Burned Man Says He Was Better Off Naked

Comcast.net & AP ^ | March 14, 2006 | Associated Press

[freepatriot32]

FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Paul Kuschel would have been better off naked _ like many of the folks at Sunnier Palms Nudist Park. Instead, he was wearing a pair of nylon shorts Sunday when a generator he was working on backfired and sprayed him with starter fluid, setting him ablaze.

"I would have been better off wearing nothing on at all," Kuschel told Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. The fire seared his shorts to his backside.

"It's a good thing I wasn't wearing a shirt," he said.

Kuschel, 43, suffered second-degree and third-degree burns.

He was taken to a hospital with non life-threatening wounds and was treated and released.

Authorities said the fire erupted as Kuschel was trying to start the generator on a motorhome in the park, which was also damaged in the blaze.

Kuschel reported to his carpentry job Monday morning, even though he can't even swing a hammer because of his injuries.

"I'm just a tough old mule," Kuschel said. "And I don't want to lose this job."

He said he and his wife, Carol, have lived in a tent since moving from Dayton, Ohio, in February and had planned to move into the motorhome, which he just bought Saturday.

"Guess we'll be back in the tent until I can get (the motorhome) fixed," he said.

[freepatriot32]

The fire seared his shorts to his backside.

i bet he thanks god hourly that he had his back turned :-)

[digitalbrownshirt]

He would have been better off if he'd hired somebody that knew what he was doing.

[son of caesar]

Ive started plenty of generators in my life and never had to use starter fluid. Me thinks you are quite correct, if the machine is broken and you really don't understand it, then get the pro to fix it, elsewhile you might burn yourself where you don't want to. Note that he and his wife live in a tent, they are obviously hippie leftovers.

[sgtbono2002]

We had some Firefighters burned a few years back when the Fire Dept. decided they liked the looks of Polyester pants instead of cotton. They melted and stuck to the Firefighters legs .Only their cotton shorts saved their privates. Since then we use cotton uniforms. We wanted dungarees , but the powers that be wouldnt go for it.

[Blueflag]

Clothing safety is a basic and recurring component of Ga. firefighter re-cert. I hear the same story every year. The noobs are grossed out - the vets just roll their eyes.

Basic 'Darwin Award' rule for fire safety - don't wear articles of clothing that melt.

[Blueflag]

Upon further review, how does one start a Class A fire from a generator backfire unless a LOT of class B fuel got spilled? ;-)

Not that it matters, but lotsa details are missin' here.

[RightOnline]

Boy, that must've really chapped his a**.

[maggief]

Good thing he wasn't wearing a rubber chicken ...

[magslinger]

Basic 'Darwin Award' rule for fire safety - don't wear articles of clothing that melt.

Amen, brother! If it isn't 100% cotton, don't wear it!

A couple of the noobs on my shift think I'm a bit of a perv on the subject, but we haven't had a serious burn in a while. Debriding man-made materials from a burn isn't much fun.

[Sender]

Naked + starter fluid + external combustion bump!

[truemiester]

I believe they changed the name. "Sunnier Palms Nudist Park" has a new name. They've replaces 'Sunnier' with 'Hairy'.

Please make a note of it.

(Warning! The above was a joke. You may not get it right away or you may be insulted. Remember, this is only a joke)

[Mr. Jeeves]

That's why you're also never supposed to wear anything but natural fibers while flying - in the event of a crash and a necessary escape through flames, you don't want to be wearing anything that melts. Yet a sizable percentage of the people I see on airliners are wearing polyester warmup suits.

[Blueflag]

(1) If first, you survive the impact.
(2) Second, the toxic combustion fumes don't kill you
(3) The heated air doesn't sear your lungs
(4) The direct flame impingement and radiant heat don't incapacitate and kill you
(5) You can manage to make it to and out an exit on your own.
(6) THEN, you don't want to be wearing clothing that melts.

Your warning is actually better advice to people who drive a lot. Statistically vehicle fires/deaths/injuries are a lot more common per passenger mile than aircraft fires EVER will be, even for general aviation.

[Blueflag]

Yep. Fools watch the movie 'Backdraft' and think firefighters would charge into a raging structural fire with their turnout gear open and their air on the truck.

[Willie Green]

"I'm just a tough old mule," Kuschel said. "And I don't want to lose this job."
He said he and his wife, Carol, have lived in a tent since moving from Dayton, Ohio, in February and had planned to move into the motorhome, which he just bought Saturday.

There's something not right here...
An AMERICAN competing for one of those jobs that "Americans don't want to do"???
Hmmmm... maybe it was JEB who flamed his butt...

[Blueflag]

Carpentry is a job that Americans still do, and want to do. ;-)

[mikrofon]

I do believe that support apparatus is choking the chicken...

[AmericanDave]

"Yet a sizable percentage of the people I see on airliners are wearing polyester warmup suits."

Hopefully NOT the flightcrew............LOL

[festus]

Note that he and his wife live in a tent, they are obviously hippie leftovers.

Hey I lived in a tent one summer as a kid and I'm not a hippy. Actually I really enjoyed it. I was to young to know it was embarrasing.

Now the white man that was living on my step grandfathers property in Georgia who lived in a TeePee year round, he was a hippy.