DogInBlack

I have made mention of practicing emergency proceedures in posts before, but I wanted to start a thread on the topic. Fellow track fiends, this is very important whether racing or DE.

1. Make sure you practice getting out of your car in a hurry. Belts, helmet, Hans, etc. Don't do this just once in your pjs in the garage- practice and have it second nature.
2. Don't cheat on your safety gear. You get what you pay for, and your family wants you home on Sunday evening. If you don't want to spend/can't afford $850 on a HANS, you can't afford to go to the track.
3. First lap out- know where the corner workers and safety personell are, they have fire extinguishers. Pull the safety pin on your fire system. It won't work with the pin in place.

Have a fire procedure prepared in your mind. I realize that it is very situational, however, my general plan if I have a fire is- Shut the car off and coast towards the nearest corner station, once clear of traffic, unlatch the belts and as I stop deep breath, pull the fire handle, loose the steering wheel as I slide the seat back, and out the door.

I would like to hear your safety procedures for different situations.

There is a post on bimmerforums.com about a racer that died as a result of a car fire at Daytona. Post is here- http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1297548 and the original post is this-

Veloce Raptor

Yup. And stay off grass if at all possible.






Professional Racing and Driving Coach

Chads996

I'll bump this thread for the topic. EXCELLENT thread, Tucker.

My only caveat to this is - the money thing effects us all. Sparco products must pass the same stringent FIA requirements as G-Force and some of the other lower tier brands. Just know which one is better in terms of the FIA certification levels. Obviously a 3 layer suit will give you better protection than a 1 layer...etc.

C.

DogInBlack

Thanks Chad, I don't mean to imply that about branding, I meant that regarding people on the fence about a HANS type device. I completely agree with you, but most importantly, don't short safety

kurt M

Thanks for starting this thread. All good points and a tragic event at Daytona.

In the clipping you included it mentioned that the driver had only a hand held. If this is the same event I think it is that one detail is not correct and the reason for my posting this. There are images of the fire bottle and it is an installed whole car type. There is also evidence that the fire system did not have the safety pin removed.
Please install this type of system with the safety pin accessible to the driver while fully strapped in. Even if the safety that came with the system is on the bottle and the bottle cannot be mounted in reach of the driver the safety can be in some way moved to the actuator end. If a drilled hole and pin setup cannot be arranged a flip open or removable cover can be made that puts the system in safe at the actuator not the out of reach and likely out of sight bottle. Disable any out of reach safety pins regardless.

I have walked more than one a Club Race grid and pointed out installed pins that were out of reach of the driver.

MPD47

dmoffitt and I frequently practice fire drills at events. "fire drill" or "fire drill smoke smoke smoke" (eyes closed) or the new one "fire drill, door blocked" (goto over the center console to the other side). We consider these "legal" anywhere in the paddock. If you aren't out in less than 10 seconds you buy a round at the bar that night. (and well you're on fire) We are both pretty consistent at getting out in about 7 seconds or less no matter which scenario.

DogInBlack

Kurt, you are right. He had a system and the pin was not pulled.

Mike, good call on having a partner for a fire drill

APKhaos

NASA annual tech used to [may still] include an emergency escape test. Full gear [HANS, helmet, gloves, suit, harnesses cinched tight, window net & RHS net in place. 10 second limit to get out of the car. This is something ALL of us should be able to do, literally with eyes closed.

SundayDriver

The drills are something every racer should do, many times. There is all sorts of stuff to get snagged on in an escape, and it doesn't happen every time. Maybe the 10th time you discover that the shoulder belt adjuster can get caught in your suit, etc. Practice, practice, practice.

The one time I needed a fast exit, it came as second nature - I was out in a flash. Had a fuel line come off and as I coasted to a stop at the corner station, I smelled gas. I never knew I could move that fast, but the practice paid off.

Veloce Raptor

Heck, I even practice this with my DE car, in HANS, etc. You never know when an off will happen & end up on dry grass.






Professional Racing and Driving Coach

Racerrob

Great thread, thanks!

I leave the bottle on my system unpinned and the switch near my shifter pinned.

Escape practice is crucial these days given the new rules, re: side nets, halo seats, Hans, etc... Also, get good safety stuff but make sure that you are not building your own coffin. I have seen some beautifully prepared cars with cage bolsters, side nets, halo and I dont see how anyone bigger than a jockey could get out in time.

Lastly, a reminder FYI: if you have a liquid fire system and you live in a cold climate, remember to put the bottle inside in the winter. I dont even leave mine in the garage. There have been several instances of these systems not working after a freeze due to blown seals. I wish there was a way to test these without lighting them off?

Chads996

I think this thread is worth a sticky. Very helpful for new folks looking for equipment information.

C.

Tom W

We had a 'test' at our last NASA race weekend (2 weeks ago). As we came off track from qualifying we were directed to a spot in the paddock where they verified all belts were tight, etc and then told "your car is on fire, get out now" and the stop watch was started. I was out in 5.4 sec but I think a few had a couple issues that they learned they had to address. I practice at least once each day while at the track, especially if I want to get out quickly to check tire temps or pressures.

SundayDriver

In the category of little things that can kill you...

What do you do with your shoe laces? These can snag on pedals or other stuff and keep you locked into the car. I always use high-top driving shoes. Take the lace ends and loops and hold them down with the velcro at the top of the boot. Anytime I had low top shoes, I taped the laces down.

schwank

I don't like velcro topped shoes so I stick with midtop lace ones. But I always tie them normally, then double knot the bows. This shortens the loops and ensures they won't come undone.

Great thoughts in this thread... it is too bad something bad has to happen to bring it forward to consciousness. But better than not at all. I know that based on what I saw I am changing some equipment and procedure.