I'm paranoid of fire

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Tom

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I was jointly manning a booth with a colleague at an event last Tuesday and, driving into a full parking lot, my passenger said "park in the court at the end of the street outside". I semi-jokingly said "I'd better park away from that fire hydrant". I also asked why an area of the parking lot was taped off, and was told "that's for the fire engine".

I later observed the catering truck/trailer try to park. It was a local hamburger provider, but I didn't pay too much attention.

Throughout the event, folks were wandering off to get their hamburger and whatever. It was getting close to 5.30pm when we agreed it was our turn to eat. Before we could move, the fire alarm went off in the building, followed by the first of several loud bangs, which turned out to propane tanks blowing. My colleague, a resident of the local community that owns this property, headed out to the lobby. He came back saying "it's for real, and we need to evacuate the building".

Outside, the catering trailer and truck were fully engulfed in flames. Fortunately, the fire department was participating in the event, and were already on scene. One of our group was standing in line for a hamburger when she heard someone say "get out of here now", and all the caterers jumped out of the window of the trailer before things erupted.

A local cop, who was also an EMT guy, saw a serious burn victim and immediately requested a helicopter to evactuate the victim to the burn unit at Sacramento/Davis. The helicopter was on scene promptly, landed on the golf course, and the victim was carried from the pool table (makeshift emergency bed) to the chopper and flown off.

The press version is slightly different, but I didn't see any press on scene.

Oh yes, my paranoia with fire - read this.
 
I'm with you, Tom.  Paranoid about fire.  And really paranoid about fire in an RV.  A serene afternoon or evening can turn hellish in a heartbeat.  Glad you weren't at the head of the hamburger line when this one went up.  ...  Steve
 
Aye Steve. Last evening, following a nice meal with friends at a new-to-us restaurant, we were at an "event on the grass" at a local winery. On scene was a pickup truck with a pizza trailer not unlike the hamburger one that was totally engulfed. I couldn't get the fire out of my mind, and wanted to tell the pizza folks to shut off their propane and move away  :(
 
Had another event at the house a few years ago. I was watching TV while the other half was cooking. I heard this normally-calm voice say "Tom", and I immediately knew there was panic in her voice. I turned around and saw flames coming from the cooktop.
 
Being paranoid of fire is a good thing. Just like being paranoid of rattlesnakes is a good thing. Makes you cautious.

Wendy
 
Tom said:
Had another event at the house a few years ago. I was watching TV while the other half was cooking. I heard this normally-calm voice say "Tom", and I immediately knew there was panic in her voice. I turned around and saw flames coming from the cooktop.

Hopefully, one of you was calm enough to cover the fire with a pan lid or grab the fire extinguisher.
 
Wendy, I have a mental block, but I somehow put the fire out without a fire extinguisher (I believe I smothered it with something). A pan lid wouldn't have done it.
 
Tom said:
Wendy, I have a mental block, but I somehow put the fire out without a fire extinguisher (I believe I smothered it with something). A pan lid wouldn't have done it.
But NOT with water.  That very likely would've spread the flames throughout the kitchen and severely burned you.  If you lived.
 
I have had to put out the odd fire in a kitchen (not a "Fire on top of the stove" type however)

Tom, sounds like you found the best place to be in a fire....... Somewhere ELSE!
 
[quote author=John]Tom, sounds like you found the best place to be in a fire....... Somewhere ELSE![/quote]

Aye, that's right John.
 
I'm sure there are other "firefighters" on this forum that have had more experience, but "in my day", I participated in a couple of volunteer fire depts (was fire chief for a time), not to mention several rounds of firefighting training I got while in the Navy.  The training and experience helped contain my fear of fire, but it certainly has not corralled my respect for it.
 
Hi Tom,

We have a couple of friends who are firefighters at the nearby Chevron refinery. The husband also teaches at the fire academy. They've put on a number of hands-on classes for our boat club; They'd haul in various kinds of extinguisher to an island and, after a short classroom session, they'd light a pan of gas and provide coaching as everyone took turns at putting out the fire. It sure raised everyone's respect for fire and understanding of how to deal with them.

The picture is of my other half under the close scrutiny of the experts.
Edit: Fixed typo.
 

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Tom said:
The picture is of my other half under the close scrutiny of the experts.
Tom, are you sure she shouldn't be referred to as your other third? ;D

Seriously, this kind of training can be life saving.  It is amazing how little many folks know about fire and how to fight or control it.
 
[quote author=Molaker ]Tom, are you sure she shouldn't be referred to as your other third?[/quote]

No, more like my other two thirds. Chris, in addition to all the other things she does, is the primary (95%) driver of our coach and the captain of our boat. I'm just the first mate, aka the unpaid deck hand.

Chris was one of the first female Captains and Commodores of our boat club, and became the role model for many other females in our club. Many of the husbands and former captains have since been relegated to first mate duties  ;D
 
Tom said:
No, more like my other two thirds. Chris, in addition to all the other things she does, is the primary (95%) driver of our coach and the captain of our boat. I'm just the first mate, aka the unpaid deck hand.

Chris was one of the first female Captains and Commodores of our boat club, and became the role model for many other females in our club. Many of the husbands and former captains have since been relegated to first mate duties  ;D
Uh, Tom, I wasn't referring to her skills or yours, for that matter...  Oh, never mind.  It was a bad joke anyway.
 
I too have had training, but mine was at the race track at Watkins Glen, NY. and I got Extreme Stress training there too. Two VERY USEFUL skills.

As mentioned, Fire is a very useful tool, but it can easily become stronger than intended. Fire MUST be respected at all times.

I'm wondering if there might not be a good niche for this on the website? Do's and Don'ts to fight RV/Boat fires and more importantly how to recognize when IT'S TIME TO GET OUT. Perhaps some training videos on how to assist if you encounter a fire on the road or wherever. Has there ave been a Safety Rally? I can picture an older RV for demonstration purposes, and I'm sure if coordinated properly the local fire department might appreciate the opportunity to fight an RV fire under controlled circumstances instead of a roadside scramble.

It just seems like there have been a few very unfortunate stories lately and no real source for educating everyone on how to help in such an event.

Joe
 
[quote author=1joester2]I'm wondering if there might not be a good niche for this on the website? Do's and Don'ts to fight RV/Boat fires and more importantly how to recognize when IT'S TIME TO GET OUT.[/quote]

Good idea; All we need is someone to write an article (any volunteers?)

I can picture an older RV for demonstration purposes ....

Anyone care to donate their RV so it could be set on fire?
 

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