Sorry... no interesting story to tell or specific event....

Just something that not everybody has thought about. It's $15 that might just save your (or someone else's) vehicle from complete destruction.

I just bought two type BC extinguishers this weekend - one for the car and one for the X.

Why not go with a type ABC? Thats what I carry in my cars and also have a large one at my house. It can fight fires that a type BC can't. The only time I have used one was to fight a cargo fire in a covered pickup that was stopped on the freeway, a type BC extinguisher would have been useless against that fire.

I'm not Kaiser, but I carry mine in the pocket on the back of the neoprene seat cover on the passenger seat, that way it is accessible to the driver.

I mounted mine in the back cargo area window. The top edge has a metal flange right under the plastic. Self tapping screws after a small starter hole and all is well. Just used the plastice wall mount that came with it.

Out of the way... can be seen and accessed from outside. I have done some pretty rough rides and it has stayed in place well.

Yeah, I was just thinking about the last time I was in Home Depot. Surely a good thing to have. I was planning to pick one up when I go there again.

same here...its perfectly sized for it...almost like it was made for a fire extinguisher....

I keep a couple in my boat. For the winter months, i take em out of the boat and keep it in the truck.

I got one a few months back, its mounted in the cargo area. Driver access would be nice though. They also fit Nalgeline bottles perfectly. I say go with the ABC for a couple bucks more.

Because an ABC extinguisher is not as good at putting out a type B or C fire as just a BC extinguisher. If you don't specifically need it, it's best not to have it. My extinguisher won't be very useful if there is an out of control campfire.... but it will be more useful if the truck catches on fire. It's a judgment call at any rate... there is no 'perfect' solution.

For those that don't know:
Type A: 'Ash' - paper, wood etc
Type B: 'Boils' - Grease, gasoline etc
Type C: 'Conducted' - Electrical fires

I was trained and employeed as an industrial firefighter (I have been involved in fighting many fires including vehicle fires). The only advantage of a BC extinguisher is that less clean up is required after the fire is put out as there is no powder, not that the extinguisher is better at fighting the fire (in fact the oposite is true). If I were to fight any fire on a vehicle I would rather have a dry chemical extinguisher (ABC) than any other commonly available extinguisher.

Also a little more complete information about fire types for the masses:

Class A fires are those fueled by materials that, when they burn, leave a residue in the form of ash, such as paper, wood, cloth, rubber, and certain plastics. (also carpet and automotive upholestry and plastic)

Class B fires involve flammable liquids and gasses, such as gasoline, paint thinner, kitchen grease, propane, and acetylene.

Fires that involve energized electrical wiring or equipment (motors, computers, panel boxes) are Class C fires. Note that if the electricity to the equipment is cut, a Class C fire becomes one of the other three types of fires.

Class D fires involve exotic metals, such as magnesium, sodium, titanium, and certain organometallic compounds such as alkyllithium and Grignard reagents. (these fires are uncommon outside of industrial and metal machining settings)

Well just put me in my place why don't you?

Why the heck do they SELL BC extinguishers if they aren't any better? I thought I was being smart.

Oh well... the wrong thing is better than nothing.

Because people buy them and they are useful for their intended use.

Like I said the advantage of a BC type extinguisher is that there is no powder residue. This is useful in an electrical control room, computer room, or other "clean room" where the powder (or cleaning up the powder) from a dry chemical extinguisher would cause additional damage. If I have a fire in my vehicle the "powder damage" is secondary to quickly and effectively extinguishing the fire. I wasn't trying to put anyone in their place, just giving correct information.

... which is why I prefer Halon. No residue. The downside is they are more expensive. Halon 1211 can no longer be manufactured (clean air act), but units with recycled Halon can still be sold. Unlike dry chemical fire extinguishers, Halon doesn't have a commodity that tends to settle and brick up over time due to moisture and gravity.

Halon is some great but nasty stuff. It's to the firefighting world what asbestos is to the insulation world. It works great, but pray you can get out of the room quickly if it goes off. I was in a data center once and the Halon system went off. I was no more than 20ft from the door and by the time I got out I thought I was going to pass out.

Sad part is, there was no fire, the stupid building maintenance guys set it off by accident.

What???

From this website:

Extensive toxicity evaluations have been compiled by nationally recognized US Medical laboratories & institutions on Halon 1301 and 1211. These evaluations have shown that Halon 1301 is the safest extinguishing agent available, and that Halon 1211 is the second safest.

Halon 1211 and 1301 or "Halon Blend" are liquefied compressed gasses which stop the spread of fire by chemically interrupting combustion. Halons are odorless, colorless, electrically nonconductive, leave no residue after use and are "people safe."

Halon is safe, but makes it very hard to breath when in it.

There's nothing involved with an automotive fire that you'd want to breathe. The burning insulation from wiring, plastics from the interior, fabrics and foam... all nasty stuff. Halon is the least of your worries. A CO2 extinguisher in a confined space will kill you.

Worry more about being able to knock the fire down enough to extract someone. If you've ever been to fire training (annual class for me), you'll know that you'll only get a few seconds from one of these small extinguishers.