When a small fire extinguisher turned into a life saver

Thanks to the forward thinking of a person who just happened on the scene of an accident having a small fire extinguisher in the car, a potential disaster was averted. Expecting the worst made sure that everything turned out for the best in the end.

In a recent road accident a mum and her 10-month-old baby were trapped in a burning car at the scene of a road accident, and were saved only because of the quick reactions of passers by.

Mum and baby both needed hospital treatment – with mum being taken to hospital by the air ambulance because of the severity of her leg injuries. Both were well cared for by the Emergency Services, of course, and from the pictures of the incident on the internet I was tempted into pointless and ill-informed speculation about how the accident happened.

Mum and baby both needed hospital treatment – with mum being taken to hospital by the air ambulance because of the severity of her leg injuries. Both were well cared for by the Emergency Services, of course, and from the pictures of the incident on the internet I was tempted into pointless and ill-informed speculation about how the accident happened.

But what began as a heart-warming story quickly turned into a chilling one, when I put together some answers to the ‘what if’ questions that came to mind.

• What if the woman’s leg injuries involved her being trapped in the car, needing the Fire Services’ specialist cutting tools to get her free?

• What if the passers-by hadn’t had a small fire extinguisher to put out the fire? Would they have been in the horrible position of having to watch the woman and her child burn to death? Quite possibly.

How many of us have a fire extinguisher in the car?

Probably not many, certainly not enough. Given that an aerosol powder extinguisher costs so little, it’s hard to imagine why everyone doesn’t buy one. I certainly wouldn’t want to stand at the scene of a road accident without the power to avert a disaster and save at least one life. Would you?

For a small one off cost, having a fire extinguisher in your vehicle can give life-saving results.