Emergency Preparedness in the RV – pt 1

Our 2013 Big Country 5th Wheel the morning after the fire

You never want to believe that a tragedy could happen to you – but it does.  On the night of March 29, 2016 our next-door neighbor’s Class A caught fire and burned to the ground, taking the neighbor on his other side with him.  Most RV parks these days have you packed in like sardines so if one catches fire it’s likely at least one other will go up also!

We were fortunate in that there was a good-sized space between us and them – enough to park both of our cars between them and us.   Our 40′ 5th wheel was basically destroyed but at least we didn’t lose all of our contents like the other 2 RV’s.

Could this have been avoided?  Possibly not – but just maybe yes.  You see, the RV where the fire started had one of those tiny little fire extinguishers that come with the RV.  After the owner located it, fumbled with it in the dark night and then shot it at the (by now) substantial fire … it was empty in seconds, thereby making it next to worthless.

The tiny fire extinguisher that came with our RV

The flames quickly engulfed the unit, and by the time the fire department arrived (in only minutes) it was a lost cause.  Luckily no one lost their life (although their cat has never been found – dead or alive).

I know that up till then I only thought about maybe a fire on the stove or something small like that and the small extinguisher would suffice.  It’s amazing how quickly even a small fire can get out of control and consume your entire unit – a matter of minutes basically!

So, the lesson is:  If you have one of these little, tiny manufacturer-supplied fire extinguishers, and think it’s all you need – I strongly urge you to get a REAL fire extinguisher immediately, and place it in an easily accessable location so you can find it in the dark.  Not only that, but also know how to use it before you need it.  It could save your RV … and possibly your life!

A ‘real’ fire extinguisher