The Fire Extinguisher Thread

Dave

Dave

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This is one piece of gear that ALL of us should carry no matter where we go. The types and sizes of extinguishers vary by brand and intended use, we can discuss them here.

Using the wrong type of extinguisher can be ineffective and dangerous. Water is suitable for class A (paper, wood, grass etc.) fires, but not for class B, C and D or K such as burning liquids, petroleum, electrical fires, or even reactive metal fires. In these cases the use of the wrong type of extinguisher can result failure to suppress, spreading the flames, or the hazard made far worse.

Type ABC fire extinguishers are filled with a mono ammonium phosphate. I do not recommend ABC extinguishers for vehicle fires.

Mono ammonium phosphate is highly corrosive to wiring and other electrical components, and when used to extinguish an engine compartment fire you may succeed in extinguishing a minor fire with an ABC extinguisher, but you will almost certainly destroy any capability to rebuild or repair anything electrical inside the engine bay.

Type BC fire extinguishers contain non-corrosive sodium or potassium bicarbonate. I recommend you equip your vehicle with a BC type extinguisher for potential engine compartment fires.

KIDDE makes an inexpensive 2 and 5 pound BC extinguisher that can be found in the big box hardware or boating stores for around $25-$40 and are good for about 6 years.

EDITED to add the following:

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I have seen these, quite interesting how they work. Has anyone personally tried them? The videos are impressive.
 
java230 said:
I have sen these, quite interesting how they work. Has anyone personally tried them? The videos are impressive.
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I've not used one yet. At this price point I'm gonna have to let someone with deeper pockets play that game :lol
 
Great article, great info, and wonderful refresher of the various types of fires and to carry the right type of extinguisher for vehicle travel.

These Element Extinguishers have been getting a lot of traction in the outdoor and adventure fields and I'm further encouraged to get one after reading your piece on them.

As for fires and types of extinguishers, we're just going over this very thing at my kid's place this week with her and the grandkid. Scares me to death to think of them having a fire in this old 1860's Maine house with no one around who knows what to do. Using older, almost out-of-date fire extinguishers for real-life practice, replacing them with new ones I just bought.

When I had a studio the local FD would inspect all commercial buildings and tag the extinguishers, making everyone get new extinguishers every year, even if the existing ones still read 'in the green.' I ended up with a bunch of still-good extinguishers, though it instilled in me to be more vigilant and practiced in their use than I had been in the past.

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I bought one of these a while back.

https://americanadventurist.com/for...-material-tarp-for-campfires.4644/#post-85066

When I first read about them I didn't see a real need for it. Bought one to try it anyway, decided I liked having it after using it. It may not be for everyone, just another option. I do a lot of work chasing/pitting for desert racing/rock crawling. I like the idea that I can throw it on top of an engine fire if needed. It works well for it's intended purpose of snuffing a camp fire as well.

Back to fire extinguishers...carry the biggest one you can...those little 2 pound chrome ones look cute, will effectively put out a cigarette.
 
Just waiting on my favorite equipment supplier to start stocking the Elements. Need a new one anyway and not messing with another RV jobber.

A side benefit to these is ease of mounting or storage. A flashlight mount will help keep one anywhere and far more convenient to access if needed if you think through placement. I see the occasional extinguisher mounted in a cool yet unreachable area. At least they have one but it will take a while to use if you can get to it at all.
 
Very interesting and thanks for posting it.

I have moved beyond the usual powder type extinguishers to an AFFF type. Unfortunately, they do need to be protected from freezing in cold weather. I'll have to take a look at these.
 
I would also like to emphasize how effective a simple shovel & some dirt can be at suppressing multiple types of fires. NOT saying that it’s an acceptable replacement for a proper fire extinguisher!!! But, it can be an effective option that is often forgotten about. Not to mention it can have many other uses around camp or on the trail.
 
Yakcraz said:
I would also like to emphasize how effective a simple shovel & some dirt can be at suppressing multiple types of fires. NOT saying that it’s an acceptable replacement for a proper fire extinguisher!!! But, it can be an effective option that is often forgotten about. Not to mention it can have many other uses around camp or on the trail.
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This is an absolute, time honored FACT. I fought forest fires long ago in WA and our primary tools were the shovel and pulaski.

These days, my primary concern is being prepared for a vehicle fire or an issue with my camp fire getting out of hand, everything else is tertiary to me.

But if my extinguisher is kaput, a shovel full of dirt or two certainly can't hurt if the engine bay is ablaze ;)
 
Dave said:
This is an absolute, time honored FACT. I fought forest fires long ago in WA and our primary tools were the shovel and pulaski.

These days, my primary concern is being prepared for a vehicle fire or an issue with my camp fire getting out of hand, everything else is tertiary to me.

But if my extinguisher is kaput, a shovel full of dirt or two certainly can't hurt if the engine bay is ablaze ;)
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I agree completely, and this, oddly, is my roundabout argument for choosing a solid but inexpensive "regular" shovel versus a fancy "overlanding" shovel.

There are a lot of high-performance fancy shovels out there. I'm certain they're all superior tools - either because they're stronger, lighter, or double as cutting tools, or double as pry-bars for casting your rig off a boulder, or whatever. That said, if it's going to be useful as a firefighting tool, my shovel needs to be readily accessible by anyone who might need it. For many folks (me included), this means stored outside the vehicle, and not secured. (No good messing with a padlock or cable if you need a scoop of dirt RIGHT NOW.) (If you can safely mount a shovel inside your vehicle, more power to you, though hopefully this arrangement doesn't preclude quick access either.)

I carry a <$20 big box pointed digging shovel because it gets the job done, but I won't cry if someone boosts it off the back of the rig while I'm having lunch on my way through town.


Back to the topic at hand: Has anyone else found the economics of refilling fire extinguishers to be kind of crazy? I used a few puffs from the 5lb unit in my shop to deal with a tiny rag fire on a bench and found that the "non-service-contract"/one-off pricing from my local shops to be as much or more than just ordering a new unit from Amazon. :mad:
 
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