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An Exuberant Quickie: When Local Government Programs Work – and in this Case Immediately
Here in Lake County, CA, many of our wildfires are caused by vehicular fires. Now that we are deep into the final months of what has been an extremely dry year, even a simple roadside fire can morph into one that takes out countless acreage and buildings, and often injures and kills. Additionally, the huge amount of fire support services takes up many man-hours and costs the state a pretty penny.
This morning, the South Lake County Fire District had a program set up to offer free fire extinguishers for people to come in and take for their household or car.
One individual picked up an extinguisher and then this happened:
At approximately 12:10 p.m. Saturday, a car went off the road and started a fire. This was at Spruce Grove, between Lower Lake and Middletown. (For SF Bay area residents, not far from Harbin Hot Springs.)
Report from local resident about what happened next:
Awesome fact: as I was just now picking up my fire suppression tools provided by the South Lake Fire Protection District (offered for free through grants), I learned how a civilian who had just left the fire station with their own tools provided, then assisted in suppressing and extinguishing the fire. Apparently the civilian used the McCleod tool they were given. Thank you South Lake fire! Thank you awesome neighbor!
I am opposed to big government where programs come about that are expensive and are offered willy-nilly whether they bring about any improvement in our lives or not. But this is one program that gets my “Two Thumbs Up!” vote.
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Agreed. And the people who got them probably also received some instruction on how to use them. I find that often even when people have bought a fire extinguisher at Target or whatever, they still don’t know how to use it effectively when needed. Even a most basic item like “aim at the BASE of the fire.”
Do you have a link to the fire extinguishers that were given out? I’m mostly curious about the size and capacity.
That’s a good question. The info came via a post on Facebook, and those details were not provided.
I’ll dig around a bit and maybe by Monday I will know more.
Government-provided fire extinguishers – now there’s a government handout I can support!
If government-issued fire extinguishers are a good thing because it allows citizens to fight fire with or without the fire department, why doesn’t the government also issue firearms for the same reason?
The extinguisher’s great! (sez he who just lost his shop and garage to a fire). But I’m really astonished – a McLeod? (That’s no fire extinguisher, folks!) That’s AWESOME! For the sorts of fire you’re most likely to encounter near a roadside, that would be IT!
Pricey as tools go, but you only need one fire to be sold. And frankly it will out-do your regular garden hoe just about every time. If you use it in your garden, though, keep the flat side sharp, and covered except for when you’re using it. If you can find a source, an old piece of fire hose is perfect.
Kind of awkward to transport, jumpers use a variety with a removable blade.
So now I wonder what other tools the FD is supplying? In my fire tool hierarchy, the McLeod is a close second to the Pulaski. I wrote an article several years ago featuring its inventor, one of my heroes, Ed Pulaski, and the Big Blowup.
In the USFS, every vehicle carries, all the time: at least 1 McLeod, 1 Pulaski, 1 shovel, and usually a gallon canteen, full. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLeod_(tool)
I remember a few years back when I lived in Raleigh (okay, it was a lot of few years ago), you could drop off your CO2 fire extinguishers at any fire station and they would refill them for you free. I guess everyone has gone to dry chemical now . . .
(Edit: in the original post, I said bad things about CO2 extinguishers. I was wrong. Except for the heavy part.)
One more very important thing about dry chemical extinguishers in vehicles: mount them on their side, not vertically. And about once a week, take them out, shake them until you can hear the powder flowing, then replace the extinguisher rotated, if you can. Without this step, the powder will compact tightly, so that you have a very fire – retardant brick.