Hey thanks Houston. I've been away and out dealing with family illnesses and the death of my mother and it has kept me pretty occupied. I'm getting back in the grove now. Ya can't get rid of me that easy.
firedude's blog
Retired Fire Captain Full-timer Rv'er
RV.net Moderator
02 Chevy Silverdo 2500 HD 8.1 gas hog
Allison 5 spd Tans
Firestone Rid Rite Airbags
03 Keystone Challenger 5'er with many mods
TrailAir air ride hitch
Sorry to hear of the loss of your mom. She must have been some lady, she's raised a fine son. Thanks, and thanks again for your generous post. You and the other posters will change the habits of some of us RV'ers, resulting in safer travels. Blessings.
Though I'm not a fireman, retired or otherwise, I am a police dispatcher and have had to call fire many times. And I've even put out a fire or two by long distance
I will second Firedude when he speaks of MAINTENANCE, actully it is called PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
What does it prevent: FIRES for one thing.
I very strongly suspect that if someone were to tabulate all the data the #1 cause would be lack of Preventive Maintenance.
I will second the rest of what he said, but I'm stressing MAINTENANCE
(Oh one other tip.. Keep the wells down and the roof up. Some rigs get right upset when they get,,, Well.. Upsot)
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
One thing I'd like to add is a water hose and a hook up for it, many of us have air brakes and in certain conditions the drumm can get red hot and set fire to the tire, a fire extingusher will not help you when this happens, you need to cool the brake drum quickly and a water hose will do this, once the tire catches, the coach will catch too and it'll do that quickly. Keep not just one fire extingisher handy but several, we keep one up front by the door, one in the kitchen area, one in the bedroom, one in the center bay and one back in the engine compartment and make sure they work and that you know how to use them, if you have any questions on if they are still any good, replace them, it's cheap insurance. I'm sure tony has seen a few people grab a fire extingisher only to find out that it had solidified or gone bad 10 years earlier, give them a shake now and then, if you're not sure if it's any good anymore, replace it or have your local fire department check it.
Dan and Alice, fulltiming, eagle model 10, jeep grand cherokee toad
All good comments. If I may add, learn how to use your fire extinguishers. I investigated a fire which the home owner stated that the "darn thing didn't work, I pulled the pin and rolled it into the fire and it did nothing". True story, I encourage everyone to learn the proper operation and become comfortable with it.
Hey Firedude, is it also true that the extingisher powder can pack in or cake after a while from the bouncing down the road vibrations? I heard seveal years ago that the extingisher should be taken out of the braket, turned upside down and shaken to keep the powder loose?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and thanks for your years of service
dnahutt wrote: Hey Firedude, is it also true that the extingisher powder can pack in or cake after a while from the bouncing down the road vibrations? I heard seveal years ago that the extingisher should be taken out of the braket, turned upside down and shaken to keep the powder loose?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and thanks for your years of service
Dennis N Annette
Dennis,
Yes the dry chemical can settle. your suggestion is valid, but more importantly to be sure they are properly pressurized, usually indicated by a gauge of some sort. Most businesses that have the dry chemical extinguishers require annual maintenance from a local company. Many people have gone to pull the pin on an extinguisher to find it not working. Just another thing to ad to your safety checklist. There are so many types of extinguishers out on todays market and many for specific types of fires. You can Google extinguisher types and sure you will have plenty to read. the basic types are are (and can be combined)...
Class A Extinguishers will put out fires in ordinary combustibles, such as wood and paper. The numerical rating for this class of fire extinguisher refers to the amount of water the fire extinguisher holds and the amount of fire it will extinguish.
Class B Extinguishers should be used on fires involving flammable liquids, such as grease, gasoline, oil, etc. The numerical rating for this class of fire extinguisher states the approximate number of square feet of a flammable liquid fire that a non-expert person can expect to extinguish.
Class C Extinguishers are suitable for use on electrically energized fires. This class of fire extinguishers does not have a numerical rating. The presence of the letter “C” indicates that the extinguishing agent is non-conductive. C-1
Class D Extinguishers are designed for use on flammable metals and are often specific for the type of metal in question. There is no picture designator for Class D extinguishers. These extinguishers generally have no rating nor are they given a multi-purpose rating for use on other types of fires..
firedude, you mentioned using a ceramic electric heater. Does yours have a tip switch? this is an internal switch that turns the heater off if it gets knocked over. they are not universal to all of that type of heater. Thought is was worth mentioning
Ya can't get rid of me that easy.
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