THE RISK OF FIRE

[chrismacgowan]

Not a cheerful subject and I know all motorhome owners take as much care if not more with their motorhomes as they do with their houses. So much of it comes down to common sense and good procedures of course. But the story below from Los Angeles reminds me that I must never let myself become careless or slapdash. Saturday, August 26, 2006 Man Dies in Motorhome Fire on L.A. Freeway On Saturday, August 26, 2006 at 10:48 AM, two Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, two LAFD Rescue Ambulances, three Arson Units and one Battalion Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Battalion Chief Kwame Cooper responded to a Vehicle Fire with Civilian Fatality on the northbound 110 Freeway at 111th Street in South Los Angeles. Firefighters responded quickly to a passerby's 9-1-1 call of a vehicle fire to discover a fiberglass bodied Class C motorhome thoroughly ablaze without evidence of collision, at a gore point of the Harbor Freeway just north of Imperial Highway. One California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer and two Los Angeles Police (LAPD) Officers had tenaciously but unsuccessfully battled the flames and at great personal peril, attempted repeated rescue of an adult male who was trapped and calling for help from within the vehicle prior to the Fire Department's arrival. Despite the prompt response and teamwork between the three agencies, and the timely extinguishment of the blaze by the first arriving fire crew, the man tragically succumbed to flames within the well involved recreational vehicle, and was declared deceased at the scene. During their valiant effort to rescue the man or prevent flames from reaching him within the rear section of the 1982 Winnebago motorhome, the trio of male Law Enforcement Officers each sustained painful burn injuries. The first-arriving CHP Officer suffered second degree (moderate) burns to his right ear and first degree (minor) burns to his face, while both LAPD Officers who came to his aid suffered first degree burns to their ears. No other injuries were reported. Stoic yet visibly disheartened by the loss of life they had witnessed firsthand, the officers allowed Firefighters to transport them by ambulance to the Emergency Department at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, which hosts a specialized Burn Unit. Though painful, the officer's injuries were considered to be non-life threatening, and their same-day release from the hospital following initial treatment was anticipated. While the fire appears to have started in or near the motorhome's engine compartment and spread rapidly rearward, the exact cause of the blaze has yet to be determined. A positive identification of the dead man, as well as the specific cause of his death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman Los Angeles Fire Department Tags: LA, Los Angeles, LAFD, Los Angeles Fire Department posted by LAFD Media and Public Relations @ 8/26/2006 03:41:00 PM 0 comments links to this post

[Wingpete]

Occurrences of fire in vehicles are not that unusual. Many are caused by fuel leaks or ignition faults. Too many are undetermined, as by time fire fighters arrive, evidence is virtually untraceable. Catalytic converters are my main gripe at present. Known to ignite grass under vehicles, when exhaust converter has reached operating temperature. In my opinion, many vehicles are destroyed by badly maintained catalytic converters, where the pipework comes into close contact with underseal. Similarly, a converter that only warms up slightly, allows carbon build up in converter, restricting exhaust flow and subsequent missfire of ignition accompanied by accumulation of unburned fuel, which, when reching normal operating temperature, ignites the fuel and carbon. That also ignites the underseal in time. Following this theme, how many motorhomers have an escape plan formulated ? How about that multi-secured plastic window ? Can you break it, easily to escape through ? How big are you, to get out that route? Did you strap the cab doors together for security ? Are those straps quick-release ? Give these points some consideration, for your and your's safety sake. I have dug too many people out of vehicle wrecks, sometimes involved in fires as well, as former Fire Brigade's member, and hate to think lives being lost is unavoidable when it is.

[foxy]

What Brigade were you in? Foxy

[Wingpete]

Actually ! Foxy, it was Brigade's, like London, Berks & Reading plus W Sussex to name a few !! *-) then went NHS Fire Preventing.

[Mel E]

How many of us carry an in-date, accessible fire extinguisher in the vehicle cab and another in the conversion, preferably adjacent to the kitchen, plus a fire blanket in the kitchen, just in case of a fat fire? Come to that, how many carry an extinguisher in their cars? Or have one and a fire blanket in the kitchen at home? And yet the purchase cost of these items is hugely less than the excess on most insurance policies for just one claim?

[Dave Newell]

[QUOTE]Mel E - 2006-08-31 12:30 PM How many of us carry an in-date, accessible fire extinguisher in the vehicle cab and another in the conversion, preferably adjacent to the kitchen, plus a fire blanket in the kitchen, just in case of a fat fire? Come to that, how many carry an extinguisher in their cars? Or have one and a fire blanket in the kitchen at home? And yet the purchase cost of these items is hugely less than the excess on most insurance policies for just one claim?[/QUOTE] I do! Well I have one dry powder behind the drivers seat, one by the back door in the kitchen area and a fire blanket on the wall above the hob. I have one dry powder in my work van but I confess that we don't have either extinguisher or fire blanket in the house (better go out and buy some then). D.

[David Dwight]

I do. One in the cab one in the Kitchen area, fire blanket near hob. Two extinguishers in Kitchen at home. One in each car. David

[foxy]

Wingpete Just the one miself, West Yorkshire but got around within it Foxy

[Wingpete]

Good to see the fire prevention message has been read by some. I really do wish that more citizens 8-) got the message. And I guess W Yorks does take some getting around. All them hills and curvy roads takes some effort when driving fire appliances ;-)

[Mel E]

Dave, I may have misunderstood the goegraphy of your 'van, but you say you have a fire blanket above the hob. The blanket is (for those who don't know) the only thing to use on a fat fire, since normal extinguishers and/or water actually make it worse by spreading the blazing fat around. So, Dave, when the hob is ablaze with a fat fire, will you be able to reach above it to get at the blanket? Knowing Dave, he'll have thought of this. But have all of us done so? Best place for a blanket is between the kitchen and the conversion door (for fast exit!).

[Vixters other half]

Got the fire blanket by the door as suggested but would appreciate advice on the most suitable extinguisher. Dry powder is one option but given most fires are generally due to faulty electrics, would a CO2 extinguisher be a better option??? What do you ALL use? VoH(da)

[JohnP]

Nearer to home. On Southern TV yesterday (31:8:06) there was a report of a Motorhome being burnt out in Poole due it is thought to an unattended lighted candle

[foxy]

Voh The best thing to do is a risk assessment of the motorhome. what are the hazards and the risk of them catching fire. Then reduce the risk as appropriate. Most things have aready been done for you eg. Circuit breakers,modified foam within the seats that conform to new legislation. Don`t smoke within the van, be wary of candles, may look nice and cosy but they have been the cause of many a fatal fire. Most caravan and car accessory outlets will sell dry powder extinguishers which in the majority of cases will knock down a fire in its insipient stages, although will leave a nice mess behind. The danger is during the night when you are hard and fast asleep and had a few bevvies, this is where a good smoke detector comes into its own. IT WAKES YOU UP. Giving you time to evacuate the vehicle and get help. Small fires turn into big fires very quickly as was the case above.The problem with a CO2 extinguisher is what comes out of the end, CO2 and in a confined space it will make breathing difficult.AFFF extinguishers are very good but come in 9 ltr containers and pretty pricey. As I say the dry powder is the probably the best option for our circumstances. Hope not to alarm you too much but stats are low for accidental Motorhome & caravan fires. Foxy

[Dave Newell]

Hi Mel, sorry I didn't describe it very well. The kitchen in our 'van is along the rear nearside. The caravan door is central(ish) to the rear wall and the hob is at the rear end of the kitchen nearest the door. The fire blanket is on the rear wall adjacent to the door and above the hob. by the way I was never a fire fighter but I did do extensive fire fighting training when I was a civil servant including being given a water extinguisher to put out a 1/2 metre square tray of burning petrol. This sounds stupid for training but under controlled conditions gives a very good demonstration of why water extinguishers don't work with burning liquids! i have also given fire training talks and demonstrations within vehicle workshops. D.

[Clive]

Our van came with both a dry power extinguisher and a fire blanket. Both (by the grace of him upstairs) remain unused. That reminds me of the time many years ago I too went for Fire Training with my employer, in those days the firm had its own Brigade and two fire engines. What sticks in my memory is the uselessness of the dry power extinguisher. By design the outlet is open to atmosphere, the power is hydroscopic, Once the trigger was squeezed to release the CO2 canister to presurise the main container a short jet of power shot out, then stopped. It was bunged up by damp powder that was only put in a week previously.! Hence my favourite remains straight CO2 extinguishers. No mess, No residue, No electric shock and if the van is blazing too much for it you should be well away anyway. So perhaps I should replace the dry power extinguisher in the van as its 9 years old!!!

[Dave Newell]

Dry powder extinguishers are much better nowadays Clive but they don't necessarily last forever. I have mine checked and serviced yearly along with the workshop ones (one CO2 one dry powder). The minimum would be one of the cheap 1-1.5 Kilo jobs you can get for around a tenner but better still would be the slightly more expensive (but hey, what price safety?) dry powder type with a pressure guage. Modern ones are filled in totally dry conditions so should not suffer clogging but I still like to shake mine up every couple of months. CO2 is fine for electrical fires in enclosed spaces but if there is any air movement it can be blown away before it extinguishes the fire. Dry powder makes a mess but stays where it's put. I'll stick to dry powder which is suitable for electrical (excepting extremely high voltages), wood/paper, liquid (petrol/oil/fat) types of fire. On a job in a factory once I saw a chap drop a burning oxy/acetylene torch onto a (thankfully) small tank of oil, the lack of fire fighting knowledge amongst the workforce was farcical. Three CO2 extinguishers were emptied with no effect before I managed to turn off the oxygen cylinder (the clowns left the key in the acetylene cylinder instead of the oxy). Once the oxygen was turned off the fire was put out with a single dry powder extinguisher. D.