Fire Extinguisher

TxDoc

TxDoc

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I don't like anything that leaves a lot or residue that damages or ruins wiring and electrical components.

I do have conventional fire extinguishers as backups.

Halon is expensive.
I have these two items in my vehicles and the Element 50 in my Pioneer.
the Element
Elide Fireball


I carry this if there were a car wreck and someone couldn't get out, and me or others couldn't get them out and the engine compartment was on fire.


Late one night I came upon a car wreck in the interstate. It took the closest fire department about 15 minutes to get there. There really wasn't even a volunteer department close. It was 3 in the morning. When I happened upon it, it was fully involved and flames looked to be at least thirty feet in the air. About 15-20 cars had stopped. Although there wasn't any noises coming from inside the car, many tried to get close to help and used probably more than ten fire extinguishers. There was just too much gasoline burning.

Once professional firefighters arrived, they pretty quickly got it under control. One truck appeared to have foam. I don't know where he came from.

Worst part was there turned out to be two adults and two children inside.😞😢🥺


I don't care what it sounds like, but I cried all the way back home.

White other cars and 18 wheelers stopped and sprayed their fire extinguishers in vain, It seemed very strangely quiet. There were a few ladies crying and people asking where the firetrucks were. It seemed like it was hours. You could just hear the flames and popping from the plastic and ties exploding. And, you could smell that there was more than an empty car was burning. Finally, you could hear sirens off In the distance and they got there shortly. Those firefighters were very good at their job.

I wished I had never seen that. I wished it had never happened. It gave me a different sense of helplessness without the ability to do something with a fire. I've helped neighbors put out grass fires in just fields, but this was nothing like that.


Not telling anyone what to do.... but if you can afford it, please have something with you that you can maybe do something to have a positive outcome. 🙏🤗



IMG 20211004 005159851
 
Vikes79

Vikes79

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I carry a real abc extinguisher on ATV, in my vehicles ect. Mostly because of being a FF for 8 years.

Fire extinguishers are defensive tools, not necessarily offensive (fire truck, attack lines ect)

The truth is that once a car is on fire, seconds count, but once the flames reach the cabin….it’s curtains for the occupants….as they very likely already died due to the excessive smoke and accident injuries.

A seat belt cutter and a glass breaker are really the first items that should be used in case a car is on fire….and has confirmed occupants in it only if YOU can do so safely.

Fire extinguishers are best on spot fires only, while small in nature. Open engine bays ect.

Wouldn’t matter if you had truck load of them on a car fire that got outside the engine bay or compromised fuel tank. You wouldn’t be able to get close enough to use them effectively without turn out gear.

I point this out as most have never fought a real fire and believe that fire extinguishers are offensive tools.

Just be careful and make sure your safety isn’t compromised resulting in more people to rescue.
 
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Scrappapotamus

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Years ago at a track day, I had a passenger accidentally activate a dry chemical fire extinguisher inside a small Porsche at excessive speed. What a moment. Couldn't see s***, couldn't breathe and it absolutely trashed the interior of my car. It took me several weeks to dismantle the interior of the car and clean up the carnage. The residue from a dry chemical extinguisher is also very corrosive and not ideal for wiring connections as could cause resistance in connections if not cleaned properly which could lead to another flame out down the road. From that point I've ran Halon extinguishers in all of my vehicles including my SXSs. Looking at the film where the dude is extinguishing the oil fire on the grille, seems as if the Element does leave residue as evidence on the grille surface. Halon extinguishers are expensive but are void of any mess with regard to residue.
 
Mopower58

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Years ago at a track day, I had a passenger accidentally activate a dry chemical fire extinguisher inside a small Porsche at excessive speed. What a moment. Couldn't see s***, couldn't breathe and it absolutely trashed the interior of my car. It took me several weeks to dismantle the interior of the car and clean up the carnage. The residue from a dry chemical extinguisher is also very corrosive and not ideal for wiring connections as could cause resistance in connections if not cleaned properly which could lead to another flame out down the road. From that point I've ran Halon extinguishers in all of my vehicles including my SXSs. Looking at the film where the dude is extinguishing the oil fire on the grille, seems as if the Element does leave residue as evidence on the grille surface. Halon extinguishers are expensive but are void of any mess with regard to residue.
Doesn't Halon take away all Oxygen?
 
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Scrappapotamus

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Absolutely. Anything is better than nothing, but having cleaned up an accidental discharge I would never have another dry chemical extinguisher. My hands and arms were raw from removing the dash, and it was hard to believe how much residue was up under the dash and in the ventilation system. Race cars run Halon fire suppression systems for good reason. I use a quick mount and position where I can reach and deploy in the event I can't get out of the belts.
 
TxDoc

TxDoc

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I carry a real abc extinguisher on ATV, in my vehicles ect. Mostly because of being a FF for 8 years.

Fire extinguishers are defensive tools, not necessarily offensive (fire truck, attack lines ect)

The truth is that once a car is on fire, seconds count, but once the flames reach the cabin….it’s curtains for the occupants….as they very likely already died due to the excessive smoke and accident injuries.

A seat belt cutter and a glass breaker are really the first items that should be used in case a car is on fire….and has confirmed occupants in it only if YOU can do so safely.

Fire extinguishers are best on spot fires only, while small in nature. Open engine bays ect.

Wouldn’t matter if you had truck load of them on a car fire that got outside the engine bay or compromised fuel tank. You wouldn’t be able to get close enough to use them effectively without turn out gear.

I point this out as most have never fought a real fire and believe that fire extinguishers are offensive tools.

Just be careful and make sure your safety isn’t compromised resulting in more people to rescue.
Thank you for those valuable points, Vikes79. And, thank you for your service as a firefighter

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
 
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Fyathyrio

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Doesn't Halon take away all Oxygen?
In an enclosed space, like a shipboard engine room, it may displace enough oxygen to harm humans. That is not how it puts out fires, though, which is why it can be effective even in the somewhat open spaces of a vehicle. Turns out Halon is a greenhouse gas, so it's gonna get harder to get, more expensive, and to hell with the environmental damage caused by the burning stuff.
 
Mopower58

Mopower58

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In an enclosed space, like a shipboard engine room, it may displace enough oxygen to harm humans. That is not how it puts out fires, though, which is why it can be effective even in the somewhat open spaces of a vehicle. Turns out Halon is a greenhouse gas, so it's gonna get harder to get, more expensive, and to hell with the environmental damage caused by the burning stuff.
I read where it's pretty well outlawed, but it's still used in aviation. Only one that its benefits out weighs the detriments.
 
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Scrappapotamus

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In an enclosed space, like a shipboard engine room, it may displace enough oxygen to harm humans. That is not how it puts out fires, though, which is why it can be effective even in the somewhat open spaces of a vehicle. Turns out Halon is a greenhouse gas, so it's gonna get harder to get, more expensive, and to hell with the environmental damage caused by the burning stuff.
I read where it's pretty well outlawed, but it's still used in aviation. Only one that its benefits out weighs the detriments.

I've purchased several this year and the current variant is called Halotron and a 2.5lb extinguisher runs about $150. You aim towards the base of the fire and it starves the oxygen and extinguishes the fire. They're very effective. Truth be told, I'll let one rip every once in a while and I'm thinking that releases Green House Gas?. BTW, Egg Salad works best as a propellant.
 
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Kbuc

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I’m skeptical on the element extinguisher.
I think it would work great for a fire that has just started, where the flames are small, but from the videos I’ve seen show you have to get pretty close to the flame to put it out. I’ve been around quite a few fires over time, and I want an extinguisher that I can attack the fire from more of a distance. The videos I’ve seen show you getting your hand pretty close to the flames/base of the fire.
I love the fact that there’s no residue with them, but if I can’t put out the fire, it doesn’t matter.
 
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