Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Mark N.
I'm curious about everyone's thoughts as to fighting a fire inside our Montanas: Assuming there is a fire extinguisher in the main big compartment (outside of the bedroom in other words) be it the factory bottle or otherwise, who would take the time to grab that extinguisher and stop to fight the fire, and who would just exit the coach as quickly as possible?
I've already decided, that I will not even reach for the extinguisher. I'm not diverting my attention away from that exit for even 3 seconds. I'm simply exiting the door as fast as possible. I don't care about anything in that trailer but myself and my wife. There is one, and only one exception to this for me: A grease fire on the cook top, contained to a pan. I would probably attempt that one for a few seconds. Any other source of flame in the trailer is "get out now!" for us.
In the bedroom poses a different situation, but just slightly. Assuming we are awakened by the smoke detector(s) (I have 2), I would still exit the door if at all possible. The problem is, we sleep with the pocket slide door closed, so I won't know what is happening on the other side of that door without opening it, and that might be a fatal mistake. So, I am inclined to believe the safest thing is to bail out of the window if I suspect there are actually flames on the other side of the closed door.
We are living in an oven if a fire happens, and we are sleeping on the top shelf of that oven! Not a situation that lends itself to leisurely evacuation!
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Mark, fires come in different forms and sizes. From an electrical short to a leaky gas line and a host of things in between. If there are roaring flames present, I agree - get out and let it burn. On the other hand, if the fire is contained, say to a faulty fireplace or maybe a space heater left too close to flammable objects, I'll spend the 4 or 5 seconds it takes to put out the fire and save our investment.
Old trailers rightfully earned a reputation as fire traps due to the materials they were constructed with. Newer units are constructed with more fire resistant materials and aren't as dangerous as they used to be. That's not trying to downplay the potential lethalness of fire, it's just saying that saying you don't need to abandon ship at the first sign of smoke.
