Sobering Reminder on RVs and Fire

[Mike Ellis]

I ran across this burned-to-the-frame Rockwood motorhome yesterday near Ft. Worth. As you can see from the pictures, there wasn't much of anything left. I have seen other burned RVs, and they usually end up like this one. What is not apparent from the pictures is how FAST they go up.



We have discussed this on the board before, but it is always worth reminding folks in the RV community - know where your emergency exits are and how to use them, and make sure everyone in your RV knows also. In the event of a fire, don't waste time trying to gather valuables or fight the fire - GET OUT, IMMEDIATELY. Even a large RV has a relatively small interior volume, and it will fill up with smoke PDQ. If you grab your fire extinguisher and start squirting away, you're going to fill it up even more and breathing can quickly become difficult. There's nothing in there that's worth losing your life over except your family - #1 priority is get 'em out safe, get 'em away from the burning rig, and then count your blessings while waiting for insurance to work it out.



If this sounds overly cautious, contemplate the fact that a fire like this can consume an RV in a couple of minutes time. As the pictures show, there is no side or roof framing left at all, presumably aluminum which will sag and melt very fast in the event of fire - allowing the roof and walls to rapidly collapse. Not a good time to be inside, and not a good time to be running around by the outside walls screaming and cussing either. STAY AWAY FROM A BURNING RIG.



Also sobering is to look at the frame construction, particularly upfront. There is little or no crash protection in a rig like this, it's essentially a large crackerbox on wheels. You guys that have these huge Class A's and like to drive them 80 or 90 mph on the interstates need to take a close look at what's between your family and sudden death in the event of a rollover or collision. Be safe out there guys, when things go wrong they can go wrong fast... .

 

[RustyJC]

Yep, unless you have one of the Class 8 truck conversions (e. g. , ShowHauler, etc. ), they're pretty much crackerboxes, regardless of price. That's why my jaw drops anytime the question comes up about letting family members ride in a 5th wheel RV.



Rusty

 

[Bill Stockard]

Yep, unless you have one of the Class 8 truck conversions (e. g. , ShowHauler, etc. ), they're pretty much crackerboxes, regardless of price. That's why my jaw drops anytime the question comes up about letting family members ride in a 5th wheel RV.



Rusty

Or in a slide-in truck camper...



Bill

 

[Hoefler]

I am a volunteer fire fighter down here, and we see this kinda thing all too often. The average RV fire can and will consume the entire unit in less than 5 minutes. The average trailer house will be on the frame in 7-8 minutes. Once the vent themselves, they will go very quickly!!



As Mike states, get out now! If money can repair or replace it, leave it! It is not worth you life!

 

[Mike Ellis]

Many people have never thought about having to escape their RV quickly, or about the mechanics of getting that emergency window open and crawling through it to drop 6 feet to the ground, possibly headfirst (look at some of the windows, how else could you get out? ) I have been in a lot of RVs over the years, and I have a grim suspicion that the odds of getting out of their emergency exits are slim / none for a lot of older, fatter, or less agile folks.



That's one thing I really like about the Bigfoot campers, and one of the features that sold me on a slide in - the emergency escape is a BIG hatch in the roof of the cabover that doubles as a nice vent. It is easy to pop open, getting out requires simply standing up on the bed, then getting down is a simple matter of sliding over the cabover onto the hood of the truck like a playground slide and then dropping to the ground - no ladders or window scrambling. The family is all briefed - in event of an emergency, pop the hatch, jump on the hood, run at least 50 yards away. My son said, "But Dad, won't that cave in the hood?" Answer: "Yep, but there's 1000 pounds of Cummins underneath it to keep you from dropping through. Don't worry about the truck, just get the heck outta Dodge... . LITERALLY!" :-laf



Bad news about escape hatches and windows though is that the instant you open them, fire moves faster because of the venting. No time to screw around, when its time to get out, GIT.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Yep, that's one of the first things I try out on a new RV and work it several times so I will be able to get it open quickly in the dark. Several times a year I check the

Emergency Exit to make sure it still works easily and to remind me how to open it quickly in the dark. I check the operation of the smoke alarm before each trip.



BTW, our Lance has a large escape hatch above the bed that doubles as a vent. Like your Big Foot, it's an easy slide off the cab over portion of the camper and down across the hood to the ground .



Bill