Filling Up Your Gas Tank May Cost You Your Life

BushCountry.org ^

[justme346]

When you pull up to fill up, experts say you need to realize you may be about to take your life into your own hands.

Ignacio Sierra stopped at the BP Station at I85 & Hwy. 221 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, around 8:30am, with his 6 year old daughter, Esperanza. Mr. Sierra stepped out of his truck to begin refueling. When he reached $8 of fuel he stopped to check his wallet to make sure he had enough money for the purchase. He went back and opened the door of his truck, kneeled in the seat to reach the visor where he kept his wallet. He saw that he had $20 so he began to pump more gas. That is when Mr. Sierra heard a loud pop. He looked down to see flames shooting out of the gas tank of his truck.

Sierra sparked a fire and was ignited when he simply touched the gas pump nozzle. He was not smoking. The engine was off. He was not using his cell phone. How did the fire start?  The state fire marshal's office concluded that the fire was likely caused by static electricity.

Static electricity is usually not dangerous but when combined with gasoline vapors at the fuel tank opening, a small spark can cause a fiery explosion. In fact, your body could be carrying a charge of up to 60-thousand volts that could ignite the gas fumes seeping out of your car!

The sad part is, hundreds of deaths from thousands of these fires occur a year and the public remains almost entirely unaware that this can occur. Gas stations have been reluctant to post signs at the pumps warning that static electricity can ignite gasoline vapors.

The following suggestions could save your life or that of someone else so please forward to those you know:

• Never allow your vehicle to have less than 1/4 tank of gasoline when refueling..
• Never Allow Children to refuel a vehicle.
• Never have children in the vehicle during refueling.
• Turn off the vehicle before refueling.
• Never smoke near a gasoline station or especially during refueling.
• Every time you exit the vehicle, discharge the static on yourself by touching the metal of your vehicle away from the fuel door area.
• Every time you approach the fuel dispensing pump, discharge the static on yourself by touching the metal parts of the pump away from the nozzle area.
• Refuel the vehicle slowly until you have at least 1/4 to 1/2 tank full. Then you may refuel at the maximum rate.
• Never use the auto-latch feature of a nozzle if available. Stay there with your hand on the nozzle.
• Never get back in the vehicle during refueling.

And the most important thing to remember if a fire occurs during refueling: Never, ever pull the nozzle out of the vehicle as this usually results in death as it did for the individual in this video:
http://www.newschannel7online.com/TSRs/gas_station_video.shtml

Many of those killed or hurt during refueling fires think that by pulling the nozzle out they will save themselves, their vehicle or those around them. Nothing is further from the truth. The inferno comes from the nozzle being pulled out and the gasoline being sprayed all around the area. Many people believe that if they pull out the nozzle, the gasoline will stop being pumped. Some of those are no longer with us to hear the truth.

Hopefully, this information has been helpful.  We ask you please forward this information to others as it could save lives. 

To forward this page to a friend using Microsoft Internet Explorer, click on "File" in the upper left hand corner, then "Send", then "Link by E-mail"

[lepton]

Speaking of static electricity, I work with a lot of sensitive electronics such as EPROMS (which I reprogram) and circuit boards. When I went through school, they had all kinds of ridiculous safety contraptions like grounded wrist straps and the like. In 20 years of being "in the field," I have yet to zap a board, chip or EPROM

Some things are indeed easily zapped. The guidelines just make no differentiation between those things that will, and those things that won't. If you just touch the case before touching the chips, that takes care of nearly all of the things that care at all. When I was in the service, I had a guy in my unit that would zap three or four specific boards all of the time.

[T. Jefferson]

I see trial lawyers are getting pretty desperate these days.

[Kermit]

Is this article this month's feature in "Bad Living" Magazine? Just curious.

[Constitution Day]

TRANSLATION: never use the greatest invention in the history of mankind

The guy who invented the hold-open latch did so while working at a Sinclair station in high school.
I think he went on to work for NASA.

[Always Right]

The sad part is, hundreds of deaths from thousands of these fires occur a year and the public remains almost entirely unaware that this can occur.

I can imagine that a huge gasoline fire resulting in deaths would never make the news. It sounds like a big oil conspriacy to me.

[xdem]

Ban dihydrogen monoxide! It's used in animal experiments! It's killed millions over the years!

[Crowcreek]

"We had a flash fire start following the placement of a plastic gasoline container in the back of a truck with a bedliner. Fire Dept said it was due to static electricity. Strange things do sometimes happen."

Portable Containers should ALWAYS be placed on the ground to fill -- This is the most common static-caused fire.

That's why they put the sign at the pumps . . .

[Rustynailww]

it is always something.

[blaze]

This is how I believe spontanious human combustion happens! You know, a little to much taco bell, a little too much polyester, and BAM!!!!!!!!!!

[TruthNtegrity]

You don't happen to use "ALL" liquid detergent, do you? I'm not joking. I used to zap a terminal on a system I worked on in the Pentagon, and we discovered that it was the ALL detergent I used. I switched detergents, and the static problem went away. Just a thought.

[Joe Bonforte]

I owned a car once that seemed to "charge" me more than other cars (maybe the carpet?)...

One common cause is the type of tires the car has. The "low rolling resistance" tires have a higher tendency to cause static. They are created for high mileage - the static problem is a side-effect.

[Procyon]

BINGO!!! We have a winner:

I see trial lawyers are getting pretty desperate these days.

[ValerieUSA]

No, I don't use any detergent exclusively -- I switch frequently. Sometimes ALL, but often another.

[SoothingDave]

Never use the auto-latch feature of a nozzle if available

TRANSLATION: never use the greatest invention in the history of mankind

The auto-latch is too dangerous for untrained people to use. Only qualified "full service" Petroleum Transport Technicians are given the option of using this.

In my state, anyway.

SD

[Ross Amann]

If you carry a large static charge when exiting a car, it is probably (certainly?) caused by friction between your clothing and your seat cover. There is a wide variety of car seat covers in use, so I would suspect that rather than your clothing.

[SunnyUsa]

"If the gauge falls below 1/4, immediately abandon your car and buy a new one"

hahahahaha! If I did that I'd have a new car every few days!

[bandlength]

that's the ONLY good thing about NYS; the land of humidity.

[Rodney King]

Are you convicned yet that it is completely bogus that hundreds of people die each year from this?

[jlogajan]

The sad part is, hundreds of deaths from thousands of these fires</b? occur a year and the public remains almost entirely unaware that this can occur.

From the PEI report:

Year   Fires
1993	1
1994	3
1995	7
1996	6
1997	8
1998	7
1999	26
2000	16
Unknown	7