DON’T RUN AWAY FROM A FIRE
Whatever may be the cause of a fire in your automobile, do not run away
from it. Stay and fight the fire. Often the utmost haste is needed in
getting out of the car when a fire starts, but on the way out grab the
fire extinguisher and turn to use it. Do not be afraid that there will
be an explosion and run. There will be none, and if you work fast you
may save serious damage to the car. Keep your head and fight.
The presumption is that you will have a good extinguisher on the car.
Two would be better and more in keeping with a high-priced car, both
placed where they can be gotten at instantly, for gasoline fires spread
mighty fast. The causes of fires have been pretty well discussed in
the preceding chapter, and the fact that care will prevent all but a
negligible percentage of fires. Back-fire, for instance, may be made
harmless by placing over the air intake a screen of wire gauze, such
as is used in a miner’s safety lamp. To prevent shutting off some
of the air and deranging the carburetor, the screen should be much
larger than the opening of the intake. It can be made in bulb shape and
clamped, soldered, or wired in position, and it ought not to require
more than average gumption to fit such a device on any carburetor. Make
sure it is safety gauze.
There are several forms of gaskets advertised for this purpose, but
all so far noticed were to go between the carburetor and intake and
are too likely to cause condensation of the gasoline to be recommended
for use. Particularly in cold weather would there be a likelihood of
condensation of vaporized or partly vaporized gasoline. But with the
wire-gauze screen above described the sting of back-fire will be gone,
as no blaze could pass through it and so reach the gasoline fumes which
might be in the drip pan.
One cause of fire not often mentioned because of its rarity, would be
from sparks from the magneto or generator brushes, or from the breaker
points which might be hot enough to ignite gasoline fumes and therefore
are to be guarded against.
Since gasoline fumes are heavier than air usually the magneto and
generator are set high enough to be above the danger point; and where
the magneto is between the cylinders on the V-shaped installation,
there would be no danger. On marine engines, however, high installation
is being featured lately to offset this very danger.
If, after all precautions are taken, you are visited by fire, stay to
fight it. Get only far enough away to escape being burned, and then
fight and fight hard. Work the fire extinguisher for all it is worth,
for in less time than it takes to read this page the fate of your car
will have been decided.
Get out of your head, first of all, the idea that there is to be an
explosion. It doesn’t happen. The first puff from the burning gasoline
is the nearest thing to an explosion you will see. After this first
puff, it is fire, not explosion, you need fear and fight. Tanks will
not explode unless empty of gasoline, or nearly so, and filled with
gasoline fumes—that is, vapor and air mixed. Water is little good in
fighting an automobile fire where gasoline and oil are burning.
There are several things, however, which will quench the flames, and
which should be at hand. If you could get sand and salt in sufficient
quantity on the flames it would be effectual, but of course one
could hardly carry a sufficient quantity along. There are also tube
extinguishers filled with a dry compound, which under favorable
circumstances will do the trick. But the trouble is to get the compound
at the seat of the fire, and to throw it violently upon the flame is
impossible.
There is one thing, however, which will actually put out a gasoline
fire, and it is such a safeguard that no owner can afford to be
without it. That is the carbon tetra-chloride compound, which is the
basis of all liquid extinguishers on the market. This, discharged
close to the seat of the flames, forms a dense smoke-like gas which
has no oxygen to feed the fire, which therefore goes out for lack of
fuel. There are many good extinguishers on the market which use the
carbon tetra-chloride mixture with other ingredients to keep it from
corroding the pump, or to add some other quality to the compound.
These extinguishers cost more than the dry compound tubes, but the
man who can afford to own a car can afford to have the necessary
appliances for its protection. One may never have occasion to use the
fire extinguishers, but it is nice to know that they are ready if the
emergency does come, for there isn’t always a fire department handy,
and if there is, generally the firemen arrive after the car is doomed.