Emergency kit can be lifesaver on the road

Bill Wilson

Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009 | 1 a.m.

One of the unexpected experience you'll want to avoid is the sight of your four wheeled steed going up in smoke. Here are some tips for keeping your car fire-safe this summer.

• Before any trip check your car for leaking fluids.
• It is wise to carry a gas can in your vehicle but only if it is empty. One gallon of gas can equal the explosion of five sticks of dynamite.
• Your vehicle is less likely to catch fire in a car crash if the gas tank is full. Half-filled gas tanks have explosive vapors in them.
• Keep an all-purpose travel extinguisher (rated for ABC fire) with you as you travel. These fire extinguishers are perfect for small fires, however, if the car fire becomes too big stay far from it. Cars are made with many different chemically treated materials and when these materials burn they created toxic gas that can make a person instantly sick when breathed in.
• When filling up your gas tank at a service station make sure you are not smoking around the gas pump.
• Having a gas can on the ground as you fill it creates a ground for static electricity. This will help ensure no explosions at the pump.

If your car happens to break down, having an emergency kit prepared can help you mitigate many common road hazards.

Other than a gas can and fire extinguisher, this kit should include the following:

• A flashlight with fresh batteries
• Road flares or reflective hazard markers
• First aid kit
• Drinking water, especially in the Mojave Desert
• A cell phone

If you do not know how to change a tire it would behoove you to learn.

If you your car stops running, make sure you pull over to the side of the road and well out of traffic put on your hazard lights and raise you hood.

Finally, if you happen upon a car wreck and want to help, park your vehicle well out of traffic, call 911 and report the number of vehicles, number of people involved and if there are any leaking fluids. Do not attempt to move people out of these cars and keep yourself at a safe distance. Reassure the people involved that help is on the way.

Bill Wilson, a firefighter-paramedic for the Boulder City Fire Department, can be reached at 293-9228.