up ahead. As we get closer it's clear that there is a car on the left median with an engine fire going. I tell my daughter that we have a fire extingiusher behind the truck seat. I start to plan what to do. I figure I'll stop well past the car and go back, put the fire out with my little Home Depot extinguisher and be a hero. Well as we pass the car I see the driver is out and on the cell phone. The hood is shut. The engine compartment is obviously enveloped. Liquid is burning under the engine and the grill is on fire and dripping molten plastic. I figure, there is nothing my little fire extinguisher is going to do for this car which is already a total loss.... So I just keep driving.
But it gets me to thinking. The real reason you carry a fire extinguisher is so that if YOU have a vehicle fire YOU can put it out before YOUR rig gets totalled. I often tow a toy hauler full of dirt bikes and all the attendant fuel and propane tanks and what not and I should probably have more formidable fire fighting equiptment. So what sort of extinguisher should I carry and where (locally) would I get it? Everett area. Is it better to have multiple smaller extinguishers or one larger one? |
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A 10 Lb ABC dry chem is a good size... and bigger that what comes with your toy hauler. I would carry a 2.5 or 5lb in the tow vehicle.
http://www.abc-fire-protection.com/fire-extinguisher-specs.pdf I would think you could get them at Lowe's or home depot... I think they carry "Kiddie" brand (if I spelt that right) Just so you know dry chem is corrosive when used... A CO2 is not but not as effective |
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Just chiming in here... A few years back a group of guys pulling bass boats on I-5 came across a pickup pulling a big camping trailer. The big camping trailer had all of this dudes possessions on board. He just pulled into a rest stop because he was overheating big time. As soon as he stopped, the fire started. We exhausted 5 or 6 small extinguishers. We would knock it down pretty good and it would flare back up again. We ended up evacuating the rest area quickly - as the propane tanks for the trailer were about to go. Ever since that experience I try to get the biggest extinguisher I can fit in the space available.
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Don't expect the fire department to put out a vehicle fire. More than once I've seen them cordon the area and let it burn itself out. You can say that with just about anything now days Surely police don't cordon off school shootings and let the shooter run out of ammo before they enter! 
Oh wait....nevermind 
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Halon. I hit an engine fire with one of these just as the flames were licking out from under the hood in the early 90's. Poof. The fire disappeared. Just like magic. A fly-by-night tow truck driver had tried to prime a carburetor and had dumped more gas on the manifold than he had poured into the carburetor. The gas ignited and things got really interesting really fast. It turned out to be a good day for them, a bad day for me. I still have not had my extinguisher recharged. We use (well, try not to use) dry chemical at the house, but is it ever messy. Halon can be shot through a radiator without even opening the hood, though I have never seen it done. |
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Halon. I hit an engine fire with one of these just as the flames were licking out from under the hood in the early 90's. Poof. The fire disappeared. Just like magic. A fly-by-night tow truck driver had tried to prime a carburetor and had dumped more gas on the manifold than he had poured into the carburetor. The gas ignited and things got really interesting really fast. It turned out to be a good day for them, a bad day for me. I still have not had my extinguisher recharged. We use (well, try not to use) dry chemical at the house, but is it ever messy. Halon can be shot through a radiator without even opening the hood, though I have never seen it done. Can you still get Halon? And if you can can you afford it? |
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Quoted: Halon still appears to be available. The second question has a lot to do with why I never had my extinguisher recharged.Can you still get Halon? And if you can can you afford it? It's another one of life's mysteries. One would think that a car burning to the ground would deplete the ozone layer faster than putting the fire out with Halon, but I guess not.....  |
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This may be extra super obvious, but engine fires are particularly difficult to fight with a fire extinguisher because you can knock down the flames, but you cannot get rid of the the things that are causing the fire: heat, fuel, oxygen. This is what made the halon work so well, but it is very expensive for many people. A big ABC rated extinguisher is your best bet for the money, and maybe more than one. I carry one of those Tundra extinguisher on the bike, and I'm not even sure that would be good for anything.
ETA: I've seen quite a few car fires, having driven truck for a wile, deputy for a while, and I can't remember a single engine fire being fought well with a fire extinguisher. My memory tells me the best they can do is delay the inevitable, or the FD gets there pretty quickly. |
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Know your limits with a fire extinguisher. This. Mace, any product out there readily available (Lowes, HD etc.) are for small fires, or escape and rescue. Plenty of good options above, but seriously, a fire extinguisher in your rig isn't really for puttion out an engine fire, its for knocking down the flames while you either get out, or get someone or something* out (*better be somehting damn important to risk your life for). If you need proof, watch the pros, not the local fire dept, but the rescue crews at the race track, a couple guys in the back of a truck are first responders, 2 start spraying intot he engine compartment, one spraying the driver, driver gets out, the rescue crew GTFA from the car. I'm sure they've got some super duper stuff in their cannisters, but they don't normally go alone with the portable bottles. I have a little ABC bottle at the door of my camping trailer, its not near the beds, but its a tent trailer, if I can't get out the door, we just roll out the sides fo the beds, I can pull the kids out from the sides as well, so don't need the extinguisher to get to them. we don't cook on the stove inside, but I guess if we ever did and had a grease fire its close to that. if the propane system ever goes up, well, C&7 knows how to get in touch with my relatives to give them the GPS location of the lake my guns are in .
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Know your limits with a fire extinguisher. This. Mace, any product out there readily available (Lowes, HD etc.) are for small fires, or escape and rescue. Plenty of good options above, but seriously, a fire extinguisher in your rig isn't really for puttion out an engine fire, its for knocking down the flames while you either get out, or get someone or something* out (*better be somehting damn important to risk your life for). If you need proof, watch the pros, not the local fire dept, but the rescue crews at the race track, a couple guys in the back of a truck are first responders, 2 start spraying intot he engine compartment, one spraying the driver, driver gets out, the rescue crew GTFA from the car. I'm sure they've got some super duper stuff in their cannisters, but they don't normally go alone with the portable bottles. I have a little ABC bottle at the door of my camping trailer, its not near the beds, but its a tent trailer, if I can't get out the door, we just roll out the sides fo the beds, I can pull the kids out from the sides as well, so don't need the extinguisher to get to them. we don't cook on the stove inside, but I guess if we ever did and had a grease fire its close to that. if the propane system ever goes up, well, C&7 knows how to get in touch with my relatives to give them the GPS location of the lake my guns are in .+1 You are not going to be able to put out a car fire with an extinguisher (unless its a small one), you will however be able to hold the flames back to get out or to possibly help someone else get back. Something is better then nothing but remember your safety and your famailys first if you are just stopping along the freeway/hwy to help someone. |
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After a few year the dry chemical in ABC extinguishers will settle, rendering them almost useless until you bonk them on the ground and try again. Good idea to go through and hit the body with a rubber mallet to keep them from surprising you. I've got several around the house and shop that are probably 20years old. I should probably put them on the target heap and replace the lot. Actually, next time I have a nice yard debris fire, I think I'll do a little fire fighting with one and get a little actual trigger time on the extinguisher. Thanks for bringing that to mind. |
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After a few year the dry chemical in ABC extinguishers will settle, rendering them almost useless until you bonk them on the ground and try again. Good idea to go through and hit the body with a rubber mallet to keep them from surprising you. I think it's recommend you turn the dry chem up-side-down and listen to the power move every 6 months. I try to do this with mine and this reminds me I need to do it. |
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After a few year the dry chemical in ABC extinguishers will settle, rendering them almost useless until you bonk them on the ground and try again. Good idea to go through and hit the body with a rubber mallet to keep them from surprising you. I didn't know this. Thanks for the heads up. |
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Don't expect the fire department to put out a vehicle fire. More than once I've seen them cordon the area and let it burn itself out. Thats funny AND true.  It’s amazing the public’s perception, compared to the reality of what is happening. |
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Don't expect the fire department to put out a vehicle fire. More than once I've seen them cordon the area and let it burn itself out. Thats funny AND true. It’s amazing the public’s perception, compared to the reality of what is happening. I don't have a problem with lettin' them burn. Why waste the energy, equipment, product (AFFF etc.), personell, on something thats not going to do any damage (except traffic congestion and ozone depletion  ).
ETA to clarify "Damage"- houses and buildings can catch other houses and buildings on fire, now if the car is in a garage, or close to something else that could catch, ya gotta put that out. |
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Last car fire I saw l lit the hillside on fire, threatening homes nearby,and that used a lot more equipment, man power, and increased the risk of someone getting hurt than if the car fire could have simply been put out. Of course every situation will be different, but it seems there are so many factors that go into a decision of whether fire of a certain kind should be vigorously fought, or not at all.
I'm fairly sure that if my house caught fire, it would burn down, and the FD wouldn't/couldn't do much to stop it. Rural living has its risks. |
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Don't expect the fire department to put out a vehicle fire. More than once I've seen them cordon the area and let it burn itself out. Thats funny AND true. It’s amazing the public’s perception, compared to the reality of what is happening. I don't have a problem with lettin' them burn. Why waste the energy, equipment, product (AFFF etc.), personell, on something thats not going to do any damage (except traffic congestion and ozone depletion ).
ETA to clarify "Damage"- houses and buildings can catch other houses and buildings on fire, now if the car is in a garage, or close to something else that could catch, ya gotta put that out. I'm confused at why you think that the firedepartment thinks that putting a car fire out is a waste of energy,equipment, personel ect..? If someone has told you this, they have misinformed you. That is not the normal SOP for a firedepartment. |
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Halon still appears to be available. The second question has a lot to do with why I never had my extinguisher recharged.
Can you still get Halon? And if you can can you afford it? It's another one of life's mysteries. One would think that a car burning to the ground would deplete the ozone layer faster than putting the fire out with Halon, but I guess not.....
You can still get Halon extinguishers from aviation supply companies. They're expensive though. The Halon that they use comes from recycled fire extinguisher systems. |
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Another note about car fires is that they can be extremely dangerous even if you are careful about staying clear of the flames. Some of the materials used in modern car construction produce highly toxic fumes when they burn. Even firefighters will usually only fight them while wearing SCBA gear.
If the fire is very big then it's better to just let it burn than to try and get in there with your little extinguisher and risk getting a face full of toxic fumes. |
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Don't expect the fire department to put out a vehicle fire. More than once I've seen them cordon the area and let it burn itself out. Thats funny AND true. I think the majority of house fires would be better if left to burn to ash. Seems like it's usually the old crappy houses. Most recent one I saw already had destroyed the contents, and was essentially at its peak. It was put out and now a year later is still a charred ruin not torn down. I pile of white ash would be an improvement. |
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Some of the pickups, started about 6-7 years ago, have a titanium core support. If you have an engine compartment fire and it starts burning I don't think you can put it out. It burns hot and melts most stuff around it. Are you thinking Magnesium. 
Titanium is pretty spendy for a pickup. |
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Don't expect the fire department to put out a vehicle fire. More than once I've seen them cordon the area and let it burn itself out. Thats funny AND true. It’s amazing the public’s perception, compared to the reality of what is happening. I'm pretty sure they really did cordon it off (I didn't just imagine that). Also, I'm sure they stopped putting out effort to fight it (also not imagined). So everything I said wasn't a perception issue, it was true. Now IF I had made a comment about why they chose to let 'em burn, and whether or not it was worth fighting, that could be a perception issue. As we see, others in this thread have done that. I was simply saying what actually happens, because in the end, the result for the vehicle owner is the same, whatever the FDs reason for not fighting the fire. But intentionally, I wasn't making a comment on why or how they should do their jobs.
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Don't expect the fire department to put out a vehicle fire. More than once I've seen them cordon the area and let it burn itself out. Thats funny AND true. It’s amazing the public’s perception, compared to the reality of what is happening. I'm pretty sure they really did cordon it off (I didn't just imagine that). Also, I'm sure they stopped putting out effort to fight it (also not imagined). So everything I said wasn't a perception issue, it was true. Now IF I had made a comment about why they chose to let 'em burn, and whether or not it was worth fighting, that could be a perception issue. As we see, others in this thread have done that. I was simply saying what actually happens, because in the end, the result for the vehicle owner is the same, whatever the FDs reason for not fighting the fire. But intentionally, I wasn't making a comment on why or how they should do their jobs. It was a snide comment, based off limited experience and without consideration of tactics. A broad statement of “don’t expect the fire department to put out a car fire” is not how we work. I take offence because I am one of those guys putting out your car fires. You can expect the fire department to put out a vehicle fire, and any other fire you may have. |
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It was a snide comment, based off limited experience and without consideration of tactics. It wasn't a comment about FDs at all. It was a comment about self sufficiency. An opened ended comment, directed at anyone who will listen, that they should plan to handle their own business and not expect others to always be there to save them. Afterall, that's what the OP was asking about, being able to affect things himself. I've posted enough here that I'm pretty sure I'm on the record as a "take care of your business before hoping for help from others" kinda guy. 
I'm pretty sure that I know the intent of my own comments. I may not be skilled at predicting how it comes off, or at guessing how you'll choose to take it, but I know exactly how I meant it. 
Now, if you still wanna get your panties twisted about it, (even after I REiterate my intent) then you're CHOOSING to be offended. At that point, my give-a-fuck about your widdle feelings disappears. 
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Don't expect the fire department to put out a vehicle fire. More than once I've seen them cordon the area and let it burn itself out. Thats funny AND true. I think the majority of house fires would be better if left to burn to ash. Seems like it's usually the old crappy houses. Most recent one I saw already had destroyed the contents, and was essentially at its peak. It was put out and now a year later is still a charred ruin not torn down. I pile of white ash would be an improvement. Car fires are easy. Sometimes you just use a peircing nozzle through the hood and let it work. |
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Halon still appears to be available. The second question has a lot to do with why I never had my extinguisher recharged.
Can you still get Halon? And if you can can you afford it? It's another one of life's mysteries. One would think that a car burning to the ground would deplete the ozone layer faster than putting the fire out with Halon, but I guess not.....
You can still get Halon extinguishers from aviation supply companies. They're expensive though. The Halon that they use comes from recycled fire extinguisher systems. Marine supply companies too. Pretty expensive though. |
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Halon still appears to be available. The second question has a lot to do with why I never had my extinguisher recharged.
Can you still get Halon? And if you can can you afford it? It's another one of life's mysteries. One would think that a car burning to the ground would deplete the ozone layer faster than putting the fire out with Halon, but I guess not.....
You can still get Halon extinguishers from aviation supply companies. They're expensive though. The Halon that they use comes from recycled fire extinguisher systems. Marine supply companies too. Pretty expensive though. I know a guy that dumped halon in a main engine enclosure during a drill. 
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