OK, I don't know how many other active firemen are on this list, please chime in. Here's what I know about vehicle fires:
Here's some facts about car fires:
From FEMA:
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/tfrs/v2i4-508.pdfFINDINGS
- One in every four fire department responses is to a vehicle
fire. This does not include the tens of thousands of
responses to vehicle accident sites.
- Mechanical or design problems are the leading cause of
vehicle fires.
- Electrical wiring and fuel are the leading forms of material
ignited in vehicle fires.
- Fires following a collision are the leading cause of vehicle
deaths.
- Mechanical and design failures are the leading cause of
vehicle injuries, many of which were due to the victim’s
attempt to control the fire.
This last item is interesting, as it would seem that having an extinguisher would increase your propensity to be injured due to a lack of understanding of when to back off. Like everythign else on this list, always remember that equipped is NOT the same as prepared.
Previous Topic
Index
