I think as long as you are not neligent (ex. performing CPR when you don't know the first step in it) - you should be protected by the Good Samaritan law/clause/whatever

 

Actually you don't have to know a thing about CPR to be covered by good samaritan laws. Those laws are in place to encourage action. To win a lawsuit the lawyer must prove that there was an injury, that the injury was the result of the samaritan, and that the samaritan was so far out of line that no normal person would not have acted as he did. As long as you are acting in good faith you are covered. If all you know is what you've seen on TV for example, then yes, you did the action to the best of your ability. As long as you aren't trying to hook up jumper cables to someone then I wouldn't worry.

Those same laws extend to a lot of things - like trying to put out someone else's fire with your extinguisher. It would be very hard for any lawyer to prove that your extinguisher did more harm than the fire itself would have. And very few of us are running around with a 20# halon extinguisher just in case its an electrical fire - not even fire depts. Use what you have if you think it is safe to you and others to do so and don't feel bad if you don't resuscitate the victim or put out the fire or whatever. Guess what? It ain't easy for those of us who get paid to either.

 

I have seen 2 car fires so far this year. In both cases I was riding as a passenger in another vehicle so I didn't have my bottle.

Both cases were Ford vehicles and both were engine room fires. One was an old F 250 from the late 70s. The other was a Mercury Topaz I think, one like a Ford Tempo. The Topaz drove away after the fire was out. :pat:

I now have my fire bottle bolted horizontally to the inside of my tailgate. I have a second one that I haven't decided where to put yet. One of these days maybe i'll get to use one on a burning Ford.

Where should I start to look for those reflective decals that say "Fire Extinguisher Inside"? I want one.

 

I'd ask a trucker. A lot of them seem to have them on their rigs.

 

this may be a dumb question but..where do you guys get your extinguishers??? i mean the ones i've seen are HUGE!! any place on the net or stores you recommend?? thanks
there is also a 3rd gen in the 2nd pic!

 

Performance

NWOR, where I got my stainless steel one back in '91

Many places.
Costco, Sams' Club, GI Joe's.
Most auto parts stores.

Some carry nice anodized ones in blue, red, black, that are refillable like my SS one I carry in the back.

Both of mine are compact.
http://pnw4runners.net/tando/mod3b.jpg

http://pnw4runners.net/tando/mod3.jpg

 

I would like to guess his liquid propane tank for a camp stove leaked out or maybe he tossed a cig out the window and it landed in the back of his truck. Looks to me like it started on the fuel sending unit and drafted up between the bed and cab catching the box on fire. You can tell that the fuel system caught. But there could be 1000 different reasons. I would say the fuel because deisel gives off a thing black smoke when burned. You can also see the flame pattern on the side of the bed so I would say it was under the bed.

 

Look in your local yellow pages under safety equipment, I recommend the Amerex brand. Used to test and refill them and they were the most troublefree, and if you want flashy they come in chrome. You'll want something in the 2.5-5lb range ideally.

 

Good eye! Now, where's Waldo? j/k.

I got my extinguishers at Costco. I think they were 2 for $15, and they are pretty big.

 

Ha! So did I!!!!

 

Me Too! But I went with the 1 BIG one. I have dumped an extinguished on a fire I thought would not go out, and it didn't. Just did the squirt and run when I saw no one was inside.

 

Remember that once you've used some of the extinguisher you have to get it recharged even though the gauge may still read lots of product inside.

 

Wow! Those things sure burn.


I know an exception to the Good Sameritan Act. Putting a turiquette around someone's neck to stop a bloody nose. (Example in driver's ed)

Eric

 

May be a dumb question but down here in the south where the inside of your vehicle can get upto 150 degrees during the summer, would there be any problem with the extinquisher either degrading or or even exploding from the heat?

 

Should be fine. We store ours in an outside comparment on the rigs and it gets over 110F outside here.

 

The cylinder (on the steel ones like Amerex makes) is capable of withstanding 3-4x the storage pressure of 200lbs, they're not gonna explode unless they're in a fire. Now the aluminum cylinders... I wouldn't trust them especially since they usually have plastic valves as well.

 

Yes! If you get an extinguisher, get the ones with metal valves on top. The guy that services our extinguishers told me they dont service the plastic valved ones (they leak after service)