FIRE! I got to use a fire extinguisher today!
This is not 80 related, but reading mud saved the day...sorta...
So been reading this thread over the last couple weeks, and considering my options (great read + great link to pirate article:
On-board Fire Extinguishers
Also been digging deeper into what to carry in the rig (for daily and for off-grid, two dif use cases), also been considering:
Under Seat Mounted Fire Extinguisher Mount, need feedback.
That brought me home depoy (I know blue store is better, and I agree.) last night where I purchased a basic 5lbs ABC extinguisher for the garage, a 2.5lbs ABC for the back of the house (BBQ area/sunroom), and a BC for the kitchen and a planned on getting a purple K or halotron for the LC. Now...maybe not...
Which brought me to today, sitting at my desk at work, and I look out the window to a plum of smoke. I grabbed a 5lbs'er from the wall in the studio, ran across the street (almost got hit by a car) and saved the day.
SO, I put out a house fire. And by house, I mean crack house, and by crack house, I mean a homeless person’s tarped living thing that was built on a rolly dolly thing that was burning, about 4' flames outside, and inside looked like an oven.
All that yellow mess is from the fire extinguisher, that's me standing about 10' back after dousing the flames (note crackman is standing in the middle of the street - not a safe scene). Now the 5lbs extinguisher barely extinguished a relatively small blaze that had been burning for less than 2 mins. After squeezing the lever, I counted to 17 before the visible flames were gone, the extinguisher sputtered and died about 5 seconds later.
Someone rolled up with another 5lbs'er and another with a 2.5lbs, they weren''t needed, and the SFFD showed up about 2 mins after I put out the fire and proceeded to empty 2 big water extinguishers on the smoldering remains.
I learned a lot today…I am dramatically rethinking what to carry and what to have on hand. Thought to pass some of this along.
1. 5lbs is barely enough. You need to consider other options to have on hand. I'm going to get a second 5lbs for sure, or a ten, and maybe a water/foam version too. Still have not solved what to carry in the rig.
2. Be careful as a first responder. I almost got hit by a car because the driver had target lock on the fire, and I had target lock on the fire, and neither of were looking at the road. it's human nature to look at the unusual, in-spite of all the training you have, you might fall into that trap too. Enter the red zone carefully.
3. Drill. Practice!! I broke the safety tag off the pin on the way over there. I aimed the hose, squeezed the lever... and nothing. I forgot to pull the pin out. The acronym didn't stick: PASS-
Pull. Aim. Squeeze. Sweep. Don't be ASS. (yes, I forgot the P)
4. opt for simplicity... My purchase debate had been centered on to ABC or not to ABC. ABC makes a hell of a mess, its corrosive and it melts on stuff - all that is better than black and charred. I can't imagine with everything going sideways and on fire having to step back and make an assessment of whats burning and why, then choose the right extinguisher for the job...IMO, ABC takes that guess work out, gets the flames out. (kitchen grease fire is a different beast, IMO you need a BC that is has low velocity discharge, have one in the kitchen.)
that's funny, the damage doesn't look as bad from out here...
-C3PO
(I finally get that line, never made sense before)
