On-board Fire Extinguishers

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TexasJack

TexasJack

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My brother was recently involved in a high-speed head-on collision in the hill country of Texas. Luckily for him, several of his friends were following him in their trucks because his legs were pinned under the dash and his truck caught fire. They were able to extinguish the fire with water they had in their trucks and he is now recovering from the accident.

It occured to me that I currently do not carry a fire extinguisher in my 80 series. I have always been reluctant to carry one because the temperature in a parked vehicle in Texas during the summer can be very high.

Can a normal fire extinguisher withstand that level of heat?

Does anyone know of a brand of fire extinguisher that can withstand the high temperatures that occur within vehicles during the summer months?

Does anyone know of any tricks to keep the temperature of the extinguisher low enough so that it can be carried in the vehicle at all times....such as a cover for the extenguisher?

Links to previous discussions will be appreciated because I found none that addressed the heat issue.
 
Thanks for posting this.... It reminds me that it has now been over a year since I bought my extiguisher and have yet to mount it! Maybe now that I am finishing up my Cargo box I will be able to find a spot for it now.

Here is what I learned when purchasing:
Rather than getting an ABC extinguisher that puts out Electrical, Gas & Wood fires they turned me onto a Purple K Powder Extinguisher that is commonly used in air planes. It was the same price as the ABC one but when used the foam will not eat away at the paint just in case it's only a small fire you are putting out. And it will still put out both types of vehicle fires, gas or electrical.

As for heat, I would hope you crack your windows and if you do then even if you are hitting 120° as long as it's not in direct sunlight it should be fine. Extinguishers are in cases outside all the time.
 
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My fire extinguisher is close at hand, hopefully I could use it if I had to.

EDIT: Had a question about my console. It's an 8" Tuffy. More here:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/electronic-toys/333965-anyone-ever-install-cb-tuffy.html
TuffyBack.webp
 
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In my experience, anything smaller than 2 lbs is not adequate. The white 'boat/kitchen' BC extinguishers are sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and are less damaging to vehicles than the yellow powder ABC extinguishers.
 
This is probably the best article I have ever read on the subject. My favorite quote in the article " But I have a 5lb extinguisher and my buddies do too. Whoooopty friggen dooooo! I have seen too many fires where a hand held unit did not do squat. What do you see scattered around this picture with a rig still on fire?" A picture is worth a thousand words.

fire4.jpg


Pirate4x4.Com
 
I think chuys article sums it up best....but for sure have at least a 10 pounder steel hardware style
like a badger or buckeye.. Abc type at close reach and easily accessible anywhere you go at all times
You might save a life. And pretty much if you cant knock a fire down with that RUN AWAY.
Remember you wanna be able to put out class A ( your seats ,dash, hoses ,etc) Class B, (liquids) and Class C (electrical)
 
Chuy - Impressive link. I will be forwarding on to friends and family.

As for temperature, I would think that each type of extinguisher will have a max temp rating and it would probably be good for all of us to review that. I do know that when we lived in the desert in SoCal, vehicle interior temps could easily reach 150+ if the windows were completely shut. During that time, I was burnt by the asphalt, trapped beneath a vehicle after a rollover. The surface temp was recorded (we had a thermal unit) at 142 deg. F. I was there for less than a minute, but sustained 3rd and 4th degree burns on both arms.

That being said, I will be checking my extinguisher when I get home tonight and may remount that unit inside my garage and purchase something else if it is not rated for temps that high.
 
Chuy, Great article! Thanks!
 
@ Chuy , great link, well written and really funny and more importantly gave me the push to buy a decent extinguisher. This is a very relevant article as I'm moving to Palm Beach and I hear the summers can be a beach and get really hot in truck,
thsnks guys.
 
TexasJack said:
Can a normal fire extinguisher withstand that level of heat?
Click to expand...

Yes. Remember they are fire extinguishers and installed in boiler rooms, power plants, equipment and machine rooms, engine rooms, transformer enclosures, cogen plants, etc... where things tend to get very hot.

Fire extinguishers are pressure vessels and are hydrostatically tested when manufactured and must be re-tested at regular intervals.

Leave it in your truck without worry :D
 
what type of extinguisher is best for all types of fires? oil, grease, camping, electrical, etc?
any special brand yall prefer?
 
TexasJack said:
My brother was recently involved in a high-speed head-on collision in the hill country of Texas. Luckily for him, several of his friends were following him in their trucks because his legs were pinned under the dash and his truck caught fire. They were able to extinguish the fire with water they had in their trucks and he is now recovering from the accident.

It occured to me that I currently do not carry a fire extinguisher in my 80 series. I have always been reluctant to carry one because the temperature in a parked vehicle in Texas during the summer can be very high.

Can a normal fire extinguisher withstand that level of heat?

Does anyone know of a brand of fire extinguisher that can withstand the high temperatures that occur within vehicles during the summer months?

Does anyone know of any tricks to keep the temperature of the extinguisher low enough so that it can be carried in the vehicle at all times....such as a cover for the extenguisher?

Links to previous discussions will be appreciated because I found none that addressed the heat issue.
Click to expand...


I lived in 29 Palms, California for 4 years. Pretty much the only real civilization at the junction of the Mojave and Sonoran desert outside of Palm Springs. Pretty much all hot most of the time. Never had an issue with any fire extinguisher mounted inside my black truck at the time.
 
When I was in Iraq, our MRAP had a Halon system, and we also had 2 ten pound ABC extinguisher and 1 extinguisher that you could fill with water and pressurize with a compressor. Our truck routinely sat in direct sunlight in 120+ degree days. We never had issues with our extinguishers. Yes, we did actually have to use them after being exposed to these conditions and it worked just fine. Thankfully, though, we never did find out how well the Halon system worked. Fortunately we never had a fire inside our truck. All the extinguishers were standard commercial type extinguishers. I don't recall the brand, but it's just your average extinguisher you'd see on a wall anywhere else. I don't think I'd be very concerned about about keeping in your truck during the summer provided it gets its routine inspections.
 
IrishLX450 said:
@ TexasJack , hope your brother is doing ok and has a full and quick recovery
Click to expand...

His lower legs were crushed and had to be reconstructed. The surgery has been completed and they are healing very well. It is a bit amazing that he lived at all. The engine was pushed into the passenger compartment. The front of the drivers side of the truck is about 1 foot from the bottom of the windshield. He was driving a 2005 Taco. Toyotas are really built well....the truck saved his life.

Thanks very much for asking!
 
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