No Mess Fire Extinguisher

[Byron J]

I had not heard of this type of fire extinguisher until today.  Seems quite popular with the classic car crowd, but since I still have a Norcold, might be handy to have in the bedroom.  I have always had the standard fire extinguisher behind the passenger seat.

 

[Ron Jones]

I'm interested but would like to hear from someone that has these and ESPECIALLY from someone that has used these. Anyone?

[Blacknight]

This seems like a great idea after viewing the video but it would be even better if it was automatically deployed . I have seen a fire extinguisher mounted next to the rear of the refrigerator but I don’t know where to get one. 

[Dennis H]

While I've been to Jay's garage, I really have to question this endorsement. There was a lot of stuff that wasn't covered to get me to spend my money on this product. First off, does it work on ALL fires. As we all know, electrical fires are different animals than gasoline fires etc. Also, why not have a campfire going and put that fire out so we can see exactly how it really works. Seems to me the only thing going for it is convenience and portability....jury is still out at my house.....Dennis

[jacwjames]

I worked in mining for +30 years.  Fires were one of my nightmare type scenarios.   All equipment had to have at least one fire extinguisher accessible by the operator.  Problem was that in most cases the operators would usually abandon the rigs as quickly as they could and evacuate.  Sometimes the fires were minor but in most cases the equipment was a total loss.  Once the hydraulic lines catch fire the fire would accelerate quickly.  I've seen equipment that were just black piles of steel after a fire with the tires, hoses, wires, etc completely burned off.   Not a pretty sight. 

Ultimately the trend moved to automatic fire suppression which took the human aspect out of the picture if needed.  These could be actuated by the operator or by heat.  These systems consisted of one or two large fire suppression tanks with high pressure nitrogen (?from memory) that would push the suppressant out nozzles strategically mounted to cover the engine, transmission, cab, fuel and hydraulic tanks.  When actuated the suppressant would blanket the piece of equipment and starve the fire of oxygen.  These types of systems were very effective but costly, it would cost +$5K to add a system, I sure much more today.  The system was required to be checked annually. 

So I watched the video out of curiosity.  My guess is that the extinguisher would work on small slow fires that were accessible.but that's about it.  Besides the Norcold refrigerator the most susceptible area of the coach is the engine compartment and in a case like that the Element Extinguisher would be pretty much useless.   By the time you were able to access the fire it would be too large for the Element Extinguisher to fight.  If I had a fire in the engine compartment while driving I would quickly pull over and try and get the toad unhooked and then stand back a safe distance and watch. 

I did have a small automatic fire extinguisher mounted behind the Norcold.  Not sure it would have worked as the heat would draw upwards and by the temps reached the trigger level the fire would probably be too far gone. 

I do keep an extra fire extinguisher next to my bed, which hopefully would buy me time to evacuate, I wouldn't spend too much time trying to fight it. 

If I had a brand new $1M coach I would probably invest in a automatic fire suppression system, it would be cheap insurance considering. 

 

[David Pratt]

Gentlemen;

If you go to our vendors section you will find Firefight Products.com. The company is owned by Jim Bounds. He has been a huge supporter of the Monacoers Group and is one of our presenters every year at the Gathering. He does an excellent presentation to our group at the Gatherings.

He sells and installs Fire Suppression Systems and has been doing so for over 15 years.

My 05 Monaco Exec was one of the first coaches that had his system installed and I have his systems installed in my ForeTravel. I have Installed his Foam Suppression System in my Engine compartment, Generator compartment and Battery Compartment. I also have his smaller Halogen Gas type Systems installed in all the compartments that have any electronics. These are all automatic deployed systems.

Many of our members have installed his system in their coaches especially in the Not so Cold refrigerator compartment.

The following is his Information;

Fire Fight Products, llc.
6101 Anno Ave Orlando, FL 32809
Phone: 321-299-5707
fax 866-509-8961
firefightproducts@yahoo.com

[Dennis H]

David, that's like comparing a Ferrari to a Volkswagen. I believe if you want the BEST, then Jim's system is top of the line. It's also the most expensive product of it's kind. Most of us cannot afford what he has to offer. Heck, most RVrs only have one fire extinguisher on board and many have none. I've tried to douse an RV fire with a fire extinguisher and doing so reminded me of putting out fires in my Boy Scout days. 🙂 I didn't get very far. The Fire Dept was less than two minutes away and the rig was totally engulfed by the time they arrived. Twenty minutes later the fire was out and the RV shell was all that was left. Most of us roll the dice. While RV fires rate "spectacular" by the media, they are rare when one factors in the number of fires vs the number of RVs. Personally, I carry three extinguishers in my coach, none of which are intended to "save" the coach. They are there to push the fire back to give us enough time to get out and watch it burn. Smoke inhalation will trap you well before the flames.....Dennis

Edited March 11, 2021 by Dennis H

[David Pratt]

Compared to other Fire Suppression Systems that are on the market the Firefight products are not expensive. The Systems installed in my coach are not to save the coach, but to give me that small envelope of precious time to get the occupants asses out of the coach safely. The Systems are not  there for me to put the fire out, that is what insurance is for, Things are replaceable, LIVES are not..

I never really thought much about Fire Suppression in a coach until a good friend coming home from Alaska in his brand new Navigator had an engine fire. By the time he was able to stop the coach and get out it was only seconds because before he stopped the fire had already consumed most of the outside walls at the engine compartment and rushed forward engulfing the whole coach. He was able to save his wife and dog and did suffer some severe burns. after twenty minutes the only thing left of the coach was the chassis.

I can probably give you a lot of reasons on "WHY Not to have a Fire Suppression System" installed in you couch, but that is a discussion for another day and none of them hold water!

I have lost several friends, their loved ones and their pets to coach fires. a few mostly were Norcold associated fires at night while they were asleep.

My only thought is, What is your family and loved ones worth. Hopefully, what you feel personally works for you and you never have a "I Wish I Shoulda, Coulda Have Moment".

Like most Safety Products we spend our money on, hopefully we never have to use them.