Fire Extinguishers

[Matt Seabrook]

under your/your passengers knees...........

 So you have an accident the fire extinguisher brakes loose and fracture your legs. You now can’t get your F.E. nor can you get out of your burning car. Let me think about it  

[timd]

One point thats been missed by the "on the floor" brigade is that if you are (a) slightly lardy and (b) over six feet tall, then having a fire extinguisher on the floor of the drivers footwell turns geting into a Westfield into an almost imposible exercise.

Most people put them on the passenger side. I've never seen one on the drivers side, but that's not to say it hasn't been done.

Mine was drivers side, under my knees. I'm 6'4". Getting in/out was no problem, although removeable steering wheel helped there.

Thing is though... The extinguisher is just as likely to break loose in the footwell as it is on the bulkhead. So with that said the drivers footwell is probably the stupidest place to put it, as when it does break free it will break your ankles. Effectively trapping you in the car to roast.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Anyone who puts theirs between the seats is obviously not aware of the laws of physics. 0.6kg at 40 mph......think about it and then think what its like at 80 mph.

I cann't help thinking that in an 80 mph head on crash in a Westie, the fire extinguisher is the least of your worrries.  

[DanB]

Surely (assuming that it's going to be in the passenger compartment) the position of the fire extinguisher is pretty irrelevant.  It's easy to think of different impact angles and trajectories whereby you're going to get smacked pretty hard by the extinguisher no matter where it is.  The critical thing surely is not where it starts off, but making sure it stays there until you've decided you'd like it somewhere else.

In the Furybird mine was in front of the passenger seat under the passenger's legs.  Standard extinguisher bracket, held in place with 2 M6 bolts on the 16 guage ali floor, and despite a 70mph+ shunt, which involved a very balletic 2 and a half turn barrel roll, it stayed in place.

Dan

[Martin Keene]

Thing is though... The extinguisher is just as likely to break loose in the footwell as it is on the bulkhead. So with that said the drivers footwell is probably the stupidest place to put it, as when it does break free it will break your ankles. Effectively trapping you in the car to roast.

Interesting point.... I'll bet there ain't many people thought of that one.

Glad mines in the passenger side!

[PeterOz]

I checked the 'Dont feel the need' button in the poll, I'm with Matt Seabrook on this - if there's a fire, I'm not hanging around to fight it I'll be legging it as fast as I can.

Interesting that people have talked about accidents where the extinguisher has come loose, but nobody's mentioned a car actually catching fire?

So, how common is a car fire? Anybody suffered one? If the risk is statistically low, then why bother catering for it?

[Martin Keene]

I think it's something alone the lives of:

Have Extinguisher = No Chance

Have No Extinguisher = Every Chance

or at least every body I know with an extingisher has never had to use it and the occasional fire you do hear about didn't have one!

[PeterOz]

Have No Extinguisher = Every Chance

Every chance of what? Putting out the fire?

Well, if it's a small electrical fire, maybe...

But if the fuel has actually ignited, then unless you're a trained firefighter (with the right gear) I reckon you'd be putting yourself at great risk by hanging around near the car, getting an extinguisher out and trying to smother the flames.

[gee_fin]

Yep, agreed there, if my car caught fire I'd let the damn thing burn, that's what insurance is for, at least it's one way you might actually get the money back you put in

The only time I would try to stop the fire is if I was using the car uninsured - ie. in some form of competition (sprint/trackday/race/rally etc.). But on the road? I'd sit back and toast me some marshmallows...

Tbh, I have the extinguisher more so that if I see someone else in trouble I can be of some help.

Oh, and on the subject of car's going on fire, perhaps you should be asking Fluke's Swedish contingent?

Graeme.

[PeterOz]

Hi Graeme, you burning the midnight oil too?

Do they get many car fires in Sweden then? Well, guess they have to do something to keep warm....

[gee_fin]

I'm nocturnal, hence why the phone is always on answerphone pre 11am

Graeme.