Here’s a true story that illustrates why everyone needs a good fire extinguisher handy. We like to carry the small RV-friendly models like the First Alert Tundra (http://goo.gl/S8Ck3N) and the Fire Gone (http://goo.gl/ZcCjUl).
The Tundra is a small easy-to-use fire extinguisher that's a good size for an RV. (Click the pic for more info.)
A couple of years ago, my wife and I were visiting Florida. We were driving our pickup truck SEEMORE. In the back of SEEMORE I always keep a basic toolkit with the usual spread of tools, plus my favorite cure-all Boeshield T-9, and a small Tundra fire extinguisher about the size of an aerosol can.
We drove to a condo building where we planned to meet some friends. It was a quiet day in the off-season. The parking lot was almost devoid of cars. There were no people to be seen.
Parked next to the building was an unattended maintenance golf cart.
As we pulled our truck to a stop, I noticed something quite unusual about the golf cart – the seat was on fire! Flames were gently lapping up one side of the cart passenger seat.
I was shocked. Was I really seeing what I thought I was seeing? Yes – the unattended golf cart was indeed on fire.
Okay, so the fire wasn't quite this bad. But it could have been!
As the flames worked their way up the side of the cart, I quickly grabbed my fire extinguisher and jumped from our truck.
My fire extinguisher was a First Alert Tundra. This is a compact aerosol can style extinguisher. I’d never used one before, but it’s a simple intuitive process that’s no different than using any other spray can.
In a flash, I popped the top off the fire extinguisher and put out the fire.
What caused the fire? Apparently there was a towel on the seat of the golf cart. That towel was wrapped beneath the seat, and it draped over the exposed battery terminals. (In this cart, the battery power was located directly beneath the passenger seats.) Somehow the towel had caught fire from the battery.
If we’d been a couple of minutes later, the entire cart would’ve been consumed with flame. By extension, the entire condo building was at risk of catching fire. The results would’ve been incredibly destructive and perhaps deadly.
I haven't tried the Fire Gone, but it appears to be cut from the same "small and easy-to-use" mold. Click the pic for more info.)
We buy products like smoke alarms, vehicle escape tools, and Tundra fire extinguishers with the hopes we’ll never really need them. But when we do need them, it feels great to have them on hand.