Something every driver should read

Wow, that it quite a story of survival!

Beyond the need for EXCELLENT protective personal equipment, two things struck me in that story.

1.
If your car is in trouble, DO NOT just coast around the track until you're out of momentum and then pull over in the dirt where ever you end up. Rather, PULL IN at a Turn station so you can get assistance if the problem is more then you're aware of. Rolling another 1/10th of a mile just because you can could be very, very costly. In the "heat" of what was going on, he knew where he was going. The next turn station! Fortunately he got there before the 2nd eruption.

2.
Although difficult to do in a Formula car......

"From now on, all our cars will carry a second 5-pound fire bottle dedicated to the fuel tank and fitted with automatically triggered nozzles. This should help knock down any fuel fire as soon as it ignites. We are working with our fire system supplier to create a warning light so the driver knows the system has been discharged."

The rupture FUEL CELL and or lines contributed heavily to Steve's huge fire several years ago. A bottle dedicated to the fuel cell would have reduced or eliminated that! The system was well designed in the trunk but, once the car was inverted, burning fuel 'found' its way in to the cockpit.

P.S.
And my favorite peeve. Make SURE your fuel cell breather line has a one way check valve. Prices start at about $20 and go up depending upon how fancy you want to be.
 
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Thank you, David, for this enlightening post. As a driver, it's too easy to be lulled into thinking that you've got it all covered safety-wise because you've been doing it so long, all the gear is there, other things to think about. Perhaps we should institute a rapid exit in full gear as part of our annual tech just to demonstrate that we can do it in a certain amount of time. I know that I don't practice it often enough, even though I had a engine fire last season that was thankfully put out by a quick-thinking corner worker at Pacific Raceways.
 
Wow!
Thanks for posting that. That article should be read and suggestions followed by all drivers.

I think the point that this can happen in a driver training/ open track day, not just racing, is very valid. Our safety requirements for driver training days are practically nothing. Food for discussion with your club's board and DT coordinator.
 
Yes, that's a very good article. Says a lot about getting good protective gear, too. Fire retardant underwear, socks, balaclava, etc.

BTW, I hope no racers are wearing UnderArmour or any other synthetic underwear beneath their driving suit. When exposed to flame or very high temps, it will melt onto your skin. The US Army has banned its use among troops in combat zones for that reason.

Also, a racer in Florida died a day after being involved in an in-car fire last August. There's a discussion on it and lessons learned at the Spec Miata forum:
http://forum.specmiata.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/31/192.html
 
Good point about driver training and track days Karen. As fast as these current street cars are, an accident could be really scary if the driver is wearing an open face helmet and short sleeves, or even worse, shorts. I am actually suprised that our insurance carrier has not addressed this issue by now, but we should be proactive and add a few rules to our school requirements for starters.
 
Well... if you're going to muck with HPDE attire rules, does it make sense (at all) to require anything other than basic safety equipment if you're NOT going to require full-on race gear? Seriously, other than maybe for a flash fire (which are pretty uncommon in a street car), do long-sleeved shirts and long pants really provide any protection over bare skin? Especially with all the synthetic weaves in clothing these days, you're likely to melt your clothing onto your skin anyway, which is actually more difficult to deal with than "simple" burns.
 
So what are those little tubes sewn on to nomex underwear made of that run cool water in those cool suit systems? Are they a potential meltable item? I don't own a cool suit system, so I don't know how they cover this.
 
One thing that struck me about this story is the mention of Clear Plastic hose for a fill in his cell. It's nice to be able to see when you fill. WE absolutely were chastised by NASA tech last time we did the 25hr for having the same thing on our car. They made us cut apart a tin drip tray and bend it around the fuel hose and clamp it on to protect it or they were gonna put us on the trailer and send us home. Definitely a good thing but sounds like their tech guys are selective on who they pick on.
 
Lance Richert said:
So what are those little tubes sewn on to nomex underwear made of that run cool water in those cool suit systems? Are they a potential meltable item? I don't own a cool suit system, so I don't know how they cover this.
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I would think those would be worse. Not only do you run the risk of the tubing melting, but the water inside those tubes is going to get REALLY hot. As Charles' article says, most of what caused his discomfort in the fire was heat transfer.
 
Lance Richert said:
So what are those little tubes sewn on to nomex underwear made of that run cool water in those cool suit systems? Are they a potential meltable item? I don't own a cool suit system, so I don't know how they cover this.
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Yup on both Lance's and Steve's points. I've also worried about mine in that it's two more things to disconnect in an emergency. They are small and can be fiddley. Not terribly obvious with gloves on.

But I sure do love that system in Spokane in July!
 
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10 seconds.

Once you've determined that it's something more than grass toasting smells from underneath.

10 seconds to get out, and run away. That includes tripping your on-boards before, and the kill switch as you exit.

What are you prepared to do first? Think about it.

Wes. You should get some good practice this weekend... very time your glass needs a refill whilst watching the race(s) in your (w)rec room.

Pretend you're Danica...

Go, Daddy!
 
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It would be a good idea to memorize where your shut off and fire bottle switch is. What I had happen is a motor blow at speed and something causes a fire or melt down of wiring. So now you are trying to slow down and find a safe place to pull off and are not aware of everything going on with the car. You get stopped and the car immediately fills with smoke and you start to try to get out but you can't see and the worst part is that the smoke is choking you and it is tough to think clearly when you can't breath.
 
Okay Steve, then we can have our students run in their underwear, that's proactive eh!!

I had a fire back in the 80's at Oly, but at speed the flames were horizontal and I could see nothing. I saw a corner show me a fire bottle, but wasn't sure it was directed to me, until I slowed down and my rear view filled with flames! So not only locate the nearest turn station when in doubt, but look at each station every lap, when you have the opportunity of course.

I'd rather pretend to be someone closer to the front of the grid Kenny, but I will practice. Seriously, that is something we should all do occasionally, so the procedure of kill switch, fire handle, belts and exit is clear and happens in seconds. Fire is rare at our level, but it is merciless when it does happen. I used to volunteer my FV back in the day for IRDC worker training, which included me exiting on my own and the workers learning the extraction process if I was unable to remove myself. Do any of the clubs still do that?
 
No Wes, we don't have drills on how to extract a driver.
As turn workers, we sometimes may not have the luxury and neither do the drivers, of waiting for Safety/E-Crews to arrive.
How would you like to head up a demo for us at the next IRDC weelend?
We also should have a refresher course on the use of fire bottles, eh?
 
Lynn - I'll volunteer my car too for some sedan practice if you're interested. Maybe on a Friday evening before a race weekend?
 
Lynn Rimmer said:
No Wes, we don't have drills on how to extract a driver.
As turn workers, we sometimes may not have the luxury and neither do the drivers, of waiting for Safety/E-Crews to arrive.bottles.......
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That would have to be a really really bad situation, Lynn. If you've ever watched Ricky Lee and his crew extract a driver from a car who has suffered serious injuries and is unconsious it has to be handled with great care and knowledge. Furthermore, at that stage, there's a total disregard for physical well being of the car. i.e. parts and panels are removed with great vigor to give them the best leverage to carefully remove the driver and typically takes 2 to 4 people to do it properly. You're talking about lifting and twisting 150 to 200 plus pounds of 'floppy' hewman body.

FAR better for the drivers safety for the Turn Workers to do EVERYTHING possible to suppress any fire, with bottles, dirt, sand or clothing/blankets and leave the driver in place until an E-crew arrives. But if necessary, rip the car apart to get him out... sure.

If it's that desperate a situation, a 'semi' real extraction in the paddock that wouldn't damage the car or driver in the paddock won't be very realistic.

How many of our workers actually have fire resistant gloves? I do. Old set of drivers gloves but they are pretty well shot. Gonna get a new set from Amadillo soon. One thing that would be VERY GOOD is if, ALL ICSCC drivers would donate old driving gloves when they buy new ones to the workers. Could be passed out at the workers meetings.

On the other hand, Ricky used to run 'drills' for his crew at Pacific once a year. Particularly when Jason had an old hunk of a stock car chassis at the track Ricky could use. Haven't seen him do that in a while.

Lynn Rimmer said:
.....We also should have a refresher course on the use of fire bottles, eh?
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Refresher on bottles would be GOOD. Haven't been through fire suppression school since I left the Navy. But I do remember the basics :)

It should go beyond pull the pin, point and squeeze. Actual demo with a fire on the paddock is required to really understand. Again, something Ricky or Ken could demo some day maybe even during lunch when drivers could see it too.
 
Rick, I wasn't just thinking of Seattle. ORP for example is one long track.
I know that with most tracks, safety vehicles are there in a very short time, but as we haven't seen everything a race car can do, we shouldn't get complacent with their timely arrival. Big Grids and Multiple incidents spring to mind, so if we are to be the drivers first line of defense until safety can get there we should be somewhat familiar. IMHO

I think I'll put a word into the powers to be for the bottle refresher. I know some tracks have already had them, but for those that travel from out of town, they can't get there in time for the demo.
Time prevailing lunch time would work.

And it was a good suggestion for drivers to donate their old gloves. I have an almost new pair given to me by a driver and many people have used them when they have been on response. (even if there is no flame....car parts can get hot)
 
Lynn Rimmer said:
......And it was a good suggestion for drivers to donate their old gloves. I have an almost new pair given to me by a driver and many people have used them when they have been on response. (even if there is no flame....car parts can get hot)
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Perhaps at the next few workers meetings, we could ask the Stewards to make that announcement/request at the drivers meetings?
 
I would be happy to volunteer my car for that demo Lynn if you decide it is a still a good idea. If nothing else the newer workers could see up close the differences between open and closed wheel and what it takes to extract, if necessary, before the E-crew can respond. If I am stuck in my car with fire, and not able to pull myself out due to injury, jammed belts, etc I would want you guys getting me up and out of there NOW.
So let me know and Tom and I can work it out.
 
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