Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

But, I like doingdirt's idea about the smaller water truck. I'm willing to help build it. I've got a stick and a mig welder. Also got a plasma cutter.Who else could help? Remember it's for your safety. It wouldn't have to be street legal. We could even sell advertising spots on it to support the truck. I guess a four wheel dualy would be best. So who else could help build this truck?

That's my Opinion and I'm stick'en to it.

Let us keep in mind that, while the majority of the posters here are frequenters of SFS, we do need to think of all tracks in the state of Oklahoma too. That includes ALL drivers at all those tracks.

In my opinion, there are two parties that are of equal importance. The drivers as they need not go cheap (or to just "get by" on their parts and the track operators making sure they are equiped for safety. I was at Siloam Springs last weekend for the USMTS show and they had their water pumper firetruck equiped with three or four men in uniform at all times. That did remind me of the old Larry Hill days.

I like this civil discussion that we are having and glad we are all agreeing that something needs to be done on an organized effort. But just remember that we need to think of all racetracks. Hopefully, with the amount of posts and the different people from different tracks viewing that something can be done and changes can be made everywhere that needs to be.

It is just unfortunate that it had to take a 12 yr. old girl getting burned for serious discussions to be discussed.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

Methanol and water mix. Methanol has its own oxygen to burn so it doesn't go out with "normal" smothering techniques like dry chemicals. The general idea is to dilute the alcohol with enough water to render it less or non-flammable AND cool the surfaces that might be vaporizing the fuel and fueling the fire.

Gasoline does float on the surface of water and drenching a gasoline fire will cool surfaces just as in an alcohol fire, but it does have the potential to spread the fire over a greater area.

So, dousing the car with fuel isn't the worst thing you can do.

When Methanol was first allowed, it caused a lot of concern because of the need to have two fire fighting systems. At least you knew that the kind of fuel being used was consistent within a class, i.e. sprints were running alky, but stockers were on gasoline. The unheard of practice with mini-sprints has been that you could run either fuel within the same class (a weight break for gasoline cars). You simply put lettering on the car stating the fuel type you're using. So EVEN IF the track crew had both types of fire fighting equipment, you don't even know which kind of fire your dealing with until you come up on the car and read the lettering (which of course is stylized to match the other lettering and may not be that legible) and then fight the fire.

There's a reason USAC helped develop and mandate bladders after the Salt Walther Indy fire that burned so many fans. They work.