#11
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Oh I know all about open fire bans. I've just never heard so much emphesis about fires regarding model rocketry except via Fred's posts, so I'm assuming this is a particular problem out in California... -Tim |
#12
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The state fire marshall (or whatever their top level office is called) was a big hurdle when it came to even allowing the motors to be sold. They have to be careful or the hobby might get banned all together in CA. Many parts of California are very dry and prone to fire. Didn't you watch Emergency! when you were growing up? Who wanted to be Gage? Who wanted to be DeSoto? Did anybody ever want to be Kelly? I didn't want to be Dixie, but I sure wanted her. |
#13
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When I first started reading web forums a few years ago, and heard about all the headaches of flying in California, I thought it was just California big-brother bureaucracy run amok. But when I framed it in the context of wildfires destroying billions of dollars of homes and killing people, I began to appreciate the fire marshal's perspective _and_ authority. ... As an aside, it seems California is a state of biblical proportions. Besides wildfires, they have issues with earthquakes, mudslides and pestilence, too. Makes you wonder what the attraction is Doug |
#14
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Did I mention I live in a cardboard box? Seriously, I obviously knew about the wildfires, but had no idea it was that volatile, that a simple crashing rocket would require someone to literally run to the rocket to avoid certain disaster... -Tim |
#15
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Boy! Did we ever get a lesson in tinder box fires! This thing went up in seconds. The comical scene in the movie Christmas Vacation was not far from the truth. It was definite deflagration bordering on detonation Of course, as the evening wore on, we had to gather up all the other dead trees on the street and burn them, too Doug |
#16
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#17
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[OT] Fire safety
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Inspired, we've had a fire safety meeting at our house to discuss the key points about getting out. We talked about getting your face all the way down on the floor for fresh air, using your hand to test the temperature of closed doors before opening, and having a designated meeting place outside the house. And with today's discussion, it's probably time to have that meeting again. Doug Taking mental note to have family meeting... |
#18
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I was offline most of yesterday, so I'm just now responding.
Fires are bad anywhere where it does not rain for 8 months at a time. The plants get tinder dry. We avoid flying near large amounts of dry brush, but there is always some small amoount of growth on the dirt area we use for launching at our park. Other parks have grassy areas that don't get watered, so they turn dry and brown in the "fire season". Our old launch site (Mile Square Park Hobby Area, now long gone) was like that. The advice you quoted is from our club materials. It is intended to remind folks that their rocket is THEIR rocket. The club is there to help and we provide club launch pads and club fire extinguishers, but we do not want folks to just shove stuff on the launch pads and then sit in a lawn chair as their own rocket has a problem. It is basic simple and logical advice that if YOUR rocket goes unstable or craches, that YOU need to deal with it. The means grabbing a fire extinguisher or jug of water (club or personal) and RUNNING to the crash site as soon as it is safe to approach and extinuishing the wreakage and if there are any plants or weeds on fire, extinguishing them as well before any fire can spread. Why would we want to tell flyers to just sit there and do nothing if their own rockets crashed? Waiting is dangerous since a fire can spread. Now, the regular part of the park we fly in had lawns and trees and sprinklers that keep them very green. We only launch on a lawn area a couple of months a year when our normal dirt site is in use by the Renaissance Fair. Fire is virtually impossible on the green lawn, but we still bring extinguishers. The goose poo is more of a hazard. Massive amounts of goose poo.... Quote:
__________________
-Fred Shecter NAR 20117 (L2) Southern California Rocket Association, NAR Section 430 |
#19
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Yeah, that's for sure. I bring a second pair of shoes to put on when leaving the flying field. Bob |
#20
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It got about 25 ft up and just flamed out the front. The rocket looks ok from the outside But I haven't had a chance to really look at the central tube. I'm sure it got plenty hot in there. |
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