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Thread: Fire Extinguishers

  1. #76

    Re: Fire Extinguishers

    very well said Blue...
    I have also attended practical training as part of our lab safety, and I would recomend it to anyone. The one I attended covered everything from ratings on extinguishers to putting out variously fed fires. That was before the accident - and therefore I was prepared to some extent.

    Preparation and training actually doesn't take that long - especially when you compare it future possible risks encountered anywhere.

    uru,
    DICER

    Can't say though 8 secs, is a long time, fires have a habit of having a head start and warming things up!

  2. #77

    Re: Fire Extinguishers

    I also did a fair bit of fire training back in the days when my work place was prepared to spend dollars on proper warden training. The other thing that is important is to get the retardent into the area without exposing the fire to open air - for example an underfloor fire. It was amazing how effective it was to extinguish a car engine fire by only popping the hood and spraying through the 2 inch gap. Whole different kettle of fish if you opened the hood. I like the fire blanket idea though.

  3. #78

    Re: Fire Extinguishers

    Subzero - Where am I - been at 1770 for the week, but I am here now.

    Firstly lets consider fire, or more so the fire trianlge.
    Ross's Safety Page
    Fire Extinguisher Training

    1. The Fire Triangle

    In order to understand how fire extinguishers work, you first need to know a little bit about fire.

    Fire is a chemical reaction involving rapid oxidation (burning) of a fuel.

    Four things must be present at the same time in order to produce fire:
    FUEL - any combustible material - solid, liquid or gas. Most solids and liquids must vapourise before they will burn.
    OXYGEN - Sufficient oxygen must be present in the atmosphere surrounding the fuel for fire to burn.
    HEAT- Suficient heat energy must be applied to raise the fuel to it's ignition temperature
    Chemical, exothermic reaction - This reaction can occur when all three of the above elements are present in the proper conditions and proportions. Fire (rapid oxidisation) is the result of this chemical reaction.

    The combination of these three elements is frequently referred to as the "fire triangle". Add in the fourth element, the chemical reaction, and you actually have a fire "tetrahedron." The important thing to remember is that if any one of these four things can be removed there will be no fire or the fire will be extinguished.

    Essentially, fire extinguishers put out fire by taking away one or more elements of the fire triangle/tetrahedron.

    Fire safety, at its most basic, is based upon the principle of keeping fuel sources and ignition sources separate.



    Fire extinguishers of the DCP, Dry Chemical Powder, and fire blankets remove the oxygen factor.
    Lets look at Fire Blankets, only effetive if you can "seal off" the oxygen from the source of heat and fuel"
    Now this is not going to be an easy task with a free burning fire on an open boat.
    The seat of the fire (not the visible flames) may well be in an underfloor situation, get in there in a hurry with a blanket.

    Extinguishers - well where do you start.
    What size ? what type? what rating?
    Have a look at the Chubb Website

    The rating "5be" has sh*t all to do with wind and is an indication of the size of fire you could expect, not gaurenteed, to extinguish with said extinguisher.

    "All recreational ships over five metres in length must carry equipment capable of extinguishing a fire quickly and effectively."

    Pie in the sky stuff really, a .9 kg extinguisher will put out a fire quickly and effectively, but a lot smaller fire than a 9kg

    It is more than just having an extinguisher, you need to know how and when to use it. Sometimes it may better to get yourself and crew off the vessel as quickly and safely as possible.
    If you have insufficient resources to fight the fire your safety is then the prime concern.





    Cheers
    Mark

  4. #79

    Re: Fire Extinguishers

    Quote Originally Posted by Kerry

    Blue_e, Not wanting to get your unit professionally serviced is really not an option, it MUST be professionally serviced based on Qld requirements, which are over and above any national requirements/recommendations.

    Interesting you didn't mention the wind rating regardless of standards etc. In windy conditions with some of those low rated units one may as well pi.. into the wind, which would do a lot more good than some ext.


    Nq, # now why would I tell you that Halon (BCF) is unfriendly to "that" hole, I wouldn't do that #

    Cheers, Kerry.
    Don't get me started on the biggest piece of crap swallowed by so many people..hole in the ozone layer caused by CFC's etc..never heard so much contrived dribble in my life.

  5. #80

    Re: Fire Extinguishers

    I used to own a Mini and it was done up a reasonable amount, so I bought a 0.9kg ext. for it. Made it look "cool" too.

    One day I noticed a fellow in the middle of the road (with everyone else blaring abuse and their horns at him), the funny thing is they didn't notice the smoke billowing out of the engine bay.

    So I stopped, gave the extinguisher to the guy and he put the fire out. I was suprised at how big the fire was which it was able to put out.

    It was caused by a hydraulic leak onto the exhaust, the poor guy had only just finished doing the car up for his friend and was testing it.

    I gave him my number (should have got his) expecting him to pay for the extinguisher but never got a call.

    A while later I was removing my stereo, but had forgotten to disconnect the battery I accidently sparked some wires and set my dash on fire, luckly I managed to put it out (with my hands), all the time cursing not replacing the extinguisher (the empty holder was still in the car, and the car was parked under the house!!)

    Just a story
    Mick

  6. #81

    Re: Fire Extinguishers

    Quote Originally Posted by PinHead

    Don't get me started on the biggest piece of crap swallowed by so many people..hole in the ozone layer caused by CFC's etc..never heard so much contrived dribble in my life.
    Nope not interested in holes either, holes they come 'n holes they go the only thing certain is that users now have to get their ext's. serviced if they like it or not, no choice, well there is a choice but then the nice man could have a raeson to make with the paper work

    Cheers, Kerry.

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