The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Where to put a fire extinguisher?

Goodguys has no such rule, even for their autocross there is no rule saying the fire extinguisher is required.

I do believe in carrying a fire extinguisher in my vehicle, I just don't believe it's right for a show organizer to say where it should be mounted. I find that unbelievable. I want it in a location that's easily accessible for me if I need to stop and extinguish something (my own or someone else's), or if I need to extinguish it when parked. Hence why I put mine where I do.


Luckily I never have and never will attend an ATHS show so this doesn't apply to me. "Get over it."

Yes, they can specify you need a fire extinguisher. Telling you it needs to be on the passengers kick panel is unnecessarily restrictive. I just don't understand that. On my truck, it would be impossible to reach that easily.

Tommy,

I have a 1/2 ton '58 Apache. Might decide to include an extinguisher. Can you provide a picture of your installation?

John

I wouldn't use magnets, for a couple reasons, but essentially you want something that's as essential and heavy as a fire extinguisher to be well secured, without any chance of it moving and subsequently becoming damaged or causing damage, while driving.

This post has received 547 Views. Might be time to buy stock in fire extinguishers.

I was pretty sure that they did, might have been Super Chevy that had that rule. I used to attend both shows back when they were at IRP, which is where the extinguisher I'm using came from. I definitely recall seeing the safety equipment requirements for one or the other at the time I bought it that clearly outlined what type and where it was to be mounted.

I view everything under the prism of 1947-1955, so the passenger kick panel is out.. the heater is there. The passenger rear cab corner is out, there is a gas tank spout there. So the drivers rear cab corner is the place where there is room to grab it without much thought. My plan since I am in the frame up resto process is to spot weld a very high quality extinguisher holder in place. Not a big deal since I am also creating two drawers under the seat for jacks and accessories, first aid kit, essential tools, etc. Then using zues fasteners (1/4 turn) on the transmission cover, and a nice rectangular door for the dual MC. If I get nervous about spot welding on the cab corner I will create a reinforcing bracket to absorb the energy. Its all about fun and what feels like the right thing to do. And BEER! lol.

I had Fire Extinguisher Training every year in the Air Force. It came around as often as we had to kiss the dummy (CPR training). There are three classes of fire.. A, B, C. If the extinguisher is rated for all, its the right one to use. I don't feel good about spraying powder all over my precious, but in your defense you had more pressing issues at the time! If this thread helps one person decide they better add an extinguisher, it really was worth it.

It could be that the organization sponsoring the show is not always calling the shots for safety apparatus. The arena or show grounds or municipality might have safety apparatus rules.

That could very well be what I ran into at the Goodguys and Super Chevy shows, as both were held at Indianapolis Raceway Park, which is now Lucas Oil Speedway, and it is an NHRA sactioned track.
With the local shows I attend, it is the sponsoring club that calls the shots there, on top of most of the events being held on city or county park property, and one is held at the local airport.

purple K, I haven't heard that in years. So I just looked it up, PKP is only rated BC, which is why it isn't used so much for a general purpose extinguishing agent, it is a bicarbonate based extinguishing agent. Many time used in conjunction with foam. Mostly for high risk areas, refineries, airports things like that. PKP has 4-5 times the extinguishing capability of the phosphate based products, While the ABC extinguishers are phosphate based, allowing for dependable use in the class A fires as well.

I have a total of three Purple K extinguishers at my shop. The most obvious is next to my above ground waste oil storage tank. This is out of 24 total extinguishers at my shop, most all dry chemical A,B,C's.




What about D??

Class D fires are a completely different animal, there are extinguishers for that, they work by melting and making a crust over the fire. I do know ABC extinguishers won't touch a D fire. (I've had the unmitigated joy of experiencing one, a small one, but it wouldn't go out...) We eventually had to cool it as much as possible with a fog nozzle and eject it over the side. I think foam has some success with D fires, but I don't remember for certain anymore. But unless you have lots of aluminum or magnesium finely divided (powder) you shouldn't have to worry too much about that.

That's probably it. I know Goodguys themselves don't have the rule, but it may be the facility. For super Chevy it may depend on the type of event.

It's probably more often a requirement of the insurance company or venue than the organizers themselves.

One local show here used to give you a "diaper" (big absorbent pad) to put under your engine to apparently save the grass of the venue. They've since stopped doing it, I assume because they realized it wasn't doing as much as they thought.

I mounted a vintage 1-quart brass Pyrene fire extinguisher on the passenger side kick panel near the Harrison heater in my '48. The tank is empty of the carbontetrachloride. The mounting holes for the bracket fit exactly with the pre-existing holes in the sheet metal! Please see the picture in the link below:

http://s160.photobucket.com/user/st...age_zps1407846f.jpg.html?sort=2&o=88

I believe that the Pyrene extinguisher is a perfect fit for the old road department service vehicle. Another set of "mystery holes" in the cab has been solved.

By the way, I do carry a modern fully-functional fire extinguisher in the bed of my truck. It is located in a tool trunk that travels with me wherever I go.

That is a very cool fire extinguisher. Where did you get that?

Very cool. I have a similar one. I may mount it there on my burb. I also carry a functional one.

The Pyrene Extinguisher that I mounted in my truck was given to me by my good brother John. They can be had at antique shows, garage/estate sales, and on eBay.

I just got this one on EBay. I'll try to mount it next to the heater on the passenger side as well. These are very cool and correct for the period although not anything standard in one of our trucks.

Pyrene fire extinguisher

I have another one that I'll mount in my COE

Looks nice for show but I'd have a modern one too for emergencies.

Anyone who has ever experienced a car fire will not hesitate to tell you to have an extinguisher handy. I had a 1970 Buick Estate Wagon that my Dad bought new. It must have had a fuel leak as it caught fire as we started it in a storage building one day. No extinguisher. It was amazing how fast that car burned to the ground. Still one of my worst days ever! I can tell you know that I have extinguishers in all of my vehicles. I go by the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"!

I have a small tool box that I carry with me in whichever car I am driving. I attached a fire extinguisher to the side of it. Every time I move the tool box from vehicle to vehicle, I look at the gage on the extinguisher to make sure it's still charged.

In addition to checking the gauge regularly, also look into the hose nozzle for evidence of dirt daubers, etc.

Check gauge, make sure pin is in place, check nozzle for blockage, check hose for cracks, etc. Should probably be done monthly.