Ever used a fire extinguisher?

[dnej]

Had to use a fire extinguisher,the other day. Not on my boat, but on my lawn mower. :-/

I used the 1kg size from my car.While it worked well, I was surprised at how quickly it ran out.Very powerful,but short lived. :-[
Did the job, but made me realise that I need to have two on the boat. ;)

If you have not used one before, I would recommend that you buy one from Whitworths when they are on special,( $ 19) and give it a go, on say a small oil fire.

I cant understand why carrying an extinguisher ,is related to the size of the boat. What are we saying here,small boats dont catch on fire???????
Therefore you dont need to carry an extinguisher? >:(

I recon, it should be compulsory on all boats,regardless of size.
Any how ,give it a go,its worth the $19,to have the experience
David

[seatime]

Fire blankets have their places on boats too, imo.
They work well on 25 lt portable fuel tanks and outboards, where they can be 'wrapped' around.

As you say David, small extinguishers don't go far, and if it's blowing,,,,,.
A fire blanket would help in preventing re-ignition of the fire.

regards
Steve.

[Roughasguts]

Yep fire blanket, wet towel or shirt will sometimes put a fire out better than some fire extinguishers.

[dnej]

Yes,I have a fire blanket,yet never ever seen one removed. Silly stuff really.

Are they easy to put back in the cover? Got one in the kitchen at home as well.
Any one used one at all? I should organise a day course shouldn't I
David

[Roughasguts]

Actually there pretty hard to put back in the cover, so I would recomend pulling it out and having a bit of practice.

I have used them a fair bit for the odd fires at work, and to be honest I have not got them to fit as good in the bag as they originally were.

[seatime]

Those things never go back in right, like map folding, only worse. :)

If they don't fit and want to fall out, turn the holder bag upside down and hang em up that way.

I've done a couple of fire fighting courses, but never used a blanket in anger, used extinguishers for real however.

regards
Steve.

[Grand_Marlin]

Tafe do have courses as part of the safety at sea corriculum.

They are well worth the exercise as they get you to use all types of extinguishers on all different types of fires.

You even learn how to put out an oil fire with water ....

Cheers

Pete

[outsiderskip]

i got one in the boat
but never hope to use it

pete

[finga64]

putting fires out used to be a part of our yearly training just the same as CPR.

[subzero]

3 car fires, one was fuel dripping on to hot exhaust P A Vauxal from memory, the other 2 were both car accidents, neither serious injuries involved, that was in my old suburban bus driving days back in PN, NZ
1 kitchin stove fire, that scared me the most because we were young and it was our stuff and we werent insured if it got away on me... at 20 years old insurance is a waste of money untill something happens, then you get it after that, luckily we didnt loose anything apart from the buggered stove.
Cheers Lloyd

[jim_farrell]

You should have a bit more time on your hands putting the blanket back. ;D ;D
I carry an extinguisher on the boat but have little faith. Blanket for me.

I had a fuel line crack in the car that leaked fuel onto the manifold, extinguisher put the fire out, initially, then it reignited. As said they don't go for very long.

I think fire safety is as important with guests on board as life jacket locations.
jim

[Poseidon]

If you are going to buy an extinguisher pay a little more and get a larger unit with a HOSE attached. The problem with the smaller units is without a hose you have little chance of directing the powder to the seat of the fire if it is obscured by something, like behind a bulkhead, under your console or underfloor in larger boats. At least with a hose you can keep the extinguisher upright and allow the hose to be pointed and bent around the obstacle and get to the cause of the problem without all of your powder bouncing away from obstructions.
Have a look at any extinguishers on trucks / buses and the like, it is compulsory for units in these cases to be fitted with hoses. Your boat should be afforded the same benefit.

Regards Cameron.

[pegasus]

recently had the opportunity to use my boat extingsher on the bait freezer when she caught a light in the garage- worked well.- was short but effective

reckon it would have to be one of a boaty 's worse nightmares- boat fire on the open sea-

[1975fflh]

Gidday guys

I have to use them every six months because I work in the City Underground Railway and there is a simple way of using them (they do run out fast) it is called the PASS system.

Pull pin
Aim at base of fire
Squeeze trigger or handle
Sweep across the fire.

Even with the large type extinguishers if a fire is more than a meter wide or high its time to run or jump.

Make sure that the extinguisher suits the fire type on boats it should be a chemical powder type red with a white band for fule and oil type fires.

[Black_Jack]

Yep
At work we go through training also got 2 x in the boat. hope to never have to use them.

by the way every couple of months give them a good shake to loosen the powder, this is very important.

geoff

[Great_White]

Have one in the boat and in the good car, would feel very helpless standing by and watch something burn and not be able to do anything about it. :o :o :o

A fire blanket sound like a good thing to have as well , think I will need to invest in one.

Good topic can never talk enough about safety these days.

Peter #:)

[Argle]

Had to use one on my old ute, caught fire just as I rolled into a servo (not ideal) The clutch line burst sending fluid onto the extractors and whoosh :o I have never moved so fast in my life and am glad we had extinguisher training at work. I have one in the boat and in each car, should be compulsory I reckon.

Cheers and Beers
Scott

[mini696]

Yes.

I saw a poor bloke on the side of the road with the engine of his car on fire. #He just finished doing it up for his mate and was taking it on its first run. #A hydraulic line came unstuck and whoompa up in flames.

So I pulled over, pulled out my extinguisher from my mini and put the fire out. #Quite easially I might add. #Gave him my phone number with the hope he would replace it. But never got the call.

Should have let it burn!! #>:(

Sidenote - The next week I set the Mini on fire under the dash (dont ask) ::) Reached for the extinguisher, said "Oh double damn, its not there is it", and proceeded to burn my hands tapping the fire out. What was worse was it was under the house at the time, 3 foot from the wooden floor. Could have been tragic. Extinguisher was replaced that afternoon.

[dnej]

Just out of interest,what size extinguisher did you use
David

[Hornblower]

Greetings ad salutations fellow Ausfishers,

Just remember when using the extinguisher that you aim at the base or the "seat" of the fire, not at the flames half way up. Two reasons:

1) You put the fire out much quicker, and

2) You don't use as much median as you would starting up the flame track and working back. The advantage is that if it re-ignites you hopefully, have enough of the median left to put it out.

Also, if you don't have a fire blanket, don't stress, use a towel dipped in water, just as effective, but be sure you sheild your arms and face with the towel as you approach the fire.

Also, if you run out of median on the fire extinguisher, a can of beer shaken will also do a pretty good job of it - that way at least you can tell you missus you will take a six pack of fire extinguishers with you for your trip ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Cheers ;) ;) ;) ;)

[PinHead]

I had a work ute catch fire once...power steering hose broke..fluid on the headers...was almost in the driveway..half in and half on the road..firies arrived. They asked if the car was in my property or on the road...I thought about it for a while..was not sure..he said if it was in my property the fire levy would cover it..if on the road then I would have to pay..instantly that vehicle was on my property...something to think about.

Did not have a fire extinguisher with me either.

[mini696]

Just out of interest,what size extinguisher did you use
David I think it was a 1.1kg. The small ones anyway.