Many countries require cars to be equipped with fire extinguishers.

Most countries in the world agree that having fire extinguishers in cars is necessary but enacting mandatory laws requires a process.

Editor's note: Circular 57/2015 of the Ministry of Public Security has come into effect (from January 6) regulating fines for cars with four seats or more without fire extinguishers. However, in the face of fierce debate, the authorities still have to wait for the Ministry of Public Security to issue specific instructions before implementing this new regulation. Ho Chi Minh City Law would like to introduce to readers the regulations on fire extinguishers for cars in some countries: From the process of promulgation to the application of the regulations, as well as the developments and controversies surrounding this issue.

The provision of fire extinguishers for cars with four seats or more is not yet uniform among all countries, even developed countries. Even in countries belonging to the European Union (EU), the law regulating the provision of fire extinguishers is "arbitrary" for each country. However, the general spirit of the people is to have fire extinguishers ready to prevent fire and explosion, which are rare but extremely dangerous.

Regulations on installing fire extinguishers in vehicles are effective from January 6, 2016.

Cars are required to have fire extinguishers.

Admittedly, there have been many car fires that have occurred and burned everything down even when people discovered and used all means to extinguish the fire. In such cases, even those working in the fire department had to advise those still in the car to quickly “leave their belongings and run for their lives”.

However, extinguishing the fire with a fire extinguisher is still considered an important step to minimize the spread of the fire, causing heavy property damage. More importantly, even in cases where the situation cannot be saved because the fire spreads quickly, the fire extinguisher then has an important impact in prolonging the holding time so that everyone in the car has time to escape the fire. Normally, on average, a fire extinguisher in a car can operate at an effective capacity of about 30 seconds, which is the corresponding golden time to extinguish a fire in a car and also the golden time for people in the car to escape the fire.

In Germany, Greece, Belgium and several other European countries, the law requires all cars to be equipped with fire extinguishers. According to the organization Choice in Personal Safety, one of the units that has provided many studies to the German Ministry of Transport, fire extinguishers are the most effective solution when a vehicle has a fire or explosion. If a private car or commercial passenger vehicle enters the above countries without a fire extinguisher, they will not be allowed to clear customs, even if the place of departure is a country that does not require fire extinguishers on vehicles. In the state of Maharashtra (India), 2015 also witnessed the birth of a new law Maharashtra Mechanically Propelled Vehicles & Road Safety (abbreviated as MMPVR) to improve road traffic safety and reduce fatal incidents. The MMPVR Law requires all private and commercial motor vehicles to be equipped with at least one fire extinguisher (with additional specific requirements on technical specifications).

Conditional requirement

In addition to countries that require all types of cars to be equipped with fire extinguishers, there are still many countries that only stop at "conditionally required" and "encouraged". For example, in the US, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has issued a law stipulating that all commercial vehicles must be equipped with at least one fire extinguisher with specific regulations on appropriate technical specifications (from 2.3 kg fire extinguishers to 9.1 kg fire extinguishers). Similar to the US, large and small buses or even taxis in South Africa, according to Regulation No. 260 of the National Road Traffic Law, must be equipped with fire extinguishers with specific regulations on types and appropriate technical specifications.

Checking portable fire extinguishers at the gas storage warehouse of Nghe An Gas Services Company Limited

Located in the EU but unlike Greece, Germany, Belgium and many other countries, the UK is also a country that does not require all vehicles to be equipped with fire extinguishers. Accordingly, commercial vehicles are required to have fire extinguishers. This country is even more careful when regulating goods with different levels of danger (flammable and explosive), must be equipped with different quantities, qualities and types of fire extinguishers, with specific instructions. In addition, trucks of different weights (including those under 3.5 tons; 3.5 - 7.5 tons; over 7.5 tons) also apply different regulations on fire extinguisher equipment. Meanwhile, for private vehicles, this regulation is only at the encouragement level. However, because it is in the EU, almost all private cars in the UK are equipped with fire extinguishers, not only for prevention but also for customs clearance.

Meanwhile, in Dubai (United Arab Emirates - UAE), heavy vehicles and buses are required to be equipped with fire extinguishers, while light vehicles (such as taxis, private cars, four- or seven-seat family cars, etc.) are encouraged by the National Roads and Transport Authority to be equipped. By the summer of last year, the media in this country continued to report that there was a proposed law stipulating that all cars in the capital Abu Dhabi must be equipped with fire extinguishers. However, the Abu Dhabi government has not yet confirmed the law has been passed and the bill is still vague and controversial. The agency that proposed the bill, the Licensing Agency of the Abu Dhabi government, affirmed: "We are sure that this is a good idea because it will help traffic participants escape in case of fire in cars, which happens frequently in this city." According to Dubai Civil Defence (DCD), vehicle fires were the most common incidents in the UAE over the past three years (2010-2013). The agency has also launched campaigns to prevent vehicle fires, urging people to comply with strict fire extinguisher regulations.

Instructions for using fire extinguishers.

Shehabe Al Badawy, a lecturer and fire safety expert in Dubai, gives a three-step guide to responding to a smoking or fire-prone car: “First, get out of the car quickly and grab a fire extinguisher. Then, open the hood, but not too wide (about 3-5 cm is enough), to avoid oxygen entering the car and making the fire burn more intensely. Finally, spray the fire extinguisher on the burning area until it is empty.” Reacting quickly will help reduce damage.

Want to make laws: Need guidance and roadmap

Countries that require all cars to be equipped with fire extinguishers ensure the prerequisite of “awareness must follow action”. Although fire extinguishers are a means of extinguishing fires when cars catch fire, most successful fire extinguishing cases show that the human factor is important. Fire extinguishers only work to their maximum effectiveness when people are explained, trained systematically, scientifically and proficiently because car fires do not only occur in one or a few forms but in many different conditions and circumstances, requiring different flexible responses. This requires the functional sector to invest time and effort.

According to Online Law