flashgordon

As someone who has done a lot of flagging, I can tell you the priorities. My safety is first, oncoming drivers are second, and third is the driver of the disabled car. It sucks to hear this when you are the guy that has a car in the tire wall or on fire, but this is the way we keep people safe. If a car were on fire at my station, it would burn to the ground before I risked myself and the other drivers on track to try to put out a fire. Cars can be replaced but people can't. Why the fire fighters would not help is a whole other subject that I can't comment on since this is not my field.

mdrums

My issue is with what actually happened at Sebring....car caught on fire and fire truck with trained firemen in fire suits pull up and......yes this is true....hand the driver a fire extinguisher because the firemen do not want to get sued for any damage to the car.

Seems like when we all pull into the track that a clause could be added to the waiver we sign so that the track firemen could do their job with out getting sued...correct?

va122

insane! How are you supposed to put out a fire when you'e strapped in and dazed and confused after a hit?

85Gold

UMMMM, I was 4 pit spots behind the Burning Lotus and what I saw, (eye witness's namely me can be unreliable), was a corner/pit out worker hand the driver an extinguisher which he promptly used to extinguish the fire. By the time the Sebring fire trucks showed the fire was no longer burning.

Peter

Bull

I haven't done any flagging for many years, but those are the same priorities I learned in SCCA flagging/corner worker school many moons ago.

Geoffrey

So this thread is all about nothing then...

dave morris

Seems so.

THXBABE

Way to net it out. Thanks!

Rob in VA

Shoot Peter. I didn't know you were at this event.. I would have liked to introduce myself.

srf506

I thought this had been the case for years. Made for interesting reading though. I know it sucks if it's your car on fire, but it's a DE so you're insured for your property damage. Although in this particular incident if the driver did put leaded fuel in the car causing the fire to be self-inflicted it'll be interesting to see how he fares getting his car repaired/replaced.

mrbill_fl

I also flagged for many years... (but not in last 10)

It was standard procedures to put out a buring car, in the corner workers school (Fla region anyway). (along w/ cutting a roof, and removing a driver w/ neck injury... )

and I've put out my share of fires, but also handed bottles to drivers, when it was too hot.

plus I've see a lot of workers bathe a car is dry chem, when less could have been used. (oil fires).

One thing that I've alwasy been surpised is... there's only ONE worker at most stations. (AFAIK, SCCA has alwasys requred 2 workers per corner, one handles flags looking down track, and the other is watching his back, looking up track).

money is the only reason I can think of we dont have 2 workers... (scca workers are not typically paid).
With 2 workers, one can still handle flags while the other sees to the driver and car.

Fire truck crew are normallly paid, and wear full bunker gear. & as said, they do still put out fires.

Bull

I would be very careful about making such a broad assumption and statement.

RQ_GT3

Sensible, no?

85Gold

Peter

I wasn't driving. I was helping set up my E46M3 that Catesby Jones is borrowing for the OLOA.

Peter