Tips on How to React if Your
Car Catches on Fire...
When planning a trip on the Turnpike you would get plenty of rest so you would be alert while driving. You would probably also check your car's tires to make sure they are in good condition, and you would make sure the gas tank was full. But, would you think to check for potential dangers that could lead to a car fire?
According to the Essentials of Fire Fighting, third edition, put out by the International Fire Service Training Association, fires in passenger vehicles are among the most common type of fires that firefighters encounter.
Fire companies are frequently called out to car fires along the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Al DeRose, an Emergency Response Worker (ERW) at Gibsonia Maintenance explains, "On the Turnpike you have vehicles traveling a long distance at higher speeds, for long periods of time and the engine running at high temperatures."

Consistent vehicle maintenance is the key to preventing a car fire. Have your car checked regularly, but especially before you set out on a long trip. Have all the fluids, valves and plugs checked.

Most car fires start in the engine. Leaking fluids, short circuits, faulty carburetors and catalytic converters can start most fires in cars. Fires can also start in the exhaust system, particularly in the manifold which reaches the highest temperatures. Fires can start in brakes, especially in tractor trailers.Car fires can even result from a cigarette, that never quite made it out of the window, or from a cigarette lighter.
Unfortunately, a fire company has little chance of saving a vehicle unless they catch the car fire in its very early stages. Oil, fuel and other fluids can help feed the spark or spread the beginnings of a small fire into a blaze burning out of control.

Flames aren't the only dangers when experiencing a car fire. Toxic fumes from burning plastic and synthetic materials used to build today's automobile can be lethal. Some cars equipped with a gas shock absorber in the front bumper, or gas struts (pressurized cylinders which may hold a car's hood or back window upright) can become projectiles if fire or intense heat reaches them, causing them to explode.

Should you experience a car fire, "Get as far off of the road as you can, as soon as you can," says Jim Kristoff, ERW at Harrison City Maintenance on the Turnpike and volunteer firefighter at Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department. "Turn off the ignition, get out of the vehicle, and call for help as soon as possible," he suggests.

On the Turnpike, you can reach the Operations Center by cellular phone by dialing *11. You can also send an immediate signal to the Operations Center by accessing one of the bright yellow call boxes which are located every mile along the Turnpike.

Through the call boxes, you can request car service, police, medical assistance or accident service on each call box, simply by pressing the appropriate button. Once the handle is released, a signal is automatically transmitted.

Should you call for assistance at a car fire using a call box, simply push the accident button, which will automatically dispatch the locally contracted fire company and ambulance service in that area, along with State Police.

Jerry Lucia, Fire Chief at Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department in Westmoreland County says that, "Truckers are the key to the vehicles we save from a car fire along the Turnpike. They usually have extinguishers and will pull over to help." If tackled immediately with an extinguisher, sometimes a car can be saved.

"If you keep a fire extinguisher in your car, make sure it is easily accessible. A good one to have is an extinguisher with ABC ratings for all types of fires, including chemical fires," Kristoff offers.

A car fire is a very dangerous situation. "An explosion like you see on television rarely happens," Kristoff explains. But toxic fumes, pressurized explosions and burns can be enough reason to call for help immediately, with or without a fire extinguisher.

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