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Dumisani Nsingo, Features Reporter
THE things that people often take for granted often leave them regretting, that is if they live to give a detailed account of the ordeal they may have encountered.
More often than not motorists feel annoyed or rather inconvenienced when traffic cops at roadblocks ask if they are in possession of road safety apparatus.
The safety apparatus, which police manning roadblocks require motorists to produce are mainly a fire extinguisher, emergency warning triangles and vest reflector mini-bib and at times a spare wheel including a jack and a wheel spanner.
These, however, do not in most cases contribute in any way to accidents. But in the event that one occurs they all come in handy and help prevent injuries and other road mishaps.
Of note is that equipping a car with an extinguisher can prevent injuries and save lives in case there is a fire while an emergency warning triangle and vest reflector mini-bib are of paramount importance in preventing further catastrophes in the event of an initial accident or incident. A spare wheel, jack and a wheel spanner are a necessity for motorists to safely proceed with their journey after a tyre mishap.
Fires can break out because of different reasons and they can do so suddenly with no warning at all hence the coming in handy of a fire extinguisher.
One of the most important things a motorist can do for his or her safety and to protect his or her property is to keep a fire extinguisher in his or her car.
When a car catches fire, it can completely burn in a few minutes. Having an extinguisher in one’s car can help stop the fire and protect the surrounding environment, people and property.
A car can easily be reduced to a shell because it contains gas and oil. In an accident, electrical wires and fuel lines can be damaged and are easily flammable. Having a fire extinguisher in one’s vehicle enhances safety and lessens the chance of a severe fire damaging one’s vehicle. Even a car’s battery has the potential to leak battery acid leading to a vehicle catching fire.
The vast majority of automotive fires start in the engine so a driver has time to grab his or her extinguisher and put the flames out. There are also chances that a driver may see an accident happening and may need a fire extinguisher to provide assistance to other people.
Fire Prevention Zimbabwe managing director Mr Reggies Sibanda said motorists should always equip their vehicles with fire extinguishers so as to guard against accidents associated with fires.
“My message to the motoring public is that compliance without safety in mind is as good as you are killing yourself. You need to have a fire extinguisher so that should a fire occur when you are in the middle of the journey you should be able to put it out, especially if you’ve got a family and the fire brigade is far away. You need to render first aid to your passengers before the fire fighters can come so it is best to have the fire extinguisher on board so that you save lives and other motorists,” said Mr Sibanda.
Fire Prevention Zimbabwe is an organisation whose core mandate is to prevent fires and to impart to people the requisite information and knowledge on fires.
“We are actually catering for anyone who can be subjected to any fire incident. Making sure that they try as much as they can to prevent fires because the best way in dealing with fire is to prevent it and then we are saying when a fire happens, people should be in a position to survive that fire.
“People should be in a position to know the facts that lead to starting a fire and use the correct fire extinguisher for the correct class (of fire). It’s not just a question of having a fire extinguisher in the car. It’s a question of first and foremost knowing the class of fire so that you can get the proper fire extinguishers,” said Mr Sibanda.
A dry powder extinguisher is the most recommended for use on car fires as it may be used on flammable liquids (including petrol and diesel and combustible solids (such as the textiles and plastics found in a car’s interior). It is also safe to use on electrical fires.
There are three major types of fires in a car namely Class A which are ignited by wood, paper, fabric among other materials, Class B (petrol, grease and other highly inflammable or combustible liquids) and Class C (flammable gases).
Fire Prevention Zimbabwe has over the years carried out road awareness campaigns in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Republic Police and Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe especially during holidays.
“The campaign awareness has yielded good results though initially people didn’t understand it. They thought maybe it was a question of being harassed but in essence the fire extinguishers are there to save their lives and they needed to be educated on that and now most of them understand.
“They are coming on their own to make sure they get as much knowledge as they can to make sure that whenever there is a fire within the vehicle they are able to contain that fire. The campaigns have worked so well because people have changed their attitude. They now know the essence of having the Fire Extinguishers within their vehicles,” said Mr Sibanda.
One of the country’s leading fire extinguisher distributors and fire engineers, ABC Firetech Engineers general manager Mr Lovemore Ndebele said it was of paramount importance to carry the correct type of a fire extinguisher in a car to avoid loss of property and lives.
“It is importance that you carry the best car extinguisher in your car at all times, as you never know when you might need it. Car fire extinguishers have the same capacity as normal fire extinguishers, they are just more compact.
“Cars are not the only place where you should carry an extinguisher. You should also keep one in your van, truck, camper caravan or your rally car. Petrol heads should be sure to have the correct type of fire extinguisher accessible when taking part in any type of motor sport,” said Mr Ndebele.
Emergency warning triangles are just one item to help alert traffic and other drivers that they should be aware of something ahead. Other helpful items are road flares, bright reflective clothing or safety vests, and four-way flashers. Highways and roadsides can be dangerous places, and many accidents occur due to broken down, disabled, or otherwise stopped vehicles in or near the lane of travel. In order to stay safe it is always best to stay on the side of caution and move away from a stationary vehicle until one is sure not to be hit by any oncoming traffic. -@DNsingo
Online Reporter