EDITORIAL By Kevin Falvey8 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JANUARY 2018
A
long with floating keychains, fenders and a scrub brush, fire extinguishers rank
among the most ubiquitous pieces of marine gear. Every powerboat has at least
one aboard, and many boaters carry more than what is required. That’s a smart
thing, I think, when one considers that a hand-held fire extinguisher gives its user
just seconds to put out a fire.
It’s also notable that a fire extinguisher’s effectiveness relies as much upon its size and
type as it does upon the person wielding it. A calm demeanor and resolute action when a fire
breaks out result from thinking through emergency plans in advance. With the exception of
those among us who are firefighters, that forethought is all most of
us have to rely upon. I’m a believer in the power of self-hypnosis
with respect to boating safety. Repetitive forethought leads to
instant and total recall.
For all that, safe-boating courses provide rudimentary
instruction in the operation of fire extinguishers; check with
your local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Power Squadron or fire
department about fire-extinguisher instruction
and demo days. And, of course, we at Boating
produce content that’s intended to be instructional
and get the gears of forethought moving in boaters’
minds before the gull guano hits the bilge blower.
For instance, visit boatingmag.com/how-to/how-
to-use-fire-extinguisher.
All of the forethought, training and preparation in the world might come
to naught if the damn fire extinguisher is defective. And chances are, the
extinguishers aboard your boat are defective.
According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission,
some 40 million Kidde fire extinguishers with plastic handles are being
recalled as of November 2017. The extinguishers in question fail at the
nozzle and/or fail to discharge. They were sold for use in homes, autos and
boats. The extinguishers were sold in red, white and silver, and are either
ABC- or BC-rated. The recall involves 134 models of Kidde fire extinguishers
manufactured between January 1, 1973, and August 15, 2017, including models
that were previously recalled in 2009 and 2015. One death is attributed to the
defective fire extinguishers. That’s one too many.
Visit http://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls and scroll down to the Kidde fire extinguisher recall page. You’ll
find a list of affected fire extinguishers, many of which bear brand names other than Kidde.
Call Kidde toll-free at 855-271-0773 or visit the company online at kidde.com and click on
“Product Safety Recall” for more information on getting your extinguishers replaced. I called,
without revealing my title, and found them responsive. My new extinguishers are on the way.Kevin Falvey, Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]WE’RE BURNING
FOR YOU
There’s recall and then there are recalls.All of this fore-
thought and
preparation may
come to naught
if the damn fire
extinguisher is
defective. And
chances are, the
ones aboard your
boat are defective.
IS HATE TOO
STRONG A
WORD?
Jim Hendricks,
our Electronics
and West Coast
Editor, has boated
all over the world,
though his home
port is in Southern
California. On
page 68, he pulls
no punches and
speaks from per-
sonal experience
in describing the
confl ict between
sea lions and
boaters occurring
in the waters off
the Golden State.