You're 25 miles into nowhere and your vehicle decides to torch itself. What do?

I'm not gonna lie... I saw this pop up on FB and started watching with full intent to internally "armchair-quarterback" his decisions and enjoy the debacle. I did not expect that I was about to watch a near real-time filmed clinic on how to handle a disastrous situation. That dude is cooler than the other side of the pillow. An excellent teaching moment and reminder that everything is replaceable except life and limb.
 
Brett C said:
Sadly I would have probably grabbed the rum or bourbon first. Then the other lesser important things next, like the mixer for the rum.
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Good thinking. The alcohol would have fed the fire just as the rotopac gasoline would have. Get all those things away from the fire.

On a more serious note, when this was being discussed on FB, the point came up about how we sometimes fall into having stuff with us but lose the discipline to gather important things (emergency comms, survival needs, medications, cash and credit cards, minimum of water/food, etc.) into one handy spot (the Bugout Bag). Opening the drivers door to get this and the rear hatch to get that then going back to get whatever won't always be luxuries like this unfortunate had.
 
I think this was one of the more compelling scenarios to highlight the shortcomings of built-in conversions. Imagine if his primary water storage was a singular hard mounted tank. Undoubtedly a sexy and unobtrusive option for outfitting a vehicle, but possibly the difference between being left with a bottle/water bladder worth or, in his case, 6 gallons. In arid conditions that afforded him days worth of survival rather than hours.
 
Agreed. I went through my phase where I wanted “systems” onboard for everything which eventually led me to a FWC. That led to spending too much time “inside” and dependence on all those complex systems.

These days I prefer modular solutions that I can use in any vehicle, and portability/lightweight. Being able to just open the rear hatch and toss everything out is about as good as it gets for surviving a fire scenario.
 
Brett C said:
Sadly I would have probably grabbed the rum or bourbon first. Then the other lesser important things next, like the mixer for the rum.
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This makes a good argument for transferring liquor from glass bottles to plastic, because I'm really going to want a drink after that mess.

Seriously though, it does drive home the point about having a fire extinguisher and bug out bags/bail out bags/whatever you want to call it. I think it was the thread on seat back organizers (here or expo) where I made a comment about not seeing a situation where I wouldn't have time to grab most of my gear- I don't think I mentioned fire but it's always in the back of my mind and I've always traveled with a bag and a folded up wool blanket behind the seat or occasionally in the bed if I have passengers, every single day. When traveling, everything is stored in totes or duffel bags that could be quickly grabbed and tossed to the side if needed and a certain amount of gear is stored in the cab where it can be accessed without ever getting out if that particular need should arise, ex. sliding off the road and being stuck in the vehicle. Gear can be reorganized after clearing the immediate area of danger.

Two side notes:

A prepacked bag generally has some valuable items in it. If you don't have a way to secure your bag Pacsafe makes packs and bags with stainless mesh built in as well as their original products, woven stainless mesh bags that you put your own bag(s) into. I have no idea how I ended up with two of them but I leave one in the truck with my daypack in it and I can stick my laptop, smaller camera bag, etc. in it if needed.

As winter approaches I'd also toss this bit out there- even when you're at home, keep a set of clothes handy along with a blanket. I can't tell you how many EMS calls I've run where folks wake up with their house on fire and they run outside- in their pjs or underwear and carrying nothing else. I don't remember when I started doing it, probably when I got into Boy Scouts, but I always lay out either the previous day's clothes or the upcoming day's clothes, with my EDC stuff, including my wallet, already in the pockets. Shoes are always in near the same place with a pair of socks with them. Hanging out in the Middle East back in '04-05 it was something I always tried to stress to new people coming in. When the neighbors get frisky in the middle of the night is not the time to figure out where you put your pants and boots. I do the same thing when staying in hotels.
 
Extra set of clothes got added to the permanent pack back in the days when my cohorts were excited to get themselves stuck in muddy water. Although I (and they) have largely outgrown that activity, the extra set of dry clothes is still there.

Since it seems this episode will continue to live on in discussions for a while, sharing this from Montana 4x4 FB account:
exting.jpg
 
We have two back packs packed, one has MRE's and first aid gear in it, the other has a complete change of clothes layers for both Machelle and I.
 
I have only tried to extinguish two vehicle fires. 0 for 2. The first we used several large dry chemical extinguishers from a nearby business. Unfortunately we couldnt get the hood open to get at the source and it burned to the ground.

Second, my neighbor's WJ in the driveway. The fire was in his dash and the large household extinguisher did nothing. A garden hose was available shortly after and we at least put it out though it was totalled.

These little auto extinguishers most folks carry, better hope the fire source gets found fast.
 
I had a carburetor fire on my 84 K5 Blazer back in the day. Driving to work one morning truck stumbled lost power turned into a gas station. Popped the hood and poof!!! Took two commercial sized (at least 10 lbs) extinguishers from the gas station to put it out.
 
Bryanseye said:
I have only tried to extinguish two vehicle fires. 0 for 2. The first we used several large dry chemical extinguishers from a nearby business. Unfortunately we couldnt get the hood open to get at the source and it burned to the ground.

Second, my neighbor's WJ in the driveway. The fire was in his dash and the large household extinguisher did nothing. A garden hose was available shortly after and we at least put it out though it was totalled.

These little auto extinguishers most folks carry, better hope the fire source gets found fast.
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I bet the Tacoma's composite bed would toast some toxic marshmallows.

After watching this I was thinking of finally getting an extinguisher but seeing the comments on how effective they are against vehicle fires should I bother? Just get a bling extinguisher to hit hot spots if a shovel full of dirt won't do the job of keeping the fire from spreading?

Speaking of shovels. How many people have it bolted down/locked to their vehicle? Good luck getting that off fast enough to make a fire break.
 
WashingtonTaco said:
I had a carburetor fire on my 84 K5 Blazer back in the day. Driving to work one morning truck stumbled lost power turned into a gas station. Popped the hood and poof!!! Took two commercial sized (at least 10 lbs) extinguishers from the gas station to put it out.
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Wanna guess the problem? When you popped the hood you provided it one side of the fire triangle. Feel the hood for heat, pop it just enough to peek in and shoot the extinguisher at the base of the flames. Really though the only way you're going to put out a vehicle fire with a single fire extinguisher is to catch it really early and to be able to get the extinguishing agent on the flames. I've done it a couple of times with a 5# unit but it's because we were on scene when it went from smoldering to flames and I was watching for it.

The best thing you can do is preventative maintenance such as maintaining your fuel lines and the clamps on them and making sure that your electrical system is in good condition, battery secured, wiring is in good condition with proper clamps and of appropriate gauge for the application.
 
Dave said:
Water.
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Water bottles packed in both of them. I should probably get some sort of water filtration system if I ever make another solo trip. The odds of finding water in SoCal/Baja are so slim that I've never really thought about it. We don't do a lot of solo trips, but we do find our selves on our own now and again chasing a Baja race.
 
I view vehicle fire extinguishers only as a means to aid in camping emergencies. I keep one near where I cook and sleep (in the flippac.) Unless you're driving a firetruck, in nearly all cases you are SOL with a vehicle fire.
 
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