fire extenguisher

[bigstu]

Hi just wondering if foam type extenguishers are acceptable in 4x4 and club situations etc? Done a course last year for work on how to work different types to put fires out and the guy was saying they have alot of issues with mining machinery and the powder types rattling round and settling out blocking the pipe in the bottom and not working, reason I ask is because I have aquired a 6 litre foam extinguisher and thought it might be better for the job than powder? It doesnt have a mount so just want to Know wether its worth getting a mount to put in my truck or not.

Thanks Stu

[kbushnz]

NZ Fire service recommend Dry then foam...
http://www.fire.org.nz/Fire-Safety/Safe ... shers.aspx

Choice is yours...

[snotgoblin]

Foam are good extinguishers, but best at extinguishing burning liquids.

Best all round extinguisher that will work on most classes of fire you might encounter when out wheeling has to be Dry Powder type. Make sure you give it a good shake before using so the media gets agitated and does not block up.

A 6 litre foam unit is a big heavy extinguisher, and you would have to have that fairly well restrained as it becmes a big heavy missile when it all goes a bit oopsy..

As far as I know most clubs will require you to have a 1kg powder on board. Some forestry companies will require 2kg per vehicle and/or be within 12 months of last test/brand new.

My thoughts...

[niblik]

Make a mount for it. And something's better than nothing. Especially 6l...! Heh heh. Any extinguisher would be gooderest.

[bigstu]

1kg of powder doesn't last longer than A few seconds so would rather have the 6 litres of foam, but guess I could also get a 1kg to cover the basic requirements.
On the course we had a drum of water with petrol burning on top, from what I recall we all went through putting the fire out with powder and co2 but foam was left till last only one person got to have a go with it because fire wouldnt relight with it in the drum, for that reason surely it could have a place in a 4wd for safety?

Thanks Stu

[hosehustler]

The foam is 4X4 by far a better vehicle fire application extinguishing medium than DP...especially 6litres
Personally I carry 5kg of BCF

[bigstu]

Cool I shall try and mount it rollbar should be solid enough anchor point

Thanks Stu

[snotgoblin]

Personally I carry 5kg of BCF

BCF .. Old school. But everything I have heard reckons it is/was the best around...

[Dr_PC]

BCF old school and best around, just do seem to be able to get them refill now. RNZAF used to have them everywhere.

I have a Foam 2 litre in my buggy.
900gms and 1kg dry powder all run out just as you are getting the fire under control.
If you run powder BEFORE EVERY RUN take it out of your vehicle and give it a good beating with a rubber hammer to ensure the powder is loose. If you don't and you need it, you will not be a happy camper.

Years ago with speedway we had 4 big dry powder mounted on the front of the track truck and the start of each meet they were turn up the other way so the powder got a constant shaking around.

[T-mo]

As far as I know most clubs will require you to have a 1kg powder on board. Some forestry companies will require 2kg per vehicle and/or be within 12 months of last test/brand new.

Correct, most clubs up here are 1kg then 2kg if your in a forest.

BCF old school and best around, just do seem to be able to get them refill now. RNZAF used to have them everywhere.

I'm currently in the AF and yeah we did. Most of the ones that kick around now are Foam or Powder. A few water ones still hang out around the traps too. About 85% the service vehicles run extinguishers in them as standard now. 100% extinguisher rule in forests, on ranges, in bomb dumps etc.

I've got a 2.1kg Dry Powder in my truck, it's a rattly bracket mounted one too.. Haven't had to use it though .

[Eddie Auckland]

Any recommendations on where to mount an extinguisher? Front seats, behind front seats, in the rear?

[Suza]

Depends on the wagon.
In my Safari 2x 1kg dry powder with one mounted on the trans tunnel between the consul and the gear lever and the other bolted to the pillar by the back door

[tweake]

BCF old school and best around, just do seem to be able to get them refill now. RNZAF used to have them everywhere.

have a couple still.
unfortunately illegal and nonrefillable. fortunately every time the fire crowds come around for testing its "we didn't see those"

[slidenyo]

mount your extinguisher where its blatantly obvious and away from your potential fuel supplys ie engine, battery, fuel, tank, major wiring.
if you're in a vehicle that starts catching, first priority is to get out,
then assess whether you can control the fire,
make sure you get the batteries disconnected if you can
and ensure the ignition is off as it turns off power supply to electric fuel pumps and the like.
try control the fire with your extinguisher but always ensure you have a backup plan generally half of you will carry a knife in there pocket of some description along with a shovel or spade of sorts.
so you can slash the radiator hoses after you've piled dirt onto the blaze.

[IcedJohnno]

Good to see HoseHustler commenting on this. Tim is likely the most knowledgeable professional Firey on this site, for those who don't know.

So foam it is for this laddie when I buy new extinguishers.

I still have about 5 BCF extinguishers in my old vintage cars and I have no plans to dispense with them. Any maintenance required for these Tim? Some were bought about 40 years ago from memory. Only one has been used and refilled in that time as I recall.

I have heard on several occasions, how the dry powder ones go solid with vibration and then are F-all use when needed.
Something to be aware of. As posted above, make use of that rubber mallet!

[tallsam66]

In commercial situations ALL extinguishers are supposed to be pressure tested every 10 years. They are all inspected every year to ensure they are still the correct weight & not used.
Dry Powder can settle down the bottom of the bottle over time but a good shake will usually sort that out.
If you have extinguishers that are 40 yrs old id be very worried they may not operate when you really need it.
BCF (Bromochlorodifluoromethane) was mostly use for putting out fires in electrical things such as mainframe computers & also engine rooms of ships & aircraft has been phased out since about 1994 .
If you have a BCF extinguisher it is probably at least 20 years old.
The main reason it was phased out was due to its ozone depleting properties. It is one of the worse substances known to deplete the ozone.

[hosehustler]

John you don't need to worry about maintenance on a BCF as it's a vapourising liquid....a bit like LPG (but not flammable ), only a liquid while under pressure, doesn't vapourise as much as LPG on release tho

When we had them on our firetrucks, in both fixed cylinders (2X68kg's on each truck) as a complimentary agent, and several hand helds on each truck, the only maintanence we did was to weigh it, if weight was down it was leaking, and check the handle/nozzle was all good.
When you operated the handle on a BCF a brass or similar softish metal sealer was either snapped off or punctured releasing the agent, so if that's intact and weight is good, it will work fine even if it's from WW2

As for phasing it out, ARFF in NZ didn't require it out of service till about 2005, however we were allowed to use it in anger but not for training after 94, and it's still used in some fixed sytems and hand helds on aircraft due to it's performance, I think manufacture has stopped now and they use a different halon in new aircraft.
It's considered a clean agent which is why we used it for electrical fires, it's bloody toxic (especially while using on a fire) so no sniffing, and effective on all classes of fire, however removes little of the heat from a fire, way better than DP, but yeah major bad for the environment
That's the only reason it's been phased out, it was an incredibly efficient agent due to the chemical process involved while extinguishing.