Fire Extinguishers
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See It – Grab It – Use It

MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA – During a routine trip, the chief engineer on a Martha’s Vineyard ferry discovered a fire in one of the three generators on the boat. The fire started as the ferry was coming into port in Vineyard Haven. The chief engineer quickly grabbed a portable fire extinguisher and doused the flames. Upon docking, passengers were evacuated and the fire department determined the fire was completely extinguished.

Vineyard Gazette (Martha’s Vineyard, MA)

BEL AIR, MD – A man was turning left in his car at an intersection when a school bus ran a red light and hit his car. Witnesses immediately called emergency officials, notifying them that the car had started on fire. A bystander jumped into action by flagging down a different school bus, grabbed a portable fire extinguisher, and put out the flames. When first responders got to the scene, the fire was out and they were able to focus on removing the driver from the car. The father of the car crash survivor told reporters that the bystander who put out the flames and saved his son was an “Angel”.

Bel Air Patch (Bel Air, MD)

DALTON, GA – Thanks to the lessons learned at a recent fire station tour, a 5-year-old girl knew exactly what to do when a fire started in her bedroom. As she was playing in her room, she noticed a fire had started behind her toy box. She immediately ran out of her room to her parents, where she then told her father to go get a fire extinguisher and her mother to dial 911. As the mother did just that, while also evacuating the family from the house, the father used a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. The Whitfield County Fire Chief said that the fire started in the electrical socket, but was out when the fire department arrived.

The Daily Citizen (Dalton, GA)

STUART, FL – One evening, a grandmother was cooking dinner with her two grandchildren, when she left to run across the street to the store. While she was gone, the stove caught on fire. Three men who happened to be walking by saw the smoke and rushed inside the apartment. While two of the men evacuated the children, the third man used a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Police officers said the men’s quick actions potentially saved two lives and prevented serious property damage.

WPTV 5 (Stuart, FL)

DRYDEN, NY – Dryden middle and high schools were evacuated one morning after a chemical fire started in a chemistry classroom trashcan. Once the teacher was alerted to the fire, he was able to quickly douse the flames using a fire extinguisher. He then pulled the fire alarm to evacuate the building, closing the door to the lab on his way out. In a later statement, school officials said that the incident was contained, and no students were harmed.

Ithaca Voice (Dryden, NY)

LOS ANGELES, CA – Powell Library administrators at the University California, Los Angeles are reviewing the library’s lighting system after a desk lamp light bulb started a fire. A library staff member spotted the fire in the Reading Room while working one night. After calling the fire department, the librarian found a portable extinguisher and put out the fire before authorities arrived. UCLA facilities workers are taking further precautions by completing a thorough check of the library’s lamps, as they want to ensure the safety of the historic Powell Library.

Daily Bruin

MARNE, MI – Six fire departments responded to a dispatch call of an explosion at a local barrel reconditioning facility. The company’s president said that the fire was caused by an inexperienced employee grinding too close to a barrel. Before any of the fire departments were able to arrive at the scene, employees had already put out the flames with a portable fire extinguisher. Two workers were checked out on the scene as a precaution, but no one was taken to the hospital. Fire authorities inspected the building, but there was only minor damage as a result of the fire and employees were cleared to reenter shortly after the incident.

WZZM 13 (Marne, MI)

PUYALLUP, WA – Costco employees had to spring into action after a customer’s cellphone caught fire in his pants. The man was shopping when, abruptly, the cellphone in his pants pocket started smoking and burst into flames. As the man hurried to remove his pants, other customers and employees were alerted to the incident. The man was able to completely take off his pants, and an employee had grabbed a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. The store manager told reporters that the customer was not injured as a result of the fire.

KOMO News (Puyallup, WA)

DETROIT, MI – The EMT’s were first to arrive on the scene of a reported house fire. Fire crews were battling another fire and were not able to get to the second fire immediately. The two EMT’s acted quickly, grabbing a portable fire extinguisher to knock down the flames before they worked to evacuate the family. At first, no one inside the house was responding to the EMT’s as they knocked on the doors. Finally, when someone answered the door, they were able to evacuate all the residents, some of whom were children. The actions of the EMT’s ensured that the fire did not spread beyond the front of the house and that no one was injured as a result of the fire.

Fox 2 Detroit (Detroit, MI)

COPPERAS COVE, TX – A Copperas Cove maintenance employee was driving a school bus one morning when he spotted a quickly spreading yard fire. He immediately pulled over the bus, ensured the children were being supervised by the bus aide, and sprang into action. He first notified a neighbor, then grabbed the portable fire extinguisher from the bus and proceeded to put out the flames before they could reach the home. Students on the bus later told reporters that he was a “bus driving, fire-fighting super hero.”

KCEN TV (Copperas Cove, TX)

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