Basic Pit Safety

[Junior]

I am amazed at how many fuelling pits do not have a fire bottle any where near the pit action. What is wrong with you guys? I presume these guys own fire extinguishers but leave them in the chase truck or trailer?

Our guys are big on fire safety but I am getting concerned about a fire that moves from one pit to another. Some races mash pits pretty close together.

Come on guys it is real easy.....

1. Have a certified charged fire extinguisher in your possession.
2. Give it to a crew member whose only job is to pull the trigger if fire occurs.
3. Make sure he pulls the pin, cuts the zip tie or whatever is used for storage.

Jr

[dezerts10]

fire is deffiantely a scary thing. I know I personally saw 5 or 6 fuel stops at pit 5 at the TT 250 where fuel was spillingout the breather and no fire bottle was even near. When we fueled up at pit 5 the guy I asked to hold the bottle was like man this is a small bottle and it got me to think about asking the team owner to buy at least like a 25lb bottle for main fuel stop pits.

Also, I know i read it somewhere but what class fire is gasoline? would it be best for an ABC bottle or maybe a halon or just a water extinguisher?

Gregg

[Mcadwell]

since i'm all over the course, I always keep one that is very easy to get to incase of emergencies!

[Doug]

I am amazed at how many fuelling pits do not have a fire bottle any where near the pit action. What is wrong with you guys? I presume these guys own fire extinguishers but leave them in the chase truck or trailer?

Our guys are big on fire safety but I am getting concerned about a fire that moves from one pit to another. Some races mash pits pretty close together.

Come on guys it is real easy.....

1. Have a certified charged fire extinguisher in your possession.
2. Give it to a crew member whose only job is to pull the trigger if fire occurs.
3. Make sure he pulls the pin, cuts the zip tie or whatever is used for storage.

Jr

Good call. I always have fire extinguishers within 5-6 feet of where the race vehicle will pit whenever I set up a pit. And it helps a lot if EVERYONE in your pit knows how to use a fire extinguisher.

[Doug]

fire is deffiantely a scary thing. I know I personally saw 5 or 6 fuel stops at pit 5 at the TT 250 where fuel was spillingout the breather and no fire bottle was even near. When we fueled up at pit 5 the guy I asked to hold the bottle was like man this is a small bottle and it got me to think about asking the team owner to buy at least like a 2lb bottle for main fuel stop pits.

Also, I know i read it somewhere but what class fire is gasoline? would it be best for an ABC bottle or maybe a halon or just a water extinguisher?

Gregg

The rules say the cars and trucks must have two 2.5lb ABC extinguishers. The pit guys should have these too.

[dezerts10]

meant to type 25lbs not 2 lbs

I know on the truck they have the ABC fire bottle but for a fuel fire at a pit would the ABC bottle be the best bottle for that instance?

Gregg

[matt_helton]

a water extinguisher isnt a great idea for a gas fire.

[therail]

A gas fire falls under Class B. Fire-extinguisher101 defines this class as:

'Class B fires involve flammable or combustible liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, grease and oil. The numerical rating for class B extinguishers indicates the approximate number of square feet of fire it can extinguish.'

The ABC type will work with most all fires, namely excluding chemicals like potassium or sodium, things you would find in lab. BC type bottles are good for fueled fires like gas or elec, but leave a mildly corrosive residue. I dont think that would be very good for your car, but hell its already on fire.

There is the option for the C02 bottle, but it typically wont work on a class 'A' fire (wood). It is highly pressurized however, so if you did have a wreck and it got punctured somehow, that could be nasty.

Check out this website, it has some neat stuff about fire bottles.

http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/index.html

[ndvalium]

ABC will work on pretty much anything out there however it has been known to damage engines if sucked into the intake. Typically the air filters in most engine fires is one of the first things to go. As the Fire / Safety Director for Motorsports Medical (SCORE, National Sand Drag Association, MRAN) we use typically only Coldfire / or Fireade 2000. I personally like the Fireade the best as it has not broken down and foams great after long term storage. My experience is that with Fireade, if and when it gets into the engine, it is easily removed and causes little or no damage.

Last year a top fuel dragster blew his motor completely up, fuel pumps feeding the fire that had about a 10 foot fireball, less than 1 = 2.5 gallon extinguisher loaded with 6% of Fireade put it out quickly. The foam that is discharges, smothers the fire and typically keeps it from reigniting. It is used in almost every motorsport unless it is actually on a pavement track, because it will leave a slippery residue.

You can buy decent quality 2.5 water cans off ebay for a few dollars and then buy the Fireade and charge them yourself. step by step instructions can be found on their site. It is a little pricy for 5 gallons of the stuff but even with using some for training, occasional useage, and filling multiple extinguishers, it should last you years. I cover roughly 100 days a year of various off road racing, have more than 30 extinguishers loaded and only use about 5 - 10 gallons a year.

Great topic - I am amazed that we have less fires than we do each year. I wish every pit had the support avaialble to have a propperly outfitted fueler and fire stand by team.

Dave

[ndvalium]

Here is there site if anyone is interested in contacting them - I have found over the last several years they are much better folks to deal with than the folks at firefreeze / coldfire.

http://www.firesupplydepot.com/fireade-auto-racing-track.html

[AzBajaman]

Bump.......

[baja619]

Back 2 the top people...

I saw a few disturbing actions at Parker this weekend.

I know its obvious to many on here, but the pit is not a playground.
- Keep your young ones clear of the course, the pit lane, and your neighbors pit lanes.
- Designate a baby sitter, for the kids, the newbies, and desert virgins
- Designate where they can and cannot go, what they should and should not be doing.

The crew chief is in charge, the newbies need to understand and be receptive to their instructions. I dont care who they are related to and whos money is pumped into the race effort.

Like I stated earlier, if you see a newbie or desert virgin stepping out of line, goofing off, acting unsafe or putting themselves or others in potentially dangerous situations. Put them in check! In all reality, if an accident happens, it is as much your fault as it is theres. Safety is no joke, if they cannot handle it......see below.

If you are following any of these basic rules, the rule breakers should not be at the next race.

[Michael Pee]

What is the difference between a newbie and a desert virgin?

[AzBajaman]

A newbie would be a person who has been out to see a race, but hasn't been around a pit before, a desert virgin would be that a desert virgin.......

[baja619]

Please add to this thread. I would like to put a pit program together, so that it will be available and ready to pass out as necessary before and during race/pit setup.

Learning from others experiences is always better than going in blind and making your own mistakes.

[Ranch Hand]

Please add to this thread. I would like to put a pit program together, so that it will be available and ready to pass out as necessary before and during race/pit setup.

Learning from others experiences is always better than going in blind and making your own mistakes.

I always liked having a person who's sole responsibility was watching the refuelers back.
They have an emergency air horn to warn EVERYONE in the pits that another race car was coming dangerously close as well as having a ABC fire extinguisher and a gallon water bottle. The water works well to dilute any spills on the side of the vehicle or to quickly wash out eyes in case of of some fuel blow back.

Ideally the refuelers should wear a complete fire suit as well as a head shield and goggles or a helmet. The most important thing in refueling is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Staying calm and methodical, instead of amped up, will result in a quicker stop with less or NO mistakes.

[philofab]

Ranch Hand is right... I had a few gallons of gas dumped in my face at the Midnight KC race in Eldorado Valley because of people that where not aware of how a 11 gallon dump can worked. Don't let newbies refuel you....

[bajafoolin']

if you haven't checked this thread yet, it might help. lots of different safety topics.

http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34444

[Msquared]

if you haven't checked this thread yet, it might help. lots of different safety topics.

http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34444

These pit stops were absolutely picture perfect. They look so simple, but there is so much going on. These need to be used as a trainging video for all teams. They have two men on fueling, two people on each wheel, a seperate jack man, and numerous people walking around. They all are experienced, you can tell they all have done it before and know exactly what they are doing. Slow, precise and very PREPARED. Newbies should only help in a supporting role, pit setup, roll in new and roll out old tires etc. This will get them into the action, but not in a way they can make a critical mistake costing somebody time or injury. I learned from the best, PPI back in the day. Just my 2 cents

[fashionbiff]

Have your Fire putter outer and make sure more than one person knows where the first aide kit is and any extra fire extinguisher(s) stored in trailer or rig. Ranch hand made very good points as everyone here has.

[fashionbiff]

I was flippin through summit and found these fire related items
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=HTR%2DHG4500S&N=700+115&autoview=sku
That one is for a fire system for your race trailer, I am guessing its Halon due to name and properties but you bolt it in and thats it. Maybe get a insurance kick back with it too but I don't know.
This one is for a hose cart system from the same company both are a tad spendy
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=HTR%2DHG6500R&N=700+115&autoview=sku

[baja619]

I saw a commercial for this thing on TV last night: Phillips HeartsStart Defibrillator
http://www.heartstarthome.com/content/heartstart_featured.asp

small and compact, simple and easy to use even with know medical training. This could be useful to carry in chase trucks.

[ndvalium]

I saw a commercial for this thing on TV last night: Phillips HeartsStart Defibrillator
http://www.heartstarthome.com/content/heartstart_featured.asp

small and compact, simple and easy to use even with know medical training. This could be useful to carry in chase trucks.

If no medical training - great option

If team has medical training, they can get a used monitor with EKG capabilities and hands free defib for about the same price from many vendors. I scored a couple on EBAY and got them biomed certified.

[Beat98TJ]

Speaking of fueling safety, does anyone here put fire suits on the fuel man? The only time I have seen this was in the bfg pits, though I have doused a fellow pitter with fuel at 3am (doh!)

[AzBajaman]

Bump.....