Fire Extinguisher ?'s

[alan0043]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have a few questions about fire extinguishers for the truck. How many do you have in your truck ? What size fire extinguisher do you carry ? Have many years is a fire extinguisher good for ? Who has the best price ? Looking for a fire extinguisher with the bracket. Can you just buy brackets with out the fire extinguisher ?

 

Thanks for any help,

Al

[maveric]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have a few questions about fire extinguishers for the truck. How many do you have in your truck ? What size fire extinguisher do you carry ? Have many years is a fire extinguisher good for ? Who has the best price ? Looking for a fire extinguisher with the bracket. Can you just buy brackets with out the fire extinguisher ?

 

Thanks for any help,

Al

I currently only carry 1 in the truck, and usually 1 on the trailer. The one I carry in the truck is a 10lb ABC. The one on the trailer is a 20lb ABC. Extinguishers are good until they no longer pass inspection or hydrotest. They should be inspected yearly by a service technician, and they need to be hydro tested every 6 years. On the smaller extinguishers (usually 5-10lb), it Is usually cheaper to replace with a new one then pay the labor/fee's for a hydro. Of course, these guidelines only needs to be followed if you want to be sure your extinguisher will work when you need it. I have a bunch of out-dated extinguishers that I use around the house, garage. They are all fully charged, and I am sure they will be fine if I ever need them....maybe.

 

I get my extinguishers from a local dealer. (www.craigfs.com) My recommendation is to buy a QUALITY one, so I would personally rule out a Kiddee. They are cheaper than the Ansul or the Amerex, but they have a higher chance of not working when you need it.

 

I would also recommend you get at least 10lb minimum. The 5lb won't be big enough. You should be able to put out a lot of fire with a 10lb. You also want an ABC, since it works on ordinary combustibles, fuel, and electrical. They do make a mess, but they work better outside in the elements than something like a halon.

 

You can usually get them with, or without brackets, and you can order the brackets separately. Depending on your mounting location, there are brackets designed with spring clamps, locking clamps, or pinned.

[dascom]

More than one might want to know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE-SislzSMY

I keep one inside each truck door and one just inside the door of the 5er..

[adept99]

Best use of the ones with plastic heads (which, generally, nobody will refill) when they get down a bit on pressure or you can't remember when you bought it is to have a real live fire drill.

 

Assuming you have someone TRAINED on how to use an extinguisher, teach someone else the basic operation of the unit. Then run a little left over oil and diesel - no gas here please- into a METAL oil change pan. Not much, just enough to cover the bottom. Give it a minute to get going good, then coach them thru the steps using the PASS system. PULL the pin, AIM the nozzle and the base of the fire, SQUEEZE the handle to discharge the extingusher agent, then finally, SWEEP the base of the fire to put it out.

 

This should be done from about 8-12 feet away, and care should be taken to not get to close and DON'T point the extingusher directly down into the burning fuel. It will splash.

 

Actually putting out a fire builds a lot of confidence in your abilities should the need ever arise. A call to the local fire dept might generate a bit of help as well.

[alan0043]

More than one might want to know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE-SislzSMY

I keep one inside each truck door and one just inside the door of the 5er..

 

Thanks Dave for posting the video. That was a good idea. The video reminded me about the safety programs that we would have at work. At work the lab personal would have hands on training with fire extinguishers. The local fire department came in for the training.

 

Now I need to find a good price on a extinguisher. I don't think I would buy a Kidde brand because of their recalls.

 

Al

[rickeieio]

I just re-cycled a bunch of old extinguishers. One was so old, I remember it being mounted on the running board of Dad's '56 pickup.

 

New extinguishers might be costly, but not having one when you need it would be worse.

[sclord2002]

Sad but true story. Last year while running up a Wisconsin interstate that was undegoing repair, there was a lone motorcycle rider on the right shoulder......with a small fire inder his crankcase. There was no room to pull our rig over untill we got to the exit ramp, over a 1/4 mile past him. I pulled over, set the brakes and flashers, grabbed my fire extinguisher and started running toward the biker....well, he saw me about half way to him and started running my way....by that time my running was pretty anemic, to say the least. That 11 pound Halotron extinguisher weighed 60 pounds by then, Anyway he grabbed the extinguisher and sprinted back to his bike that was about 50% involved by then and proceeded to spray the whole 11 pounds at the gas tank, not the base of the flames. Needless to say, very shortly after I dragged my butt to the now 75% involved bike, the extinguisher went PFFFFFT and that was it. I tried to comfort the guy as his bike turned into so much molten metal with tires popping and the gas tank making a sizeable fireball, closing the interstate. A sheriffs deputy finally arrived. followed by a small local vounteer pumper truck that squirted water on the grass to keep it from starting a major grass fire. I stayed about an hour to give the deputy my statement and then gave the poor biker a ride to a restaurant about 25 miles from the accident. He called his girlfriend on the way and she met us at the restaurant. I really felt bad for the guy and several days later I felt even worse.......It was going to cost over $300.00 to replace that Halotron fire extinguisher !!!! I checked on having it filled and the concensus was that it would cost nearly the same to refill it as to replace it. A good fire extinguisher in the hands of someone who doesn't use it properly is not much good..........Charlie

[maveric]

Plus halon does not work very well in the wind. It is blown away before actually fighting the fire. They are designed for fires on sensitive electrical components, usually inside a controlled climate room.

For most fires that we would ever see, either ABC, or copious amounts of water.

[shorts]

If you have never used a fire extinguisher it is worth the time and money to learn how and actually experience using one. Check with your local fire department and fire safety equipment distributor for training services. I've had good experiences with arranging complimentary training and retraining for employees from the mechanics and techs to the front office receptionist by the local FD.

 

I like to have several 5lb extinguishers on hand, they are easy to store and easy to handle when you are in less than a normal mindset.

 

Once you pull the trigger on an extinguisher the internal valve mechanism needs to be serviced even if the gage still reads charged

[Dennis M]

Mac The Fire Guy has good info on his site and does excellent hands on training at rallies, check one out if you ever get the chance. The DW & I have both attended his training.

 

We carry a quite a few: 1 in truck cab; 1 in side compartment of fiver which is labeled and always unlocked; standard 1 by the door (the red thing you run past if you have a fire!); 1 in a handy kitchen cabinet; 1 in cabinet below entertainment center; 2 in bedroom - one on either side of bed; and an automatic 1 in the outside refrigerator compartment. That makes 8 if you are counting.