Vehicle firefighting: useful tips for effective intervention

Mandatory safety equipment for vehicles of every category must have a fire extinguisher. Depending on the category of vehicles are the kilos and the quantity of fire extinguishers.

VIP passenger vehicles have specialized fire protection systems, as well as many other systems for their protection, which we will refer to in another article. Each manufacturer installs the appropriate fire extinguishers in their vehicles, according to their use.

However, drivers must be trained to use fire extinguishers correctly, because in a few seconds the vehicle can be damaged or severely damaged, if immediate and targeted intervention is not carried out.

However, in order for a fire extinguisher to be fully operational, the pressure inside the cylinder must be checked every year by a specialized workshop and refilled every five years. It would be good for every driver - as mentioned above - to deal, of course with someone who knows, to empty some fire extinguishers properly, so that he becomes familiar with the use.

For example, in a fire, depending on the location of the vehicle, the driver must empty the entire fire extinguisher as close to the base of the fire as possible. If a fire breaks out in the engine compartment, which is the most common phenomenon in small cars, then the driver should place the fire extinguisher nozzle in the air grille grilles and in no case open the hood, so that there is plenty of oxygen. and let the fire grow.

Drivers should be aware that the fire extinguisher empties in just a few seconds, e.g. a 6 kg fire extinguisher will empty in about 15 to 18 seconds. So imagine how much earlier a 3 kg will have to empty, which must have a small vehicle inside and always close to the driver's seat, to be easily accessible if needed.

It would be good to have a second one in the luggage area, so if for any reason it is not enough to have each other, as well as a fire blanket that is easily placed after the fire is extinguished on the engine for any re-ignition.

So we can easily save our car if we have the equipment we mentioned above as a precaution and if of course it is properly maintained. We can also help a fellow human being in a difficult situation that he will face on the road.

Manolis Gialitakis