jjammo
Medford, OR
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Joined: 10/22/2007
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After reading recent posts about brake failures, it brought a question to mind. I've read alot about fire extinguishers being practically useless during a brake fire. Would it be useful to attach your water hose to your outdoor shower to put out fire and/or cool brakes during an emergency? Seems it could be beneficial. What do you think. I'm thinking of doing that prior to hitting the road on my trips. Then its ready just in case.
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Sully2
Cincinnati
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Joined: 01/20/2003
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Buy the proper fire extinguisher instead.!!
2000 Country Coach Allure; Cummins ISC 330 HP; 71/2 - 8 MPG regardless
2002 Jeep Liberty
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Gale Hawkins
Murray, KY
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Joined: 07/22/2007
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John someone posted about a spray container that goes on a garden hose to fight fire with and the chemical it put out the fire that sounded interesting can could work in your plans. The system would be helpful intil fire took out the 12 volts but one should be far from the MH before that happened.
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adondo
Pasco, Washington
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Joined: 07/28/2004
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What you need is a few foam units from Mac the Fire Guy
I carry several, and also added a foam engine suppression system. I've seen his foam units in action at an RV rally, and they're the ONLY ones I've ever seen that will snuff out a burning highway flare. They will also snuff out burning diesel fuel, which does NOT relight itself. (Very unlike conventional extinguishers)
The foam would tend to stick to the tire, and help cool the hot metal.
FMCA# F355513. 1997 Safari Continental, 40 foot, 1 slide. Cat 3126B, Allison MD3060. 2000 Durango SLT 4x4 toad with a Blue Ox Aventa II and stopped with a Brake Buddy.
Seen on the Road Photo album
Aiming a Direct TV dish
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robatthelake
Vancouver Island
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Joined: 08/24/2003
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If The Brake and Tire are already Burning It Is Time to get as far as possible away from the RV! You have aprox 11 Minutes until All will be engulfed!
Save Your Family , The Rv Can be replaced!
Rob & Jean 90 Southwind John Deere/Oshkosh/Freightliner Class A Ford 460/ Toad 92 Tracker 2 wd 5sp Convert Still running Great!
" Everything in it"Still" Works"
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Gale Hawkins
Murray, KY
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robatthelake wrote:If The Brake and Tire are already Burning It Is Time to get as far as possible away from the RV! You have aprox 11 Minutes until All will be engulfed!
Save Your Family , The Rv Can be replaced!
Rob who is going to leave their family in the MH and go fight a tire fire?
A tire fire is going to have to break through the wheel well before it is inside and there are the fuel tanks to be mindful of. If the Cold Fire videos/salesman are to be truthful one 2.5 gallon water extinguisher with a 10% solution will put out a tire fire in short order if .
The 5 gallon Cold Fire is in the bottom right corner of the page.
I bought 5 gallons of Cold Fire today for $150 to the door (enought to charge the 40 extinguishers I plan to aquire over time). Now I just have to find the base of a mountain to park at to try it on a brake/tire fire.
* This post was
edited 08/19/08 08:50pm by Gale Hawkins *
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robatthelake
Vancouver Island
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Gale ,
It took 11 minutes to totally Destroy My Son's Motor Home! Cause was Not discovered as there was Nothing Left ! Whether it was Brakes or Engine doesn't matter as long as the Occupants get as far away as possible!
No Freaking way would I stand around squirting some Fire extinguisher that Close to a Fire!
Just My Opinion, You want to Save Yours "Go for It"
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Gale Hawkins
Murray, KY
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Rob I agree they go fast. This is the reason I plan to get Fire Block as well that can greatly reduce the spread of fire this is used to treat bracing timber in mines and the like.
My family is important to me as is everyone's family. One cause of fire is an accident. Should we be involved in an accident that leaves me able to get out but leaves a family member physically trapped is a concern to me.
Knowing full well for the small amount of $250 I can effectively carry 70 gallons of water pressurized in 4 of the 2.5 gallon fire extinguishers that are good for Class A and Class B fires makes the desire to be prepared desireable.
I may loss a family member to fire but I will not have to live with the knowledge I stood by listening to them beg me for help that could have been had for $250.
Fire seldom happens period. When it does it is often deadly. If I can only buy 5 minutes there might be other help arrive for my family or another family that we might happen up on.
Fire does not always happen on our terms is all I am saying and it is dangerous to think it will.
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Flyfisherman128
Broadalbin, NY
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I tought my kids incase of fire "GET OUT". If on your way out you need to break out a window..throw the fire extinguisher. There is nothing inside I want bad enough to risk lives.
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adondo
Pasco, Washington
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Joined: 07/28/2004
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You'd be surprised at what Mac’s little 2 lb. All-Fire units will do. And, they’re only about the size of a can of hair spray. He lights a full size piece of plywood that’s splashed with diesel. (At rally demonstrations… in an open area) It’s downright SCARY how big that fire can get since the plywood is standing upright. (30 ~ 40 feet of flames shooting upwards!) And he’ll put out that much fire several times with that small extinguisher. The stuff is magic. The plywood is standing in a tray with diesel fuel, and it also puts that out. Then, Mac stands in the pool of diesel, which is now covered in the emulsifying fire foam.
First of all, however, he will empty one or two typical dry chemical extinguishers at the roaring blaze, which do little or nothing. Even if they start to snuff it out, it relights as soon as they empty out. I don’t even bother having those things around anymore. Besides, the dry chemical powder makes a horrid mess and is corrosive.
In any fire, RV or otherwise, the FIRST thing would be to GET OUT. (Pets included) Then and only then, try to fight the fire. If you can kill or control it, why let the RV burn to the frame?
There are a few times in my life where I’ve either saved something or controlled a fire long enough for the fire dept. to arrive and take over. It’s WORTH trying to save something as long as the fire doesn’t get too big. If something becomes fully engulfed, obviously, it’s time to walk away. If someone is trapped, then empty everything you have at the fire… you’ll at least gain the person some time before rescue gets there.
The one time I didn’t have an extinguisher was when I was in another service truck that I normally don’t drive. I had to stand and watch an RV burn to down to the frame. I came upon it on the freeway, and a woman was trying to get her purse out of it. I used a stick and reached it from the door. (It was between the front seats) The fire was coming from under the dashboard of the class C coach, and wasn’t even all that big yet. I had NOTHING to fight it with, and it took only about 2 minutes to grow out of control. One of Mac’s 2 lb. units would’ve at least contained it until the fire trucks got there. It was a manageable size for that 2 minutes, then it grew very FAST as the plastic dash started burning. Within another 2 or 3 minutes, the coach was fully engulfed and it was too late. The fire trucks arrived about then, but it was beyond even what a large fire dept. pumper could save. There were several bystanders that stopped, but NONE had a fire extinguisher. Frustration was an understatement because all we could do is stand and helplessly watch. I’d have given $1,000 cash for a good extinguisher when it first started.
My point? That RV could have been saved with minimal damage. Instead, it was barely unrecognizable as an RV after it was over. One thing is for sure, the next day ALL of our company trucks got new Halon extinguishers and first aid kits. The Safari has no less then SEVEN foam extinguishers not including the engine system, and my toad has three more. Call me paranoid, but fire is going to have to fight hard to take my rig.
On edit: Oh yes... the cheapo OEM extinguisher that was in the woman's class C by the main entry door... it was DEAD. It had probably packed its chemical down from road vibration, and it didn't work. So, it was WORTHLESS. Either check your extinguishers every 6 months, or just replace them with foam units.
* This post was
edited 08/20/08 11:13am by adondo *
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