Friday, Mar 16, 2007 at 08:21
It depends on what the season has been like too, sometimes the green spinifex will burn better than the dry stuff if there is lots of resin in it.
When it is in flower with seeds on top it is usually quite greasy with the resin and will pile up and stick to pretty much anything under the truck, even more so if it is hot. When it is very dry and brittle it's lost most of its resin but is just as flammable.
Fire extinguishers are virtually useless, as has been said heaps of
water up against the floor and on top of the flames.
We also keep 1.25L PET bottles full of
water on hand with a second cap with a 2mm hole in it, heaps of
water quickly when you squeeze. Also those litre hand sprayers with water/detergent mix which are also used for hand washing.
We keep leather gloves, wire hook and the pressure sprayer on hand when there is a risk.
Frequent checks under the vehicle are a must, I've done it in 100 yard intervals at times when the grass is thick.
Get to know your vehicle, where it collects grass etc. where the fuel lines and rubber hoses are etc.
Modern vehicles with plastic shields underneath are a worry too as the shields will burn if there is a fire.
If you do have a fire under a vehicle make sure that whatever is on top of the floor inside isn't smouldering from the heat underneath too.
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