Have you ever used a fire extinguisher?

[Glenn]

Have you ever used a fire extinguisher in your shop ( or other method to put out a fire).
Details please as it could make a great story. (grin)

[Charles R. Stevens]

No, I've only needed a fire extinguisher three times, once to break up a baracks fight, once as a mechanic and lastly on my girlfriends ( now my wife) car. Ben real luckie.

[pkrankow]

"Yes" if you count the store I was working at.

It was the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, the first really busy weekend of the summer at the store I worked at. The mains fuses had loosened in their bracket (it had not been inspected in who know how long), and causes the lights to dim and then go out. I opened the back room door to see fire, grabbed a disposable fire extinguisher off the shelf, told the store manager (who was right there) to get everybody out, as we had a fire, and then spent a BC extinguisher into the panel, and initially thought I would need another.

I failed to realize that there was an extinguisher about 2 feet from the panel hanging on the wall. I noted that when I opened the overhead door to let the fire department in and because I was choking on the dust from the extinguisher.

While they were able to get an electrician out that day, no parts could be bought till Tuesday. He loaned us a 5K portable generator and wired it in. We learned that our computer wall and cash register computers would not operate if all the lights were on. In fact the computers would not operate if the generator was at more than 50% capacity. That weekend was surreal with 1/4 the lights on, no HVAC, and BUSY!

On Tuesday, the electrician was very happy that I used a BC instead of an ABC extinguisher as the dust from a BC could be swept out, instead of the ABC chemical fusing to the surface of everything. I studied the action of fire extinguisher chemicals to be able to make better decisions about them, and they vary wildly in how they perform with respect to the equipment that is extinguished.

Phil

[HWHII]

Not actually a fire extinguisher but a whole cities fire department.

I was involved in fabricating a transportation box to carry a 28' dia. telescope mirror up Mt. Graham to a observatory. The box had 2 trunions 5"dia rd. stock bolted to 2" thick plate and was to be bolted on by 12 bolts on site at the base camp of the mountain. This would allow the rigging company to elevate the box on a special trailer to tilt it to go up the narrow mountain road.

Well the rigging company while bolting on the trunions gauled up the treads and could not get all the bolts in so they sent myself and a crew of 2 other man to weld them in place.

There was a cover on the box which bolted on the top made out of 1/4" AR400 plate and covered on the inside with isosianate foam 2" thick them painted with a enamal paint. When arrriving on site I noticed the cover was still on the box and told the site engineer that I would like to have the cover taken off before we welded the plates on because it required a 300 degree preheat and I did not want the chance of a fire. He said he did not have a crane operator on site to run the crane but I then informed him one of the men in my crew was a certfied crane operator and we could remove the lid. He then told me not to worry, that it would be fine. So we went to work and welded the first one off no proublem.Then moved to the other side and started the preheat which takes about 20 min. to do and some smoke started to come out of the box. The box is sealed top and bottom and only access panels to get in. A couple of minutes later and more smoke. At this point I started to XXXX my pants and called 911 and ran to the office to get help. I got into the office and no one is there and I start yelling for somone. A lady came out from the back and said they had all gone to town for coffee. I told her what had happen and ran back out to help. I rounded the corner to see one one my men up on the box trying to take off a accsess panel and I start yelling NO! NO! NO! DON'T TAKE THAT OFF! He was in a plum of smoke and they could not hear me. Before I got there he pulled off and the air rushed in and YEP! flash fire that thing took off. We pushed the planel back on and got a couple of bolts in it but it soon got to hot, so we backed off and just watched. We could hear the fire trucks coming we were 20 miles from Safford. The first truck arrived and called a full alarm. The one man who took the cover off was suffering from smoke inhalation and had to be taken to the hospital. I started to talk to the captain told him the details and he looked up the hazmat on the foam and said it was not flamable, he did not know what could be burning. By then there where five trucks and police there and they are dumping water on it from all angles and talking about bringing in dump trucks of sand to bury it. Then they stated to take off the access covers and shot water in to it and soon it was out.

At the end of it all $10,000.00 worth of damage. The engineer took responsablity for it. and both companies split the difference and we repaired it and I got to keep my job. Turned out the enamel paint was the culprit and burned accross the in side of the box. Good thing the mirror was not inside at the time.

[ThomasPowers]

I used one last Sunday, dropped a hot piece down the backside of the anvil stump and out here in single digits humidity wood will start and continue burning amazingly easily.

So I have an old CO2 extinguisher I picked up to cut up the bottle into a bell and dishing form---but it needed to be emptied, been using it to cool drinks, etc. So the "fire" got a squirt. The main shop extinguisher another CO2 has never been used---so far (nearly 30 years and several extinguishers---you replace them even if NOT used after a while---if you are smart!)

I don't like the dust extinguishers due to various toxicity and clean up issues so all my ABC ones are CO2.

[monstermetal]

mmm....

I got to say if you have not started a half dozen fires then you must not be working hard enough..

I could tell you about the time I started the solvent tank on fire from across the room with a grinder because some mechanic was too lazy to put the lid down..

Or maybe the time I caught a cardboard recycling truck on fire inside a building when I was doing emergency repairs to the sliding lid.

Or maybe the time my dads garage was on fire and only reason it probably didnt burn to the ground is there happen to be a box of shells in the stuff burning and I went to see what the "poping" noises were

Oh or the time the Motorcycle caught on fire doing a simple "tab" repair

Or ..... well I need to get to work, I'll let you know if I burn the shop down today.... ;)

[dablacksmith]

i came in on the tail end of a fire from linseed oil rags once... old tilmers used to have a metal garbage can with lids for oily rags cause linseed oil can cause spontanious combustion. well i was working for a sprinkler company (fire supression overhead sprinkler system) and they made theyre own pipe dope .. one of the main ingredents was linseed oil and one of the shop kids spilled a bunch of it (gallons) cleaned ti up with cotton rags and threw them in the plastic garbage can .within a couple hours it ignited and had a nice fire going...

ive also started small brush fire many years ago with my portable forge but i just stomped it out ..

[Caius]

i work at a grocery store in Eunice, Louisiana. some kids that lived nearby were playing with fireworks in the yard and the street for the past few days. well, one afternoon, this elderly gent asked me if the bale of boxes near the back was supposed to be burning. i said nah, i went an had a look, and sure nuff, they were going like a house afire. i went in, alerted my manager, holly, and we went to the back. the order was given, and i SPRINTED (i weigh in at roughly 180, and always wear leather work boots) for roughly a quarter mile total: to the front of the store, around to the door, all the way to the back of the warehouse, grabbed an extinguisher, lucked out and picked the right key on the first try for the padlock on the inside of the large door, and proceeded to unsuccessfully extinguish the burning 4'x6'x3' cardboard bale. by now holly had called the EFD, so the bale was put out, and myself and a coworker spent the next half hour separating charred, burnt, and good boxes from the now dismantled bale. that was a retarded day, and in cool weather. cool weather with my asthma makes for "no extreme physical exertion weather".

[ThomasPowers]

We had a fire last Sunday when one of my "advanced" students dropped some hot steel on the ground in a bare spot and watched it bounce over to some weeds. I took one of the two buckets of water and put it out and never thought of using an extinguisher.

(it was windy but the fire was bounded by gravel and the bare spot and concrete and so wouldn't go far.)

Thomas

[Bentiron1946]

I have used them on a couple of ocassions, but most often it is water that is handiest to the fires in question. Once in the Navy someone dumped live butts in the dumpster on the pier and set it ablaze after lights out on board ship. That was exciting, "THIS IS NOT A DRILL, THIS IS NOT A DRILL, FIRE, FIRE, ON THE fiRE, IN THE DUMPSTER, THIS IS NOT A DRILL, FIRE, FIRE, ON THE PIER, IN THE DUMPSTER, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!". I was nozzle man so I threw on my clothes and was down the gangway with the 4" hose and six guys behind me and we had the dumpster full of water before the base fire department got there. Such fun at 0130, NOT! The old man was sure P.O.ed the next morning about live butts being thrown in the dumpster at "clean sweep down".
My next fire was in my jewelry making area, one of the dogs had shredded a paper towel all over the floor into little tiny pieces and I was soldering on a charcoal block and some sparks flew off the block onto all that mess on the floor and combined with the dog hair and paper towel it was a very fast moving little blaze. I use my squirt bottle full of water to put it out. Burning dog hair sure do stink.
Nothing like a good fire to get the heart beating a little faster :D

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

My business partner caught a plastic trash can in the shop on fire with an angle grinder. Another time he lit up the back of a chair that was near where he was using a torch. Think the can was the only one to get the extinguisher.

For burning metals you will need a purple K extinguisher.

I have been pretty careful about fire, so all I have done is minor flare ups. The neatest ones are when the fuzz on a flannel shirt lights up, and flashes over you.

Besides torches, angle grinders will light up stuff really fast.

[David Ab]

Have you ever used a fire extinguisher in your shop ( or other method to put out a fire).
Detains please as it could make a great story. (grin)

It's weird, because when I carried a fire extinguisher in my car, about once a year I would be driving along, see someone's car on fire, and stop and put the fire out. But then because of the expense, I stopped carrying a fire extinguisher, and in the twenty years since then, I haven't seen even one car on fire.

Anyway, one time I saw a maseratti on fire (seriously, a real one), and this breathtakingly beautiful blonde girl standing by it, screaming. I pulled over, got out my fire extinguisher, got the engine compartment open, and put out the fire. She was incredibly grateful and said, "How can I repay you?" Yes, the same thing occurred to me, but for some unaccountable reason I didn't say the first thing that came to mind. Then she said, "My boyfriend's going to kill me. What can I tell him?" I said, "Storm into the house, slap him a good one, and tell him you CAN'T believe that he would give you such an unsafe car to drive."

Another time, it was a cadillac on fire, and of course again it was a woman driver, with a young man- I guess her son. As I was getting the hood open, she kept screaming, in a deafeningly shrill voice, "What can I do, what can I do, what can I do?" I yelled, "Hey!!!" as loud as I could, and she stopped screaming. I said, "If you want to help, here's what you can do: just stand there and be quiet while I put the fire out." The young man was trying to hide his smile. After I got the fire out, I told the woman, "Here's how you can pay me for saving your car: take a yoga class or something, and learn to relax."

[eric sprado]

I'll share this one from this Winter because it really can happen to anybody here. Old tried and true Johnson's Paste Wax right?
It was a cold day and I put the open can in front of the propane forge to " warm up a little" It melted and I bumped it with my tongs or something and it caught on fire and spilled spreading fire on my wooden floor JUST LIKE BURNING GASOLINE!!!
Growing up in a Volunteer Fireman family I keep fire extinguishers everywhere and quickly put it out.
I spread the word to everybody: Where is the most important place in your home to have an extinguisher besides the kitchen?? YOUR BEDROOM!!!! You smell fire in the middle of the night. Your kids are in some other room. Do you want to hunt for a fire extinguisher first or do you want to have one next to your bed?? Also- for those whose wives aren't comfortable with guns,a fire extinguisher can spray an intruder in the eyes from clear across the room. Beat him over the head with the extinguisher while he's blinded.... All kidding aside-keep one in your bedroom and save your life someday!!!

[Jclonts82]

On 11/18/2010 at 7:47 AM, HWHII said:

28' dia. telescope mirror up Mt. Graham to a observatory.

@HWHII

OOOOOOOLD thread, but I was enjoying the search function to see who might be around my area and found this post referencing Safford. My uncle helped design and build the LBT mirrors in the lab under the stadium. Small world. I actually have a giant chunk of the glass (pyrex?) they used to melt down in the centrifuge to make them. I remember watching those frames go up the mountain on the semi-trucks. If I remember correctly sent an empty box up first on the announced travel date because environ-MENTAL wakos were threatening to shoot the trucks and break the mirror. Hence the ar-400 plate used in the housing, I think the fake did take a round, I want to say a .22, but the real things went up quietly, and without incident.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Good thread to resurrect.

The only fire extinguisher use I have had was when on the PD and we would respond to "car fires" all of our police cars were equipped with them. At home we have extinguishers in every room and thank the powers that be we have never needed them.

One thing that is needed is regular inspection of the extinguishers both for pressure and in the case of dry chemical's the extinguisher should be turned upside down and bumped with a rubber mallet to keep the powder from caking  at the bottom.

[JHCC]

When I was on the volunteer fire department in my little Vermont hometown, an old electrical outlet in my neighbors' barn shorted out in the rain and set the siding on fire. I got the call, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and was first firefighter on the scene. Knocked the blaze down as best I could, waited for the truck to arrive, and then took out the rest with the hose. 

 The most dramatic part of the whole episode was the couple dozen peacocks streaming out of the hayloft door as I arrived. 

[Daswulf]

Make sure you check your fire extinguishers or have them checked. I went to use the one in my shop not too long ago and, Surprise!, it had no propellant. Thankfully a leaf blower took care of the problem outside of my shop but it was an eye opener. That can on the wall means nothing if it doesn't work. 

Oh, and don't pour lots of gasoline in a groundhog hole, light it and use a leaf blower to try to get him. You never know if that sucker burrowed a hole under under your coal bin beside your shop.   

[Frosty]

 

Good thread to resurrect.

The only fire extinguisher use I have had was when on the PD and we would respond to "car fires" all of our police cars were equipped with them. At home we have extinguishers in every room and thank the powers that be we have never needed them.

One thing that is needed is regular inspection of the extinguishers both for pressure and in the case of dry chemical's the extinguisher should be turned upside down and bumped with a rubber mallet to keep the powder from caking  at the bottom.

Know that one about dry chem extinguishers. We had a fuel line, engine fire, on our, inboard, outboard, boat and the extinguishers that were hung by the rail both just went pft. Vibration and never moving did them in, had we known we would've just flipped them over and whacked them on the deck and put the fire out. As it was other boaters were coming in close, one took my  little sister, me and our two friends off and tossed Dad their extinguishers. Also compacted to uselessness. 

The engine cowling was smoking and curling, Dad and the Father of the other two kids with us were getting ready to fight it with buckets and flipped the cowling open. Let's talk fire ball eh? That's what one of the boaters was waiting for, he'd parked about 30' away, starboard and a bit forward. As soon as the cowling came open he hit  the gas and a 400hp. Jet boat just about blew the cowling off and put the fire out.

We got the talk by the Coast Guard lake patrol after getting towed back to the boat ramp. Nothing like standing a couple feet from an out of control fire on a 17' boat to drive a lesson home. Since then I've never used a dry extinguisher without bouncing it on the floor, bench or kicking it a couple times first and never had one fail. 

Yeah, this is a good resurrection we work with fire as part of the craft we should know what to do and how if it ever gets away from us. 

So, here's something to prime the pump. What do you do or have in place to prevent a fire getting out of control? 

OH that's a GOOD ONE Das! No, don't do THAT! Just the gasoline will do for gophers, ants, ground wasps, etc. without the fire.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Daswulf]

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time and I was really sick of that groundhog. 

Well aside from the fire extinguisher,( new one now and planning to add a second) my shop is close enough to the house to drag the hose up to it. Tho, that wouldn't help during the winter so slack tub water is about it. Possibly my 5 gallon can of oil dry as well. 

[Frosty]

In a pinch dry borax will put a fire out. In my shop there isn't much flammable I'd need to put out that I can't just shut off. There IS however my quench oil and we've seen a couple flaming boil overs on FIF. My quench tank is a 15gl. grease barrel with a lid. It sits in a cut down 55gl. drum with a lid. If I get a boil over and flare the lids will at least contain the fire if not snuff it. 

NO WATER ON OIL FIRES!! Dry chemical extinguisher, cover, sand, etc. Smother oil fires! Water just boils in the hot oil and sprays burning oil everywhere. It's be a pretty cool fireball if it didn't light your place of fire.

Put the fire extinguishers on the exit route! 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Jackdawg]

yes, many years ago,  and now I dont have powder fire extinguishers anymore, what a fricking mess to clean up. Powder coming out of every nook and cranny for months afterwards.  Now I only run carbon dioxide units.

[Tubalcain2]

one year we had a hundred odd extra bales of green hay we decided to store in our 25x40 hardshell greenhouse. got so hot the hay caught fire and burnt the greenhouse quite thoroughly.  can't say we bothered with extinguishers. went straight to hoses. our insurance company paid 9000 more than it took to do repairs, so we actually came out on top. Yes it really was accidental.  

[Pupmaster]

About 3-4 years ago I had my first experience with a fire accident, and it just happened to be catching myself on fire! I was home alone at the time and working on canning a large batch of... I don't even remember what.  Anyway, I leaned a little too far over the turkey burner to stir the contents of the pot, and the flame caught my skirt. I was wearing a few layers because it was a chilly fall day, and it took a minute to before I realized I was on fire. I distinctly remember the smell of burning cotton. I didn't really have time to panic, thankfully I was outside on our porch and the grass was right there. I dropped down on my knees over the fire and smothered and beat the daylights out of it. I had a hole the size of a saucer in the top few layers I was wearing, but thankfully I wasn't burnt at all. Scary, though! 

No, I didn't use a fire extinguisher and I wasn't in the shop. I hope the story still counts. 

[Tubalcain2]

 

... I don't even remember what. 

it was chicken IIRC.

[Pupmaster]

 

it was chicken 

Turkey, Tc2. Turkey. I remember now...