OB Approved Overland Safety: Fire Extinguishers

[LostInThought]

Dont think he could get much closer ;-)

Great video! The comments on it have also been interesting. It's certainly worth comparing this video to the videos showing the Element in a more positive light. One of the commenters suggested "chimney effect" prevented the Element's stream from reaching the base of the fire, while the faster streams from the traditional extinguishers were able to cut thru to the base. Clearly more to learn here, and I'm anxious to see if Element responds in the comments. In the mean time I think I'll add a 5lb to my vehicle!

 

[ZombieCat]

Thanks for sharing the video. This is very interesting and surprising. I had always considered putting a modern element extinguisher like this in my car in addition to the 2 kg/ 4.4 pound fire extinguisher. But after the result it will be more likely a second small conventional extinguisher.

@Kent R I am not an expert in this field, but could it be that in this test the gas from the element extinguisher did not get close enough to the base of the fire? Could that be the reason for this result? If that is the problem, I wonder how it could get closer to the base of the fire, since in this test he was already quite close to the flames and that with protective clothing.

That’s exactly what I noticed! Even with protective gloves/jacket, he had to get quite close to the fire with the Element E50. Most of us won’t have that level of protection, if any, in an emergency situation. Being near a large fire isn’t like the movies where Tom Cruise just gets his hair mussed and a bit of soot on his cheek - it’s unpredictable and dangerously hot. Distance is your friend.
Anyway, I bought a 2.5 lb B/C extinguisher at Wally World today. I’ll mount it in the rear cargo area of the truck. Done and done!

 

[Overland Voyager]

I have a 2.5 extinguisher mounted to the passenger seat bracket in my Taco and a 5lb ABC mounted to my bed rack so I have options.

 

[Kent R]

I have a 2.5 extinguisher mounted to the passenger seat bracket in my Taco and a 5lb ABC mounted to my bed rack so I have options.

I have the same

 

[Downs]

In the EU, halon fire extinguishers have long been banned (CFC), with the exception of applications in the military, aviation and aerospace industries.

Just curious. Are halon fire extinguishers still allowed in the USA in the car and other private applications?

Necroposting, but I missed then when it was posted.

New production of HALON has been banned in the US since 1994. But there are no laws against selling or using the systems or extinguishers. Whatever is left is recycled from old systems. So unless you have a hookup, or you're spending hundreds of dollars (like 300-400 on a 1.25lb unit) on a small aviation extinguisher, you aren't buying the old school HALON in most modern extinguishers. Most "HALON" systems you see today are actually HALOTRON, or some other alternative "clean" option.

 

[Hobie01]

Necroposting, but I missed then when it was posted.

New production of HALON has been banned in the US since 1994. But there are no laws against selling or using the systems or extinguishers. Whatever is left is recycled from old systems. So unless you have a hookup, or you're spending hundreds of dollars (like 300-400 on a 1.25lb unit) on a small aviation extinguisher, you aren't buying the old school HALON in most modern extinguishers. Most "HALON" systems you see today are actually HALOTRON, or some other alternative "clean" option.

when i worked at intel, anytime id go into the datacenter they would remind us we have ~17 seconds until all the air is displaced by the local FM100 / halo*something fire system in the event of an emergency. never been more alert and on edge than working in that room..