“911, what is your emergency?” I spoke calmly into the phone.
A frantic confused voice rose from the other end of the phone, “Is it flour or sugar?! Is it flour or sugar?!”, the caller asked repeatedly.
This incident came from my experience years ago as a 911 communications supervisor. It took me a minute, but I figured out the panicked caller on the other end of the line had a grease fire on their kitchen stove. The correct answer to the caller’s question was baking soda. Regular baking soda can be used to extinguish a grease fire on the stove. But what about this same scenario while out camping? How should you be prepared to respond to a grease fire in your camper?
From Aaron Jack on Flickr
The Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and US Department of Transportation (USDOT) set standards for how campers are built along with the type and kinds of safety equipment that should be carried on board. For example, all recently manufactured campers should include a smoke detector and fire extinguisher as standard equipment on board. In addition, since campers are typically equipped with propane stoves and propane heaters, campers include a carbon monoxide or propane detector to alert occupants of a leak. You should find your propane detector down near the floor because propane is heavier than air and when propane leaks it will collect at the floor.
It’s easy to recognize the fire extinguisher and the smoke detector as safety equipment, but lots of other safety elements are designed into the camper that you may not realize. For example, your hot water heater is equipped with an over pressure valve to prevent the tank from being over pressurized and rupturing if water in the tank is overheated. USDOT regulations require interior fabrics and finishes in RV’s have at least a minimal level of flame resistance. RVIA standards require multiple ways of exiting a camper in the event of a fire along with minimum wire gauges, fuses, and circuit breakers for electrical circuits in the camper to ensure that wires do not heat up and become an ignition source for a fire.
All of this equipment is installed in each camper at the factory to warn and protect the occupants from fire or other life threatening problems. It is designed to reduce the risk of a problem, provide escape routes and prevent minor oversights from becoming big problems. The on board safety equipment does not make a camper fire proof or risk free. Changing or modifying the safety equipment and anything attached to these safety systems can impact their ability to function properly. Should you plan a project to alter the interior of your camper consider how your project will modify the safety systems. For example, If you add another electrical outlet consider if you will exceed the circuit breaker rating. Use materials in your project that meet or exceed the current materials in your camper. Don’t let your customization become a dangerous problem.
So what about the grease fire scenario? You might think that the right course of action would be to grab the fire extinguisher, pull the pin, aim the extinguisher at the fire, and pull the handle. Dry chemical fire extinguishers, like the type carried in most campers are effective at extinguishing “class B” fires like cooking oil. If you’re aggressive with your extinguisher, however, the force of the dry chemical coming out of the nozzle might actually push the burning grease out of the pan spreading the fire. In addition, the dry chemical powder from the extinguisher will leave a corrosive residue on nearly every surface in your camper. Using the fire extinguisher is acceptable, but if you have a small grease fire on the stove, consider this alternative. First, turn off the burner on the stove – reduce the heat and ignition source. Second, use a lid to cover the pan and smother the fire. If there is no lid, sprinkle baking soda over the grease fire. Always use good judgment and if you think the emergency is more than you can handle, you’re probably right – exit the camper and call the fire department!
