Baystate Jeepers

So this happened yesterday to another NEA club and a lot of good lessons came from it.
#1. Have your fire extinguisher accessible. Which means out where can be reached and easily gotten. Not strapped down where it takes 5 minutes to get.
#2. It should be an ABC fire extinguisher
#3. Know how to use it!
#4. Most important practice closing your eyes and getting out of your seat belt / harness and doors.
(Sounds stupid but when people panic they forget basics)
#5. Seat belt cutter is good idea to have too incase belt locks
#6. Watch when routing wires or hoses. Usually stupid stuff like that cause stuff like this when they hit exhaust manifolds. Baystate had that happen 3 or 4 years ago when the positive winch wire melted to manifold and arced.

Them buggy guys , always startin trouble . Its a great topic to touch on and many really dont know that when there is weight on you seatbelt , it wont release . If the Jeep is on its side or upside down. Most if not all factory seatbelts wont release. You would fiscally have to support your weight with one arm while trying to push the release button with the other. Watch videos and or talk to some one who had to go through it. In a turn over your brain is panicked , now imagine if there is a fire also. FjR68

I've got one of these tucked into the net near the stick shift. The glass hammer might not be useful with a soft top, but the belt cutter could come in handy. $12 for a 4-pack

I have a Belt Cutter in easy reach just above my head on an overhead Molle panel, and my Extinguisher is literally at my feet.
Molle Panel (now installed)


Extinguisher on a Drake Racing quick Disconnect bracket)

(here is an Imgur Galery on the Drake Mount

My Medical bag is on a Quick Tear Off patch on the Molle panel behind the driver's seat, (may move to Passenger so I can pull it without leaving the vehicle, or mount it overhead on the upper panel)


I think I'm off to a good start...

Mark, Great reminder for folks. One other thing and I know this gets mentioned but worth mentioning again and again, take that extinguisher out once or more a year, turn it upside down, and give it a good couple raps with a rubber mallet. All that bouncing around in your jeep causes the powder to compact in the bottom and it wont be very usable to protect everyone else around you and the forrest which you are in.

Frank, great reminder about stock belts. They are great for accidents but not so great if you cant see or are as you stated putting too much tension on them.

Some great suggestions here! I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to safety and worst-case-scenario planning, but I guess that's not a bad hobby for someone who enjoys long adventures off the grid with vehicles. Here's a snapshot of my set-up, in case it is helpful for others to see:

1. Overhead molle panel with flashlight, cutter/breaker and trauma kit. With room leftover for a Glock, if I had one. The trauma kit in this spot has two major components: traumatic bleeding and CPR. After the marathon bombing, there was a national push to get the public to realize that WE are the first responders in most situations. https://www.stopthebleed.org/ My kids have all practiced how to apply a tourniquet, and we keep several in the house and our family cars.

2. Fire extinguisher with the Drake quick release in the passenger footwell. Important to have it within reach, as Mark points out. More important to have it secured TIGHT. I've used my fire extinguisher on a Baystate outing, and I've heard stories of concussions from loose objects hitting a driver during a flop. Both are real risks to plan for.

3. Two more first aid kits on the headrests. Sorted into quick-care (cuts, stings, burns) and more elaborate care (splints, medicines, etc).

4. Bear spray and flares. Good for defense against bears (and anyone else that attacks), starting fires, signaling for help, etc. Both are also within reach.

5. Go bag. Packed with everything I would need to stay alive for a week without if my Jeep burned or drowned. As mentioned, I'm a nut. But it's a convenient way to carry all of the stuff I might say "dammit, I wish I had some . . ." during an extended trek off the grid.