How many of you carry a fire extinguisher

Everyone should have one or two …… watching someone burn to death and being helpless to stop it really really sucks

 

Buddy of mine was trying to start his 41 Chevy at a recent cruise and the carb caught fire. Grabbed the extinguisher out of my 32 and put it out. Made a mess but he was so grateful as well as those around him and now carries one in the car. Was nice enough to get me a new one as well.

I keep mine on the floor between the seats. My last C-Dan had a nice polished aluminum bracket with chrome extinguisher on the floor between the seats. Looked real nice but cost way too much.

 

Got one in my coupe and will have a couple in the wagon.

 

I have carried them since I started playing with old cars. This may seem like something that goes without saying. It comes from a personal experience that I had with an under hood fire inside my garage. I had a extinguisher in the trunk that I had never taken out of the box. Take your extinguisher, no matter what design and read the operating instructions today. When you are up to your A-- in flames the print on the instructions read really small. Also I would suggest that if you are working on your car inside of a building to have an escape route available so that you could push your rig outside if you can't put the fire out and have to move the car. No reason to lose more than you already have. I was so lucky. An once of prevention fits in this thread like damm. If you have never had an up close fire situation it is hard to believe just how fast it occurs and how quickly the flames will spread. A few seconds in response time can make all the difference in the final outcome.

 

To my mind, what would be ideal is a modern extinguisher with a vintage look. Does anybody make such a thing?

 

Halon removes oxygen and is not good for the ozone. It is not produced anymore. Halotron is its safer replacement.
CO2 removes oxygen and heat and leaves no mess.
Dry powder smoothers with a chemical reaction
The problem with both the Halon and CO2 is that they are compressed gas and are needed in bigger volume than dry powder to do the same job so the extinguishers get bigger than dry powder ones.
Smokey

 

Let's just say it's a good idea to have one....

 

A handy fire extinguisher tip

Hide it when your wife is angry and drunk

 

2.5 lb Halon attached to the passenger-side kick panel and I have a 5 lb Halon that I carry in the trunk (I set it near the rear wheel when the car is parked in the garage for quick access). Never leave home without them! I'm always amazed at folks with really nice rides who don't spend the bucks to put a good fire extinguisher in them.

Jim

 

Absolutely, fire extinguisher and kill switch.

 

One in my bug and one in the Plymouth. Don't have one in my Corolla, who cares if it burns. LOL

 

Thanks for the reminder. I need to get one picked up for my OT daily driver and a big one for my garage. Thought about it a while back and somehow let it slip my mind.

 

Sounds like I'm not the only one to have a fire going down the road. Kinda freaky driving along and having the cab fill up with smoke like a genie popping out of a lamp.

Now I keep an extinguisher between the seats, (not that obvious, is it?) One under the hood, and a kill switch out back.

 

Halon was/is bad for the ozone layer but it damn well would put out a fire on a car. Usually all you had to do was shoot it under the bumper or through the grill on an engine fire.

I had an engine fire on an ot rig a couple of years ago and completely forgot the fire extinguisher that was under the driver seat but hidden back where you had to hunt for it and then release the clamp. It was a bit too well hidden and if the parking lot at work hadn't been right behind the fire station the van would have probably burned to the ground.

 

i do, tecnically, but sadly, right now it is empty. gotta get her recharged..

 

Halon was/is primarily used in the Electronics field.
Like previously stated, it takes away the oxygen disrupting the fire chain and putting the fire out. IT also does not leave a residue which is ideal in electronics. Most places that have Halon are enclosed rooms. You do not want to be in that room if Halon goes off. Halon is no longer produced.

Back on topic. I have Two with me at all times. I purchase mine from Costco. They are mid range ABC 20's and last approx 5 years, although I change mine out around 2 years. They are NOT the rechargeable kind.

I have used them when I had an axle bearing go out, ruptured the axle housing and caught fire when the outside air was introduced .. Basically Gear oil 90W ( Flammable Liquid Fire ). I was in the middle of now where and it saved my ride. It took TWO to put it out.

I always have one UNDER or behind my seat. The other is either in the trunk or Pass side. depending on which car.

 

Three things I ALWAYS carry at a minimum in an older vehicle - my cell phone, my AAA card, and a fire extinguisher. a travel tool kit and such for over 100 miles from home, but under that the first three will at least get me home if I can't fix what comes up.

 

And both must be easy to get to !!!! Keep your eye on the gauge and have the extingusher checked out once a year.

 

I had a tiny one that my company was giving away. So small it fit in my 83 Mustang GT glove box. It saved my car when the cat converter got red hot under the car, and started my back seat on fire! I have a bigger one in my Galaxie,and a antique brass one that came with my Ranchero that I bought a few months ago! This thread reminded me that one needs a upgrade. It's show and probably no go!

 

Always carry one.

 

Yes I'm a volunteer fire fighter, nothing is more embarrassing than having to respond to your own fire.

 

Right behind the drivers side seat.

 

I have one in both cars...you just never know when something bad could happen either to you or someone else. I was at a Vette show a few yrs. ago when a guy with a big block 66 coupe was vacuuming his car through the cig. lighter. It fried all the wires and he was screaming for an extinguiser !!!! Luckily a buddy ran over and ripped the cable off the battery.

 

Yes.
Always.......Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!!!!!!!!!

 

I have one mounted under the dash in my Model A. I would never live that one down at the firehouse if my hot rod burned to the ground. Hope I never need it.

 

I have one mounted in plain sight on my package tray, no search if I need it. When I started to rebuild my car I removed one from the package tray that was at least 35 years old, got it for green stamps. Tried it and it worked.

 

Have one in all of my cars...

 

Carry two in the coupe, behind each seat. That Way its easy for me to grab the one behind passenger and if Im carrying a passenger they can grab the one behind me.

 

I do. Don't want to learn the hard way

 

I keep one in all of my old cars.