Notice to sprint competitors - fire extinguishers

[Evan Bottcher]

Hello competitors,

It has become apparent that there are 1KG fire extinguishers on the market that have a metal bracket, however they do not have a clasp to secure the fire extinguisher in the bracket.  See the attached image, the red arrow highlights the required clasp which is missing in these new 'cheapie' extinguishers.  These extinguishers are not safe for use at our club sprints, and your car will not pass scrutiny and you won't be able to compete.  Please double-check the bracket in your car, even if you've been through scrutiny in the past.

A reminder that extinguishers:
- must be mounted on a metal bracket
- that bracket must include at least one metal clasp (highlighted in red in the attached image)
- the bracket must be secured rigidly with bolts and nuts (not self-tapping screws, nor cable ties!)
- must be easy to pull out in a real hurry - no race tape, no cable ties, not obstructed underneath the seat
- must be within easy reach from the drivers seat (not in the boot, passenger a-pillar etc)

Also be aware and double-check the manufacture date of the extinguisher before you go to every sprint day.  The date is usually stamped around either the neck or base of the extinguisher, and is annoyingly hard to read.  We allow an extinguisher to be up to three years old - e.g. if the extinguisher is marked 07/2012, then it can be used up until the end of July 2015.  If your extinguisher is out of date you will have to go find a supercheap or bunnings and get another one, and you will miss your first session (ask me how I know, I've done the emergency trip to bunnings myself!).

When buying a new extinguisher make sure to pull the extinguishers out of the boxes in the store and make sure they aren't already three years old, find the newest one on the shelf to avoid troubles.

Hope this makes sense - do a bit of prep before your next sprint day to avoid a headache and stress on the day.