Aussie Track Day gets expensive

**bert_is_evil** · 22nd February 2008, 13:44

Originally Posted by FROSTY

Did enybody else notice that the fire extinquishers wer making matters worse not better ?

That surprised me too - what sort of extinguishes do you normally have at a track day?

**FROSTY:Me** · 22nd February 2008, 14:22

Supplied by the track -mixture of dry powder and water

**fireball** · 22nd February 2008, 14:46

Originally Posted by FROSTY

Supplied by the track -mixture of dry powder and water

powder extinguishers are usually the best way to go... water tends to move the race gas and makes it flare up like in the video, because there is oxygen in water and it floats on top of the fuel rather than suffocating it like powder (and possibly the foam ones but they are no good in open an open area like a race track)

i like fire

**FROSTY:Me** · 22nd February 2008, 15:16

Well that ya go.
Now Im told the DIRECTION you spray the foam from makes a big difference

**madandy** · 22nd February 2008, 15:34

I did a training session with a fire safety guy once upon a time & those extinguishers are fussy how you use them on fuel fires...not easy to get right...the bike could have been partly saved with better technique...maybe

**Mikkel** · 22nd February 2008, 15:34

Originally Posted by fireball

powder extinguishers are usually the best way to go... water tends to move the race gas and makes it flare up like in the video, because there is oxygen in water and it floats on top of the fuel rather than suffocating it like powder (and possibly the foam ones but they are no good in open an open area like a race track)

Nope - that is not correct. You can get trouble with water dissociating into hydrogen and oxygen if you spray it onto burning magnesium alloys and that kind of VERY hot fires.

...in this case...

Originally Posted by FROSTY

Now Im told the DIRECTION you spray the foam from makes a big difference

...Frosty is correct about the direction being the important thing.

First of all - you don't use water on a petrol or diesel fire! Fuel will be very hot and shooting water at it will disperse it, spread it and thus increase the surface area -> higher rate of evaporation (the liquid doesn't burn - the fumes does) -> more violent fire -> big trouble.
If it's a flammable liquid that is water soluable like ethanol you can add water and dilute it down so that it stops burning.

The best thing for big liquid fires is foam - it'll form a layer ontop of the burning liquid and thus encapsulating it, preventing oxygen from getting to it.

Dry powder is also good - works in sort of the same way. When the powder is heated up it binds the oxygen thus suffocating the fire.

Carbon dioxide can also be used - one has to be very careful about how you approach the fire.

When it comes to attacking a liquid fire you don't spray at the liquid itself - you spray horizontally into the fire above the burning liquid to try and coat the fire with the extinguisher.

It is pretty difficult though - putting out a liquid fire that is already going strong with just a handheld extinguisher isn't easy under any circumstance!

**fireball** · 22nd February 2008, 15:41

ahh that makes sense now!
i just light the fires and watch them burn....

but yeah would use powder over the other types any day, as it has all bases covered... liquid, electrical, dangerous substances etc.

**Mikkel** · 22nd February 2008, 16:01

Originally Posted by fireball

ahh that makes sense now!
i just light the fires and watch them burn....

That is indeed the most fun!

Wanna try something funny? Get a big oil drum - add about 5 to 10 liters of diesel and light a fire under it...

Some of our instructors when I got my firefighters diploma had done that at one point. Should be spectacular :Blip:

but yeah would use powder over the other types any day, as it has all bases covered... liquid, electrical, dangerous substances etc.

Powder is very effective - but if you're trying to save a motorcycle, car or other piece of expensive equipment foam and especially carbondioxide leaves a better probability of being able to use the object afterwards. That powder gets in everywhere!

Halons are very effective - it's a gas that works almost the same way as the powder. But it's pretty dangerous since it'll suffocate everyone in the area. Been standard on many ships in the past - but is generally banned now I believe (navy vessels may be excempt from that ban).

**Aero165** · 22nd February 2008, 16:16

Originally Posted by skidMark

Oh now that just harsh....thats what you get for being australian...

I'm an Aussie. Don't make me kick your ass!

**FROSTY:Me** · 22nd February 2008, 17:10

Hey the way I see it the guys at Taupo have some bloody big car fires to think about--the units they supply me are the big industrial type.

**R6_kid:Me** · 22nd February 2008, 17:16

Originally Posted by hazard02

I thought tanks were designed so that it would take a lot more than that to rupture?
That soundtrack is brilliant though.

The Strangers X11 (naked Honda CBR1100XX) split the tank on a light lowside when we were doing coro loop - it's not that hard.

Probably not hard to crack an R6 tank if you hit it on the right angle as the front of the tank is actually almost square, add a bit of spark from metal vs asphalt and you got yourself a fire!

**BIGBOSSMAN** · 22nd February 2008, 17:22

Originally Posted by Aero165

I'm an Aussie. Don't make me kick your ass!

Back of the queue please digger!

**Firefight** · 23rd February 2008, 13:27

[QUOTE=Mikkel;1440530]Nope - that is not correct. You can get trouble with water dissociating into hydrogen and oxygen if you spray it onto burning magnesium alloys and that kind of VERY hot fires.

...in this case...

QUOTE]

a very good reply, rep for you mate

F/F