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RV Fire Traps Family – Lessons Learned
Please take a look at this video. It is not involving a Prevost, but many lessons can be learned from mistakes made by the driver. As a 23 year Air Force pilot, situational awareness and training always paid off. Never ever delay getting your passengers off the bus/rv during a fire.
Eric
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGMVw1s2rik
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6 Replies
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We had a serious engine compartment fire in our first coach. I can tell you that people react differently in situations that they have never encountered.
As soon as I got the coach stopped I got out the door with the interior fire extinguisher to attack the fire. My nephew who was with us followed on my heels and I was able to get the extinguisher in the bay in his hands. After we exhausted the extinguishers and the fire was still going on, but at a slower rate I returned to the coach to get some big pots to throw water from the water tank on the fire. I doubt if the time from when I left the coach initially until I went back in to get pots was 2 or 3 minutes, but when I went in I was shocked to see my wife and her sister still standing in the living room both looking like deer in the headlights.
I literally had to shout at both of them to snap them out of their frozen positions to get them to leave the coach.
In retrospect I don’t think either of them comprehended the seriousness of the situation. It was alien to them to think in terms of life threatening circumstances.
Now that that experience is a memory I know for sure not to assume that if I am vacating the coach to assume everyone else is on my heels. So now we talk about “what ifs” and try to imagine all the situations we could encounter and how we will respond.
We were lucky. Nobody got hurt other than a burn I got opening the engine doors and unhitching our toad. We got the fire out ourselves because we were able to use the water on board along with the use of our extinguishers. The coach was rebuilt. And not a bit of the interior was affected by smoke, odors or the fire.
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My first motorhome was a Winnebago Adventurer on a Chevy chassis. I bought it new and had owned it about 8 months. It blew a transmission line above the exhaust, and the fluid ignited. Transmission fluid burns really well, and the transmission holds a lot of fluid, so there was a constant source of fuel for the fire.
The coach had an on board propane tank and a full gas tank (75 gallons).
My dog became agitated about 8 seconds before the smoke alarm went off. I and my occupants did not realize there was a fire until we saw an orange glow coming from under the drivers area. It was a mid entry coach, so we were able to escape without incident.
I went back in the coach two times to retrieve valuable items, but in the excitement, I neglected to retrieve my cell phone, wallet, or keys. I have heard firefighters refer to a “wall of smoke.” Now I know what that means. Not one of my smarter moves. It was really, really hot in there, and zero visibility. The coach was completely destroyed. The windshield frame remained standing (minus the glass), otherwise the coach was leveled to the frame.
We were on a dirt road in the middle of a pine forest in June, during one of the worst Florida droughts on record. As the coach burned to the ground, it started several small fires in the woods. It was awesome!
I learned a lot from that incident, particularly how insurance companies attempt to avoid paying claims for which they are oblgated.
We had three ABC powder fire extinguishers, used them all, and could not put the fire out. Now I carry foam extinguishers.
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ABC dry powder and most foam extinguishers will not work on a tire fire. Buy a Halon 1211 extinguisher for tires. Expensive, due to EPA regulations, but the best insurance policy for a tire fire you can buy. Halon 1301 used in confined spaces like aviation as no toxic vapors and Halon 1211 is used for rubber.
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Does anyone know of any fire supression systems that can be an after addition. Like they have in the resturants, where when there is a fire the fire supression system can be activated away from the engine compartment or the wheel wells. The Halogen is a smart idea.
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You can contact Jim Bounds at firefightproducts@yahoo.com, or check out their products at firefightproducts.com
His stuff is mounted in the engine bay.
Note that it is fire FIGHT, not fightER, or you will see a really strange page.
His cell is 321-299-5707 He is in Orlando.
Fred
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He has some interesting fire suppression equipment and installations. Thanks
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