Tips & tricks
Fire safety: Check your extinguisher often
by Ron Jones

Fire!!!

All RVs have a fire extinguisher near the door. One could assume that it is located there so you can grab it on your way out the door! However, what happens if you are in the bedroom when a fire breaks out?

Purchase a second fire extinguisher from any hardware or discount store. Use a hook and loop (Velcro®) fastener strap to hold a larger fire extinguisher in the back corner (or corners) of your closet. It's completely out of the way but accessible from the bedroom/ bathroom areas. The hanging clothes will help hold it in place. Put it in the corner of the closet closest to the bed so you can reach it from the bed.

Regardless of where your fire extinguisher is located, if it contains a powder (look on the label), you need to regularly shake or roll it around periodically. What happens is that as you drive the RV, the constant vibrations slowly shake and compact the powder inside the fire extinguisher. Ultimately, the powder will be compacted into a "brick-like" substance and make the fire extinguisher virtually useless. This is not good!

Every couple of weeks, simply take the fire extinguisher out, roll it around, and tap it a bit—enough to loosen up the powder. This is really needed if the fire extinguisher is stored vertically. Most of the fire extinguishers installed by the RV manufacturer are now fastened at an angle to help prevent the powder from compacting. They also need to be loosened up periodically.

However, it is highly recommended that you not stay in a burning RV—with or without your trusty fire extinguisher! RVs have escape windows (the ones with the ugly red handles) located in the living area (near the front) and in the bedroom (near the back). These are designed to allow the whole window to swing out so you can climb out in an emergency.

(This suggestion is one of the more than 500 in All the Stuff You Need to Know About RVing (ISBN 156870514-X) by Ronald Jones info@rvstuff.org and Robert Lowe bob@rv-partsplus.com)