The efficiency of fire extinguishes!!

Got to admire the way those guys used them too - with fire going everywhere, they waded into it to protect the driver who walked out untouched. Very good work.

Great day for sport - I found myself flicking between Bathurst, the SANFL grand final won by my local team by 3 points, the Rugby won by Aus by 2 points and the F1 where Vettel took out the title......geeze- that was a busy afternoon in the chair! My wife was in front of the other TV watching the Aussies win the Netball!

Hi Axle. I often wonder how many people carry an extinguisher in their vehicle. Should be mandatory in all motor vehicles in my opinion. Bob

Got to agree. I have 3 plus a fire blanket. Got to remember to shake them up if needed.
Pity about some people though, see some guys on the news pouring petrol on a bonfire
with flames less than a meter away. Yes you guested it there was a explosion, one
badly burnt.

Even more important than carrying a fire extinguisher is fire extinguish maintenance. No point having one if you go to use it and she no work like she's supposed to.

Constant travel can cause the contents of the dry powder type extinguishers to settle and compact. Always a good idea to turn the extinguisher upside down and knock it against a tyre or something firm (But will not damage the extinguisher) to free up the contents. I do this weekly when travelling on the rough outback roads or off country.

You also need to be aware that different fires will not necessarily be extinguished by your standard type powder extinguisher. For example, spinifex gum may continue to smoulder and reignite if hit with a powder extinguisher. Water is your saviour here.

Always check the pressure dial on a regular basis to ensure your extinguisher still has a pressure charge in it. Handles and trigger mechanism are often plastic and susceptible to damage so also need checking.

Food for thought.

Cheers Mick

I have one fire extinguisher mounted next to the drivers seat and a second one mounted in the camper near the cooker. I regularly rotate my extinguishers.

I also have a fire blanket in the camper attached to the front of the fridge - close to the cooker but not so close as not being accessible in a fire when cooking.

I also have a 2 litre pressure pump bottle with soapy water that can have multiple uses like putting out spinifex fires under the vehicle, helping to seat the bead on a tire or just cleaning the bugs off the windscreen. This pump is readily located in a side compartment of the camper on the drivers side for quick access. One thing I need to setup is a long wire hooking piece to get spinifex out from where it might be stuck.

I think it is a good message to others to know what people do to be prepared when out camping.

I think people might remember the unfortunate camper in Alice caravan park a year or so ago who burnt his camper to the ground when a loose fitted hose on the gas stove lit up the canvas on his camper. There might not have been much he could do as I would imagine it going up very quickly but an easy access extinguisher might have stopped it and a fire blanket over the gas stove might have stopped that too.

Always helpful to share the knowledge.

Cheers

Serendipity

I have 3 2 either side of cargo barrier and one in the camper. Many years ago in my old Hilux I had one mounted in the tray and thank goodess I had it becasue I had a under bonnet fire.

Axle,
I agree with all the above comments and especially by Phil G at the preparedness of the volunteer to go straight into the fire.

It was interesting to see that when the fuel cell ruptured and spread fuel everywhere the fire did not start immediately at the car. The ignition point was somewhere upstream of the car and took a while to spread. I replayed the segment several times but the ignition point was out of picture and the commentators seemed to not notice it.

cheers
alastair