Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:44:03 -0700
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Fire Prevention Week (Was: Always Look Under A Bus!)
In-Reply-To: <C7FC2598-393C-4B70-82A8-8D6668FC5BC2@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I've raced sports cars a lot and fire safety is a big concern in that. So
I set my vanagon up similar to my race car with an extinguisher reachable
from the driver's seat.
Mine is farily small, mounted on a secure bracket that is screwed into the
base of the passenger's seat just below the seat itself. The bracket should
be capable of containing the fire bottle in the event of a roll over or a
big crash...Race drivers have been killed by flying fire extinguishers
flying around inside. The fire ext. should be easily released from it's
bracket and be ready to use right then...So, if I have a fire aboard or come
upon another flaming vehicle, I can lean across and grab that extinguisher
on my way out the door, almost. And if I am parked on a busy highway, I
can get to it by opening the passenger door and grabbing it.
For me, that seems enough...l am no 'belt AND suspenders' guy so over
preparedness is not my style..one should do in most cases.
In my racecar I also had an "onboard fire supression system" which was a
slightly larger extinguisher, mounted on my roll cage with a couple of
copper lines...one to roof right over the driver's head and one into the
engine bay. A pull handle activated the system and we were also required to
have an outside handle for track workers in case we got knocked out. Those
worked really well and were inexpensive and easily maintaned, in case anyone
is really worried about burning up...
One other racecar safety requirment that might be a good idea on a vanagon
is a master power switch...Kinda like those marine battery switches you see,
but these, too worked with a remote cable pull reachable both by the driver
in position and by track workers from outside the vehicle. A nice big red
handle with "Off" somewhere near the driver might come in handy in case of a
fuel leak or an accident...pull the switch, grab the extinguisher and bail
out!
Don Hanson
On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 3:11 PM, turbowesty <turbowesty@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks to Peter for starting the conversation (and VERY glad to hear you
> caught it oh so quickly!).
> Ever since I had my run-away diesel oil-burn problem, I've thought about
> "if a fire started in my Vanagon then..." what would I do. I have my
> thoughts now, having lived though that, I'd appreciate hearing what other
> people do to be ready. I know time is critical (Scott suggested 20 seconds
> is really going to limit damage, 5 minutes is too late... there's a big gap
> between). So... ideas?
>
> Fire extinguishers: how many, what type, how big, located where
> Fire medical equipment: any onboard?
> Materials onboard: BBQs with small propane tanks are common, do you lave
> them onboard all the time or only when you know you will need them? And
> where do you store them?
>
> Those are just a few examples, I'm interested in seeing "best practices"
> and will be happy to compile a list after people have finished adding...
>
> Regards, Peter Kraiker
> kraikerphoto.com / studiofstop.com
> Toronto, ON, Canada
> '82 L Westfalia 1.9 TD 5 Spd (Babe)
> '05 Jetta Wagon 1.9 TDI 5 Spd (Blue)
>
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