Ultimate Vehicle Fire Extinguisher

[evldave]

I jump in on this one:

1) Install a fire extinguisher in your truck and your are far ahead of most people. If you can only fit a 2.5lbs. extinguisher, then go for it. It will buy you time. If you are out with your buddies, and they all have an extinguisher, then you will be able to attempt to put out a bigger fire. My truck on trips is pretty tight for room, and I don't know if I can find the additional room for a bigger extinguisher. Attack fire aggressively, so hopefully you can control it with a small extinguisher.

I went to Costco and they had either 2x2.5# cheapo plastic fire extinguishers or one nicer 5#...I went with the 5# (like this one)

2) In cab mounts - I can not believe how some people mount their fire extinguishers. Cheap plastic mounts have no place inside the cab of a vehicle. If the vehicle is in a accident or roll over, most of these plastice mounts will not survive, leaving a 5lbs. projectile flying around the truck. Also mount it in a location that you will not hit it. I have sceen people who mount their extinguisher on the A-pillar or roll cage. Is your head or other body part going to hit it, if you roll?

Interesting story on this one for me...I was on a weeklong bird hunting trip near CJ Strike in Idaho with my brother a few years back. We took my Suburban (set up to sleep inside)...middle of winter (right after Christmas), about 10-15 degrees outside, wind was blowing.

We were getting ready for bed, and had just closed the rear doors and moved some stuff around when we started hearing a hissing sound...like air out of a slashed tire. We kept looking around and couldn't find ****** it was!

After a couple seconds, my brother lifted up the edge of the comforter and one of my 2.5# extinguishers was going off - we had somehow bumped it and broken it open! Fire extinguisher stuff was shooting all over the inside of the Sububan, coating everything in a fine layer of that powder - ack!:Wow1:

Rather than call our trip short (this was like day 2 of a 7 day trip), we emptied the entire suburban, right there, middle of the night, in the wind and cold, and cleaned everything up. Was absolutely horrible when it was happening and is a great story now

Needless to say, all of my fire extinguishers are in well-protected areas now

 

[proper4wd]

I don't carry a class D myself, the old Land Rover I drive doesn't have any fancy metals in it.

Actually most of the metal fires we deal with on the highway are Aluminum.

Hey Ray, what's that old LR body made of again?

Birmabright (the alloy Land Rover used over decades to make body panels) actually has a high magnesium content at around 7%.

Small picture, but check out the burning aluminum door (and exploding gerry can on the roof!):

Something to be aware of!