r/Firefighting • u/AffableEffable • May 17 '25

Ask A Firefighter Is This Retired Firefighter's Claim About Putting Out a Car Fire Correct?

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Hi, I ran into this discussion on twitter, and most people in the comments were really mad at the ELBainter person (who claims to be a retired firefighter). I know absolutely nothing about any of this, so I was curious: are they right and the people there are just stupid, the opposite, or something in between?

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u/AggressiveChemist249 May 17 '25

There’s math behind decision making.

There’s a science to fighting fires.

You wouldn’t risk two humans lives to save $100,000 of car.

Risk / reward = don’t do it

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u/RoughDraftRs May 17 '25

More to the point. That car was a write off. Whatever it was worth before, its pennies on the dollar now. Why risk your life for a a couple grand? Also the car belongs to insurance now, why risk your life for them?

Its different for firefighters, wearing protective gear and with proper training.

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u/AggressiveChemist249 May 17 '25

Fire fighters only do it because the public would complain if they didn’t.

We need a foam blanket for electric cars anyway.

1

u/RoughDraftRs May 17 '25

Sure, the public, the insurance company and the owner. There is also a need for incident stabilization. Electric vehicles can also get hot enough to damage road surfaces, so public works would probably appreciate it too

There is some value to a burned car to the insurance, if we can prevent extension, some parts may be usable, which could help its value for sale to a scrap yard. There could also be valuables in the cab or trunk that may be worth saving for the owner. So there is a bit of property conservation.

It's just not worth the risk of working the fire without proper PPE.