Re: Cheap fire extinguishers at Lidl

In article <20a7g15tntn02hduo6gndnq62ajl03hks9@xxxxxxx>, Nick Atty
<nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes
>On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 17:41:09 +0100, Graham Bowers <graham@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>wrote:
>
>>At a fiver a pop, it would be worth doing the experiment in a safe
>>environment.
>
>I was thinking just that. We all dutifully buy and install them, but
>never have a go.
>
>Practicing on something relatively safe (like a small bonfire, *not*
>something with liquid in it) with a cheapy sounds like a very good idea
>indeed.

I have done 'Fire Marshall' training in a company car park, using a
variety of fire extinguishers, mostly on trays of petrol, although I
think we had one with burning wood. This is a nice, safe, open
environment (you could step well back from the fire if you were a bit
apprehensive), and the person arranging the training was on hand with a
big extinguisher, if needed.

A completely different experience was the only time I have used one 'in
anger'. It was a fire in the enginge compartment under the cockpit of a
yacht. I used a hand-held powder extinguisher, and got in close to the
base of the small conflagration. It was quite scary, but everyone on
board was safe, and the boat survived. It also left an awful mess all
over evertything (the crew had been eating lunch in the cabin, and their
only escape route was through the cockpit - i.e. over the fire!)

What I'm saying is that practicing on a bonfire may be good, but be wary
of translating that to what it would *really* be like to use it on a
boat.
--

Jeremy Nunns
Cambridge
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