My job requires me to wait for hours alone, next to railroad tracks, at any time of day or night. Sometimes there are water sources, with cougar and bear tracks alongside, not to mention the occasional stray pitbull. I carry a couple of these flares tucked alongside the front seat as my 'weapon'.

A company person did an inspection of my work Suburban, and said the road flares have to go, as they're a fire hazard.

A FIRE HAZARD???

I have never in my life heard of a road flare going off on it's own. I've carried them in car trunks in 117F heat. They may fall apart in time, but how would they ignite if there wasn't something already burning nearby?

Am I missing something here, or is this just the usual company knee-jerk stupidity?

Sue

In my opinion:

1) It's always easier to beg for forgiveness than it is to get permission.

2) Take the road flares out, point that out to the "supervisor", and then put the road flares back, without advertising.

3) Switch to a flare pistol and commercially available 12 ga flares, without advertising.

4) Procure an expanding baton, without advertising.

That's my $0.02 worth.

Are you sure he didn't mean a fire hazard to start a wildfire if you ever lit them? Saying that they are a fire hazard inside your vehicle sounds too strange.

They are a fire hazard when you use them.
What did you use them for? Is there a replacement that would be more acceptable but still do the job you intend?

Cougars, bears and "the occasional stray pitbull" just aren't much of a threat. And 'flares" aren't much of a defense. In other words your defense is primarily a security blanket, a mental crutch. In the event of an actual attack by the time you could deploy a flare the event would be over. You would be better off with a Louisville Slugger. A simple, effective and vastly underestimated device against man and beast alike.

Possibly the best move would be to talk to the local wildlife officers and either get advice, possibly reassurance that there is really little actual risk, and possible some advice to overcome your fear. The best defense against fear are facts and understanding. Or advice and recommendations on devices you might carry.

I suspect your best bet may be a large can of strong pepper spray.

I don't know about your area, but in many parts of Canada railway companies are hyper-sensitive about fires along the tracks.

I know some local wildfires are caused by stuck brake shoes, bad bearings, etc. sending a spray of sparks into the dry grass beside the tracks. Mostly, these are contained along the line, but in a very dry year things can get out of hand, and the railway is blamed/fined/liable.

An employee causing a fire, even by accident, would put the company on the spot. That may be where the "fire hazard" worry could come from. Once there's a bad incident, there's a blanket policy or a law, applied even where it may not make much sense. If the company doesn't enforce it, and an employee causes an accidental fire, the CEO could find himself in court or worse.

My 2-cents' worth.

Very well said Doug about railways companies concerns over being responsible for causing a forest fire.

As Art said, you may want to look at Bear Spray.

Mike

He indicated that their mere presence was a fire hazard. There is a orange plastic triangle in the car. That ought to scare off anything...

Pepper spray is not the be-all and end-all of animal self-defense. A friend of mine once referred to it as 'seasoning'.

I was not clear in that I would not be protecting myself (I stay in the locked car), but would have a weapon handy if one of the crews who has to stop and get off the train to operate the switches happened to be be attacked.

Animals often go for the head/neck/throat/shoulders of their prey. Spraying both the animal and its victim in the face at the same time just doesn't seem like the best thing to do, to me.

I guess I could carry my kaybar, but they would probably fuss about that, too.

So, has anyone heard of these things spontaneously igniting?

Sue

The inspection sounds silly and I wouldn't be surprised if next month you are warned by a supervisor for not having proper safety equipment in your car.

This headline from 3 days ago might have motivated the most recent inspection: "Union Pacific Railroad Co. has agreed to pay $102 million for a huge California wildfire sparked by its workers...."

Here is the full story:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-07-22-railroad-lawsuit_N.htm?csp=34