RV Safety

[tnarvs]

I just wanted to say a few things about rv safety ,, and have a few of u all also resopond ,, cause lord knows we spent enough on our rigs ,, and we sure don;t want anything to happen to them or our families ,, if at all possible ,, my first tip is ,,
1) when was the last time u cked ur fire extinguisher ,, and i don't me just look at the guage ,, u should at least once a month ,, take it out ,, turn it upside down and pound on the bottom and shake it a few times ,, that way the powder will still be ready when u really need it ,, since i am a LT with our local FD ,, we do this to all the EXT we inspect
2) when was the last time u cked and made sure that ur emergency escape window really opens ?? u would be surprised at the ones i have seen that have been sealed shut ,, or would not open at all and this is not from the FD point of view but from the rv tech point of view ,, as i said anyone else that has any others ,, please feel free to share them ,, after all we are looking out for each other ,, one way or the other

[jfran304]

(3) Check your smoke/LP and Carbon Monoxide detectors and replace the batteries.

[jzick]

Originally Posted by tnarvs

I just wanted to say a few things about rv safety ,, and have a few of u all also resopond ,, cause lord knows we spent enough on our rigs ,, and we sure don;t want anything to happen to them or our families ,, if at all possible ,, my first tip is ,,
1) when was the last time u cked ur fire extinguisher ,, and i don't me just look at the guage ,, u should at least once a month ,, take it out ,, turn it upside down and pound on the bottom and shake it a few times ,, that way the powder will still be ready when u really need it ,, since i am a LT with our local FD ,, we do this to all the EXT we inspect

We do that once per month.

2) when was the last time u cked and made sure that ur emergency escape window really opens ?? u would be surprised at the ones i have seen that have been sealed shut ,, or would not open at all and this is not from the FD point of view but from the rv tech point of view ,, as i said anyone else that has any others ,, please feel free to share them ,, after all we are looking out for each other ,, one way or the other

We check ours every couple of months, although it is probably a useless exercise. Many times we are parked so that a headfirst exit out the emergency window would be a two story fall onto the power pedestal or the sewer. We do keep an emergency sling to lower the dog and a rope ladder. Probably a waste of time, though. I doubt if either DW or I could climb up and out the window, especially quickly in smoky, dark emergency conditions. We keep a very large extinguisher in the bedroom - hopefully that might get us out the door.

[TAZ]

Many people don't realize that if they have a tire blow out the best thing is to accelerate until you gain control then decelerate.

It is hard to avoid instincts, but if you practice it over and over in your head, you may react and stay in control it it ever happens to you.

[HappyCCRVr]

After our PDI , I told the inspector that I was going to push out the emerg. exit window to test it. He said I shouldn't do that, because many of these windows will just fall out and crash to the ground and create a pile of broken glass on the ground below. So, I didn't test it.

[JimmyLeggett]

tested the emergency escape in the bedroom, it opens just fine. The problem is getting our round senior citizen bodies through that very small opening
emergency exit in the galley is large enough to exit.

I removed the dinky fire extinguisher that comes with the coach and replaced it with a larger unit, and another one in the bedroom. I added an extinguisher with a heat rise sensor to the space behind the fridge. The dinky dry chem that came with the coach was moved to a location near the galley stove.
Sometime in the near future I will have a fire suppression sytem added to the engine compartment. It is amazing to me that motor homes don't have these systems installed at the factory.

A well equipped first aid kit, and to avoid using the contents of a real emergency first aid kit, we keep a good supply of band aids, first aid creams, etc in the medcine cabinet. All of the first aid supplies are inspected before every trip.

on the list of things to install this year, a back up alarm. An alarm inside the MH with a button on the steering wheel to alert everyone when I am braking hard.

Every couple of months I watch once again, the videos on driving from Lazy days.

[CLIFFTALL]

Here's a fire escape hint I posted last year. http://www.irv2.com/forums/f59/fire-...int-89972.html

[Warden]

I have three extinguishers, Bed Room , Hall and main area....so there is always one in reach, you never can tell when you will need on really fast. First Aid Kit is handy as well + extra.

[Steve N Sal]

These are all good tips to keep us on our toes. Nothing worse than something happening and not being prepaired. I do wish the manufactures would put in a larger escape window though. Make look funny but a rear door or something toward the back of the unit would be better for sure. JMHO

[tnarvs]

well thanks for all that replied ,, i was just posting some stuff ,, due to what i have seen ,, and since alot of u (as me) are just getting out and about ,, but i am sure there will be many more tips others will provide ,, thanks agian all of u
Btw Steve & Sally ,, i actually do have 3 exits on my MH ,, the main door ,, the window in the master bed room ,, and the drivers door ,, but if i need to ,, i will put something thru another window if i have to to get out ,, wait maybe not ,, i am a FF ,, and i need a challenge ,, so maybe i will let it going real well then look for the exit
I am just kidding on this ,, why risk u'r life ,,

[danf7]

Originally Posted by TAZ

Many people don't realize that if they have a tire blow out the best thing is to accelerate until you gain control then decelerate.

It is hard to avoid instincts, but if you practice it over and over in your head, you may react and stay in control it it ever happens to you.

Actually practice this with the DW. Obviously no cars close by but she will yell blow out and I step on the acellerarator. This is a must in a blow out situation. If you practice it ,,,IT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU NEED IT!

Good thread...can't be too careful out there.

Dan

[toadog]

I like to go thru a check list with any guest I have. Tell them where fire extinguisher are and all exits, and in general what to do if? It will change with who I have. I like to have a plan and hope everyone knows it.

[BCooke]

LT keep in mind the 6and 12 year inspection...

[wa8yxm]

1) when was the last time u cked ur fire extinguisher

I have 4 of them, One I checked this morning, another I check every couple of weeks, the other two do not have a check feature but by design, should not need checking.

2) when was the last time u cked and made sure that ur emergency escape window really opens ?

That has been a while but the design of the Escape windows more or less insures that can not happen on this coach,, At least not to the point where I can't get the window open.