Fire Extinguisher...get one!

@Fire252fighter thanks. I will have some more questions when I have time and may even start another post. Will tag you for input to correct the mistakes

 

The best I have seen so far is Cold Fire.
I kinda liked what @Mr. Torgue said in another thread. Basically if the vehicle is engulfed destroying the electronics is going to be the least of concern.
Something like that Mr. T?

 

Storage recommendations for Cold Fire are temperatures from 32F to 120F. Pretty much rules out half of the year around here.

While I agree with Mr T, if a car is engulfed I don't think any small portable extinguisher will do much good. And the really small sizes most people here seem carry they are just "feel good" accessories since they will barely take care of a burning waste basket. I'm now leaning toward a 5 lb BC sodium bicarbonate extinguisher. Its far more likely that I will need to extinguish a fire that occurs while wrenching on a truck or an empty vehicle than actually using it to save a life. No sense totaling a vehicle with an ABC in those cases. And I think the BC should do almost as good a job in a real emergency. But I would like to hear from Fire252fighter.

 

Nice.
Watching closely.

 

Pretty much, the additional damage, if there's any, from the dry chem, will most likely pale in comparison to the damage actually caused by the flames themselves.

 

Over the past 30 years, I have used "feel good" extinguishers probably half a dozen "good Samaritan" times. In "almost" every instance they were automotive related and performed admirably and kept a bad situation from getting worse. "Feel good" for me is 2.5lb ABC, monoammonium phosphate dry chemical. As pointed out, better to actually have something other than good intentions.

 

Both abc and bc have there downfalls when worring about totaling a vehicle. I think either are fine to carry as both will put out a fire. I carry abc as I can refill and charge them at my station.

1. Hazards of ABC and BC extinguishers
2. You should be aware that the BC extinguisher does leave a mildly corrosive residue that must be cleaned up right away to prevent any damage to materials. To clean up, try vacuuming, sweeping or flushing with water. The ABC extinguisher leaves behind a sticky residue that can wreak havoc on electrical appliances, like computers.

The biggest reason small as you guys have put it "feel good extinguishers" don't work is user error. Not saying that ppl that are not fire fighters can't put out a fire. But I have pulled up to many car fires at or near a gas station and had ppl emptying mult 5 pound extinguishers on a closed hood just shooting the flames escaping between hood and gender or windshield. Hitting the base of the fire and getting the product up under the hood is key.

 

Sry that was kinda long. But summary either dry Chem has its ups and downs.
Small is better than none
Bigger is great but without some effort/skill it's just more powder laying on the side of the road

 

Story time

A few years back a drunk driver was speeding down a road, lost control and smashed into a vehicle. The driver and front passenger were knocked unconscious, the child in the rear seat was not. The vehicle burst into flames. A passerby pulled the 2 front seat occupants out of the vehicle not knowing there was another passenger in the rear because of the flames and the other occupants were unconscious. The child did not survive. The passerby who pulled the 2 adults out of the vehicle commited suicide a few years later. Nobody knows why.

I'm not saying a fire extinguisher would have changed the outcome of that situation, but it could have.

 

Well that just destroyed my up beat mood.

 

What would you do with a fire under a closed or buckled hood? That seems to be a fairly common scenario. The one time I was involved with a situation like that they popped the hood latch so it was cracked open and shot a dry chemical into the space. About that time somebody showed up with a pair of gloves and they were able to open the hood and then directly extinguish the fire.

 

Typically the first thing that goes is the plastic fender wells. Crouch aiming above the tire you can hit the under side of the hood which will coat the engine bay. Bouncing from driver to passenger side.
If they are not melted away should be able to pop the hood enough to get between grill and hood same idea.

Same thing I would do when first arriving with a fire truck. Hit the wheel wells with water while someone else is popping the hood with tools.

In my post I was referring to a fully envolved engine. And ppl shooting the dry Chem across the opening doing nothing. Common mistake but happens more than you would think

 

Sorry, didn't read the thread, but I concur with the title.
I carry 3,
H3R Performance Halguard

$400 HG250C H3R Performance HalGuard Clean Agent Car Fire Extinguisher - 2.5 lb. Chrome(HG250C)

HG250C - 2.5lb Halotron® 1 Clean Agent. Pictured below
H3R Performance Halguard

$300 HG100C H3R Performance HalGuard Clean Agent Car Fire Extinguisher - 1.4 lb. Chrome (HG100C)

HG100C - 1.4lb Halotron® 1 Clean Agent. In Back Door Pocket in Cab
H3R Performance MX500R - 5lb Dry Chemical (Re-branded Amerex B402T) - Currently on Back Floor, Moving to Bed in the Spring.
The Clean Agents Extinguishers have a better chance of putting out a fire under a closed hood,
as they are a gas that disperses everywhere and displaces the oxygen.
They also do not block your vision, cause no thermal shock, dissipate rapidly and leave no residue.
Similar to Guns and Parachutes, if you need one and don't have one, you may never need one again.
GET ONE!
OR MORE!

EDIT: These replaced the cheap one I used, putting out a buddy's truck. did the trick.




CC

 

Had someone ask me a question and figured I'd share answer for extinguisher in a hot car?
Almost all abc extinguishers that I am aware of anyway do not have any concern of exploding in a hot car. It is pressurized but not like a aerosol can of hairspray (thin weak can). Police carry them in the trunk of cars in areas where temps can get to 130 inside and don't have any issue. Worst that would happen even if said extinguisher was in a fire would be a pressure relief or O ring failing and loss of pressure. It will not explode. By the time you have that issue powder will be the least of your cocerns.

 

Halon was banned. Its not available any more. Also if you used halon in a cab it would kill the occupant very quickly.

 

Halon is not banned the quit making it. Stilled being used very widely though out the world. It is very expensive and so is the process of recycling it.

 

There have been cases of fire extinguisher failure due to over pressuring but usually it's in combination with corrosion on the extinguisher. In extreme cases it has caused fatalities but that's usually on 2 step extinguishers where you have to press down on the charge then squeeze the handle to release like this one:


The one step extinguishers shouldn't have that issue.

 

Well its banned for use on boats and should be in cars as well. Its bad for the environment and absolutely as lethal as cyanide for all life forms

 

It's no longer legal to manufacture due to environmental reasons:

http://www.facilitiesnet.com/firesa...ilities-Management-Fire-Safety-Feature--10300