Ensure Fire Protection in Your Cars

If you are thinking that the possibility of a vehicular fire exists only when you get involve in a car accident, think again.  Remember that the three fire elements that needs to be present for a fire to start is in your car which means that it can happen and the need to have fire protection measures is very important not only to prevent it from happening but so that you are able to act on it should a fire does occur.

To best gauge, what kind of safety measures you need to put in place is by determining the possible causes of fire in a vehicle.  How do you do this?  By checking out possible sources of ignition as well as the available fuel sources, you have in your car.  An ignition source can be in the form of the car lighter and other electrical devices, cigarettes, engine compartment, hot exhaust system, air bag detonators, and the like.  In addition, you have an abundance of fuel source – car upholstery, paper products, clothing, car battery, and most importantly, a car has an assortment on flammable liquids for it to work and run.

A fire can start in your car given the right condition – smoking, overheating, engine problems, electrical malfunction, poor car maintenance, and even flaws on the car design.  What do you need to do to ensure that you have adequate fire protection so these situations do not happen?  First and foremost is to have your car regularly undergo maintenance work.  If you regularly check on the conditions of your car – engine, fan belts, hoses, oil and coolant levels, you are able to determine if there are leaks, cracked hoses, loose and exposed wirings thus can immediately address these problems.  If smoking inside the car cannot be avoided, you must make sure that once done it must be properly extinguished and disposed of.

Not only does your car need to undergo regular maintenance, you also need to make sure that your car is clean inside out.  It is also a smart thing to have a fire extinguisher handy so that you can put out small fires.  The best kind of extinguisher would be the dry powder as it is most applicable for flammable solids, liquids, gases, and electrical fires, which basically cover all the possible types of vehicular fire.  Nevertheless, one must practice extreme caution when putting out fires especially if the fire is under the hood.  Lifting it open would be dangerous, as you would be introducing a surge of air that could result to rapid-fire escalation.  It is recommended that you direct the nozzle of the fire extinguisher thru a gap created when you have released the hood.

Regular car maintenance, following traffic rules like maintaining speed limits and being alert while driving are important things one needs to do to avoid vehicular accidents.  Even when you are refueling, following the norms is a must.  The signs are there to remind you that it can happen and you do not want to be part of the statistics.  Prevention is the key and by ensuring that there are adequate fire protection measures, you are reducing the chances of your car catching fire.

Tweet This Post