Fire Safety

L

Littlevees

Jim Venable
Being as no one has posted this I figured it best to do so as there is a bit of time before our next race to make adjustments or corrections if needed.

As some of you may be aware a fellow racer named Alan Burgess passed away this past week from burns he recieved during the most recent Daytona SARRC race. Having lost friends as a result of racing fires and accidents safety is a very real concern of mine not to be taken lightly. The me in "It could never happen to me" could be you if proper precautions and procedures are not taken. Such is not needed. Be wise, be safe. From this terrible tragedy we can all learn and review our safety procedures, equipment and attitude towards safety. The link below from the Spec Miata site is well worth reading. You, your family and fellow racers will appreciate you doing so and reacting accordingly.

You may have to copy and paste if not highlighted.

http://forum.specmiata.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/31/192.html#000036
 
A very thoughtful discussion going on over in the specmiata.com forum. The tragedy occurred in a 944 Porsche and I believe was the result of a ruptured fuel line. The real tragedy was that the pin was still secured in the fire suppression system. It is indeed a rare occurance, but it should cause all to evalutate their pre-race check list and practice emergency bail outs. You just never know!
 
Fire is the scariest part of our sport... of every incident that our Safety team response to. We've seen, too many times, the tragic results. As for myself, I have been fortunate not to have had to mourn the loss of life connected to a fire on my watch.

My sincere, and heartfelt condolences go out to Mr. Burgess' family, and friends.

You are absolutely right in sending this message to the Conference family, Jim. And to reflect on the tragic consequences of complacency.

Please look at these pictures.

http://s573.photobucket.com/albums/...na Fire/?albumview=grid&fullsize=IMG_0240.jpg

And remember a particular car #99 Yellow, RX7 from recent past. Mere luck combined with the fast action of the course workers, and safety crews that responded saved that life.

PIN IN THE BOTTLE!!...Did not cause the fire, but that lack of preparation did not allow the system to be activated, and suppress the fire, if only to allow a precious few seconds that could have made the difference between life, and that unmentionable alternative.

Reports like this affect me deeply. Please check your equipment every time you are about to climb into the car. Reconsider that extra $ that might keep you safe, and in good health to race another day. Don't skimp on PPE.

Rules and regulations are meant to help keep racers safer, but know that they are not the 'be all, end all' on the subject. Your own good sense and intelligence is the ONLY thing that you can depend on. Never use the excuse that just because there isn't a rule, then you don't need it.

I'm sorry for getting on the 'box' again.
 
It was kind of strange but the same weekend #99 had a fire, #83 did to (my car) the fire suppression pin was still pulled out, luckily, as it was long after the race and as I was unloading the car it caught fire. The system worked as it should, allowed me to bail out safely but it didn't fully put out the fire. I had to battle it with my several fire bottles to keep it at bay until the fire dept came and put it out for good.
P.S. I did sprain my leg while running for an extra fire bottle.

Good Topic and good thread over on the miata site, still reading it.....
 
Ken Killam said:
And remember a particular car #99 Yellow, RX7 from recent past. Mere luck combined with the fast action of the course workers, and safety crews that responded saved that life.
Click to expand...

Not to mention a couple of drivers, one of whom was one of the first on-scene with a fire bottle he'd pulled from his own car. This was, along with another reason, why I purchased a separate fire bottle to go along with my in-car system.
 
Same here Steve, I bought an extra hand held extinguisher that I will be attaching next to me in my car.

In addition I've done two more things (last night after reading the story). Pretty scary. Apparently the pin was not pulled in the 944, the workers found the pin still in the system, and this is the scary part, the cable was pulled/stretched like 12", as if the driver was trying in vain to pull it......

1) With those of you that have key starts in your race cars.
I zip-tied the fire system pin to my ignition key so there will be no way I can start my car without having first pulled the pin out.

2) Added a second pull handle to the fire system, one is within reach of myself while belted, the second can be reached by safety workers from the outside of the car.
 
Another good idea that I read on one of the threads was to tag the pin with one of those aircraft-type "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT" flags.
 
I bought one of those tags at the flight museum last winter just for that reason. It's large and red so you can't help but see it hanging there.
If our tech people check that system carefully while doing an annual that puts us ahead of the game, but it needs to be checked during the season and each winter as well. It's on the winter checklist that I keep in the shop.
 
Wow... as another 944 pilot that certainly hits home. The downside to certain years of these cars is that the fuel lines come out of the front fender and cross directly over the headers. In all cars the fuel rail is right there too. If the factory rubber lines are too old they start to crack... many a street 944 and 951 have been lost to fires for this reason.

To date I have only carried a standalone fire bottle despite having wanted a built in system for some time now. I don't see how I cannot move it to the top of the list after seeing something like this. Do not pass go, go directly to Competition Motorsports.

Safety first... and a very sincere thank you to all the corner workers, first responders, and track officials that risk their well being to protect ours. Sometimes it seems a thankless job I'm sure but I assure you that there is an immense debt of gratitude to you all.
 
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