Fire Safety on the Road
by Greg Moe & Dave Galey As most of us in the bus circles know, Dave Galey's bus burned in early June. The cause of the fire was determined to be a crack in an exhaust elbow, which acted like a blow torch, burning through the floor and igniting the bedspread. His efforts to extinguish the fire proved to be futile and a good part of the interior was consumed. The good news is that neither he nor his wife were injured and they were able to drive the Enterprise home.
After speaking with Dave on the phone we decided to collaborate on an article about fire safety on the road. Although this article is written concerning bus conversions, it applies to motor homes and travel trailers as well.
We will begin with the coach interior: Some of these items are rather obvious to the average person, and others are not. By way of explanation, Greg retired last year (1999) after 21 years as a Fire Fighter in Reno, Nevada, so you might say that his perspective of fire safety is a bit different than most people.
We'll start with Dave's fire because it points out several things in which most people have no training.
- When Dave discovered the fire, he did the correct thing by rolling the bedspread into itself.
- He went to the sink for a glass of water to extinguish the fire, thinking that would be enough.
- He then reached for the closest fire extinguisher and it failed, so he grabbed another but it also failed.
- He then went to one of the bus bays where he kept a bucket, but when he returned to the front door of the coach, he could not fight the smoke inside.
- He left the coach and made sure it was closed up tightly. This is probably what saved the Enterprise from total destruction.
In this case, at step one, had Dave either opened the window in the bedroom, or broken it out and stuffed the bedspread outside, there would have been little, or no, further damage. That thought (breaking the window), however, never occurred to him. In fact, when the Fire Department arrived at the scene, their first act was to break out all the windows, much to Dave's distress. It's our nature to avoid breaking our possessions to save the whole, and that can sometimes cost us everything.
The minimum size extinguisher you should carry is a 10 lb. ABC type. This unit is good for the three most common classes of fire. Two extinguishers would be preferred; one in the living area near the exit door and one in the baggage compartment.
Fire extinguishers should be serviced or replaced at least once a year, or if they are used. Those extinguishers used in mobile applications should be shaken at least once every three months so that the dry powder does not cake on the bottom. The inexpensive extinguishers sold in places like Home Depot, Eagle or Costco cannot be serviced and are best drained and thrown away. Another thing to check monthly is the pressure gauge, making sure it is still in the green (as shown in the picture on the left). If it is not, replace it immediately. Do not carry an extinguisher that does not have a pressure gauge.
Our latest fire safety concept is a built-in system. This system lies dormant or inactive until needed, which may be never. We would highly recommend that everyone find and install a pump capable of delivering 7-10 gallons of water per minute at 40 pounds per square inch (psi) water pressure. The pump should be a 12-volt unit so it will operate from our house batteries. In searching the literature, a typical marine bilge pump appears to be the answer. Another suggestion would be a marine deck wash-down pump. A 3/4 inch diameter garden hose, fifteen feet long, coiled up under the kitchen sink should reach almost anywhere in the living quarters of the coach. A panic switch would be located near the hose. In addition, the hose should have an adjustable nozzle. With this flow rate and pressure you can handle most small fires that you would encounter.
If you must abandon your coach, close it up as tightly as possible. Less air feeding the fire slows its spread down considerably.
The next fire we will discuss is one where the owner would rather not be named. It started in the motor home parked next to his, in a campground.
- The propane system in the motor home caught fire and spread very rapidly, quickly engulfing it in flames. This created a tremendous exposure problem for the surrounding coaches. (Editor's note: In the Fire Service, an "exposure" is created by reflected or radiated heat from a flaming source which is hot enough to travel through open air and igniting an adjacent flammable structure or thing.)
- The owner of the bus started his bus but couldn't build enough air pressure to release his brakes fast enough. The driver's window shattered, burning him badly enough that he had to abandon the bus. The bus and motor home were total losses.
Propane is a dangerous fuel; systems should be inspected at least annually.
Losing the bus could have been prevented, if there had been a 12-volt compressor with a 110 psi cut out switch installed in the air system to keep the brakes' air tanks filled at all times. It is then just a matter of starting up the engine and driving off. You can pay for the damaged hook-ups later. They are much cheaper to replace than your coach, or, more importantly, your life.
The last fire we will discuss is the common kitchen fire. If you cook with oil, or fry bacon, it can splash out of the pan and into the fire or onto an exposed element, igniting the contents of the pan. When cooking with oil or grease, keep a lid of the proper size on the counter for just such an emergency so that you can cover the pan and smother the fire. This is the simplest way to deal with this type of fire. It can also be handled with your extinguisher or baking soda. Never use water, or flour.
Hopefully, we have given you some food for thought so that you will enjoy years of safe busing.
(Editor's note: Although the facts described in this article are as accurate as possible, and delivered by a professional firefighter, it is also the duty of firefighters to caution you in the dangers of attempting to extinguish a fire and to deliver any other fire safety tips. Please don't make the mistake of trying to fight a large, growing fire. Fire grows at an alarming rate, doubling in size each and every minute. If you discover fire, you must make an immediate assessment as to whether you will be able to get to an available and appropriate fire extinguisher, return to the fire source and extinguish the entire fire. In most cases, your assessment will be negative. Don't worry about this fact. It is expected. The difference between a being a hero and being a victim is only a few precious minutes. If, within a moment or two, you fail to extinguish a fire, you must immediately focus on the fact that you must call the fire department and ensure the safety of people near the fire by removing them to a cooler location. Remember, you are driving your dream home - insure it properly, carry the safety equipment described in this article and remember that you only have a couple of minutes in the event of a fire. Please know this fact: YOU will be a HERO to a firefighter if, when the fire department arrives, you have removed your family and those around you to a safe place, even if it means losing everything else).
