Note that the regulations for fire extinguisher mounting will change on 1st January 2013. From that date all extinguishers must be mounted with two clasps holding them in place.
The Big Red Shed (The Warehouse) has a good option at the moment for $29.99. See link Quell Extinguisher Auto Rec 1K.
Where a fire extinguisher is required for an official motorsport
event (such as Dual Sprints) there are certain conditions that must be met, as follows:
The extinguisher must be positioned within
easy reach of the occupants while normally seated, especially the driver.
For an MGB, this could be either in front of
the passenger seat, or behind the passenger seat if the rear seat is removed.
The extinguisher must retained by quick
release metal fastenings/straps (or material of equivalent strength), and be secured to
the structure of the vehicle by a minimum of two 6mm bolts with washers and locknuts.
For me, as I didn’t want to drill any
more holes in my car than was necessary I made up an aluminium bracket (using 3mm
aluminium) that used the two front passenger seat bolts to mount from. This has been an
acceptable arrangement for all event scrutineers so far.
The extinguisher must be of an approved
type, being a Dry Powder or Foam type stored pressure extinguisher, of a minimum of 0.9kg
and compliant to either New Zealand Standard NZ4503 or Australian Standard AS1841.
An extinguisher that meets these
specifications can be purchased from most Automative Supplies (Repco, SuperCheap) or Home
Improvement stores (Mitre10, Bunnings).
Other points to note:
An extinguisher needs checking every five
years by a recognised Fire Protection Company. Often it is cheaper to buy another
extinguisher.
Where the extinguisher does not have
a pressure gauge it will be subject to annual checking.
This is by no means a comprehensive article
for the mounting of extinguishers. For more detailed information see Schedule A, section 4.6 of the Motorsport Manual. Or if you have any
questions or require further advice before buying or installing your extinguisher please
contact anyone from the Sporting Committee (see front of magazine).
Darryl
Bretherton
|