Safety and the NASCAR Overnight Campers
By Gino Wismer 08/10/05
Folks by now we have all heard various story's about lives being lost while camping in trailers or motor homes. Here is a list of dos and do nots from a seasoned motor home camper and Air stream trailer user. I also work in the off season for my local resort campground. Take the words below as gospel, as I have seen many different things that can and do happen to whole family's not just 1 person
Hooking up to and using Propane:
When you do this task, the first thing you need to do is make sure all appliances are turned off. Many a child has played with the knobs in the off season or during summer break. This could be a disaster waiting to happen. Don't turn on the main valve until all has checked out ok for being in the off positions. Do not travel with your gas tanks on. Propane explodes with the slightest of sparks. I have seen what happens in such a situation. Pocono in 1999 had an exploding motor home from just the above reason. The static spark created from touching the door knob to go inside is enough to provoke a blast and your motor home won’t survive anything like that. I've seen it firsthand and it is not pretty! Walls blow out, roofs get ripped off and your motor home goes to the junkyard, dieing an untimely death. Hopefully you won’t ever have to deal with this now that you’re reading my words of wisdom.
Using your motorhomes heating system:
This, by far, is the most DEADLY part of motor home camping. This is the Carbon Monoxide KILLER.
Before you turn your heating unit on and forget about it, you MUST check the outsides heating intake and exhaust vents for closures. A wasp named Mud Dauber, loves these areas. They fill the areas with mud to build their nests. Mud does not burn like a hornet’s nest would so the same hole will become clogged. The super-heated exhaust gasses will fry most any insect nests inside the vent tube. It will not effect the Mud Dauber's nests 1 bit. These are, unfortunately, the main killers of campers that die from Carbon Monoxide poisonings. The nests won’t burn or dislodge themselves and you have a backflow of no-odor gasses back to the inside of your coach. Not recognizing the symptoms of the deadly gas is the # 1 reason humans die from this gas. If you run your heat inside at night and you feel like you might have to vomit or have a headache, fatigue, difficulty breathing, blurred vision, dizziness, nausea or that you have the flu, go outside and see if it goes away quickly. Fresh air is your friend in this case. Check those exhaust vents immediately and get anyone still inside, outside to fresh air until you resolve the problem. There is NO reason anyone should die from using a motor home on any outing, anyplace. We hear of it every year on the NASCAR circuit. Several people have lost their lives in 2005 already.
Using your stove for heat also is not a good idea but a lot of folks do. If you must do this then you also must provide yourself several inches of airflow through all your windows which defiantly defeats the whole purpose of using your heat. This is the most simplest of tasks as a motor home owner and it saddens me greatly to hear that not everyone even has a clue about this at all. Newer units all come with CO2 detectors and you must keep those battery's new and fresh at all costs. Any deaths at any raceways are PREVENTABLE!! You need to go outside check those vents NOW for the proper hookup to the heater and for those muddy insects that will kill your family overnight.
Using your motorhomes refrigerator on propane.
These, for the most part, are safe appliances when all is right. They burn a tiny pilot flame on full blast. They vent through the rooftop. They also are an attractive place for insects to build their homes. The insects will clog the exhaust area. This is not a death type problem because of the bic lighter sized burner. It can make you sickly your whole outing if you don't check the top of your exhaust area.
Fire is your worst enemy:
I don’t know if you know your motor home is a driving fire pit or not, but it is! One forgetful moment (we all have those) and your coach could be in flames from not paying attention to, mostly, cooking fires. I have a 26 foot motor home and I have no less then 4 onboard fire extinguishers at all times. When you walk through my door it looks like a Top Fuel Funny Cars fire suppression system hanging on my wall.
I will not have a fire inside my coach though, as we do not cook inside and that’s what causes most indoor fires. If you forget that steak cooking on the stove inside, it's going to go up in flames. Forget it outside and you have a dirty grill and no dinner. That’s a better alternative then a burnt to the ground motor home. The extinguishers I have seen all kinds of fires of which, none had anything to do with me. It is nice having them handy to help others in a situation that can be disastrous.
Setting up your flagpoles at the races:
2 words, LOOK UP!
Do you see any power lines running near your area? High tension power lines will jump a flash bolt of electric 100 feet to the pole you’re using. Don't set it up if you see any lines within a football field away. It won’t just be you getting the jolt either. It will be all who are anywhere within your area. People die from just stepping into the 50 yard circle of a direct flash. So just being anywhere near these lines with your flagpole is an accident waiting to happen. Are your flags worth the trade off of your health or life? Mine aren't.
All of the above should be practiced on a 100% regular basis, as it’s not just you, but your whole family that can get hurt or worse yet, die. Have you gone outside yet and checked those heater vents? DO IT NOW!!
The following was a public service help guide by Laidback Racing's Northern Hillbilly, Gino"
Gotta comment, question or want to say hey there...email Gino here
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