PSA : please carry an extinguisher...

[moparedtn]

Halon is exactly what I thought this was also.....I have only had one experience in my working career with Halon....didn't end well.
My co-worker (he was training me at the site) forgot to isolate the tanks when running the dummy fire-drill. You guessed it, he triggered the halon in the Computer Room (all sealed shut for security)..... I have never seen people move so fast - flinging open doors and windows to escape the gas cloud. Halon itself is not toxic, but it does consume oxygen at an alarming rate ....even the oxygen in your lungs.
And the only time I used my powder extinguisher was also the result of an 'accident'.....I was doing donuts around a skid pan, when the extinguisher broke loose, and caught my shoe. It went off all at once. Looked like a bunch of Columbian Drug dealers had blown a couple of kilo's in my A100.
Funny at the time, but what a mess.


It was shortly after this wheelie good air under the rear that the extinguisher let rip...
View attachment 1047485

*snicker* Ya knucklehead....

Yep, halon works by simply removing ALL oxygen from the application area - FAST.
Myself, having been to a few training sessions at various manufacturers of the stuff over the years,
knew when it happened that the first thing you do is HIT THE FLOOR - NOW.
The last vestiges of oxygen are to be found there, but you best be doing your best crab walk
the fluck outta there pronto - which I did.
When I saw the idiot come out the other door, I just went after him....

 

[moparedtn]

Thanks Ed, I think that is part of what you do & or did for a living. I only know because where ever I worked, we were mandatory to be part of the Fire Brigade & Emergency Response Teams. I also worked in a computer room that monitored and controlled all of the fire system devices and systems. I was also sent to school to learn how to program procedures that had to happen when alarms came in such as smoke doors releasing and such; (writing code). Our chief was a former New York City fire chief and we had to attend training for a couple days at the fire academy. I loved crawling through a multistory building in a turnout coat and full gear including Scott packs and boots, with a blacked out mask dragging a charged fire line in the middle of summer; NOT!

By the way, ever since my first car, all of my vehicles had fire extinguishers in them.

Yes sir, plants had designated and trained folks on each shift on their fire brigades in decades past.
I did a lot of on-site training for some of them - but that's all gone now, has been for a while.
Insurance underwriters don't want that at all, preferring for all workers to do the "gather at the flag pole"
routine so heads can be counted in case of a fire.
Works for the plant runners too, since turnover has become the way in such places anymore...sad.

 

[1967coronet]

I keep one in my 67.
Mix of gasoline , electric wiring, and DIY work, what could possibly go wrong ?
I used to not bother with one, then one year at Good Guys I seen a really nice 55 Chevy burn out under the hood .
Owner was not with his car, no keys , trunk mounted battery. Few folks tried to help but it was ugly.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Had a freaky experience in 1997 at the Chrysler National that made me a believer in the value of a fire extinguisher in an old Mopar. I drove my 1966 Imperial (my daily driver at time) from Chicago to Carlisle and had a great weekend as always (haven't missed the show since the first in 1991). I checked out a vendor who had a cache of used Imperial parts, but passed on a high pressure power steering hose because I had purchased an NOS piece and installed it in the car after the previous year's event.

Ready to head back to the hotel, I started the car, and smoke poured out from under the hood. Grabbed my extinguisher, popped the hood - the whole left side of the engine was in flames. Turned out, the NOS hose had popped a fitting, and sprayed fluid on the exhaust manifold, which was hot enough for ignition. I was able to quench the flames, fortunately, without even emptying my small dry chemical extinguisher (I carried two). Went back to the flea market, bought the used hose I'd passed on for $5, installed it, and drove the car for 3 more years without incident.

The only serious problem I ever had with the Imperial couldn't have been timed better, but it wouldn't have turned out so well without the fire extinguisher.

 

[Speedbird]

I always carry one.
If you don't want to mount one or can't find a place to mount it, cut the lower leg off a pair of pants.
Close one end by poking holes, folding it over and zip tying it.
Slide the extinguisher in the leg and put a loose bow knot to close the other end.
The package can be placed under the passenger seat side, tied end facing forward for quick access.
This keep the extinguisher from just bumping around.

 

[wvmarv]

Yup an 86. I know a lot of guys hate the 80s Chrysler’s because they’re too “Mitsubishi“ or but she’s been my faithful daily driver for a while now and its been my favorite Mopar so far.

View attachment 1047440 View attachment 1047441

I love Mopars. But I worked on those cars back then and they were junk and a pain in the *** to work on. Every time I saw one pull into the lot I tried to hide.

 

[wvmarv]

"Halogen"?
You might have been thinking about halon - but that's been banned for years, too.
The "clean agent" extinguishers that are out there now (like the ones you've linked to) are great,
but pricy as hell.
The larger typical clean agent extinguisher we sell for commercial kitchens pushes $1000, for example.
Yes, there's none of that yellow nasty powder mess after use, but dang man - I can't afford the dang
things in my own home, so conventional 10lb ABC types are around my house.

Yeah Halon systems are bad news. I have worked in industrial plants that have halon systems in certain electrical rooms of certain buildings. They have a special alarm for the halon system and if you hear it go off you have a short specified amount of time to exit the room or you're done.

 

[kiwigtx]

*snicker* Ya knucklehead....

Yep, halon works by simply removing ALL oxygen from the application area - FAST.
Myself, having been to a few training sessions at various manufacturers of the stuff over the years,
knew when it happened that the first thing you do is HIT THE FLOOR - NOW.
The last vestiges of oxygen are to be found there, but you best be doing your best crab walk
the fluck outta there pronto - which I did.
When I saw the idiot come out the other door, I just went after him....

I forgot to mention that Halon was hellishly expensive here going back 30+ years....I was told about $600 a fill. I was only earning about $250 per week back then. Glad I didn't have to fork out for a fill.

 

[ckessel]

Here is what I'm using at home. I saw these at a Goodguys show several years ago. They are made in Italy and the importer is out of Canada. You light them off like a flare and they are about the same size. They leave no residue and are not toxic. You don't have to get them serviced every couple of years like the others so you save some money there. They are A,B,C and K rated. Last for 50 seconds. Check them out.

 

[moparedtn]

Yeah Halon systems are bad news. I have worked in industrial plants that have halon systems in certain electrical rooms of certain buildings. They have a special alarm for the halon system and if you hear it go off you have a short specified amount of time to exit the room or you're done.

30 seconds typically, although it is adjustable on most systems.

 

[moparedtn]

I forgot to mention that Halon was hellishly expensive here going back 30+ years....I was told about $600 a fill. I was only earning about $250 per week back then. Glad I didn't have to fork out for a fill.

Oh yeah, it's exponentially more now - the very few companies still allowed to handle the stuff are
registered with the feds.
I remember about 25 years ago, a black market formed for the stuff coming up out of Mexico, much
like R12 refrigerant.

 

[dvw]

Cant believe how few racecars have fire systems. This is my10 lb water based foam system. Cleans up easily and you can breath. Just over $500.
Doug
https://baumgartnerracecars.com/products/dj-safety-10-lb-coldfire-foam-fire-system

https

 

[HawkRod]

I use "Halotron" fire extinguishers in my cars. It is a replacement for Halon (and maybe a trade name for some generic chemical similar to Halon?).

Bottom line is I have seen how fast cars start burning. I would never want to lose one of my cars for lack of a fire extinguisher. The $150 bucks for one is well worth the insurance in my opinion!

 

[70runner]

Neighbor at previous residence was city fire chief. He hooked me up with a guy who sold Halguard (halotron) extinguishers and told me to station it permanently in the RR. A couple years ago I was tuning and swapping jets. Most of you know how many fuel lines/connections there are on a 6pak...you can see where this is going. The fire started on the running engine from a loose fuel line connector. The Halguard was mounted just behind the drivers seat, so I grabbed it and quickly put out the fire. Had to retape some harnesses but no other damage and no residue. Could have been much worse. We have Halguards in EVERY vehicle.

 

[moparedtn]

Halotron is good stuff for sure; I prefer it to "k-class" (K-Guard) types of extinguishers.
How big are you guys getting those extinguishers in?

 

[funknut]

Here is what I'm using at home. I saw these at a Goodguys show several years ago. They are made in Italy and the importer is out of Canada. You light them off like a flare and they are about the same size. They leave no residue and are not toxic. You don't have to get them serviced every couple of years like the others so you save some money there. They are A,B,C and K rated. Last for 50 seconds. Check them out.

View attachment 1047600 View attachment 1047601 View attachment 1047602

Jay Leno did a segment on these, he's a believer. That was the first I saw of them, but it looks like a really good product. I really like the idea of never having to have them serviced. How many of us forget to get that done? (I sure do). $80 for one, and no way a 5lb extinguisher will go for 50 seconds, maybe 15?

Very impressive.

https://elementfire.com/pages/media

 

[HawkRod]

Halotron is good stuff for sure; I prefer it to "k-class" (K-Guard) types of extinguishers.
How big are you guys getting those extinguishers in?

Mine are 2 1/2 pound units. They are a little under 2 feet long. In the Road Runner, I have it mounted on the transmission tunnel on the passenger side.

What is K-class (K-Guard)?

 

[moparedtn]

Mine are 2 1/2 pound units. They are a little under 2 feet long. In the Road Runner, I have it mounted on the transmission tunnel on the passenger side.

What is K-class (K-Guard)?

A k-class fire is one where oils/greases in such places as kitchens ignite. That type of extinguisher is typically "wet", as it has a chemical mist that sprays out at high pressure and basically smothers/coats the burning fats/oils in such fires.
They're very expensive, too.

 

[moparedtn]

Jay Leno did a segment on these, he's a believer. That was the first I saw of them, but it looks like a really good product. I really like the idea of never having to have them serviced. How many of us forget to get that done? (I sure do). $80 for one, and no way a 5lb extinguisher will go for 50 seconds, maybe 15?

Very impressive.

https://elementfire.com/pages/media

I like these a lot and have even had a chance to try one when a rep came by my work a few years ago.
Only downside to them that I could see (other than the price $$$) was they require you to get a tad
too close to the fire to fight it for my taste.

 

[70runner]

Halotron is good stuff for sure; I prefer it to "k-class" (K-Guard) types of extinguishers.
How big are you guys getting those extinguishers in?

Also 2.5 lbs. Rigged up a steel plate to mount it, so it's mobile.