Fire Extinguishers and your MG

I just had a brief fire safety class here at the Clinic.

I specifically asked the Chief about the powder-type extinguisher that I keep in each of my cars and concerns about it caking upon sitting and being somewhat ineffective.

He advised that:

1: Monitor the guage on a regular basis to be certain that it is pressurized

2: Shake the extinguisher at least TWO times per YEAR (spring and late fall) to decrease any caking/compacting that may occur.

He felt that if the above two procedures are fulfilled, there *should* be no reason to be concerned about the extinguisher.

I'm gonna "go shake mine" today!

;)

I don't carry one. In either car. Nor do I carry one in my Solara.

A ) I wouldn't stay with the car if it were blazing.
B ) I wouldn't be able to put anything out but a very, very small fire.
C ) By the time I knew there was a fire, stopped the car safely on the shoulder of the road, popped the hood, got out of the car, grabbed the extinquisher...
D ) Unless the extinquisher is mounted properly, in the event of an accident, it becomes a deadly projectile.
E ) The only reason to have an extinguisher in a car is case you're trapped in the car and on fire. IMHO If it's just the car that's on fire, you pull off the road and run like heck.

I keep mine right behind the driver's seat. The directions said to shake it up every month. I figure some protection is better than none at all.

See my response on the MGB Forum.

:)

That's why I always drive around in this.



Sure people laugh, but I do feel safe. If only it had Lucas etched across the back it would be so cool.

I think the Bs ride provides sufficient shaking.

I keep one in the garage, and in the trunk. But for a driving incident. Stop ASAP and get the hell away.

And I do own several pairs of Nomex gloves and jumpsuits (ex-GI stuff).

Unless you are lucky, or more unlikely, skilled at extinguishing fires, the role of an onboard fire extinguisher isn't to put out a fire. Rather, they are best used to beat back the flames to allow someone to escape a burning car.

Same goes for at home/office/plant extinguishers. They should only be used to make good your escape. Leave putting out the fire to professionals.

My onboard (and in-home) extinguisher is an ABC rated gas extinguisher (non-halon) because I wouldn't want to try to clean up behind the effects of a foam or powder extinguisher.

Jim D

Its better to have a fire extinguisher and not need one, then it is to need an extinguisher and not have one.

David Abbott Wrote: