Fire at Spa..

[gachjoel]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

virtually impossible in a RHD car which is what I was driving when I was in a comparable position; granted the yellow thing in the youtube clip is LHD.

Ok,
how about,
1 hand to undo buckle
1 hand to open door

[MGDavid]

it seems whatever I say you don't want me (or any driver?) to set the extinguisher off while exiting a burning car.
I think from your tag you are a marshal yourself, so I find this a *very* odd stance, please explain.

[PapaJuliet]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

it seems whatever I say you don't want me (or any driver?) to set the extinguisher off while exiting a burning car.
I think from your tag you are a marshal yourself, so I find this a *very* odd stance, please explain.

I think the sentiment is more along the lines of :

If you can switch off the electrics and trigger the fire extinguisher before or while getting out, then Thanks (although the fire extinguisher may not be aimed at the seat of the car)

BUT (and it's a big BUT)

If it's burning that badly we understand if you don't. A burnt out car is one thing, a burnt out driver is quite another, and, believe me, we would all feel bad about it.

PJ

[MGDavid]

PJ, an eminently reasonable clarification, thanks

PS - all my extinguishers are aimed at the seat/lower body - it's my butt at risk!

[Chigley]

I find this a *very* odd stance, please explain.

Part of every marshals briefing before a meeting commences gives, in various guises, the following advice.

1. Look after your own safety.
2. Look after your team mates safety.
3. Look after the driver/spectators safety.
4. Look after the car.
4a. If all hell has broken loose go for 1-3 and sod the car, its replaceable but life isn't.

[JimW]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

it seems whatever I say you don't want me (or any driver?) to set the extinguisher off while exiting a burning car.
I think from your tag you are a marshal yourself, so I find this a *very* odd stance, please explain.

Wrong assumption David. I want you to put all your efforts and thought to getting the hell out of there. No hands on anything but the buckle and the door and (in a single seater) possibly the steering wheel. By all means pull any switches you feel better about on the way to the accident or after getting out.

Anyway on-board fire extinguishers are only of modest use and only in certain circumstances. Certainly not worth putting yourself at two seconds risk for.

Regards

Jim

[wolfhound]

I have been involved in a couple of fires where turning off the electrics
failed to stop the fuel pump making the fireball much longer and difficult to deal with.

Eventually we had to cut the battery leads to stop one of them.

Since then I carry a suitable wire cutter to chop the batttery cable.

[Steve Fox]

Not sure about letting off the extinguisher unless I had to, firstly it should only be set off when the car is stationary to be any use by which time I want to be halfway out of the car, secondly one of the nozzles are directed at me, very useful if the fire is already bad but wet and slippery if it isn't, I would certainly use it if I had to stop any distance from a Marshals point but I would prefer to be on the outside!

[Woolley]

I'm really not sure the onboard would make a lot of difference to that anyway. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the idea is more a case of protecting the driver who can't get out of the car but finds himself concious in a burning car. Hit the button and get a minute's worth of cooling, fire retardent foam until the crews can arrive and put it out/assist you out. They're generally pointed at the driver (do they have a nozzle in the engine bay these days? Not sure they do - if someone can answer that please let us know) so if the driver's already out it's just going to save the seat.

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by Woolley

....... They're generally pointed at the driver (do they have a nozzle in the engine bay these days? Not sure they do - if someone can answer that please let us know) ......

certainly are - with a 4 litre I use 1 at the driver's lower torso and 2 in the engine bay covering the fuel components as best possible.
K 3.2.3 is relevant.

[StevenC]

I always think of the onboard fire extiguishers as a means of buying time to escape rather than to extiguish a fire. After all they are only a relatively small volume. Also the priority is surely to get out ASAP.

One thing worth noting also is that they don't have bottles of foam on the posts at Spa it's only Powder.

Did anyone notice that it was 40 seconds before anyone aimed the powder at the seat of the fire?

[Eddy V]

I guess they were just lucky, usually it takes them 40 minutes.