car fire safety feature

You will probably never experience a car fire. You may never see a car fire. You should however be aware of what to do, and equally important what not to do, in the unlikely event of it happening. Being wise after the event does not help. With the benefit of experience (the author has dealt with car & petrol fires in the real world, and attended 'hands on' fire training courses at Chubb Fire Ltd) one or two misconceptions can be laid to rest, and enable the incident to be dealt with effectively, with safety being the prime consideration.

THE CAUSES
	We repeat again - car fires are extremely rare. Even after a major road traffic accident fire is an unlikely occurrence. Most car fires are caused by faultly wiring, or a petrol leak from a failed fuel pipe or connection which is then ignited by a spark, or the hot exhaust system. Virtually all car fires start under the Bonnet.
FUEL + HEAT - the problem and a suprise.
	As strange as it might sound, materials such as paper, wood, fabric etc, do not burn! It is the vapour given off from the material when subjected to heat, that actually burns. While most materials need a lot of heat to produce flammable vapour, petrol doesnt, and is therefore described as 'highly flammable'. A petrol fire can occur due to no more than a spark, 10 foot or more away from a spillage, and a draught which is in the wrong direction.
OXYGEN - the problem and the cure.
	Oxygen must be present for combustion to take place, and this fact is the key to dealing with most fires. If oxygen can be removed from the equation, usually by smothering the fire, combustion will cease - 'the fire will go out'. All fire extinguishers work on the principle of removing the availability of oxygen, and/or lowering the temperature to below that required for ignition.

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
	Fire extinguishers come in various types and sizes, and many are for specific uses only. We are concerned here with car fires, so Co2 or water extinguishers are not considered, nor are halon or BCF types which although effective, are only used nowadays in specialist applications for environmental reasons. The type of extinguisher recommended for car/petrol fires is the powder or foam variety, with the powder type being the first choice. While you may think a very small extinguisher is better than nothing, this is one area where size is important. For car fire protection opt for a minimum of a 1kilo extinguisher of the powder type (example shown is in the higher price range, but they start at about £20), keep it in the car, not the boot, and learn how to use it. Read on . . .
WHAT TO DO IF THE WORST HAPPENS

If you realise, you have an under bonnet fire, have a passenger call the emergency services on a mobile phone if possible, stop quickly and safely, and get passengers out of and away from the car.

Do not panic and leave the car blocking a fast traffic lane, when it takes no more time to leave the car in a safe position.

Make sure you turn off your ignition, and put your hazard flashers on - extremely important in case smoke effects visibility.

It is often stated that having stopped, you should pull the bonnet release, but not open the bonnet, then discharge the extinguisher through the gap created by the partly opened bonnet. However, the design of many modern cars means this will not allow access to the source of the fire, so a careful opening of the bonnet while discharging the extinguisher towards and across the source of the fire is much more effective, but requires caution for the following reasons:

(a)	The bonnet may now be hot, and difficult to handle safely.
(b)	Opening the bonnet allows more oxygen to reach the source of the fire, and may dramatically increase its intensity.
(c)	There will be an increase in the production of smoke that may be carcinogenic, and which must not be inhaled.

In any event, do not use half the contents of the extinguisher, thinking you will keep something in reserve, you may not put the fire out at all.

Under no circumstances attempt to restart the car, even if it appears the fire has been dealt with successfully.

The layman should not do anything else, but keep well away from the car, and ensure the emergency services have been called.

It must be said that dealing with even the smallest fire requires a degree of confidence not everyone will have, so you must decide what action should be taken. There is no rule book that says you should take unnecessary risks, and of course the safety of you and your passengers is paramount. A lot more than your no claims bonus could be at stake in such a situation.

If you would like further information on the products and services offered by CHUBB FIRE LTD, telephone FREEPHONE 0800 321666

This article may not be re-produced in whole or in part without written permission.