Terrible Thought..... - Page 2 - Montana Owners Club

Sweetfire · 03-05-2006, 07:01 PM

One of the reasons I purchased the 3295RK was because of the door placement. I do not care for trailers with doors that are only at one end of the unit. Most (but not all) fires are going to be started in the kitchen or furnace areas. Most Montanas have doors located in the center of the unit so your chances of being blocked by fire are reduced.

Trailers are mostly plywood, glue and plastic. They burn very, very quickly and put out terrible smoke and gases from the materials used it their construction. If that smoke detector goes off, GET OUT! Naked if need be. Your modesty and dignity mean nothing compared to you life. You can always go back and check after you collect yourselves and do not see any immediate threat or evidence of fire.

If you do find yourself blocked from the main entrance/exit close the pocket door and folding privacy screen between the bedroom and the rest of the trailer if you can. “IF YOU CAN”, being the important part of this statement. This will buy you a little time. Because you are two or three feet higher than the rest of the trailer in most front bedrooms models, smoke and heat will rise into the bedroom area, closing even just the screen will make a barrier that will slow that smoke and heat down. Which ever of you is the strongest help the other to open the escape window and drop to the ground, then get yourself out as best you can. A broken hip or leg pales to insignificance when compared to burning to death.

But in reality I think you should be able to just use the door. Stay low. Crawl if you have smoke and flame in the trailer. Staying low does several things for you. Visibility is usually better closer to the floor. Heat and smoke will rise to the ceiling and then work its way down towards the floor. In house fires it is not uncommon to have temperature layers that vary by several hundreds of degrees in just six to seven vertical inches in the same room. Standing up and taking a single deep breath may be your last.

But the most important thing is, get out, fast. Don’t look for that special picture. Don’t try to save Aunt Martha’s 200 year old whatever. Don’t spend all day looking for Fluffy. I know that last crack sounds heartless but if that pet runs off and hides from you, no matter how much you love it, leave it. Your family needs and wants YOU back alive.

I hope none of us ever has to face a situation like this. Being a fireman, I know what the “Worst Case” scenario looks like. I would not wish that on my worst enemy. Don’t mess around with it. Every item in your trailer or home is just a thing. Your life is precious, don’t waste it foolishly trying to save a “thing”. Fire extinguishers in the bedroom are not a bad idea. Fighting a fire that may have just started right before your eyes may be possible. But one that has been going on for a while and established itself probably won’t be affected much by a single fire bottle. Just get the heck outside.

Off my soapbox now, time for a Bloody Mary

Montana Sky · 03-05-2006, 07:14 PM

Dennis,
THANK YOU!

That was a much needed reminder of the true important things in life when it comes to dealing with a fire. Everything including the rv can be replaced and is not worth the chance of life to protect it.

fulltimedreamer · 03-06-2006, 05:37 AM

Dennis,

Thanks for the advice on fire safety. We can't hear it often enough. Everyone needs to think through their evacuation plans so that they are ready should the need arise to escape. I will be adding a second fire extinguisher to our bedroom this spring. Several of us on the forum have Mountaineer Travel Trailers. Escape from some of these models is made easier by a second door that is in the bedroom.

campbud · 03-06-2006, 08:22 AM

Dennis, Thanks so much for the reminder...also other members for tips on this. One never knows and it is always better to be prepared than not at all.

scattershot · 03-06-2006, 08:53 AM

Well, I wasn't going to post on this thread, but I can tell you from the perspective of 29 years in the Denver Fire Department that a travel trailer or mobile home will go up like a flashbulb once it gets started. You won't be thinking about anythig but getting out of there, and the 2-3' drop will be the least of your worries. Know how to open your emergency window, and GET OUT NOW! Don't stop to gather pictures of the grandkids, or your latest craft project, just GO! If it's a minor fire or it goes out on its own, you can always come back in. Can you find your fire extinguisher in the dark, when you can't breathe and it's 800 degrees in your trailer? Know how to use it if you do find it? Do you even know if the powder in the thing is still powder, or just a lump of stuff in the bottom of the unit?

being prepared is great, but the thing to think about is getting out. Then you can figure out what to do next.

JMHO

dsprik · 03-06-2006, 11:06 AM

Excellent advice guys. I will be adding a second fire extinguisher in the bedroom.

Probably would take just a second to throw on my shorts... I keep thinking of all the possible years in court I might be spending after the fact, fighting emotional trauma cases, if several people were ever witness to me jumping out of a camper window naked...

drhowell · 03-07-2006, 03:48 AM

All great advice. When I suggested throwing bedding, clothes, etc out the window I wasn't suggesting that you are trying to save these items. I was just suggesting they could make for a softer landing than the hard ground. Do not waste valuable time trying to save keepsakes. Just get out as quickly as possible.

By the way, in my 3280RL the drop from the front bedroom window is closer to 7 feet. And my 6'4" body does not fit on the dresser to swing my legs out the window. I am afraid the only way out for me is head first. That 7' looks like 20' when you are head first and I don't want to hesitate for a second once I start through the window.

How many people keep a cell phone in the bedroom or the tow vehicle for reporting such an emergency, "once you are out and safe"? Might be an item to consider in your emergency procedures.

I hope and pray no one ever has to evacuate a burning RV.

richfaa · 03-07-2006, 04:49 AM

Saw a TT that buned up a couple days ago at a local salvage yard..Fire started at the furnace and melted through the camper. The entire inside was a fused mess and most of the furnace side was melted. As scattershot said get out....My plan..Throw Helen and the Bird out the window then jump out and land on them,

Sweetfire · 03-07-2006, 05:09 AM

Don,
We practice getting out of small or high openings with a lot of cumbersome gear on. This MAY work for you. If head first is all you can manage, hold on to the window frame with your strongest hand, fingers pointing in towards the trailer, thumb on the outside edge. As your body goes out holding on will force your body to roll or pivot. Depending on how strong your grip, shoulder, and arm are, you will at least land on your side or back (maybe even on your feet) and not on your head and neck. In your case being 6'4" and your arm extended with a 7' drop your feet will probably touch the ground before you have to let go.

dsprik · 03-07-2006, 05:36 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Saw a TT that buned up a couple days ago at a local salvage yard..Fire started at the furnace and melted through the camper. The entire inside was a fused mess and most of the furnace side was melted. As scattershot said get out....My plan..Throw Helen and the Bird out the window then jump out and land on them,

Now I know Helen's not reading this, Rich.

Of course she could pull the old "Charlie Brown", "Come on. Rich! I'll catch you..."

Is that where that emergency window is on a 3400? Over the dresser?

*On Edit~ Rich, just curious... could you tell if that was a newer TT, or an old one?

Bob & Lee · 03-07-2006, 07:04 AM

Ours has a front and rear door, that is good there is no one going to fit out the window in the bed room, maby a little dog. the living room has a escape window and its about 7'up so good drop but the door is just across from the window so the only reason to use the escape window in the living room is the stove and heater are next to the door and if that is the point of the fire starting its out the window.

CountryGuy · 03-07-2006, 07:50 AM

Suppose I could go out that bedroom window if she were burning, but, after our Lock IN experience in New Orleans in 04, I am sure it would have to be a real emergency for me to go out there. We looked at it to go out in that situation, and our comment was, "It ain't burning, no going thru that emergency window, long way down if it ain't burning."

This is a scarry subject, but, ya all are right, it is something we need to review now and again, thanks for all the great suggestions!

Montana Sky · 03-07-2006, 03:13 PM

That is the main reason I keep the extra fire extinguisher in the bedroom closet. It will allow me a fighting chance to get to the front door if need be. If I can't get to that door, then out the window I go. I do not plan on sticking around to try and put out the fire, there is no way a single extinguisher would be able to handle that job. I would rather go out the front door than through the window and would use the fire extinguisher to make my path to the door. If I can I will use the door, if not well then I guess I am going out the window and will let the fire department take it from there.

Sweetfire · 03-07-2006, 05:13 PM

As was said before these trailers go up fast. All the things discussed in this thread are pretty much pie in the sky. You can not fight an established trailer fire with a fire extinguisher. Your best defense is a smoke detecter and a carbon monoxide detecter. By the time a fire is big enough to block your exit you've probably already gone to meet your maker. Get a hard wired one and a battery powered one. Check them often, replace the batteries every 6 months.

dsprik · 03-07-2006, 05:38 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Sweetfire

Get a hard wired one and a battery powered one.

Does Montana only have the battery only models?

Sweetfire · 03-07-2006, 08:04 PM

You can have one wired into the 110 system. The reason I suggest this is that most people forget to check the batteries. Of course if you're on battery power they won't work, that's why I think both kinds are a good idea. But if you're diligent in keeping the batteries fresh it should work fine. Just pick 2 dates in the year that are about 6 months apart and alway change the batteries on those dates. I use Christmas and my birthday, May 24, that works good for me.

dsprik · 03-08-2006, 02:20 AM

Good idea. My BD is July 8... perfect.

kwbosch · 03-08-2006, 08:42 AM

Well guys, after following this topic for a while now, I just had to try it.
Last night I exited the Monty out the bedroom window. I sat on the dresser and went out feet first. I got a little skinned up sliding on the window frame but once I was hanging from the window, the drop is only maybe 2 feet to the ground.
I was going as fast as possible, but I was also being very careful not to bend the window frame. In a true fire emergency, I’m not going to be too concerned about the frame.
It’s not gonna be easy for somebody that’s not in good physical condition but it sure beats the alternative.

Ken

Montana Sky · 03-08-2006, 08:54 AM

Ken,
Glad to hear thta going out the window can be done. I just hope the day never comes that I acutally have to open that window for anything other than fresh air.

dsprik · 03-08-2006, 09:08 AM

What's your size, Ken? I'm 6'2, 250#.

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