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A Guide to Fighting Fires in Kitcars


Rab (bombero) Reid

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Thanks for the write up. To be honest an extinguisher is really just to get out safely. A fibre glass car on fire is not going to be put out by a powder extinguisher. Cars , however much of a heart break watching it, can be replaced , severely burnt and scarred for life people cant , so get away and stay away and consider your safety first.

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Good post. Also worth noting - our cars are just plastic and metal. They are insured so consider carefully if it worth risking your life over. My extinguisher is there to hopefully give me a few extra vital seconds if myself or passenger are stuck in it. 

 

Rob - Ive heard the vibrations in our cars can make the powder compact so the extinguisher doesnt work. Is there a way of checking its operation and how often would you suggest replacing them?

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Thanks for the write up. To be honest an extinguisher is really just to get out safely. A fibre glass car on fire is not going to be put out by a powder extinguisher. Cars , however much of a heart break watching it, can be replaced , severely burnt and scarred for life people cant , so get away and stay away and consider your safety first.

It's true that fibreglass can 'go up' a lot quicker but taking into account that you're going to be aware of it a lot quicker than say, in a regular tintop, you'll be out of it a good bit quicker too. I beg to differ that a powder extinguisher won't put out a kitcar fire. Tackled quickly enough it can, given that the fuel pump isn't still running, etc. All portable extinguishers are certainly designed for fires in their incipient stages and something to bear in mind. I always say, if you're quick enough, then there's a fighting chance of putting it out if you feel confident to do so.

 

Rob - Ive heard the vibrations in our cars can make the powder compact so the extinguisher doesnt work. Is there a way of checking its operation and how often would you suggest replacing them?

Modern dry powder extinguishers have an 'anti-caking' agent (don't laugh) added to them as even under normal storage conditions, older types could compact over time. A modern dry powder extinguisher should work effectively within its stated shelf life. 

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On ‎13‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 23:00, Mark Wendon (smokey mow) - WSCC Club Secretary said:

I always remember this thread from when it was posted of how quickly and easily a fire can start in our cars

http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic/80469-my-very-very-lucky-escape/

Good to see the marshalls were extremely quick to react! Note, that they were also using the 9kg size and a bit of sheer luck (which we all need) and grit, they got the fire out. It might be worth me also mentioning that you shouldn't attempt to remove the bonnet if it's becoming unsafe to do so. The fire can be fought, with a mixture of success, with the bonnet in place however, you must aim it close through the openings such as top vents, exhaust exit point and/or front grille.

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It's true that fibreglass can 'go up' a lot quicker

 

What about carbon fiber? If its less combustable I could sell it to the misses as a saftey critical upgrade! ;-)

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What about carbon fiber? If its less combustable I could sell it to the misses as a saftey critical upgrade! ;-)

Nice try :laugh: Unfortunately carbon fibre, whilst pretty resistant to radiated heat, can burn like hell! More importantly, the fire by-products of carbon fibrous materials are extremely dangerous if ingested as a dust and potential needlestick type injuries from the fibres where they have gone brittle. PS, I hope your wife doesn't read this! :laugh:  

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I suppose the more dangerous fire would be from the fuel system leaking and setting alight in the engine bay not to mention the fuel tank area. Electrical fires I suppose would be less harsh/frequent.

 

Conclusion:

1. Fuel fires, call Rob and he'll come down and put it out for you. 1kg fire extinguisher as Rob say 7 to 10 seconds? thats not long enough in my book so put it back as it will contaminate the potatoes and a few sausages that you have just put on.

2. Electrical, have a go with the extinguisher you might be lucky. see point 1 above if you fail. 

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Rob - excellent article and a good candidate for the next copy of the magazine?

 

I have a question about AFFF extinguishers - what's your view on these?

 

I have a 2ltr AFFF (Alloy body) mounted on the drivers side on the floor (about the only space I could find tbh) - it was left over from my racing car and is still "in the green" but I can get it checked and refilled locally. However, I've never had to use one (and hope not to) - are they really any better than DP and are the principals of fighting a fire the same (and roughly how long would you have with 2ltrs of AFFF?)

 

You can pick up a decent AFFF car extinguisher (1.5 to 2ltr) from about £60-£80 so they're not that expensive these days.

 

I have twin Weber DCOE's and they have a habit of spitting back at certain revs which always worries me but as the K&N filters stick out through the bonnet, I always give them a quick glance to make sure there's no "follow through" from the spitting  :oops:

 

Still extremely wary (terrified if car related) of flames though and especially petrol ever since I threw a jug of petrol onto a bonfire when I was a kid  :o  - fortunately only singed eyebrows but it absolutely scared the pants off me - I can still see the flame leaping back up from the bonfire and into the jug ............... lesson well learnt though and now huge respect for any type of fire and those that fight them.

 

Colin

 

p.s - is the Great Wall of China still there - had many a nice meal there when I worked up in Edinburgh (a while ago now)

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It was my understanding that plumbed in systems were designed to be used in conjunction with hand helds, not to entirely replace them; they literally bought you time, sometimes just to get out and get safe, but otherwise to get out, get the handheld, get bonnets open etc. Meanwhile the plumbed in has either smothered the fire completely or stopped/slowed it from developing and spreading too much.

(Though you can get really big plumbed in set ups with lots of nozzles that might just get most fires out completely!)

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My plumbed in Lifeline Zero 360 gas extinguisher is surprisingly small (thinking back to previous plumbed in BCF systems when I still had my rally car).  My 2.25kg set up was small enough to fit behind the dashboard in my Eleven and the six nozzles are set up with two below the dash (one pointing into each footwell), one in the scuttle area behind the dash (where the instruments, Ford EDIS Unit, Megajolt computer are) and the other three around the engine bay.  The system is one for use in open sports cars so I hope would buy me time to safely get out of the car even if it could not kill the fire totally.

 

I've always looked at fitting / carrying an extinguisher similarly to carrying a tool kit in that they should ideally be warding off evil spirits rather than be needed on a regular basis!

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