Never carry a fire extinguisher in your car... and... I need a new briefcase & gymbag

Gollnick

Gollnick

Musical Director
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Some of you may remember THIS thread several years ago in which I extolled the imperative to always carry a fire extinguisher in your car.

This morning, I put my briefcase and my gymbag in my trunk (what there is of it) and headed out. I took one hard-left turn as only a little Mercedes sportscar can expecting hear a little loadshift in the trunk. Instead, I heard a loud bang and a whooshing sound from the trunk.

After pondering for a few seconds, I concluded that it must be something to do with the active suspension and that it was going to be very expensive. But, no idiot lights were on.

My destination was just a block away, so I continued on. When I arrived and opened the trunk to get my briefcase, I found the cause of the bang and the whoose. My fire extinguisher had broken loose from its bracket and flown across the trunk and hit the far wall, sheared the safety pin, and discharged all over the trunk.

Now, I need my trunk cleaned out and a new briefcase and gymbag.
 
Sorry to hear that.

What are the odds of that happening anyway.

Good luck on the mess clean up.
 
Funny story...

but I'll keep my extinguisher...it's under the drivers' seat in the Jag. If it does come loose...it's got a protective cage around the nozzle. Hope I never need to use it. :(
 
The thread would have been much better if I could only have had snapshots of your face when you opened the trunk, but my imagination is running and I am laughing. (sorry about that) on second thought, not really. Have a good day anyway and be sure and get a good detail shop to do the cleaning. You are going to need one.:D:D:D
 
The chemical that is in powdered fire extinguishes is highly corrosive,
especially when wet,be careful when getting it cleaned out...all
bare metal will rust away rapidly,electrical wiring will corode also.
 
and wear a mask. osha considers it to be exposure to a hazardous material. dont know how hazardous, but take some precautions.


kinda funny, though. :)
 
If its a ABC extinguisher it is monoamoniumphosphate , very corrosive but listed as a nuisance dust, non toxic. As noted, vacuum thoroughly then vacuum again. I have been in the fire suppression business for 30 years and take my word for it, it is a nightmare to clean up. I suggest keeping a BC rated fire extinguisher in your car which is sodium bicarbonate based and good for flammable liquids and electrical fires.
 
I worked at a truck stop in the Poconos for a while after I graduated in the '70s.We used to do service calls on I-80 and one day we got one for a truck that had one go off in the cab as he was going across I-80.What a mess that made,I know what kind of mess you have,just be glad it's in the trunk.
 
Thats a negative ghost rider, the fire extinguisher stays. Its good properties far outweigh the negative incident that happened.
 
I almost had to use my garage extinguisher after some burning 91% alcohol spilled making a 2 foot diameter burning puddle with 2 foot high flames right under the garage door which is wood. Luckily it gave me enough time to realize how quickly it would burn out, but in the off chance it started towards something that would burn the garage down I was ready. I think the key is to have one, but make sure it can't roll around and break open.
 
Sapper76 said:
Thats a negative ghost rider, the fire extinguisher stays. Its good properties far outweigh the negative incident that happened.
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Yup. Before even getting the mess cleaned up, I bought a new extinguisher today. The new one has a bracket designed for race cars and a metal pin. I also got a new filter for the shop vac and a dust mask and will be cleaning out every corner tomorrow. I intend to remove the liner and get into every nook and cranny.

And I'll comfort myself by reminding myself that it's not the suspension.
 
LOL, I knew you would get a new one. :D

I'm always reminded by your original post, how handy they are in auto accidents. Coincidentally, I thought about that post, about 10 days back when reading about a car that caught fire and was destroyed.
 
Get to work Chuck. We are supposed to go shooting today. I am loading up the toys. Hope you can still make it.
 
Nasty! kinda off topic but this reminded me of something else. Anybody here have any experience with pepper spray containers exploding? My brother in law religiously takes bear spray with him when he camps. Last time he got back from camping he put his gear in the corner and went about his business. Later that day he went to unpack it and the can had ruptured and dumped its contents in his pack! Nasty!
Another acquaintance of mine had a small personal protection pepper spray stored in a drawer that also ruptured. How common is this?
 
an engine fire is indeed abatable...


but I carry one in my car for other emergencies too....like if, say, your engine is on fire. :D
 
By the time a fire has started, your car is practically totaled. What are the benefits of carrying an extinguisher?
Click to expand...

See, this is what happens when you pull facts out of your imagination. Once you pull the fact "By the time a fire has started, your car is practically totaled" out of your imagination, it follows that fire extinguishers are useless and therefore no one carries one. Nothing wrong with your logic there, just your source of facts. If you look for facts in the real world you can use equally valid logic to reach conclusions that are useful in the real world.
 
enderwiggin said:
What are you going to do with a car fire extinguisher, exactly?
Click to expand...

How about save someone else's life? Go back to the top of this thread and click the link to Gollnick's post from a few years ago. Then you can come back here and answer your own question.
 
Cougar Allen said:
See, this is what happens when you pull facts out of your imagination. Once you pull the fact "By the time a fire has started, your car is practically totaled" out of your imagination, it follows that fire extinguishers are useless and therefore no one carries one. Nothing wrong with your logic there, just your source of facts. If you look for facts in the real world you can use equally valid logic to reach conclusions that are useful in the real world.
Click to expand...

Case in Fact: Last week a young woman was driving down the road and I was behind her. Her vehicle was leaving smoke contrails. I flipped on my 'Excuse me!' lights...she pulled over. A school bus pulled over and asked if I needed a fire extinguisher. (I did not *Gasp* have one in my Crown Vic,had used it the week b4) She popped her hood,everything up front of the engine compartment that was plastic was burning or melting from a fan belt that lit off. So, 4 or 5 short bursts of the extinguisher and all is good. Fire out,no smoke showing. Done.

Car not totalled,everyone safe.most of the melted plastic parts really are not needed to make a car run down the road....maybe 200 bucks to replace.Dunno, I'm not a claims adjuster, I just slept in a Holiday Inn last night. I remember to restock my trunk with an extinguisher. lesson learned.
 
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