Question:
Fire Extinguishers in cars I presently don't carry one in my car, but it sure sounds like a good idea. Can someone offer some advice - size, type, where to carry it? I was under the impression that it wouldn't be safe because of the temperatures in a parked car in the summer. Can an extinguisher be stored under those conditions? I can't imagine having to carry it with me when I park

Answer: Lucky us, we stand to face all classes of fire in a car. Class A: normal combustibles (paper, seat materials, upholstery) Class B: flammable liquids (gasoline is frightening stuff... consider diesel) Class C: electrical (lots of wiring and a nice high current battery) Class D: combustible metal (forget the fire extinguisher and run away) Get one rated for A, B, and C. You'll frequently see specs like A 2B 2C (or is A B2 C2? I forget) which means it's twice as effective against class B or C as it is against A. Then you have differences in what's actually in the bottle. I personally prefer dry chemical because it leaves a powder that keeps fire from starting back up. Yes, it leaves a horrible mess to clean up. So? The racing guys go for halon because it doesn't leave a messy residue. YMMV. If you really want to go nuts you can mount a fire bottle in the trunk with plumbing that runs under the hood, similar to what you see over stoves in restaurants. This of course is useless to put out fire elsewhere such as someone else's vehicle so you'd still want to carry a portable bottle. Get one with the pressure gauge on the front so you can check it periodically to ensure it will work when you need it. (and of course hope you never do) Q: I was under the impression that it wouldn't be safe because of the temperatures in a parked car in the summer. Can an extinguisher be stored under those conditions?

A: Leave a window cracked open and consider a sun shade. (good advice even if you don't carry a fire extinguisher) Don't leave it in direct sunlight. Keep it somewhere you can get to it and it won't roll around too much. Another tip: At home, don't keep your fire extinguisher too close to the stove. This has little to do with heat affecting the extinguisher but with heat affecting YOU. If there were flames shooting off the top of your stove, would you be able to reach the extinguisher or would flames prevent you from doing so? This happens to a lot of people.