BUREAU OF FIRE

Fire Safety

Automobile and Gasoline Safety

Gasoline should be stored in tightly-capped and labeled safety cans that have flame arresters and pressure-relief valves—never in glass or plastic jugs.

If you must siphon gasoline, use a hand-operated pump—not your mouth.

Never store gasoline in your home or car. Flammable liquids must be kept in well-ventilated areas.

• Never store gasoline in the trunk of your car. (For example, small tanks of gasoline or boat fuel tanks—put your boat tank in your boat behind your car.) The vapors can ignite an cause an explosion. Or a rear-end collision, that could otherwise be minor, could result in a tragedy.
• If your car has a catalytic converter, don’t drive through or park in areas of dry grass. The intense heat generated by catalytic converters can ignite these grasses.
• Unless tuning your car, never run your car with the carburetor air-cleaner removed. The air-cleaner device functions as a flame arrestor in the event the engine backfires. If it is not in place, a backfire can easily ignite spilled gasoline or oil on the engine surfaces.
• Never discard smoking materials out the window. Use your ashtray.
• Carry and maintain an approved fire extinguisher. Know how to use it.

REMEMBER…

When fueling your car, prevent static electricity by staying at the pump. Never return to the interior of the car during fueling; the possibility of a static spark could ignite gasoline fumes in the air and cause an explosion.

Never smoke while fueling your car or filling a gas can.

Place gas cans on the ground when fueling to reduce the hazard of static electricity.