RV Fire Safety

RVs tend to be fairly high-risk for fire because many have heat-absorption refrigerators, use on-board liquid propane systems, and the electrical systems are prone to failure due to stress from vibration and temperature changes.

An RV on fire is like a burning Christmas tree: it goes up fast and burns incredibly hot. For many of us, the biggest concern regarding an RV fire is that we can get out as fast as possible. This means our lives may depend on the effectiveness of on-board warning devices such as smoke detectors, CO2 alarms, and LP detectors. Fire extinguishers also need to be accessible - not necessarily to put out the fire, but to help buy time so we can get out of the motor home.

Anyway, we've spent a fair amount of time over the past couple weeks working to improve our fire prevention and safety equipment.

We started by replacing the 11-year old Carbon Monoxide alarm and the Propane Gas detector. A lot of RV owners don't replace these units, although they are known to fail after 10 years. They won't save your life if they do not work! We test these units once a month.

We also installed three Dual Sensor Photoelectric and Ionization Smoke Alarms: one in the cockpit area, one in the kitchen area, and one in the bedroom. Compared to just an ionization- or photoelectric-based alarm, a dual sensor alarm can detect both flaming and smoldering fires, therefore providing better fire safety protection. We test these units once a month also.

We keep a Sodium Bicarbonate powder-type B-C Auto/Marine fire extinguisher mounted by the door to the RV. We turn and bounce this extinguisher on the floor once a month to prevent the powder from hardening in the cylinder, and we also check the pressure gauge to verify the charge is still sufficient.

We also keep two foam-type A:B:C Multiple Use Fire Suppressant extinguishers in the bedroom. In theory, we could spray ourselves with this foam and run through fire to get out of the RV. They can also be used to put out stove-top fires. We check the expiration dates each month and will replace at that time.

The leading cause of RV fires are malfunctions with heat-absorption refrigerators. With this in mind, I installed a Halon autorelease fire extinquisher in the refrigerator compartment. If the ambient temperature exceeds 155°F (indicating a fire has erupted), this extinguisher will spew Halon in a 360-degree pattern to put out the fire. I check this unit once a month when parked for extended periods of time. I also check that it is still securely attached every time we reach a new destination.

In total, we invested around $430 on the above equipment. I would have spent twice that amount if needed - and I sleep better at night knowing our fire safety equipment is up-to-date and effective.