Re: On board fires

[VBra676539@aol.com]

jon and all,
	Ref # 12--dry extinguishers are driven by inert gases--natch.  Fires 
and psubhumans both thrive in the same oxygen rich atmospheres.  Rule number 
one:  No oxygen, no fire (or at least no flames).  For the psubhumans, the 
rules are the same.  No oxygen, no life.
	Electrical fires don't need oxygen to make smoke, but the actual 
combustion of insulation or paint or something requires combustibles. Avoid 
them when you can, protect them all the time, and don't show up to the 
gunfight with a knife.  So, fight fires in some sort of respiratory 
equipment--either a full-face respirator with good filters (not recommended 
but better than nothing) or some kind of supplied air system (BIBBS, pony 
bottle, or something).
	PLEASE don't use halon in a closed environment!  It displaces oxygen 
even better than CO2 does in the bloodstream.  See Rule Number One.  And 
PLEASE don't consider water (no matter how pure) for an electrical fire.  A 
bad jolt from a DC system can shock your heart to a stop.  Again, see Rule 
Number One.
	I've read and been taught about high and low voltage safety 
comparisons, but I have also had the crap knocked out of me once or twice by 
those erstwhile low-voltage systems and I damned sure don't want to be 
sitting at a thousand feet with my two feet in a puddle while my battery bank 
turns itself into a DC welder--even a low-voltage DC welder.  Once the fire 
is out, you'll have plenty to do just trying to get powered back up or do an 
emergency surface procedure or whatever without worrying about that.
Regards,
Vance